# Chapter 1: Strings of Awakening

Vin stared at his palm in the middle of the training grounds. Nothing happened. Again. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on digesting that weird tasting potion they drank three weeks ago. It was supposed to help form a soul core, but so far he had no luck.

He opened one eye and glanced around. About twenty other students sat cross-legged on the stone floor of the circular training hall. Most looked just as frustrated as he felt. A few empty spots showed where the lucky ones used to sit—those who had already formed their soul cores and moved on to actual training.

"Remember, students," Professor Garett said as he walked between them, his long blue robe brushing against the floor. "Forming a soul core isn't about forcing it. You need to let the potion's essence flow through your body naturally. Feel it gathering at your center."

Vin sighed and closed his eyes again. He'd heard these same instructions for weeks now. He tried to relax, to feel something—anything—happening inside him.

The professor continued his rounds. "Some of you might need more time than others. That's perfectly normal. Everyone's path to awakening is different."

Easy for him to say, Vin thought. Professor Garett was already a Master, rank 2. Someone who'd crossed the vast gulf that separated ordinary humans from the Awakened, and then somehow managed the nearly impossible leap to Masterhood. Most people couldn't even dream of reaching that height. He probably formed his soul core on his first try.

The large clock on the wall showed they'd been sitting here for two hours already. Vin's legs felt numb, and his back hurt from maintaining the same position. This was getting ridiculous.

"Maybe I just don't have what it takes," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light came from his right, making him jump. Vin turned to see Eran, a quiet student who usually kept to himself, surrounded by a pulsating blue aura. The light grew more intense, and Eran's eyes widened in surprise.

"I... I can feel it!" Eran shouted, his voice filled with excitement and fear at the same time.

Professor Garett rushed over. "Everyone, give him space! He's forming his core!"

The light around Eran grew brighter, almost blinding. Vin shielded his eyes but couldn't look away. This was what they had all been waiting for.

Then it happened. A wave of energy burst from Eran's body, expanding outward like a shock wave. It hit Vin square in the chest before he could react.

The force threw him backward. He felt his body fly through the air, helpless, before slamming into the stone wall behind him. Pain exploded across his back and head. He slid down to the floor, dazed.

Through blurry vision, he saw students gathering around Eran, congratulating him. Eran stood in the center, looking at his hands in wonder as small flames danced between his fingers.

"Fire manipulation," someone said in awe. "He's a Flame Dancer!"

No one seemed to notice Vin slumped against the wall. The pain in his head throbbed with each heartbeat.

Finally, Professor Garett looked over. "Someone take Keeley to the infirmary," he ordered, then turned back to Eran. "Now, let's see what class you've awakened to..."

Two students reluctantly broke away from the excited crowd and headed toward Vin. He recognized one as Tomas, a burly guy who rarely spoke in class.

"Can you walk?" Tomas asked, offering his hand.

Vin tried to nod, but the movement sent another spike of pain through his skull. "I think so," he managed to say.

With Tomas supporting him on one side and the other student on his other, Vin got to his feet. His vision swam, and for a moment he thought he might pass out.

As they started to move toward the exit, Vin looked over his shoulder at Eran. The new awakened now held a small fireball in his palm, his face glowing with pride as Professor Garett explained something to him. The other students watched, captivated.

Why not me? Vin thought. What am I doing wrong? He'd been following the same instructions as everyone else. He'd taken the same potion, sat in the same meditation posture, listened to the same guidance.

What made Eran different? What secret had he figured out that Vin couldn't grasp?

As they passed the group, Vin got a closer look at Eran's power. The flames didn't just sit in his palm; they moved like they had a life of their own, forming shapes and patterns. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

"That's rank one for you," Tomas said, noticing Vin's gaze. "The Awakened. And trust me, even this is beyond what most people ever achieve." He lowered his voice. "My brother awakened three years ago. People in our village treat him like a living miracle. He's training for Masterhood, but even with his talent, it might take decades—if he manages it at all."

Vin didn't respond. His head hurt too much for conversation. They made their way slowly through the academy's corridors, past classrooms where younger students practiced basic magic theory. The kind of magic that didn't require awakening—simple spells anyone could learn with enough practice. Nothing like what Eran had just achieved.

By the time they reached the infirmary, Vin's vision had cleared somewhat, though the pain remained. The white walls of the medical wing seemed too bright, making him squint.

"Another one?" The nurse looked up from her desk. "Put him on bed three."

Tomas and the other student helped Vin onto the indicated bed. "Professor Garett sent him," Tomas explained. "Got knocked back by a new awakening."

The nurse nodded. "I'll call Healer Marcus. You two can go back to class."

After they left, Vin closed his eyes. The soft mattress felt good after the hard stone floor of the training hall. He tried not to think about his failure or Eran's success. Instead, he focused on the pain, using it as an anchor to stay present.

But his mind kept returning to the same questions. Why couldn't he form a soul core? What was missing?

His thoughts grew fuzzy. The pain in his head seemed to pull him down, down into darkness.

Suddenly, he wasn't in the infirmary anymore. He floated in absolute blackness. No light, no sound, no sensation except his own existence.

Am I dreaming? he wondered.

He tried to move and found that he could. There was no up or down here, no direction that made more sense than any other. He simply moved through the void.

How long he wandered, he couldn't tell. Time seemed meaningless in this place. But eventually, he noticed something different—tiny particles of light floating in the darkness, like dust motes in a sunbeam.

Curious, he approached them. As he got closer, he realized they weren't just particles of light; they seemed to contain energy, pulsing with potential.

Instinctively, he reached out and gathered them. They didn't resist, flowing toward his hands as if drawn there. As he collected more and more, they began to change, stretching and connecting into a long, thin strand.

A string, he realized. He was making a string from these particles.

The string glowed faintly, illuminating his hands in the darkness. It felt right somehow, like this was exactly what he was meant to do with these particles.

Following the same instinct that had led him to gather the particles, he began to shape the string. It bent easily to his will, forming a circle, then a sphere. The particles shifted and locked into place, creating a perfect, glowing orb that hovered between his palms.

As soon as the sphere was complete, everything changed. Light exploded outward from the orb, blinding him. He felt a surge of energy rush through his body, transforming him fundamentally, elevating him to a state ordinary humans could scarcely comprehend.

Vin's eyes snapped open. He was back in the infirmary, lying on the bed. Sunlight streamed through the windows, indicating that some time had passed. His head no longer hurt.

He sat up quickly, heart pounding. That dream—it hadn't felt like a dream at all. It felt real, significant.

And then he knew. With absolute certainty, he knew what had happened.

He had formed a soul core.

The realization hit him so hard that he jumped out of bed, eager to test his theory. He moved too fast. His head spun, and he lost his balance, pitching forward toward the hard floor.

Without thinking, he reached out—not with his hands, but with something else, something new. He felt energy flow from his center, forming a thin strand that shot upward, one end anchoring to the ceiling, the other to his chest.

The string went taut, stopping his fall. He hung there, suspended a foot above the floor, held by an invisible force.

Vin stared at the empty air where the string should be. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it, a connection between him and the ceiling that was as real as anything he'd ever touched.

And suddenly, symbols appeared in his mind's eye, glowing characters that formed words he understood immediately:

Class: The Puppeteer

"I did it," he whispered, hardly daring to believe it. "I actually did it!"

He released the string, letting himself drop gently to the floor. When his feet touched down, he noticed for the first time that there was no one else in the infirmary. The nurse's desk was empty. How long had he been unconscious?

He spotted a clock on the wall. It was just past five in the afternoon. He'd been out for nearly three hours. And someone had treated him while he was unconscious—his head felt completely fine now, no pain or dizziness remained.

Vin remembered Tomas mentioning that the academy had a healer who ranked as a Master. That explained the quick recovery. Healing magic at the Master rank could fix almost any injury in minutes.

He needed to get back to his room, to process what had happened. And then—he smiled at the thought—he needed to tell Professor Garett that he had awakened too.

The hallways were mostly empty as Vin made his way to the student dormitories. Classes had ended for the day, and most students would be in the dining hall or the library at this hour.

As he walked, he tried to understand his new ability. The Puppeteer. The name itself gave him some idea of what he could do. Those strings could attach to objects—or people—and control them. For now, he could only create one string at a time. If he someday achieved the nearly impossible feat of advancing to Master, the gulf in power would be unimaginable—the difference between a candle and the sun.

His mind raced with possibilities. Even with just one string, there was so much he could do. He could move objects from a distance, climb walls, maybe even control someone's arm or leg.

He reached the dormitory wing and headed down the corridor toward his room. As he turned a corner, he stopped abruptly.

About twenty feet ahead stood Eran, the student who had awakened earlier that day. He was alone, practicing with his new ability. Small flames appeared and disappeared in his palm as he concentrated.

Vin felt a twinge of resentment. It was because of Eran that he'd been thrown against the wall. Sure, it wasn't intentional, but Eran hadn't even checked if he was okay afterward.

And then a mischievous idea occurred to him. Why not test his new ability? See exactly what he could do with it? And if it happened to give Eran a taste of his own medicine, well, that was just a bonus.

Vin ducked behind a pillar, peering around it carefully. Eran was still focused on his fire manipulation, completely unaware of anyone watching.

Taking a deep breath, Vin focused on his soul core, feeling the energy gather there. Then he directed it outward, forming a thin, invisible string. One end remained connected to his center. The other—

He aimed carefully, sending the string flying toward Eran. The free end attached to Eran's right hand, exactly as Vin had intended.

Now came the tricky part. Vin tugged gently on the string, feeling the connection. Could he actually control Eran's hand?

He willed the hand to move upward. To his amazement and delight, Eran's hand rose. The flame dancer looked at his own hand in confusion, clearly not understanding why it was moving on its own.

Vin had to stifle a laugh. This was working better than he'd expected. He made Eran's hand wave in the air, then brought it toward his face.

Eran's eyes widened in shock as his own fist approached his face. He tried to stop it with his other hand, but Vin was faster. He made Eran's hand slap his own cheek, hard enough to leave a red mark.

"What the—" Eran yelped, staggering back.

Vin couldn't help grinning. This was perfect. He made Eran's hand smack his face again, then poked him in the eye.

Eran spun around, looking for someone who might be playing a prank on him. "Who's there?" he shouted, voice shaking. "Stop this right now!"

But Vin wasn't done. One more thing to try. He detached the string from Eran's hand and quickly reattached it to his shoulder instead. Then, spotting a wall nearby, he sent the other end of the string to attach to it.

With a sudden pull, he shortened the string dramatically.

Eran was yanked off his feet, flying toward the wall just as Vin had been thrown earlier that day. He hit with a satisfying thud and slid to the floor, looking dazed and frightened.

Vin immediately released the string, letting it dissipate. No need to take it too far. He'd made his point, and more importantly, he'd tested his ability. It worked exactly as he'd hoped.

Before Eran could recover enough to look around, Vin slipped away, heading in the direction of Professor Garett's office. He felt a little bad about what he'd done, but not too bad. After all, Eran wasn't seriously hurt—just confused and a bit bruised. And now he knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of an unexpected magical force.

Besides, Vin had more important things to think about now. He was Awakened. Rank 1. Many people lived their entire lives without crossing this threshold. And now he stood at the beginning of a path that might someday—if he possessed extraordinary talent and determination beyond most Awakened—lead to Masterhood and perhaps even beyond, all the way to godhood. If the legends were true.

The Puppeteer. He liked the sound of it. Controlling objects and people from a distance. It wasn't as flashy as throwing fireballs, but it had potential. Lots of potential.

He reached Professor Garett's office and stood before the heavy wooden door. The professor would be excited to hear that another student had awakened, especially so soon after Eran. Two awakenings in one day was unusual.

Vin took a deep breath, straightened his uniform, and raised his hand to knock. This was the beginning of everything. His real training would start now. Learning to use his ability, strengthening his soul core, all with the faint hope that he might someday achieve what few humans ever could—the monumental leap to rank 2: Master. A transformation so profound that Masters were viewed almost as different beings entirely from regular Awakened.

He looked at the door, excitement making his heart race. Whatever came next, he was ready for it.