EP. 01:Can I be like them too?

Seraphine March, a third-year high school student, had always dreamed of becoming a hero—someone known and remembered by all mankind. Yet no matter how strong her determination was, the Zenith Crystals had never chosen her. She never understood why.

Her alarm blared loudly.

March’s eyes snapped open.

“It’s late—?!”

With a scream echoing through her small apartment, she jumped out of bed and scrambled to pack her things.

“AURA!! Why didn’t you wake me up?! School starts in fifteen minutes!” March shouted as she hurriedly put on her shoes.

“I already did,” Aura replied flatly.

Manaka Aura was her sister-in-law. They had lived together since March was fourteen, after their parents passed away during a devastating outbreak years ago. Though they weren’t related by blood, Aura had always taken care of her like a real sister.

March dashed out of the apartment and sprinted toward school at full speed.

“This is bad… I only have twelve minutes left,” she muttered, staring at her watch while running—without watching where she was going.

Thump!

She collided with someone, and both of them fell to the ground.

“Ouch—! Are you alright?” March quickly stood up and helped the man to his feet.

“A—ah! There’s no time!” She bowed quickly. “I’m so sorry!”

Without waiting for a response, she ran off toward school.

When March finally arrived, she rushed straight into her classroom. This school was special—it accepted students who possessed Zenith Crystals, training them until they were transferred to the prestigious Z Academy. Some students had already awakened their powers, and normal students like March knew better than to provoke them.

March collapsed into her seat, breathing heavily. Her legs trembled, sweat poured down her face, and she slammed her forehead onto the desk.

Not long after, the classroom filled up. Soon, the principal entered.

“Today, you will be meeting your new homeroom teacher,” the principal announced.

Moments later, the door creaked open.

A man in a formal suit walked inside.

The classroom fell silent.

“Ah—!” March froze.

It was the same man she had bumped into earlier that morning.

“Good morning, everyone,” the man said calmly. “My name is Lloyd Fortera. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next year.”

As soon as the principal left, the room erupted into chatter.

“Alright, class,” Lloyd continued. “When I call your name, please stand up, introduce yourself, and tell us your dream after graduating.”

One by one, students stood and spoke—until it was March’s turn.

She slowly stood up.

“My name is Seraphine March,” she said softly, smiling nervously.

“My dream is to become a Zenith Warrior and protect the peo—”

“HAAHH?!”

A loud voice cut her off.

The entire class turned toward the source.

Glenn.

He was known as the luckiest student in the school—his Zenith Crystal had awakened when he was only nine years old.

“Oy, March,” Glenn sneered. “You really think you can become a Zenith Warrior without any power?”

Before March could respond, Glenn raised his hand.

The wind surged violently through the room. The temperature rose rapidly as a glowing red flame formed in his palm. The classroom was bathed in blazing orange light as the fireball grew larger.

“This,” Glenn said proudly, “is real power.”

He lowered his hand, and the flames faded.

Silence filled the room.

March stared at her desk, eyes wide, hands trembling. She slowly looked up at Glenn, who smirked down at her with arrogance.

“That’s enough.”

Lloyd’s voice was calm—but firm.

“Glenn, you’re right. You can’t call yourself a hero without power,” he said. “But using your power to intimidate others is unacceptable.”

Then he turned to March.

“And March… I admire your spirit. But forcing yourself to become a hero—risking your life against evil without power—means you may only be throwing your life away.”

The class slowly returned to order.

That evening, March returned home. Aura greeted her and told her to prepare for dinner. Later, as the sun set and the moon rose, March sat silently watching TV.

“This weekend, my friends and I are going hiking,” Aura said. “There’s a mountain not far from the city. It has a giant sinkhole with a waterfall view. Want to come?”

March stared at the screen for a moment… then nodded.

“Sure.”

That weekend, everyone gathered at the apartment.

The group consisted of March, Aura, Sylpha Lyara—a tomboyish woman, Frank Adrian—a hiking fanatic who acted as their guide, and Andrew Foster—a calm, older-brother type who had planned the trip.

After hours of travel, they arrived at the mountain.

Without noticing the warning sign—“Mountain Closed Due to Unstable Ground”—they entered the forest.

An hour later, they reached the sinkhole.

Aura exhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh air as she gazed at the massive crater. A waterfall cascaded in the distance. The sinkhole was so deep they couldn’t even see the bottom.

After resting, Frank suggested taking pictures.

Once individual photos were done, Aura suggested a group photo.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sylpha hesitated.

Before she could protest further, Frank grabbed her hand and dragged her over.

All five stood near the edge of the cliff.

CRACK!!

The sound echoed sharply.

Before anyone could react, the ground beneath them collapsed.

They fell.

Screams echoed as they plunged into the darkness—until they slammed into water.

A lake.

They swam to shore and looked around.

A massive cave loomed before them.

“What’s that?” Andrew pointed.

Deep inside stood a colossal tree—growing impossibly underground. A door was embedded within its trunk.

Inside was pitch dark.

Andrew turned on his phone flashlight, revealing ancient inscriptions on the walls. At the center stood a circular stone table with five holes.

“It says to place your hand and begin the ritual,” Aura said.

“You can read that?” March asked, surprised.

“A little,” Aura replied.

One by one, they placed their hands on the table.

Aura began reading aloud:

“With this power, I shall protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

“With this power, granted by the gods…”

“None shall bring ruin to this planet.”

“The lights have chosen you.”

“Your fate is decided.”

“Protect life.”

“Destroy evil.”

“Awaken—Zenith.”

The table shook violently.

Light erupted from the holes—blue, white, red, brown, and purple—flowing from their palms into their bodies.

Power surged through them.

Then… silence.

“That was SO COOL!!” Frank laughed. “I feel like something entered my body!”

“Zenith… chosen… does that mean we were selected by the Zenith Crystals?!” March shouted excitedly.

“Calm down,” Aura said. “There’s still more writing.”

“It’s getting late,” Andrew said. “We should go home.”

“But how do we get out?” Frank asked.

As if answering him, a hidden door slid open behind them—revealing a long tunnel leading outside the mountain.

After some discussion, they agreed to leave.

Tomorrow, they would return.

Because their fate had already begun.

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