Mira Voss slipped out of the auditorium the moment the ceremony ended, her steps quick and silent, like she was trying to disappear before anyone could point and laugh again.
She found her usual corner bench outside the high school gates half-hidden by overgrown vines, far enough from the main path that most people forgot it existed.
She sat down hard, knees pulled to her chest, purple eyes staring blankly at the cracked stone.
Inside the hall, the real show was just starting.
Aurabell Netan school belle, heir to one of the top ten resource management conglomerates in Midger, and the undisputed queen bee stepped forward with all the grace of someone who knew the world bent for her.
Her blue hair shimmered like liquid silk under the crystal lights, falling in perfect waves down her back.
Her tiger-yellow eyes scanned the crowd with predatory amusement, lips curled in that signature mocking smile everyone both hated and envied.
"So someone actually got an E-rank, huh?" she drawled, loud enough for the entire room to hear. "How… quaint."
The laughter that followed was immediate, sharp, and cruel. Aurabell didn't even glance at Mira's empty spot; her gaze was already locked on Damien Crowe, who stood near the side exit, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
She'd had a crush on him since the day he transferred in during sophomore year tall, long black hair always half-hiding those intense dark eyes, pale skin that made him look like he belonged in a storm rather than a classroom.
He was handsome in the way that made girls forget their own names.
And now, with her SR-rank Potential and her renowned Gravity Control Trait the same one as one of the legendary 13 Emissaries she finally had the perfect excuse to confess.
Aurabell straightened her uniform, heart pounding beneath her confident facade.
This is it. SR-rank Potential, a Trait that can crush armies, and him… even if he's E-rank, he's still Damien. I can protect him. I can make him mine.
She strode toward him, heels clicking sharply on the marble. Her mind raced.
Why can't I speak? Come on, Aurabell say something. "Hey, Damien, want to team up? We'd be unstoppable." Or just… "I like you." Simple. Perfect timing.
But when she reached him, mouth open, the words died in her throat. He was already turning away long coat swaying as he walked out the side door without a backward glance.
"Huh?" Aurabell blinked, frozen. "Where's Damien?"
A girl nearby snorted. "He left, obviously. He always dips first."
Another voice chimed in. "Probably went straight home. Guy doesn't stick around for drama."
Aurabell's cheeks burned. She'd frozen. Again. The queen of the school, SR-rank heir, reduced to a stuttering idiot in front of the one guy who never seemed to notice her.
Outside, the winter wind bit harder. Mira hadn't moved from the bench. Her hands trembled in her lap, tears drying cold on her cheeks. The laughter from the auditorium still echoed in her ears like knives.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel. She didn't look up until a shadow fell over her.
Damien Crowe sat down on the far end of the bench close enough to talk, far enough not to crowd. He didn't speak at first. Just stared ahead at the gray sky, long black hair shifting in the breeze.
Mira's voice came out raw, cracked. "Why are you here? Aren't you going to laugh like the rest of them?"
He shook his head once. "No. Why would I? I'm a E-rank too. Worse we're not F, the absolute bottom, but close enough." His tone was flat, almost bored. "Remember that."
Mira finally lifted her head. Her purple eyes were blank, red-rimmed, fixed on him like he was the only solid thing left in the world.
"You know it too, don't you?" she whispered.
"A girl with E-rank Potential… we have no value. Unlike you. You can still get any woman you want.
Ten, twenty, whatever. But me?" Her voice broke. "I won't even get a home."
As if summoned by her words, a sleek black luxury car pulled up to the curb tinted windows, chrome accents, the kind of vehicle that screamed old money and zero mercy. The rear door opened.
Mira's mother stepped out tall, elegant, face a mask of cold disappointment. She didn't even look at her daughter fully.
Mira stood instinctively, arms opening for a hug. "Mom "
"I don't know you anymore," the woman said, voice like ice cracking. "And don't use my family name with your filthy one."
Mira froze mid-step. The words hit harder than any physical blow.
Her arms dropped. Her mother turned back to the car without another glance, the door closing with a soft, final thud.
The vehicle pulled away smoothly, leaving only exhaust and silence.
Mira's knees buckled. She sank to the ground right there on the cold stone path, palms pressing into the dirt, tears streaming freely now.
No sobs just quiet, endless streams down her face. Her own mother had abandoned her in under ten seconds. No hesitation. No goodbye.
Damien watched it all from the bench, expression unchanging. Inside, though, something twisted.
Damn… that's cold. Just like that Mira Voss becomes just Mira.
If I remember right, her Trait is Soul Master. She can raise the souls of dead monsters, bind them to fight for her.
In a world like this, that's god-tier Trait..… if the Potential rank supports it. But E-rank? It's useless.
She could grind for decades and never see the surface of C-level.
He sighed quietly.
Then the system pinged in his mind, cold and clear.
[Ascendant Bond]
Host: Would you like to initiate bond with Mira Voss?
First-time enhancement: Duration 2 days
Potential rank temporarily elevated to S-rank
[Confirm / Decline]
The world seemed to pause. Mira was still on her knees, crying silently, completely unaware of the notification floating in Damien's vision.
He stared at her bowed head, long black hair spilling across her shoulders like spilled ink.
This was it. The first real step toward becoming something more than a hidden cheat.