The world had evolved. Long ago, people woke up to the reality of powers, supernatural talents challenging the most fundamental principles of nature. Major Academies, schools charged with educating the next generation of power users, were born with this awakening. Every country had one Major Academy, a battlefield where only the strongest students survived, getting them ready for future battles in inter-city, national, and even galactic level competitions.
The pride of the country, Titanium Academy was among the most renowned Major Academies. Regardless of their elemental alignment, mutations, psychic affinities, or any other categorization, it accepted students of all ability kinds and classes. Here, one's worth was defined by their mission performance, fighting strength, and ability rank.
The Awakening Ceremony, when new students would discover their skills for the first time, honored today.
Rey stood amid the ocean of first-year students in the great awakening hall. The mood was one of eager excitement. Each individual here would put their hand upon the Awakening Crystal, a relic filled with ancient power, to discover their talent and rank. The strongest among them would quickly climb in the academy's social order, while the weakest would be pushed aside, forced to fight their way up through pure effort.
A holographic list projected above the Awakening Platform indicated the rating system for abilities:
SS-Rank: Transcendent powers, the type that may change the course of warfare. Rarely found, even among exceptional grads.
S-Rank: Legendary abilities that may annihilate whole battlefields.
A-Rank: Exceptional powers, wielded by individuals destined for greatness.
B-Rank: Strong, dependable abilities, prevalent among excellent students.
C-Rank: The standard level, neither remarkable nor weak.
D-Rank: Inferior powers, scarcely helpful in warfare.
E-Rank: Almost impotent, anyone classified here would struggle to live in the school.
The first student walked forward and put his hand on the Awakening Crystal. A dazzling blue radiance emerged from the stone.
"A-Rank – Frost Dominion!" the projection displayed.
Gasps and whispers permeated the room. The boy's physique was now infused with crackling ice energy, he was already being sought for elite training programs.
One by one, pupils awoke their abilities.
"B-Rank – Thunder Burst!"
"S-Rank – Celestial Chains!"
The crowd surged with cheers everytime a high-ranked ability showed. Every powerful awakening changed the academy's social structure before courses even started.
And then, it was Rey's time.
He moved forward, pulse racing. He wasn't from a distinguished lineage. He had no unique background. He only wanted to survive.
Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the Awakening Crystal.
The crystal flared uncertainly. It didn't instantly shine with the intensity others had observed.
Then, a dark crimson glow pulsed from the stone.
A holographic projection generated in the air.
"D-Rank – Unshackled Ascension."
Silence.
A D-Rank ability.
Whispers arose throughout the hall.
"What a waste."
"He might as well drop out now."
"D-Rank? He'll never survive the academy missions."
Rey's chest squeezed, yet he clinched his hands. Unshackled Ascension. It sounded… different from the others. While other talents had a defined use, fire, ice, lightning, his looked unclear.
The teacher scowled as he perused the text. "D-Rank talents are typically ineffective in warfare. However, your ability's nature is… peculiar. Further evaluation will be required."
Rey understood what it meant. Unshackled Ascension was an oddity. Something they didn't really comprehend yet.
After the ceremony, pupils were segregated depending on rank. The higher levels instantly got training offers, invites to elite fighting teams, and access to sophisticated resources. The lowest echelons were mostly disregarded.
Rey found himself standing with the other D and E-Rank students, a group that many in the school deemed "filler students", individuals who would either be utilized as stepping stones or expelled within a year.
He snuck a glimpse at the A and S-Rank pupils. They stood boldly, already establishing connections, their futures sparkling with promise. He was at the absolute bottom.
But Rey refused to accept it.
Titanium Academy was a battlefield, but it was also a place where the weak might flourish. If his talent really was extraordinary, then he would find a method to break past the boundaries of his rank.
For now, however, he had to live.
The Awakening Ceremony was merely the first step. Ahead of them lie tough academy training, combat contests, and monster-hunting expeditions. To live, Rey would need to learn fast.
Titanium Academy didn't care about excuses. Only strength mattered.
As the day proceeded, Rey sought to put together what his talent meant.
"Unshackled Ascension," he mumbled beneath his breath. The name implied expansion, freedom, something endless. But how could a D-Rank ability be limitless?
Later that evening, the freshly awakened pupils convened in the battle halls for a rudimentary examination. This was where talents were tested in actual settings, and where the weak were genuinely separated from the strong.
The teacher, a huge man with a scarred face, studied them all. "Combat trials will commence immediately. We will test how successfully you can utilize your abilities in a conflict."
Pairs were established, and fighting started across the hall. The air buzzed with elemental strikes, energy waves, and psychic power. A female with B-Rank Flame Manipulation blasted a wave of flames at her opponent. A youngster with A-Rank Gravity Control crushed his competitor beneath an invisible force.
Then it was Rey's time.
He was pitted against an opponent with C-Rank Stone Armor, a protective skill that rendered the user practically resistant to physical strikes.
Rey took a long breath. "Activate ability," he muttered.
For a minute, nothing occurred.
Then, something shifted.
A warmth went through his limbs, a lightness in his muscles. He moved, and the world appeared slower. His opponent struck a fist coated in stone, but Rey sidestepped smoothly, almost as if he had foreseen the action.
He hit back, his motions quicker, sharper.
His opponent staggered. "What…?"
Rey didn't comprehend it yet, but his talent wasn't about sheer power.
It was about transcending limitations.
For a short while, his body performed at a greater efficiency. His reflexes, strength, and speed increased beyond what they should have been.
The match ended in a tie, but the teacher took note. "Interesting," he mumbled. "Not bad for a D-Rank."
Rey realized he had a long way to go. But this was only the beginning.
Titanium Academy sought strength?
Then he would offer them something they had never seen before.
No matter his status, he would break past every restriction in his way.