Auren awoke to the warm kiss of sunlight pouring through the sheer curtains. Morning had broken gently over the hidden house — a soft hum in the walls, a tranquil silence in the air. His eyes fluttered open, the unfamiliar comfort of the bed almost surreal.
He sat up slowly, feeling… lighter.
His body responded differently. Every movement carried effortless grace. His breaths were deeper, his senses more attuned. Even the faint creaking of floorboards in the distance reached his ears like a whisper carried on wind.
Confused, he swung his legs off the bed and stood.
Why do I feel so... different?
He glanced toward the corner of the room — the same room he had fallen asleep in after yesterday's chaos. His gaze shifted to the hallway mirror.
Cracked.
He had broken it the day before.
Still, curiosity urged him toward it. Even in its shattered surface, he could make out slivers of his reflection — glimmers of silver in his irises, a sharper jawline, a more defined frame.
But it wasn't enough.
He turned and made his way upstairs, to his grandfather's bedroom — a room he had only briefly entered before. The scent of aged wood and preserved books lingered in the air.
There, near the far wall, stood an antique full-length mirror — untouched.
He stepped before it and froze.
His heart pounded.
The reflection that stared back was not the frail boy from weeks ago.
His skin shimmered faintly with energy, his posture was regal, and his eyes — once a dull gray — now radiated with purpose. His once loose clothes now hung awkwardly, far too large for his redefined frame.
He stepped back, breath unsteady.
What happened to me...?
Just then, a soft mechanical hum came from below.
The secret room.
Auren hurried downstairs, passing through the familiar bookshelf that now opened into the hidden chamber. In the center, where ancient symbols glowed faintly, a structure had emerged overnight — a stone gate covered in vines of glowing blue runes.
He stepped closer.
Suddenly, the runes pulsed.
A blue interface blinked to life in the air.
[Neo Gate: Access Granted. Identity Confirmed – Zo Auren.]
The symbols twisted and the center of the gate turned transparent like liquid glass.
He reached out.
The moment his hand touched the surface, the air shimmered — and in a blink, he was standing beneath twin suns in the Neo World once again.
The wind here tasted metallic. Towering crystalline trees swayed in alien rhythm. The sky churned with streaks of violet and red.
A floating console appeared beside him, presenting a neatly folded set of black and silver battlewear. It shimmered with ancient markings.
He picked it up. A message appeared:
[Battle Suit of the Chosen – Corruption Resistant, Adaptive Fit, Auto-Heal Enabled.]
As he wore it, the fabric hugged his body perfectly. A final piece — a spear-like weapon — formed in his grasp, humming with latent power.
"Zo," he whispered aloud, testing the weight of the title. "The Chosen One…"
Outside, he stepped into a field where vibrant crops had begun to grow, nourished by the strange atmosphere. He plucked a few vegetables, cooked them quickly using the house's energy stove, and sat down to eat — unsure of what the day had in store.
Once he finished, he returned through the gate into his world.
Hanzora was calm. Birds chirped, people walked, and life flowed as usual. He had two days until his entrance ceremony at Namsu University.
Maybe, just maybe, things could be normal.
But fate had other plans.
As Auren strolled toward the downtown district, a sudden shift in the air made his hair stand on end. A tremor shook the street. A siren wailed.
From the shadows of the nearby alleyways, it emerged.
A gelatinous colossus, nearly three stories tall, slithered into the open.
Its body was translucent and writhing — a mass of shifting eyes, squirming tendrils, and pulsating veins of azure light. The creature's central core floated inside its body like a beating heart made of crystal.
A dashboard flared before Auren's eyes:
[Entity Detected: Abyssal Mutant – Jellyreign]
[Classification: E-RANK | Level: 300 | Status: Hostile]
The creature let out a gurgling screech that shattered nearby windows. Civilians screamed and scattered.
Auren stood rooted in place. His breath caught.
Then — a familiar screen appeared:
[Activate Neo Suit?]
He didn't hesitate.
Yes.
White light engulfed him. His casual clothes dissolved, replaced by his sleek battle armor. The spear reformed in his grasp, its tip glowing with energy.
Jellyreign lunged forward.
Auren rolled to the side, springing up with a spin and slashing one of its tendrils. The spear sliced clean through, but the appendage reformed within seconds. The monster retaliated with a sweeping slam — Auren barely dodged, flipping backward as slime splattered around him.
He narrowed his eyes, locking onto the glowing crystal core.
With a grunt, he dashed forward, using debris as leverage to leap high. Mid-air, he spun his spear and hurled it like a bolt of lightning.
CRACK.
The weapon struck the core directly — a shockwave burst outward, rippling the beast's body like liquid hit by sound.
The monster screeched, faltering. Auren landed hard, breathing raggedly. One of the monster's tendrils slammed into his chest, sending him flying into a wall.
He coughed blood.
His suit flickered. Another alert appeared:
[Suit Integrity: 37%]
He looked up, vision hazy.
The core… it was cracked.
"Just a little more," he growled.
Summoning his final strength, Auren sprinted forward, leapt over another tentacle, caught his falling spear mid-air, and — with a roar — drove it straight through the core with all his might.
The creature convulsed, its body dissolving into a mist of glittering slime.
Silence.
His suit disintegrated, leaving him in normal clothes. Exhausted, bruised, and starving, Auren stumbled into the nearest restaurant.
It was quiet inside, the kind of place where calming music played and the scent of grilled food eased the nerves.
He sank into a booth and ordered whatever came first.
As he waited, something slipped from his pocket — a card.
He picked it up.
Ravel.
The back of the card began to glow faintly.
Words formed in ink that shimmered like starlight:
"Great power is not a blessing. It is a burden that binds you to duty."
Auren's breath hitched. The words felt too personal… too true.
Who was Ravel?
Before he could process it further, a soft voice called out:
"Are you Auren?"
He turned.
A girl stood by his table — auburn hair, confident gaze. Familiar.
"You're the girl from the station," he said, surprised.
She smiled faintly. "Yuna. I've been trying to find you."
He sat up straighter. "Why?"
"To thank you," she replied. "And because… my father wants to meet you."
Auren frowned slightly. "Your father?"
She nodded.
"You saved me when others ran. My father… he doesn't forget debts."
Moments later, a sleek black car arrived outside. Yuna led him in silence to the other side of Hanzora — a region he'd never seen before.
What stood before him nearly stole his breath.
A colossal estate spread across a hill, guarded by marble lions and golden fences. Trees were manicured into elegant shapes. Floating orbs of light lit a marble path toward a glass-paneled mansion glowing under twilight.
The doors opened silently.
Auren stepped into a world of royalty — cascading chandeliers, ancient artifacts, and walls that whispered of power and wealth.
"Wait here," Yuna said softly. "He'll see you shortly."
Auren stood in the quiet room, heart pounding.
Something in the air felt... heavy. As if the moment would change everything.
And then—
The doors behind him creaked open.
A presence entered the room.
To be continued....
#ZO AUREN