Chapter 1
Star Monroe woke with a start, the metallic taste of the aile still clinging to his mouth. The ceiling above glimmered with panels that pulsed softly like veins of light, casting a sterile glow across the classroom. His body felt wrong—lighter in some places, heavier in others—as if someone had borrowed him and returned him with missing screws. Around him, students whispered, flicked sparks from their palms, and levitated objects with casual ease. Every glance he received carried judgment, a silent measurement of how useless he already was even though the assessment hadn't happened.
The first person he noticed was a boy with spiky blue hair, leaning over his shoulder, poking him like he was testing if Star was fresh meat. "Don't faint during the evaluation," he hissed. "The cameras love a good dramatic collapse." Star opened his mouth to reply but produced nothing more than a dry croak. The boy laughed and bounced away. He didn't care about the boy, no thst wasn't his problem at the moment...how did he get here? What was the magic behind it...moments ago he was sprawled on the floor in the middle of a very cold aile between buildings gasping for air....trying to survive even though he was an underachiever...he still wanted to survive. But now he just found himself here...in what seemed like a classroom..of superheroes too.Star stared at his own hands, twitching with unease. Sparks ignited in the air around other students, showing off abilities Star didn't even know names for.
Instructor Vale appeared at the front, her silver coat catching the light as if it had been woven from stars. Her smile was sharp, precise, and dangerous. "Welcome to Aegis Hyperion Academy," she said. "Today, you will discover your potential. Today, you will see what the world expects of you." There was no malice, only precision, and Star felt it pressing against him like a weight. This wasn't a school. It was a test, a judgment, a machine designed to separate talent from failure.
A glowing cube hovered in front of Star's desk, rippling like water. He stared at it, unsure if he should touch it. Against his better judgment, he pressed his palms to its surface. Cold energy slithered up his arms, unsettling and electric, and for a moment his vision flared with fragments that weren't his: locker rooms, whispered taunts, repeated failures. Star jerked back. The cube shimmered gray, waiting, patient, indifferent to his confusion.
The results appeared above him: Residual Absorption, Rank F, compatibility unstable. Laughter rolled through the classroom like waves. The blue-haired boy gave him a thumbs-down. Star's cheeks burned. Humiliation pressed at him, but beneath it all, a spark of curiosity flared. Even useless power was still power. He clenched his fists, feeling the faint hum under his skin, an untapped energy waiting for a chance.
The students were marched to the training arena, a chaotic expanse of floating platforms and shifting metal pillars. Sparks and flashes of energy lit the air as students practiced basic abilities. Star hung back, studying the arena, every muscle tensed. Residual Absorption was supposed to be weak, yet he could feel threads of energy trailing from each display, tiny whispers of potential that he didn't understand. A small part of him smiled. Weakness was unnoticed strength if you knew where to look.
A minor skirmish began near the center of the arena. A student tripped, sparks flying toward Star. Instinctively, he extended his hands. The energy faltered midair, dissipating into nothing. Star froze. Nothing spectacular had happened, yet those nearby paused, eyes widening. A ripple of tension ran through the group. He didn't know what he had done, but the ability had reacted in its own quiet way. It didn't destroy, it rewound. And the world, for a fraction of a second, noticed him.
Star stepped forward cautiously, heart pounding. His pulse thrummed with excitement and fear. He had survived the first trial, accidentally demonstrated power, and remained unscathed. Around him, the arena hummed with residual energy, every spark and flare carrying a toll, a fatigue, a strain that Star couldn't yet measure. He realized that abilities weren't just flashy—they were dangerous, even to the user. That thought made him grin.
The session ended with a bell that echoed through the arena. Students left, whispers following Star as he walked back toward the dorms. The academy's walls towered over him, stark and intimidating. The city outside glimmered, distant but alive, a promise of opportunity and danger. He knew no one could save him. No one would intervene.
By the time he reached his dorm gate, Star's mind raced with possibilities. Trash was a label. Weakness was a challenge. Residual Absorption, his ability..was a mystery waiting to be unraveled. And Star Monroe, for the first time in any life, felt something fierce and undeniable stir within him. Tomorrow, the academy would start testing him again. But today, he had survived. And surviving was the first step toward becoming something unstoppable.