Chapter 1: Rejected, Run Over, Binding Complete

Year 277, Liberty Federation, New Arcadia City.

The night sky of Earth Star was clear and filled with stars. Ever since humanity shifted to mana-based technology, pollution had become a thing of the past, a relic of the old world before the Great Cataclysm.

Students from Awakener’s Pride University were gathering in large numbers. They were all heading toward the Hyperion Estate, one of the most prestigious families in the New Arcadia City.

Richard Hyperion was celebrating his eighteenth birthday.

Almost everyone at the university knew his name. He was a student council member, a top-ranked talent, and the heir to the influential Hyperion family.

There was no one in the Pride University that didn’t know Richard. He was talented and charming and many considered him a capable young man with a bright future ahead of him.

"Thank you for coming with me, Nero."

A beautiful girl turned toward the young man beside her with a gentle smile on her face.

She had long black hair, deep red eyes and a face which could captivate almost anyone or make them shoot a glance at her.

The young man beside her, however, was quite the opposite.

He wore thick round glasses, and several pimples were scattered across his face and his awkward posture made him look rather timid.

Anyone who saw them together would probably wonder how such an unusual pairing had come to be.

Nero smiled at her, looking both nervous and grateful.

"It’s fine, Lyris. In fact, I should be the one thanking you for letting me tag along."

Lyris laughed softly. "Come on, let’s not keep Richard waiting. The party will start soon."

"Yeah.... let’s go."

With that, the two entered the venue together.

Nero could feel his heart beating against his chest as they walked inside.

He had never been comfortable around large crowds. He always preferred sitting quietly in a corner rather than draw attention to himself.

Being here with someone as beautiful and popular as Lyris only made him more nervous.

He couldn’t help worrying about what the others might say when they saw him standing beside her. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass her.

Nero and Lyris were childhood friends. However, somewhere along the way, his feelings for her had grown from just childhood friends to that of love.

She was beautiful, charming, and very kind to everyone. It was hardly surprising that countless young men admired her.

Nero was no exception, although he had always kept his feelings to himself due to fear.

Tonight, however, he had finally decided to change that.

He was going to invite Lyris to dance with him during the party.

It might not seem like much to others, but for Nero, simply asking her to dance required more courage than he had ever gathered before.

He had spent two entire weeks practicing, memorizing every step so that he wouldn’t embarrass himself.

If everything went well, perhaps Lyris would finally begin to see him differently.

Unfortunately, before he could enjoy the occasion, several hushed voices reached his ears.

"Hey, look. Isn’t that Nero? He’s actually here."

"Huh? Even he got an invitation?"

"Well, I guess that’s fair. Richard doesn’t discriminate against people, after all."

"I was wondering why there was normal food at a place filled with awakeners. Looks like they prepared that entire section just for him."

Hearing their conversation, Nero almost cursed under his breath.

Seriously, would it hurt them to lower their voices? He was standing right there, and Lyris was beside him!

Just because he hadn’t awakened didn’t mean he had no rights.

Still, he knew there was little point in confronting them.

The students weren’t necessarily looking down on him out of hatred. To them, he was simply an irregularity, someone who didn’t belong in a place like this.

Earth Star was a world ruled by Awakeners, individuals who possessed supernatural talents and seemingly limitless potential.

Compared to them, Nero was nothing more than an ordinary young man who had failed to awaken, leaving him with little hope of achieving anything remarkable in life.

It was also why he had become so passive over the years. No matter how much he tried, he could never fit in with the people who lived in a completely different world from his own.

"Nero?"

Lyris’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, and when he turned toward her, he noticed the concern in her eyes.

"What happened? You seem a little out of it."

"Nothing," he replied quickly with a forced smile. "Let’s go."

Lyris nodded, and the two eventually found a quiet corner away from the crowd.

They had barely settled down when the lights throughout the hall began to dim.

A moment later, a figure appeared at the top of the grand staircase, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

It was a handsome young man with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail, piercing green eyes, and a necklace adorned with a green jade pendant.

Richard Hyperion descended the staircase with the grace and confidence of someone raised among the elites.

Immediately, the venue quieted down at his presence.

Richard eventually reached the bottom of the staircase and greeted everyone with a warm smile.

"Thank you, everyone, for gathering here on my birthday. I truly appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to come."

His voice carried clearly throughout the hall.

"As Awakeners, we carry a great responsibility on our shoulders. We are the guardians of society, the shield that protects humanity from the Gates, deviants and the monsters that dwell within them."

He raised the glass in his hand.

"Tonight, let us celebrate not just my birthday, but also our duty and the future that awaits us. A toast to all of you!"

The guests raised their glasses in unison, and Nero followed along with them.

Of course, his drink was different from what the others were having. It had been specially prepared for Non-Awakeners and contained no traces of Mana.

Richard took a sip before setting his glass aside.

"Now then, let the dance begin!"

Elegant music filled the hall as the students began looking for their partners.

Nero felt his heart begin to race.

The moment he had been preparing for over the past two weeks had finally arrived, and although his nerves were threatening to get the better of him, he knew he couldn’t back down now.

He turned toward Lyris, gathering the courage to ask her for a dance.

However, before he could open his mouth, someone approached them.

It was Richard Hyperion himself.

Nero froze as Richard stopped directly in front of Lyris and extended his hand toward her.

"Would you honor me with a dance?"

The surrounding conversations gradually died down as the students noticed what was happening.

"Eh?"

Nero felt as though his brain had completely stopped working. He stood with his mouth slightly open, the words he had spent so long preparing now stuck in his throat.

Lyris seemed equally surprised.

She glanced at Richard’s outstretched hand, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

"I... yes, of course."

After a brief hesitation, she placed her hand in his.

Richard smiled and led her toward the dance floor, while the surrounding students stepped aside to make room for them.

Other couples soon began pairing off, filling the spacious floor with people moving to the music.

Before long, Nero was left standing alone in the corner.

His gaze remained fixed on Lyris as they both dancing in the center.

Watching them move together so effortlessly, Nero couldn’t help feeling as though the two had been practicing for years.

An uncomfortable tightness spread through his chest.

He had spent two weeks preparing for this moment, imagining how he would approach Lyris and ask her to dance.

Yet everything he had planned had fallen apart before he could even say a word.

The dance eventually ended, but instead of returning to the crowd, Richard guided Lyris toward the center of the floor.

The surrounding students gathered around them, curious about what he intended to do next.

Richard turned to face Lyris and took both of her hands in his.

"Lyris, I’ve admired you for a long time. Your kindness, your strength, and your grace have always impressed me, and tonight, in front of everyone gathered here, there’s something I want to ask you."

He took a deep breath.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Gasps echoed throughout the hall.

Lyris’s eyes widened, and her face turned bright red as she stared at Richard.

Her gaze dropped toward their joined hands before slowly returning to his face.

Then, with a shy smile spreading across her lips, she finally answered.

"Yes."

The hall immediately erupted into cheers.

Students clapped and whistled excitedly, congratulating the new couple while others talked about how well the two suited each other.

Amid all the celebration, Nero remained completely motionless.

His vision had begun to blur, and he could barely make sense of what he had witnessed.

"Huh...?"

A faint sound escaped his lips as his body began trembling.

For years, he had dreamed of becoming someone worthy of standing beside Lyris. He had imagined countless times what it might feel like if she ever returned his feelings.

Tonight was supposed to be the first time he finally did something about those little dreams of his.

Yet before he could even take that first step, everything had come crashing down around him.

Who was he compared to Richard Hyperion?

Richard had everything a person could want. He was handsome, talented, wealthy, and admired by almost everyone around him.

Nero, on the other hand, had none of those things.

He had no talent, no influential background, and no promising future waiting for him.

Deep down, he had always understood that his chances with Lyris were slim.

But he still wanted to give it a try.

He had gathered every bit of courage he possessed just to try.

And now, before he could even confess his feelings, the girl he loved had agreed to become someone else’s girlfriend.

His chest tightened painfully, almost as though an invisible hand had wrapped around his heart and was slowly crushing it.

Unable to bear watching them any longer, Nero turned around and ran toward the exit.

Nobody tried to stop him, and with the entire hall busy celebrating, hardly anyone noticed his departure.

There was, however, one exception.

Lyris, who was still standing beside Richard, caught a glimpse of someone rushing toward the exit.

When she turned, she recognized Nero’s familiar figure just as he disappeared through the doors.

Her expression changed immediately.

She wanted to call out to him, but before she could, Richard stepped into her line of sight.

"Come, let’s head to my table. The food has been prepared especially for us."

With that, he gently guided her away, and the opportunity to call Nero back slipped away.

Meanwhile, Nero had already rushed out of the mansion and onto the streets.

Vehicles sped past him, their bright headlights occasionally forcing him to narrow his eyes as he stumbled forward.

He had no idea where he was going, nor did he particularly care.

His mind kept replying everything that happened till now.

What hurt him the most wasn’t even the fact that Lyris had accepted Richard’s confession.

It was the realization that he had never been brave enough to tell her how he felt.

He didn’t blame Lyris for choosing Richard. She had every right to accept whoever she wanted, and Nero understood that better than anyone.

The person he truly felt betrayed by was himself.

He hated his weakness, his cowardly way of living, and the fact that he had spent so many years being afraid of almost everything.

Throughout his life, he had been looked down upon, yet he had rarely possessed the courage to stand up for himself..

He had always convinced himself that avoiding trouble was the smarter choice.

But tonight, he could no longer hide behind that excuse.

He wasn’t the capable person he sometimes imagined himself becoming. He was merely someone who went through life obeying others, too frightened to make his own decisions.

Was he really going to spend the rest of his life like this, watching everyone else move forward while he stayed behind?

His thoughts became increasingly chaotic, and before he realized it, his feet had carried him straight toward the road.

A sudden flash of headlights appeared at the edge of his vision, followed almost immediately by the deafening sound of a horn.

By the time Nero turned his head, it was already too late.

A speeding truck slammed into him with tremendous force, sending his body flying through the air.

For a brief moment, he felt completely weightless, unable to understand what had just happened.

Then his body struck the ground with a sickening impact, and the sound of bones cracking reached his ears.

Pain spread throughout his body as blood began pooling beneath him, staining the road.

Nero tried to move, but his limbs refused to respond.

His vision gradually turned white, while darkness slowly crept in from the edges.

As his consciousness began slipping away, he finally understood what was happening.

He was going to die.

The realization filled him with fear, but even as his body grew colder, another emotion began burning deep within him.

It was his unwillingness to die.

He didn’t want to die here, especially not after spending his entire life accomplishing nothing.

He didn’t want his story to end as a failure, as someone who had never managed to overcome his own cowardly.

The anger and helplessness he had felt earlier transformed into a desperate desire to live.

If only he could have another chance, another opportunity to change himself.

"I-I wish I had more time..."

"If I get another chance, I won’t be so cowardly. I’ll work harder... I’ll change..."

He didn’t know whether anyone could hear him, nor did he expect an answer.

However, the moment that desperate wish formed in his mind, the world begin changing.

The entire world came to a sudden halt.

Time itself had frozen!

The vehicles traveling along the street became completely motionless, while the wind disappeared without a trace.

Even the blood spreading beneath Nero’s broken body stopped moving.

BOOM!

Then, without warning, a terrifying power descended upon Earth Star from somewhere beyond the sky.

The entire world seemed to tremble beneath its presence, as though something far beyond human understanding had suddenly turned its attention toward the planet.

A brilliant beam of light pierced through the night sky, descending toward New Arcadia City at an unimaginable speed.

It passed through the frozen world without resistance before striking Nero’s broken body.

In the following instant, an overwhelming surge of energy flooded into him like a raging river, spreading through every part of his body.

Nero’s eyes snapped open.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, a strange voice sounded directly inside his mind.

[Ultimate Choice System Binding...]

[Binding Complete.]

...

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