Ashvale did not treat him differently immediately.
That was the strange part.
The village still moved the same way it always had.
Smoke rose from chimneys into the pale morning sky while merchants prepared their stalls near the square. Farmers headed toward the outer fields carrying tools over their shoulders while children chased each other through muddy roads laughing loudly without understanding how much a single day could change someone's future.
Everything looked normal.
But Zero noticed the small things.
People hesitated now before speaking to him.
Some looked away too quickly when he passed.
Others stared a second too long before pretending they hadn't.
Pity.
That was worse than mockery ever could be.
Zero walked quietly through the village with his hands in his pockets while cold morning air drifted softly through Ashvale's narrow roads.
Near the bakery, Mrs. Tilda spotted him first.
Her expression softened immediately.
"Morning, Zero."
"...Morning."
She smiled awkwardly afterward.
Too carefully.
Like she was trying not to remind him about yesterday while clearly thinking about nothing else.
Further ahead, two boys around twelve practiced basic essence circulation beneath their father's supervision. Faint traces of essence swirled clumsily around their hands before dispersing unevenly.
The moment they noticed Zero watching—
they straightened immediately.
One boy whispered something quietly.
The other elbowed him sharply before glancing toward Zero apologetically.
Zero kept walking.
Expressionless.
Behind him, Klaus sighed loudly.
"They're acting weird."
"They always acted weird."
"Not like this."
Zero said nothing.
Because Klaus was right.
The village had always kept him at a distance because of the scars and his cold nature.
But before yesterday, there had still been curiosity.
Now there was certainty.
The scarred orphan without essence.
The boy who failed awakening.
Klaus shoved his hands behind his head casually while walking beside him.
"I still think the Prime Nexus is stupid."
"The Prime Nexus doesn't care what you think."
"It should."
That almost made Zero smile.
Almost.
The further they walked from the village center, the quieter things became.
Conversations faded behind them while birdsong replaced human noise. Wind rustled softly through towering trees surrounding Ashvale.
Zero preferred the forest.
People demanded things from each other.
The forest didn't.
Klaus glanced sideways at him after several minutes.
"You've been quiet."
"I'm usually quiet."
"More than usual."
Zero ignored him.
The truth was simple.
Something about yesterday bothered him in ways he couldn't explain.
Not just the failed awakening.
The moment before it.
That brief instant when the Fusion Stone cracked beneath his hand.
Something had responded to him.
Not the Prime Nexus.
Something else.
And the worst part?
A small part of him had recognized it instinctively.
They eventually reached the clearing.
The same clearing Elias had found him in years ago.
Nothing about it stood out particularly.
Just uneven grass surrounded by old trees and scattered stones.
Yet Zero always found himself returning here.
Maybe because it was the closest thing he had to a beginning.
Klaus immediately dropped his bag beside a tree.
"Alright."
Zero looked at him calmly.
"Alright what?"
"We train."
"You awakened yesterday."
"Exactly."
Klaus grinned widely.
"I'm officially a Dominator now."
The excitement radiating from him hadn't faded once since the ceremony ended.
Not arrogance.
Just fascination.
Ever since awakening, Klaus had been obsessed with testing the limits of what changed.
Zero watched silently as Klaus raised one hand slowly.
Crimson essence flickered weakly around his fingers before dispersing unevenly into the air.
Wild.
Unstable.
The pressure surrounding it felt strangely feral.
Then it vanished completely.
Klaus frowned.
"...Still hard to control."
"Because you awakened yesterday."
"You're supposed to encourage me."
"I don't remember agreeing to that."
Klaus snorted.
Then suddenly—
he rushed forward.
Fast.
Far faster than before awakening.
Zero reacted instantly.
Their fists collided sharply in the center of the clearing.
The impact echoed through the trees.
Zero slid backward slightly while Klaus laughed loudly.
"See?! That's insane!"
That was the difference between ordinary people and Dominators.
Even newly awakened Dominators experienced enormous physical enhancement.
Speed.
Strength.
Durability.
Everything improved once essence pathways fully opened.
Zero rolled his shoulder calmly.
"You telegraph your movements."
"Yeah but I'm stronger now."
"You were always physically stronger."
"Emotionally weaker though."
Zero frowned slightly.
"...What does that even mean?"
"It means you're emotionally constipated."
There it was again.
That stupid phrase.
Zero stared at him blankly for several seconds.
Then unexpectedly—
he laughed quietly.
Soft.
Brief.
But real.
Klaus froze dramatically.
"...Wait."
Zero immediately looked away.
"You laughed."
"I didn't."
"You actually laughed."
"It was a breathing mistake."
Klaus pointed accusingly.
"I knew you were capable of human emotion."
Zero sighed softly.
"...You're annoying."
"And yet you keep following me into forests."
The clearing grew quiet afterward.
Comfortably quiet.
Klaus eventually sat beneath one of the trees while catching his breath.
For a while neither spoke.
Just wind moving softly through branches overhead.
Then suddenly—
"You know I don't care, right?"
Zero glanced toward him slightly.
"About what?"
"The awakening."
Klaus picked absently at the grass beside him.
"You act like yesterday changed something."
"It did."
"Not really."
Zero looked away toward the trees.
"It changes everything."
Because it did.
The world belonged to Dominators.
People without power survived only while protected by someone stronger.
That was reality.
Something inside Zero hated that reality instinctively.
Violently.
Like weakness itself disgusted something buried deep within him.
Klaus suddenly spoke again.
"You know what I think?"
Zero remained silent.
"I think something's wrong with you."
"...You're terrible at encouragement."
"No seriously," Klaus continued. "Not weak wrong. Weird wrong."
That made Zero raise an eyebrow slightly.
"That's somehow worse."
"You cracked a Fusion Stone."
The clearing fell silent briefly afterward.
Because Klaus was right.
Fusion Stones weren't fragile.
Especially not Tier Two stones like the ones Ashvale used.
Yet the crystal beneath Zero had cracked the moment something answered him.
Klaus leaned back against the tree.
"I don't think you failed awakening."
Zero frowned slightly.
"Then what happened?"
"...No idea."
At least he was honest.
Wind drifted softly through the clearing again.
For a while they simply sat there quietly beneath the trees.
Peaceful.
Still.
But somewhere deep inside Zero—
something restless continued moving beneath the surface.
Then suddenly—
every bird in the forest went silent.
Zero's eyes lifted instantly.
Klaus noticed too.
The atmosphere had changed.
Subtly.
But unmistakably.
The forest felt tense now.
Like something hidden beneath the silence had opened its eyes.
A distant sound echoed somewhere deep among the trees.
Not footsteps.
Not a roar.
Breathing.
Heavy breathing.
Klaus slowly stood.
"...You hear that?"
Zero nodded once.
The sound disappeared almost immediately afterward.
Silence returned.
But the feeling remained.
Like something had been watching them from the darkness beyond the trees.
And had only just left.