The world believed there were limits.
There were limits to strength.
Limits to magic.
Limits to how far a human could rise.
They were wrong.
In the Kingdom of Asteria, every child awakened their Origin at the age of sixteen.
A swordsman might awaken the Origin of Steel.
A mage might awaken the Origin of Fire.
A rare genius might awaken something extraordinary—Lightning, Space, Time.
But there was one rule everyone knew.
No human could possess more than one Origin.
Until the day of Kael Ardyn.
The Awakening Hall was silent.
Hundreds of students stood beneath the enormous crystal suspended from the ceiling.
One by one, they stepped forward.
"Origin: Flame."
The crowd applauded.
"Origin: Beast."
More applause.
"Origin: Wind."
A few instructors nodded approvingly.
Then the examiner called the final name.
"Kael Ardyn."
A thin sixteen-year-old boy walked toward the crystal.
He looked completely ordinary.
Black hair.
Gray eyes.
No expensive clothes.
No powerful family crest.
No reputation.
Kael placed his hand against the crystal.
Nothing happened.
The examiner frowned.
"Again."
Kael tried.
Nothing.
Whispers spread through the hall.
"He's powerless."
"After all that training?"
"What a disappointment."
Kael lowered his eyes.
For some reason, he wasn't surprised.
Since childhood, he had always felt that something was wrong with his body.
Sometimes he heard voices nobody else could hear.
Sometimes the world seemed to slow down around him.
And sometimes—
he dreamed of a black throne floating above an endless universe.
The examiner sighed.
"Kael Ardyn. No Origin detected."
Laughter erupted.
Kael turned away.
Then—
CRACK.
The Awakening Crystal shattered.
The entire hall froze.
A black mark appeared on Kael's palm.
Then another.
And another.
Thousands of glowing symbols spread across his arm.
The lights in the hall went out.
The air became impossibly heavy.
Every awakened student fell to their knees.
Even the instructors couldn't move.
Kael stared at his hand.
A voice spoke inside his mind.
[System initialization complete.]
Kael's eyes widened.
"System?"
[Welcome, Kael Ardyn.]
[You have successfully awakened the Origin beyond Origins.]
[Authority: ABSOLUTE.]
The world disappeared.
For one second, Kael stood somewhere beyond reality.
He saw countless universes.
Countless gods.
Countless timelines.
And above them all—
a throne.
A throne waiting for him.
[Your power has been sealed for sixteen years.]
[Seal removed.]
Kael returned to the Awakening Hall.
The pressure vanished.
Everyone collapsed onto the floor.
Kael slowly looked around.
His expression was calm.
But somewhere deep inside him, something had changed.
He could hear the heartbeat of every person in the room.
He could see the flow of mana inside their bodies.
He could even see the structure of the crystal—
including every possible way it could have shattered.
The examiner trembled.
"What... are you?"
Kael looked at his palm.
A small black flame appeared.
It wasn't hot.
It wasn't cold.
It simply existed.
The flame touched the floor.
Reality cracked.
Kael immediately extinguished it.
He stared at the tiny fracture.
"...Interesting."
A teacher swallowed nervously.
"Kael, don't move."
Kael looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because..."
The teacher pointed toward the sky.
Outside the academy, hundreds of magical circles had appeared.
Alarm bells rang throughout the kingdom.
A monstrous roar shook the capital.
Students screamed.
"The Demon King's army!"
"No! That's impossible!"
"They're attacking the capital!"
Kael walked toward the window.
Far beyond the city walls stood a creature larger than a mountain.
Its wings covered the sky.
Its eyes burned red.
The Demon King himself had arrived.
The creature raised its enormous sword.
"Humans!"
Its voice shook the entire kingdom.
"Today, Asteria falls!"
The royal knights gathered.
The strongest mages prepared their spells.
The academy instructors rushed outside.
Kael simply watched.
The Demon King raised his sword.
Then Kael sighed.
"I was hoping my first day would be peaceful."
He stepped through the window.
Everyone stared.
"KAEL!"
He fell from the fifth floor.
A student screamed.
But Kael didn't fall.
He simply walked through the air.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
Then he appeared directly in front of the Demon King.
The monster stared at him.
"...Who are you?"
Kael raised one hand.
The Demon King laughed.
"You think you can defeat me?"
Kael looked at him.
"No."
The Demon King grinned.
"I knew—"
"I don't think."
Kael's eyes turned completely black.
"I know."
He snapped his fingers.
BOOM.
The Demon King's army vanished.
Not defeated.
Not destroyed.
They simply ceased to exist.
The Demon King remained frozen.
His enormous sword fell from his hand.
For the first time in a thousand years—
the Demon King felt fear.
Kael floated in front of him.
"You're strong."
The Demon King trembled.
"Then why..."
Kael smiled.
"...are you so weak?"
He raised his hand.
The sky split open.
Every god watching from the heavens stood up.
The ancient beings of the universe opened their eyes.
And somewhere beyond the stars—
an ancient voice whispered:
"The Absolute has awakened."
Kael looked toward the heavens.
For the first time, he smiled.
"Who said I was the strongest?"
The universe went silent.
Kael's smile widened.
"I haven't even started yet."