Dean Everett had just turned nineteen. A freshman at Jefferson State College, he was still adjusting to the awkward limbo between boy and man—juggling orientation week, late-night pizza, and trying to find the balance between lectures and gaming marathons. Life wasn’t perfect—his roommate snored like a dying bear, and he already owed the vending machine fifty bucks in accidental double charges—but it was normal.
And that was enough.
Then the sky cracked.
He was walking across campus, earbuds in, hoodie half-zipped against the autumn chill, when a soundless tremor washed over everything. Students stopped. Birds froze mid-flight. The air itself rippled, like heat waves rising off pavement.
Above the quad, the sky shimmered.
Dean pulled out an earbud just in time to hear the screams.
It started with a pulse of blue light that expanded like a dome, flickering with runic symbols. He barely had time to register the shift before a beam of light lanced down, encasing a group of students.
They vanished without a trace.
“What the hell—?”
Another flash. Another group gone.
Dean ran, dodging past a guy filming the sky on his phone. “Move!”
Too late.
A third beam slammed into the ground.
Dean’s world went white.
<hr>
He woke on cold stone, his body aching like he’d been hit by a bus. The sky above him was no longer blue—now it glowed a surreal violet, with twin moons hanging overhead. An aurora-like haze danced across the horizon, and the air smelled... different. Fresher. Charged, like the moments before a lightning strike.
He sat up slowly, clutching his head.
All around him were others—students, adults, even a couple of professors—dazed and confused. They stood on a massive stone platform, suspended in the sky above jagged cliffs and a sprawling forest.
A voice boomed—not from speakers, but inside their heads.
“Welcome, chosen ones. You have been summoned to Aevaria, the realm of magic and survival. Your world has grown stagnant, your potential wasted. Here, you will awaken.”
“What the hell does that mean?!” someone shouted.
Dean’s heart pounded.
“Awaken your Mana Heart. Become more than human. Fight, grow, and evolve. Or perish.”
Another pulse of light washed over the platform.
One by one, people dropped to their knees, gasping, clutching their chests. Dean felt it too—like a second heartbeat igniting in his core. It started small. A warmth. Then a blaze. It surged up his spine and behind his eyes until—
Mana Heart Awakened
Status Interface Unlocked
A translucent window blinked into existence in front of him, hovering mid-air like a hologram:
<hr>
Name: Dean Everett
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Level: 1
Race: Human
Class: [Unassigned]
Element(s): [Unassigned]
Stats:
? Strength: 5
? Agility: 6
? Endurance: 5
? Intelligence: 7
? Wisdom: 6
? Mana: 10
<hr>
A UI. Like a game.
Dean gaped, then reached out—his finger passed through it like mist. The system responded with a soft chime.
Around him, others were reacting too.
“What is this, a joke? Some kind of VR thing?”
But deep down, Dean knew it wasn’t. Whatever this was... it was real.
<hr>
The next few hours were chaos.
A robed woman appeared—clearly not human, with gray skin and glowing blue eyes. She introduced herself as Instructor Valeen, a Summoning Guide tasked with initiating Earthlings into the fundamentals of Aevaria.
“Your world is without mana,” she explained, pacing before them. “But here, mana is the foundation of life. Your Mana Heart allows you to absorb, store, and wield this energy.”
She gestured, and a whirl of wind shaped into a blade hovered beside her before dissolving into mist.
“You are now bonded to this realm’s System. You will grow in power by gaining experience. Fight, train, survive—and your Level will increase. With it, your stats, your skills, your potential.”
A tall, redheaded guy—athletic, football build—raised his hand, disbelief etched across his face. “You’re saying we’re in a damn RPG?”
“A crude approximation,” Valeen replied. “But not inaccurate.”
Dean listened intently.
“Classes are tied to your affinity—shaped by your Mana Heart and personality. Once identified, your Class determines your stat growth, skill paths, and combat style.”
“What does that mean?” someone else shouted.
Valeen nodded. “A Fire-element Brawler molds flame into fists. A Sorcerer unleashes infernos from afar. Same element, vastly different methods. The synergy between Class and Element is crucial.”
<hr>
A screen appeared in front of each person.
Valeen continued: “Now, your Class will be assigned. Some of you may only possess one Element. Others may have two. Very few may have more. None possess all.”
Dean blinked.
That sounded... oddly specific.
His screen pulsed.
Class Assigned: Elementalist
Element Affinities: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice, Nature, Shadow, Light, Healing
Rarity: Mythic
Title Gained: The Elemental Nexus
Skill Gained: Mana Conduit (Passive), Elemental Weave (Active)
Dean stared at the hovering screen in front of him, heart pounding.
Nine elements. Nine.
Most people seemed to get one or two. Nobody was reacting like him. No gasps. No screams of shock. Which meant...
This isn’t normal.
He glanced around. Everyone else was too busy marveling at their own panels. A few were fist-pumping or laughing.
Good for them.
But Dean felt that slow, creeping instinct take over—one honed from a life of flying under the radar.
Don’t stand out. Not here. Not yet.
Please select your active Elemental Affinities (Max 2).
These will shape your early training, combat approach, and class growth.
Dean exhaled, scanning the list.
Fire and Wind would be flashy. Water and Earth—solid, versatile. Healing? Useful. But a target.
His eyes landed on Ice and Shadow.
Cold. Quiet. Lethal if used right.
Ice could control a battlefield. Shadow could help him move through it. And both? Subtle enough to stay under the radar.
Perfect.
Selected Elements: Ice, Shadow
Confirmation Locked. Initial Elemental Path Set.
He felt it then—mana weaving into his soul, coiling around the threads of Ice and Shadow.
He wasn’t sure if it was the right choice.
But it felt right.
<hr>
They were transported again—this time to a sprawling sky-city of marble towers, glowing runes, and floating platforms. Nerathiel: capital of the Skyspire Dominion.
Magic danced through the air like pollen.
A faction of Aevaria had claimed the Earthlings, offering not slavery, but training. Integration. A chance to grow, survive, and eventually earn freedom or citizenship.
Dean, along with a select few—those with elemental potential—were chosen for The Arcanum Academy.
The airship left the others behind.
As it soared above crystalline lakes and endless forests, Dean stood near the railing, gripping it with both hands.
He wasn’t just in another world.
He wasn’t just some guy anymore.
He had a rare Class.
All elements.
A walking anomaly.
And he had no idea what came next.
<hr>
“Hey,” came a voice beside him.
A girl, probably his age. Dark curls. Olive skin. Eyes that flicked between sadness and simmering resolve.
“I’m Kaela. You okay?”
Dean nodded weakly. “I... don’t know.”
She offered a tired smile. “Same. But if we’re in some game world now... I’m not planning on being an NPC.”
Dean smirked, just a little.
Maybe he didn’t have a plan yet.
But if he was going to survive in this strange new world, he’d need allies.
And maybe—just maybe—he could figure out who he really was in the process.
Because one thing was clear:
The rules had changed.
And he was going to learn how to play.