Aria Vale was officially having the worst—and strangest—morning of her life.
For starters, she woke up to Zee sitting on her chest.
"Good morning, multiversal anomaly," Zee said cheerfully. "Don't scream. Or do. I'm emotionally prepared for both."
Aria screamed.
Zee screamed louder.
Somewhere across the room, Milo fell off a chair.
"What is WRONG with you people?" Milo groaned from the floor.
Aria shoved Zee off her and bolted upright, her heart pounding. "Why are you on me?!"
Zee blinked innocently. "Science."
"That is NOT an answer!"
"It absolutely is," Zee said. "You vanished from the infirmary last night, energy readings went wild, the rooftop cameras glitched, and this morning you woke up without a single injury. That makes you either—" she ticked off fingers "—a miracle, a threat, or the academy's next classified disaster."
Milo raised a hand from the floor. "My vote is disaster. Lovable disaster. But still."
Aria rubbed her face. "I didn't ask for this."
"None of us did," Milo said, finally standing. "But you definitely won something."
She glared at him. "If this is a joke—"
Before she could finish, the academy alarm blared.
Not the emergency siren.
The assembly tone.
Zee froze. "Oh. That's… not good."
Milo's grin slowly spread. "That's great."
Aria frowned. "How is that great?"
"Because assemblies mean announcements," Milo said. "And announcements mean drama."
The hall was packed.
Students floated, leaned against walls, perched upside down on ceilings, or sat normally—because normal still existed, even if it was boring.
Aria sat between Milo and Zee, trying very hard not to panic.
Every time she breathed too deeply, the air around her felt… thicker.
Like it was listening.
At the front, Director Halvern, a tall man with gravity manipulation abilities, stepped forward.
"Students," he began, voice echoing unnaturally, "yesterday's incident was classified as a Tier-Three Dimensional Disturbance."
The room erupted.
"Tier-Three?!"
"That's illegal-level stuff!"
"Someone broke reality??"
Aria shrank into her seat.
Milo leaned over. "So. Small thing. Did you, uh… break reality?"
"No," Aria hissed. "I think reality broke around me."
Zee hummed. "That's worse."
Director Halvern raised a hand, and gravity pressed down just enough to quiet everyone.
"We are increasing security," he continued. "Any student with abnormal readings will undergo evaluation."
Aria felt her stomach drop.
Abnormal readings.
Milo noticed. "Hey," he whispered. "Relax. You're fine."
She looked at him. "You don't know that."
He smiled. "True. But if they try to lock you in a lab, I'll short-circuit the building."
"That's not comforting."
"It should be."
Suddenly, the air shifted.
Aria felt it before anyone else.
That pull.
That presence.
A ripple spread across the hall, subtle but undeniable. The lights flickered. Energy fields wavered.
Students murmured.
Then—
A man appeared beside the director.
No portal.
No sound.
Just… there.
Tall. Dark clothes. Silver eyes.
Aria's breath caught.
"Oh, come on," Milo muttered. "This guy again?"
Zee's head snapped toward him. "You can see him?!"
Milo blinked. "Yeah? Can't you?"
Zee stared, then slowly smiled. "Oh, this just got interesting."
The man ignored everyone else.
His eyes found Aria instantly.
The world narrowed.
Director Halvern stiffened. "Identify yourself."
The man smiled faintly. "Kael Orion."
A hush fell.
That name carried weight.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"That's a myth—"
"He's not real—"
"He died in the Rift Wars—"
Kael's gaze never left Aria.
"I'm here," he said calmly, "for her."
Every head turned.
Aria squeaked. Actually squeaked.
"M-me?"
Milo shot to his feet. "Excuse you. She's taken."
Kael glanced at Milo.
Just once.
Milo sat back down immediately.
"…I've decided I don't like eye contact anymore."
Zee burst out laughing.
Aria didn't.
Her heart was racing too fast. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded, standing despite her shaking legs. "You can't just show up and—"
"I can," Kael said gently. "And I had to."
Director Halvern stepped between them, gravity flaring. "You will not approach the student."
Kael sighed.
The gravity pressure vanished.
Halvern staggered.
Students gasped.
Kael finally looked annoyed.
"I don't have time for politics," he said. "Aria, listen to me."
She clenched her fists. "I don't even know you!"
Pain flickered across his face—quick, sharp, real.
"…You will," he said quietly.
The room trembled.
A chair slid across the floor.
Someone screamed.
Aria felt it again—that surge of emotion building in her chest like a storm.
"No," she whispered. "Stop. Please—"
The pressure spiked.
Windows cracked.
Energy shields flared.
Zee shouted, "ARIA—BREATHE!"
Milo grabbed her hand. "Hey! Look at me! Just me!"
She focused on his stupid hair. His ridiculous grin. His familiar presence.
The pressure eased.
Kael watched in awe.
"…It's starting earlier this time," he murmured.
Director Halvern recovered, fury blazing. "You will leave. NOW."
Kael hesitated.
Then he nodded.
"For now."
He turned back to Aria one last time.
"I'll explain everything," he promised. "Soon."
Then, with a faint smile that somehow felt intimate and tragic all at once—
"You still hate mornings," he added.
And vanished.
Silence crashed down.
Milo stared at the empty space. "Okay. Officially? I'm scared."
Zee clapped her hands. "I'm excited."
Aria sank back into her seat, heart pounding.
"What is happening to me?" she whispered.
Zee leaned in, eyes bright. "You're the main character, babe."
Aria groaned. "I didn't apply for this role."
Somewhere far beyond the academy—
The multiverse shifted.
And everyone could feel it.
The academy's training halls were usually a place of controlled chaos. Students practicing powers, energy blasts weaving through the air, and instructors shouting over explosions and gravity shifts.
Today, however, the halls felt like a multiversal storm—and the storm had a name: Aria Vale.
Aria stormed in, Milo and Zee following as close as humanly—or superhumanly—possible.
"Okay," Milo said, skidding to a stop in the middle of the hall, sparks crackling from his palms. "We need a plan. Step one: survive the day without breaking reality. Step two: maybe, just maybe, don't get expelled."
Zee rolled her eyes. "Step three: don't embarrass yourself in front of Kael Orion if he shows up again."
Aria froze. "He's going to show up again?"
"Probably," Zee said, smirking. "And probably at the worst possible moment. That's his style."
Aria groaned. Milo sighed, and for a moment, the three of them shared a quiet, slightly terrified camaraderie.
Then the training bell rang—a deep, vibrating sound that echoed through the entire academy.
The arena was enormous—circular, floating, and semi-transparent, with observation galleries above.
Aria took a deep breath, trying not to panic. Today, she wasn't just observing. She was participating.
"Okay, first exercise," the instructor announced, "pair up and demonstrate your ability to control energy fields under pressure. Fail, and we… adjust your progress accordingly."
Aria blinked. "Adjust… how?"
"Trust me, you'll find out," Milo whispered. "Spoiler: it involves yelling, sparks, and potential property damage."
Zee elbowed him. "Less commentary, more support."
Aria's partner appeared—a boy with gravity manipulation. He smirked, floating casually in front of her.
"Aria Vale," he said, voice dripping with superiority, "don't hurt yourself."
Aria's eyes narrowed. "Watch me."
The moment the exercise started, Aria felt the pull. That familiar tug in her chest, that invisible thread that had haunted her since yesterday.
She clenched her fists, and the air around her wavered. The gravity-man's boots lifted off the floor involuntarily, spinning him like a top.
He screamed. Milo laughed. Zee facepalmed.
"Stop it! Stop it! I can't control it!" Aria shouted, heart racing. Her emotions surged, feeding the invisible energy field she didn't know she had.
The arena responded dramatically. Panels flickered. Walls rippled. A small section of the gallery cracked, and someone yelled, "Call security!"
Then, laughter.
Aria looked up. Kael Orion had appeared on the observation platform, leaning casually on the railing, watching the chaos unfold with that same, impossible calm.
"Relax," he said softly, almost to himself. "It's just a demonstration."
Aria's face turned red. "I'm not a demonstration!"
Milo muttered, "You just leveled the training arena…"
Zee whispered: "And impressed him."
Aria groaned. "I hate all of you."
Before Aria could recover, a new figure entered the arena.
Tall, confident, and impossibly smirking—Lior Ashen, mind-controlling charm in full effect.
"Ah," he said, eyes sparkling as he looked at Aria. "The infamous girl who made gravity itself scream yesterday. I had to see it for myself."
Aria wanted to punch him. Milo wanted to zap him. Zee wanted to tie him in a knot.
Lior floated closer. "I hope you don't mind if I… assist."
Aria froze. "Assist?"
Lior grinned. "I control the mind, remember? You're welcome."
Milo growled. "Do not touch her mind, creep!"
Zee sighed. "Welcome to day two, Aria. Enjoy the chaos."
Aria tried to focus, trying to control her emotions. Milo whispered tactical advice, Zee shouted reminders, and Lior… just grinned, casually moving objects with subtle mind pushes.
Nothing went as planned.
Gravity-man flew into the ceiling again.
Milo zapped a wall by mistake.
Zee accidentally reversed Lior's mind push, sending a floating barrel spinning into the air.
Aria's chest tightened. She wanted to stop it, but the energy surged.
Her hands glowed faintly, her power awakening just enough to grab the barrel mid-spin. Then—oops—it multiplied.
Suddenly, five barrels hovered around the arena, spinning chaotically, each one reacting to her mood.
Lior clapped slowly. "Impressive."
Aria groaned. "I didn't mean to!"
Milo ducked under a spinning barrel. "You just invented multiversal barrel physics!"
Zee laughed. "I knew she was something special. Just… not this special."
The arena instructor finally blew the whistle—though it barely mattered, because Aria's display had literally broken physics for ten feet.
Kael leapt from the observation platform with impossible grace, landing between Aria and the spinning barrels.
"Step back," he commanded.
The barrels froze mid-air, then gently dropped to the ground. Aria blinked. Milo whistled. Lior looked slightly annoyed.
Kael turned to Aria, silver eyes soft. "You don't fully understand your ability yet. But you will."
Aria's heart thudded. "…You're everywhere."
"I have to be," he said, voice low, almost a whisper. "Because if I'm not, they'll take you."
Aria swallowed. "…Who?"
"Everyone who wants to use your power. And trust me—they're already coming."
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Milo's grin faded. Zee's laugh stopped.
Aria didn't know whether to be scared or angry or… something else entirely.
But Kael's hand brushed hers. A small, almost imperceptible touch.
Electricity—no, something deeper—ran through her.
The multiverse had begun to notice her.
And so had he.
By the end of the day, the academy had:
patched the arena
removed several students from training
instituted an emergency "observe Aria" protocol
Aria, Milo, and Zee collapsed in the dormitory lounge.
Milo mumbled through his exhaustion: "Day two? Already better than day one. And that's saying a lot."
Zee snorted. "Yeah, she's a walking disaster. But… somehow adorable."
Aria groaned, face in her hands. "I hate being special."
Then, a note slid under the door.
Aria picked it up. Her eyes widened.
It read in neat, sharp handwriting:
Meet me at midnight. I'll explain everything. —K
Aria's heart hammered. Milo leaned over her shoulder. Zee's jaw dropped.
"…You have got to be kidding me," she muttered.
Somewhere, far above reality, a new rift shimmered, as if acknowledging her choice.
The multiverse was watching. And it was not done with her.