Incubus Ascension-Chapter 6
The day had felt endless. Liam’s feet hurt from standing for hours, and his back ached from balancing those damn trays all shift.
By the time he walked into the changing room at Bee Sting Coffee, he was done.
"Fucking long day," he muttered under his breath, already taking off the stupid polo shirt over his head.
He swapped it for his old gray hoodie and jeans, the ones that actually felt like real clothes.
The second the soft fabric settled on his skin, some of the tension bled out of his shoulders. Comfort hit like a drug.
He dropped onto one of the plastic chairs and pulled out his phone, scrolling reels mindlessly.
An ad popped up, some polished woman with a model-perfect body smiling at the camera.
She was talking about an "awakening program for everyone, no money needed."
He snorted. Yeah, right...
Then he noticed the tiny text hidden along the bottom corner of the screen, so small he almost missed it.
*This promotional material is part of a drug test that did not pass the lab safety phase.
Any participant deaths are unrelated to our company.*
This ad was sponsored by ATLAS Security company, and the national level hunter: SIMON! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
He barked out a short laugh. "These companies really are getting creative.
Using people’s dreams just to squeeze out a few more bucks."
Then his eyes fell on the name, SIMON...Wasn’t this the same national level hunter who betrayed humanity in his past life.
If he remembered correctly, he sided with the monster to stay alive.
His heart hammered, just how strong were monsters back then to force him, basically the top 0.1% of awakeners to submit.
Shaking his head, he locked the phone, shoved it in his pocket, and headed out.
The night air outside hit his face like a cool slap, a hell of a lot better than the smell of burnt espresso and syrup inside.
He started walking his usual route back toward the dorm, his hands inside his pockets.
Halfway down the street he spotted two guys standing at the entrance of a dark alley.
Their Hoodies up, postures too stiff, voices low. Something about them felt shady.
He told himself to keep walking, this was none of his business, but his feet slowed anyway.
His Curiosity won. He drifted closer towards them, staying in the shadows, and slipped just enough to hear them talking.
"...shipment made it inside Ark Academy?" the first one asked, voice rough.
"Yeah. It’s good. Scheduled release lines up perfectly, right when the students get their short break between morning blocks."
The first guy then snorted in relief, "Good, Zalor wouldn’t give us another chance if we screwed it up"
His heart slammed against his ribs. These weren’t random thugs.
The air around them felt heavy, like violence was their default setting.
He pressed his back against the brick wall and held his breath.
The first guy suddenly turned his head in his direction. He tilted it slightly, like a dog catching a scent.
"What’s wrong?" the second one asked.
The first guy squinted into the dark for a long second, then shook his head.
"Nothing. Probably the war flashbacks kicking in again. Hallucinations."
The other guy shrugged. "Could’ve just been a cat."
"Yeah. Probably." The first one turned and they both walked off down the far end of the alley, disappearing around the corner.
He waited until their footsteps faded completely before he let a long breath.
His hands were shaking from that killing intent radiating from them, it wasn’t just posturing.
Those two had done ugly things. Killing, torture, who knows what else to got that kind of aura, he could practically smell it on them.
He stepped back onto the main street, his pulse still hammering.
Whatever "shipment" they were talking about, it wasn’t his problem.
He was not some comic-book hero. He had already got enough shit to deal with.
He kept walking toward the dorm, faster now, hands shoved deeper in his pockets, mind spinning to tomorrow.
First day of actual classes. If he skipped or flunked out of the model program, that was it, no second chances.
He’d be gone, and half the noble kids he’d already pissed off would probably celebrate by making sure he disappeared quietly.
He reached the dorm gate with a few minutes to spare before nine.
"Lucky," he muttered, swiping his card and slipping inside.
Up the stairs, down the hall, he entered his room and shut the door behind him. His backpack hit the floor with a thud.
He collapsed face-first onto the bed, not even bothering to kick off his shoes yet.
Tomorrow was going to be brutal. First lecture, probably a surprise written exam right out the bat.
The competition was vicious. He had to pass. No choice.
Otherwise he’d get kicked out... and then those grudges from the noble kids against him would get him killed.
He sighed how stupid those grudges were formed, it was all because he didn’t kneel and kiss their asses.
He shook his head from that useless idea and pulled the system shop in his head.
He Scrolled past a bunch of active skills until he landed on one that actually looked useful.
Passive Reading
Replays previous lessons in the back of your mind on constant loop, even while sleeping. Deepens retention and burns knowledge in permanently.
His eyes snapped open. A slow grin tugged at his mouth. "This is the one."
Two SP. Cheap.
He hit purchase without hesitation, then activated it right away.
He didn’t even change out of his clothes. Just took off his shoes, rolled onto his side, and passed out.
Sometime in the middle of the night it started.
Snippets of old lectures drifted in quietly, mana circulation formulas, basic sensitivity exercises, diagrams of ley-line patterns.
Not loud, not distracting. Just... there.
Every time he shifted in his sleep, another piece sank in deeper, like wet cement setting.
Morning came. And he woke up with a headache that felt like someone was squeezing his skull.
He groaned, pressed both palms to his temples, and waited until it subsided.
Thirsty seconds later the pain vanished.
He blinked a few times. His head felt... clearer?
Not genius-level or anything dramatic, just sharper, less foggy. His Thoughts fired quicker, cleaner.
He dragged himself upright, threw on the Ark Academy uniform, navy blazer, white shirt, the tie he still hated tying, and grabbed his backpack.
By the time he walked into the amphitheatre for the class of <<Mana Applications in Daily Life>>, the place was already packed.
Every seat taken. He raised an eyebrow.
’First day and people were this eager? Damn.’
He found a spot in the third row, close enough to hear everything, far enough back that he didn’t look like he was trying too hard.
Professor Martha walked in a minute later. Red skirt, white shirt stretched tight across her chest, high heels clicking with every step.
Her blonde hair loose over her shoulders, makeup perfect.
Her ass made the skirt ride up just enough that half the guys in the room forgot how to blink.
She looked like she knew exactly what every single one of them was thinking and couldn’t care less.
She scanned the room, smiled at the turnout. "Good to see so many motivated faces. We’ll start today with the basics of mana sensitivity."
The lecture went smoother than he expected. Things that used to feel hard suddenly clicked into place.
He sat there stunned, realizing just how stupidly strong {Passive Reading} actually was. He was actually following, really following.
When she finished, she slapped a thick stack of papers onto the desk.
"Pre-model exam," she announced. "These marks count toward your year grade. No pressure."
She started handing them out row by row.
When she reached him, she passed the sheet over.
He caught a faint trace of her perfume, warm, expensive. His brain blanked for half a second.
Then he looked down at the questions.
The ones that used to make his stomach drop now looked... doable. Manageable. He started writing.
He finished faster than he thought he would. Stood up, and walked to the front, then handed it to Martha.
She nodded once, took the paper.
Behind him, two noble assholes from the back row started snickering.
"Look, Liam the useless finally gave up."
The other one laughed. "Idiot probably knows he’s failing anyway. Why waste time?"
"Of course, what you gonna expect from a useless commoner who never awakened"
He stopped, turned, flipped them the middle finger without stopping his walk, left the place.
Down to the cafeteria. His head hurt from concentrating so hard. He needed food.
He grabbed a tray, loaded it with meat loaf and whatever sides looked edible, paid, then scanned the cafeteria for an empty table.
Every table was full.
Except one.
Pyra was sitting in it alone, picking at her plate.
He walked over and dropped into the seat across from her.
