"Ha!"
I gasped, sitting up so fast that my head spun for a second.
My chest rose and fell in sharp breaths, as though I'd just woken from a nightmare I couldn't remember.
For a terrifying moment, I thought I was dead.
But no...
The cold ground beneath me, the dull ache in my bones, the distant chirping of morning birds, it all reminded me painfully that I was still alive.
Barely.
I looked up at the sky.
It was morning.
Early morning, the kind where the sun hadn't fully decided if it wanted to shine yet.
Grayish clouds stretched across the horizon, casting a dull hue over the streets.
I looked around.
The road was empty.
Not a single person in sight.
Honestly, I wasn't surprised.
This part of town was where the rich lived.
They didn't step out early.
Why would they?
Their lives didn't run on morning shifts and street corners.
They had chauffeurs, private kitchens, and alarm clocks they could afford to ignore.
I let out a slow, exhausted sigh and shook my head, trying to piece everything together.
The last thing I remembered...
That screen.
That strange, glowing blue screen that floated in front of me, announcing in plain text before I passed out.
"You have awakened."
I rubbed my face with both hands, groaning.
That... wasn't normal.
People didn't awaken like that.
Normally, awakening came with tests, intense training, life-threatening situations, or just sudden, it came through various means but not this.
Some people described it as a rush of energy, others as an instinctive feeling, but no one ever talked about floating blue screens handing out congratulatory messages like some cheap video game.
I sat there for a moment, hand on my chin, deep in thought.
What should I do now?
I felt like I was missing something important that could help me in my current situation.
Before, when I was just some powerless reject, and haven't awaken, my situation felt hopeless.
Nothing but a walking target waiting to die in the streets.
But now...
Now there was something.
I didn't know what exactly, but something inside me felt lighter.
Hopeful.
Like the first crack of sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
Suddenly it hit me.
Like a slap straight to the brain.
My eyes snapped open.
The Academy.
Dusk Academy.
How the hell could I forget something that important?
I smacked my forehead gently, a tired grin spreading across my face.
Dusk Academy wasn't just some school.
It was the academy.
One of the top-ranked academies in the entire world.
A place where the children of the rich, powerful, and talented gathered.
Where some of the strongest awakened instructors trained the next generation of legends.
And somehow, in the chaos of losing everything, I'd forgotten about it.
My grin widened as the possibilities danced through my mind.
Training, power, knowledge... a chance to rebuild everything they took from me.
Dusk Academy was also one of the most expensive academies in existence.
The fees alone could buy a mansion.
People like me who were broke, or weren't very wealthy, has no business dreaming about that place.
But...
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, praying to every force in the universe that what I remembered wasn't some cruel false hope.
My fingers shook slightly as I unlocked the screen and opened my mail app.
Scrolling... scrolling... there.
And there it was.
An unopened message from Dusk Academy.
My heart pounded as I tapped it.
"Congratulations, Ryan Nether. You have been awarded a full scholarship to Dusk Academy."
For a second, the world stopped.
I blinked.
And then I laughed.
Loud, raw, and honest.
"Ahaha!"
It slipped out before I could stop it.
Who knew?
Something I applied for on a whim months ago when I was still stupidly rich, just for fun, could now save my life.
Back then, I wasn't even serious.
My dad was planning to enroll me in a far bigger, more prestigious academy anyway.
I only applied for Dusk Academy's first-ever scholarship offer because I was bored.
Guess that boredom might've been the best decision I ever made.
I exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain from my body.
For the first time since I was kicked out, I smiled for real.
"I better not be late," I muttered to myself, rising slowly from the cold ground.
My body still hurt, but my steps felt lighter somehow.
Like I had a reason to move forward again.
I turned down the street, Dusk Academy awaited.
I could feel it, this was a huge step to getting my revenge.