Cassis' gaze flickered over to Arianna, who was staring blankly into the air, her eyes unfocused as she absorbed the details of her status page. He knew the look well. It was the same expression he had seen on countless faces after choosing their advanced class or after evolution, that mix of awe, contemplation, and slight disbelief at seeing their own power quantified.
Deciding to take advantage of the moment, Cassis turned his attention inward and pulled up his own status page:
Status Page:
- Name: Cassis Walker
- MS (Mana Saturation): 31%
- Race: Human
- Rank: F
- Features: Awareness (intermediate), Energy Perception (Advanced), Stamina Capacity (Expert), Mana Sight (Intermediate), Mana Control (Advanced)
- Unique: Pain Resistance (Basic)
- Level: 16
- Class: Flameforged Warlord
- Skills: Slash (Expert), Stab (Expert), Parry (Expert), Deflect (Expert), Counter (Expert), Dodge (Expert), Acrobatics (Expert), Body Reinforcement (Basic), Dash (Basic)
- Ability:
- Elemental Affinity: Fire
- Unique: None
- Inventory: 15 m3
- Spells: Fire Blade (Intermediate), Flame Burst (Basic), Blazing Body (Low), Fire Lance (Low)
- Titles: [The One Who Returned], [Warrior of Flames], [Protector of the Weak], [Monster Bane I], [Superior Survivor], [Giant Slayer], [Steadfast Leader], [Daredevil]
- Patron: Sapphire
- Hall of Fame: open
As Cassis scanned through his full status page, his eyes lingered on his newly acquired class—Flameforged Warlord. A subtle pulse of understanding coursed through him, a system-given knowledge of what had led him to this choice. His breath hitched slightly as he read through the list of requirements.
Flameforged Warlord Requirements:
- Has chosen the warrior path
- Has unlocked their elemental affinity → Fire
- Has the features Mana Sight and Mana Control at beginner or higher
- Has the skills Stab and Slash at expert or higher
- Has the spell Fire Blade at intermediate or higher
- Has developed at least one more Fire-related spells
- Has killed three or more E-rank monsters with a party
- Has a leadership-type title
- Has a Fire-related title
- Has MS over 25%
Cassis exhaled sharply. Ten requirements. That was... unusual. Most advanced classes had only three or four. He had studied the evolution process thoroughly in the other timeline, and this all but confirmed his suspicion—his class wasn’t just an advanced one. It was already an evolved version of something else.
He looked up at Arianna, who was still lost in thought, staring at her status screen. A thought struck him. If his class had ten requirements... what about hers?
“Arianna,” he called. She blinked out of her trance and looked at him.
“What?”
“Can you check something for me? Look at your class and see what requirements you had to fulfil to get it.”
She frowned but nodded, shifting her focus inward. A moment later, her eyebrows shot up. “Ten,” she murmured.
Cassis felt a chill of certainty. “What are they?”
Arianna read them aloud:
Warpriest of the Flow Requirements:
- Has chosen the cleric path
- Has unlocked their elemental affinity → Water
- Has the features Mana Sight and Mana Control at expert or higher
- Has the spell Heal at advanced or higher
- Has the skill Bludgeon at advanced or higher
- Has killed three or more E-rank monsters with a party
- Has at least one title that increases health regeneration
- Has at least one title that increases mana regeneration
- Has shown an adaptive battle style with healing, attacking, and defending
- Has MS over 50%
Cassis ran a hand through his hair. “That’s... a lot.”
Arianna nodded slowly. “So, you’re thinking...?”
“That our classes are already evolved ones,” he confirmed. “The system doesn’t rank classes, just evolves them. And usually, advanced classes only have a few requirements, not ten.” He exhaled. “Which means evolving them again at level 20 is going to be even harder.” He gulps. “Just like I thought.”
Arianna bit her lip. “So, if we don’t meet whatever the next set of conditions are by then, we’ll really be stuck?”
“Yeah,” Cassis confirmed. “The requirements are unknown but knowing the last requirements can help us guess at the next ones.”
Arianna leaned forward, staring at him. “What do you mean?”
Cassis smirked humourlessly. “We both had to kill three E-ranks to our class. It would be logical to think that for the evolution at level 20 we need to kill at least one D-rank.”
She groaned, covering her face with her hands. “That’s terrible. We’re still F-rank. E-rank is bad enough but how can we kill a D-rank? Where can we even find one so early.”
Cassis chuckled. “There are some. In the E-rank dungeons. The government will have to let us use a few as per our agreement.”
Before Cassis and Arianna could continue their conversation, Luke’s voice cut through the air.
“The car is here!”
Cassis exchanged a glance with Arianna before heading downstairs, where the sleek black vehicle awaited them. The government had kept its word and sent transportation to take them to the parliament for the medal ceremony. Their group had agreed to dress nicely but casually—Cassis had been fortunate enough to have packed a pair of black jeans and a fitted gray shirt, while Arianna had borrowed one of Nadine’s blouses and his mother’s nicer gray pants.
As they stepped outside, they greeted the government official who would be escorting them. Another car was designated for his family, while the Bristols had their own. Naturally, their children were coming along as well. But Helen had opted to stay at his parent's house with Matteo and Felicia.
The drive was quiet. No one spoke much, the weight of what was coming pressing down on them. Cassis stared out of the window, watching the city pass by in a blur. The buildings were a mix of old and new, but as they neared their destination, the architecture became sleeker, more modern.
An hour later, they arrived at the parliament—a strikingly contemporary building with a flat roof terrace. Inside, a long corridor stretched before them, lined with countless doors leading to unknown offices and rooms. Their group was led forward until they reached a grand hall.
The space had been prepared meticulously. A podium stood at the center, draped in banners of military colors. Journalists and cameras were already stationed, waiting. Government officials moved about, coordinating last-minute details. Among them, Cassis spotted Dan Brice, standing with a group of high-ranking military officers. Their uniforms gleamed with medals and insignias, marking them as some of the most influential people in the armed forces.
Cassis felt the weight of their gazes as attention shifted to him and Arianna. He stiffened. In the other timeline, he had survived by remaining invisible, by blending into the background and avoiding notice. That instinct still clawed at him now, urging him to step back.
But then he turned to glance behind him.
The others in their group had insisted that he and Arianna take the lead—they had led the fight, after all. They stood there now, shoulders tense, eyes uncertain. They were uncomfortable, just like he was.
They needed him.
He shifted his gaze to Arianna. The same emotions mirrored in her expression.
They nodded at each other in silent understanding. Then, together, they stepped forward, crossing the hall towards the podium.
Brice intercepted them before they could reach it.
He greeted them with a practiced smile, his expression perfectly controlled. Cassis felt a familiar revulsion coil in his gut. One day, I will kill you.
For now, though, he played along.
Brice led them to the podium, and moments later, the side doors opened. The President of the World Council, Shakir Zenet, entered the hall with a composed stride, exuding the effortless confidence of a seasoned politician.
He greeted them each by name, beginning with Cassis and Arianna, fully aware of the hierarchy within their group. Cassis clenched his jaw. He hated this. Hated being recognized as a leader, as if this were a role he had willingly chosen. But he bore it.
Because survival wasn’t enough this time. They had to thrive.
Zenet thanked them again for their bravery—for protecting the children, for giving hope to Avaria, and for agreeing to receive the medal as a public spectacle. Cassis seized the moment.
“You promised not to conscript us,” he reminded him. His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it.
Zenet’s smile remained, the kind all politicians wore—polished and unreadable. He gestured, and a government worker stepped forward, handing Cassis a document.
Cassis took his time reading it. His fingers tightened on the paper. It’s the same as before. The same written promise Brice had given them, but now with Zenet’s signature and the seal of the World Council.
Only then did Cassis allow himself to exhale.
He gave Zenet a small nod, and the man responded with a satisfied expression. “Good,” Zenet said smoothly. “Now, regarding the soldier training. We’ve already selected the candidates. When will you and Arianna be available to begin?”
Cassis’s first instinct was to push back, but he caught himself. He couldn’t refuse outright—not yet. He thought of Liam and the meeting he had arranged with his friend from Justice for Children. That came first.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“In two days,” he said.
Zenet smiled, seemingly pleased with the answer. “Then it’s settled. Brice will be your contact for everything moving forward.”
Cassis barely resisted the urge to scowl. His teeth clenched. So, Brice was trusted even before everything fell apart.
He said nothing. But inside, the fire in him burned just a little hotter.
The entire group took their seats in front of the podium. Everything had been carefully orchestrated—Zenet would give his speech first, then each of them would be called up individually to receive their medals.
One of the government officials had already arranged them in a particular order, with Cassis set to go first. He glanced at Arianna to see if she was offended by this decision, but she didn’t seem to care. If anything, she looked relieved not to have to go first.
Then the ceremony began.
Zenet launched into his speech, his voice clear and confident, practiced over years of public addresses. He spoke about the hardship Avaria had endured, the resilience of its people, and the hope for a better future. He talked about honoring those who had gone above and beyond—those who had made survival possible.
Cassis barely listened. More politician bullshit.
He only started paying attention when he knew his name would be called soon.
“Cassis Walker.”
The moment the words left Zenet’s mouth, Cassis stood, keeping his movements measured and composed—or at least he hoped they appeared that way. He walked up the short flight of stairs to the podium, his face blank but steady.
The medal was placed in his hands. There was no kneeling, no elaborate ritual. Just a simple recognition.
He had been briefed beforehand—after receiving the medal, he was expected shake Zenet’s hand and then to turn toward the cameras and bow to the people. That was fine. He had no problem with that.
He shook his hand, turned, bowed, then walked back down the stairs without a word.
Next was Arianna.
She did the same, executing the steps flawlessly. Cassis knew how much she hated attention, yet she moved with effortless composure. He had to admire that.
When she sat back down beside him, he smiled at her. She smiled back, a small, knowing look passing between them.
Liam was next, then his parents, followed by Nadine and the Bristols.
Luke sat further back with the children, who had government aides helping to keep them in line.
Once all the medals had been given out, Zenet spoke again, giving another short speech about gratitude, duty, and the bright future ahead. Cassis was already tuning him out again.
Finally. It was over.
The cameras shut down. The journalists started packing up. They had done what was expected of them. Now, they could leave. But first they had to make their rounds shaking hands and smiling to the politicians and high ranking military officers. Thankfully they had declined having a banquet after the ceremony.
Finished with that they moved quickly, eager to get out before anyone could try to pull them into more conversations. But, of course, it wasn’t that easy.
A group of journalists approached before they could reach the exit, a flurry of voices calling out questions.
It was overwhelming.
“How are you so strong?”
“What are your future plans?”
“Who is Sapphire?”
“Are you and Arianna a couple?”
“Will you join the military?”
Cassis barely had time to register the words before Elena stepped in front of him, seamlessly intercepting the reporters.
Her voice was smooth, firm, and utterly unbothered.
“Please understand that we are still making plans regarding any future endeavours,” she stated coolly. “We will announce our next steps publicly—but on our own terms. If you are interested in an interview, please provide your contact information. If we see merit in it, we will reach out in the coming days.”
She delivered it so cleanly, so efficiently, that the journalists actually calmed down.
Some even started explaining why an interview with their publication would be beneficial. They handed over business cards, eager to make an impression.
Cassis watched, impressed.
“You’re good at this,” he told Elena once they had finally broken away from the crowd.
She smirked slightly. “It’s my job.”
There was a touch of arrogance in her tone, but honestly? She had every right to be.
She had handled it so casually.
Once they finally got out of the parliament building, they were driven back to his parents' neighborhood.
The moment they arrived, they all went their separate ways to get some rest. Cassis and Arianna, however, had a different idea of "rest"—which, for them, meant experimenting with their mana and testing their new abilities at the Bristols’ house.
They had about an hour before the televised broadcast of the medal ceremony at 3 PM, so they used the time as best they could.
Neither of them made any significant breakthroughs, but according to Arianna, it was now much easier for her to spread her mana pattern throughout her body. Cassis wasn’t sure if he could say the same. He was still struggling with it, but maybe it was a little easier. He had to trust the genius mana manipulator on this one.
At 3 PM, they all gathered to watch the ceremony on TV.
Seeing himself on screen felt surreal. Cassis sat there, watching his own movements from earlier—his composed walk, the moment he received his medal, the handshake, the bow. It was strange, detached, almost like he was watching someone else.
But the ceremony wasn’t the only thing being broadcasted.
Afterward, a new announcement from Zenet aired.
The president of the World Council appeared on the screen, his expression solemn but determined.
"Dear citizens, with this great symbol of hope and courage, I wish to give you a clear direction for the future."
"Our census has been completed, and we have secured all civilized areas of our world. The results are tragic—around a third of our population has perished. This is an unprecedented loss. But we cannot remain frozen in grief. We must move forward."
"To that end, we have initiated procedures to ease inheritance claims. Over the next few weeks, inheritance taxes will be waived—our people have lost enough already. Families will receive the full property of their deceased relatives without additional financial burden."
"The next of kin will be contacted today or tomorrow with further details."
"Next, we must rebuild. To honour both the dead and the survivors, I urge you all to return to work and resume your professions so that we may reconstruct our society and emerge stronger than ever. Full details, including specific guidelines for each country, are now available on our official website…"
The speech was just like in the other timeline, Cassis thought grimly. But a new shimmer of hope spread through him. More people had survived this time. Had they really made such a significant change possible?
His parents had already received news regarding their inheritances. His mother would be inheriting the properties of her deceased sister Marianne, who had been unmarried and childless. She would also act as the guardian for Celeste’s (her other sister) and Selena’s (Celeste’s daughter) estates until their heirs, Matteo and Felicia, came of age.
His father had also been notified—he was set to inherit his parents' house in the neighbouring country.
The Morrisons and the Bristols had received similar messages, though Cassis wasn’t entirely sure about the details.
His mind wandered. Tomorrow, he would return to his job.
Not to stay, but to say goodbye to his students and to recruit Ben and hopefully his father who Cassis remembered worked in IT for the website they were planning. He hoped that there would be more people than in the other timeline. After all, Zenet had said a third not almost half like back then. Afterwards, he would quit. He had a few savings that he and Arianna could live off for a while. And soon, they would be able to sell monster parts to the government or ingenious companies who would study monsters.
He had actually loved being a teacher—despite the challenges—but now, he had a different path to follow.
After the broadcast, the whole group decided to continue their mana training.
Arianna took charge, demonstrating how to meditate and regenerate mana faster.
It wasn’t easy and she was relentless.
Focusing on their inner flow, feeling the subtle currents of energy within, and consciously guiding them—it all took an exhausting amount of concentration. By the time Cassis called for a break, nearly three hours had passed.
Everyone went home with a splitting headache.
The next day, he and Arianna went to his parent’s house for a very early breakfast. Liam would drive Cassis and Arianna to Cassis’ high school, as Liam said he would just skip his lectures. When his father heard this, he asked Arianna if she worked at an accounting office near the school. Arianna wasn’t prepared for such a question but soon recovered and told his father that she was between jobs right now. His father nodded, not thinking too much about it. He was already retired so he had nowhere to go. His mother would soon try to have some online meetings with her colleagues and boss.
Cassis found Helen after breakfast and asked if she wanted to come with them to the meeting with Justice for Children in the afternoon.
Helen shook her head. “I looked them up. They’re real stand-up, do-gooder types. Even if they end up getting more out of you than you want, it won’t be anything bad.”
Cassis rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Helen just grinned.
Soon, he, Arianna, and Liam got into the car and drove towards his high school on the outskirts of Vallendale. He would go to do his job and at noon when school finished, he would meet up with Liam and Arianna to recruit Ben and maybe his father. Then afterwards they would go to their meeting with Justic for Children at their Vallendale branch.
The car ride was quiet, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
When they reached the school, Liam pulled up to the curb. "We’ll be nearby," he said, his voice even, but there was something watchful in his gaze. Cassis nodded, stepped out, and before he even had the chance to brace himself, the chaos began.
A wave of students swarmed him, their voices overlapping in a flurry of disbelief and excitement.
"Mr. Walker, that was you on TV?!"
"No way—our history teacher is a total badass!"
"Sir, how the hell did you keep this a secret?!"
Their awe was palpable, a stark contrast to the way they had once viewed him. The quiet teacher who lectured about ancient wars and graded essays with clinical precision was now someone entirely different in their eyes.
Other teachers rushed in to pull the students back, offering him a much-needed reprieve. One of them, a woman he had worked alongside for years, gave him an amused glance as they ushered him into the teacher’s lounge.
"Didn’t expect to be a celebrity today, did you?"
The morning briefing was short but sobering.
They would not be teaching today as the e-mail yesterday had already informed them.
There would be no tests, no lectures—only space. A space for students to speak, to process, to grieve. A space where, for once, they were not expected to hold themselves together.
None of them were trained for this.
None of them had the answers. Everyone had lost loved ones, too.
But they were the adults, and so they would do what needed to be done.
The school assembly was held in the main hall.
The principal spoke of resilience, of perseverance, of the importance of education in shaping the future. His words echoed through the large space, measured and formal.
But to Cassis, it felt hollow.
This was not the world they had lived in a week ago. Every single student, every single teacher in that hall had awakened thanks to the level gained by surviving the first wave. Some would still pursue ordinary careers, clinging to what normalcy remained. They would probably achieve professions that helped them grow stronger, not to fight but to survive. But many—far too many—would eventually be drawn to the Awakener Bureau.
The reality was undeniable. Young people were the ones most likely to be called to ‘adventure’. They had all lost loved ones, but youth was resilient and they were going to grow up in this world. It was logical that they would be the one adapting to it best. And most of the younger generation had grown up playing video games. That would help them with the system.
Yet, as Cassis scanned the faces around him, he felt something unexpected.
Relief.
Two-thirds of the students had returned. More of his colleagues had survived than in the last timeline.
A different future was already unfolding.
Back in the classroom, he faced his students one period at a time.
Each new group carried the same haunted expressions, the same unspoken grief. They had lost parents, siblings, friends—some of the very classmates who should have been sitting beside them.
And yet, they did not hold back.
They spoke of what they had seen.
They asked about the monsters, the fighting, the fear.
They asked about him.
Cassis listened.
Some cried, their grief spilling over in ragged sobs. Others sat in silence, their emotions locked behind carefully constructed walls. A few shouted, their voices thick with frustration, anger, helplessness.
And yet, in between the tears, the rage, and the loss, there was laughter.
A fragile sense of camaraderie, of understanding. Moments where they clung to the comfort of shared survival, to the knowledge that they were not alone.
It was an exhausting, emotionally raw morning, and by the end of it, Cassis felt adrift.
But his day was not over yet.
The principal was waiting for him in his office.
Cassis didn’t bother with small talk. "I need to resign."
The older man sighed, not in disappointment, but in understanding.
"I won’t say I’m surprised," he admitted. "Others have left as well. Though, truth be told—most have chosen to stay."
Cassis didn’t know what to say to that.
But then, the principal leaned forward, eyes sharp with something more than just resignation.
"Before you go, I have one more thing to ask of you," he said. "Not as a history teacher—but as someone who has become competent at fighting monsters. If you’re willing, I’d like you to come back one day—not to teach the past, but to prepare them for the world they live in now. Monster fighting. Mana knowledge. Survival."
Cassis hesitated.
The request made sense. These students would need guidance. They would need more than books and theory to survive what was coming.
"...I’ll think about it," he said at last, making no promises.
Before leaving, he sought out his colleagues, exchanging quiet goodbyes.
Then, just as he was about to step outside, he heard a familiar voice.
Sinu.
He didn’t say anything at first—just pulled him into a firm, grounding embrace.
"Take care of yourself, Cassis," he murmured.
He returned the hug, voice quieter than before.
"You too."
And with that, he stepped outside, the past closing behind him.
Arianna and Liam were already waiting.