UnHero: The Crowned Phantom System

The city hummed like a restless beast. In the early morning, Centris Capital stretched toward the heavens, its skyline a jagged sea of glass and steel reflecting the first light of dawn.

Countless hover cars streaked through the sky in seamless lines, their soft thrums harmonizing with the ever-present whisper of the metropolis. Massive holograms flickered on high-rises, broadcasting the latest Phantom League updates, government announcements, and the newest ascensions of the elite Phantoms.

Beyond the glowing heart of the city, in the silent edges of Eastern Zone, the Velharia District, stood the Veyne Mansion, a contrast to the neon-lit chaos beyond its wrought-iron gates.

It was a fortress of serene beauty, its architecture regal yet detached, as if it existed in its world, separate from the ambitions and noise of Centris. The grounds stretched with precision-cut hedges, marble statues of forgotten figures, and a private docking bay for personal sky cruisers.

Outside the gates, paparazzi drones hovered aimlessly, waiting for something scandalous to capture, only to be warded away by automated sentries.

Kael sat on the balcony of his private quarters, overlooking the city from a distance. The morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of ozone from the high-speed hover lanes.

He sipped his coffee absently, his gaze hollow as he scrolled through his holopad.

One month has already passed.

They forced him from the Ferris Residence, his former home, a month ago. One month after Lucien Ferris, his father disowned him from the family. It has been a month since he became a ghost in his own world.

He took another sip of coffee. The bitter taste was grounding.

When the news broke, it had exploded. Every major tabloid in Centris ran with the headline:

— The Forgotten Veyne: Kael, Son of the 'Charming Phantom,' Cast Out

— No Awakening, No Future: The Queen Spirit's Stepchild Fails to Manifest

— Kael Veyne Renounces Family Name—Shame or Defiance?

He smirked, staring at the viral post he had made in response—

"No longer the son of Centris' darlings. Feels liberating, honestly. Don't @ me."

The backlash had been swift. The people of Centris adored the Ferris family, especially the renowned Charming Phantom, Lucien Ferris, a man whose words could sway titans, and the Queen Spirit, Evelyn Ferris, a force revered in both business and Phantom society. Even his deceased mother, though largely erased from history, had once held a formidable reputation. His stepbrother, Aldric, was already being hailed as the next prodigy of the Phantom elites, a future dubbed Crowned Phantom in the making. While Kael remained as nothing. Stuck at Level 0 and not even awakened at the age of 18. A stain on the family's legacy and image.

He should have cared, but he didn't. Their opinions never really mattered. It was almost amusing how people's expectations clung to him.

The world had already decided his worth. He had no intention of proving anything to them.

His holopad pinged.

Message from Razor Phantom College:

"The university has updated your academic records. Please ensure you submit all requirements and attend the Soul Weave Index evaluation to check your spirit grade before next term."

A hollow laugh escaped his lips. The SWI again. As if it mattered to him when he remained weak on his own accord, of course, the evaluation would retain a low level even if he had the strongest of the spirits bonded.

Standing up, he stretched before grabbing his bag. His Razor Phantom College uniform, a sleek obsidian-black jacket with silver embroidery, still fit him perfectly, despite feeling foreign now. He'd spent years walking those halls, people waiting for the moment he would awaken and finally belong among the strong but never truly came, and slowly degrading amongst the crowd of students.

He walked through these halls like a reminder of failure, as if people were setting him as a reminder that even being fortunate with wealth and background won't get you far when you don't have talent.

The air within Razor Phantom College thrummed with power. Even without seeing them, Kael could sense the presence of the awakened—their phantom auras distorting the air, a heavy pressure lingering on his skin.

Kael passed through the grand entrance, flanked by towering digital banners displaying the Top Awakening Prospects. Amongst the students listed on the top board, Aldric Ferris's name gleamed in bold golden letters. The board also listed other prodigies, the heirs of powerful families and prominent figures of organizations.

Kael's name was absent.

Whispers followed him, though no one spoke to him directly. They didn't have to.

"It's embarrassing, really. A Ferris with no power? "

"I heard his father threw him out. Can you imagine? "

"Lucien Ferris probably regrets ever acknowledging him."

"I mean, his stepbrother is practically a legend already—"

Kael tuned them out, walking the familiar halls toward his lecture hall. This was his life, as always, a phantom among phantoms.

Far from the campus, in the high-security chambers of the Centris Government Division, a private conversation took place.

A holographic display floated in the air, showing live security feeds from Razor Phantom College, and the focus was on Kael Veyne.

A man in a sharp navy blue suit stood before the display, hands clasped behind his back. His expression was unreadable.

"Are we certain?" he asked.

"There's no mistake," replied a voice from the shadows.

"He remains Level 0. No awakening recorded, low SWI grade, and no anomaly detected."

The suited man exhaled slowly, his gaze unmoving. "And yet... We both know Lucien Veyne would not have tolerated him for so long without reason."

The shadowed figure hesitated. "His mother was an anomaly herself. If there was anything... latent in him, it should have surfaced by now."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, the suited man turned away from the display.

"Continue monitoring him. If there's even a hint of change—"

"Understood."

The hologram flickered off.

And in the darkness, the unseen eyes remained.

The day ended as it always did.

Kael sat at the edge of the rooftop, the city lights stretching endlessly before him. The stars above were barely visible through the glow of the skyline. From this height, Centris looked almost peaceful. Almost beautiful.

He pulled out his holopad, scrolling absently through the latest news. The Phantom world continued moving without him. New awakenings, new prodigies, new records broken.

None of it mattered.

His hand clenched around the device.

He had told himself he didn't care. That being disowned meant nothing. That losing everything was just another step in his story, but as he sat there, alone in the vast expanse of the Veyne Mansion, a part of him still whispered as these very words resonated within his soul, like the warmth of his mother embracing him for support.

Something greater awaits you.

He exhaled, closing his eyes. The city roared beneath him, alive, thriving, indifferent. Somewhere beneath that neon glow, unseen forces were watching and waiting for the moment when Kael Veyne would finally awaken if he would.

Kael exhaled slowly, the neon lights of Centris casting long shadows across his face. His fingers absentmindedly traced the rim of his holopad as his thoughts drifted back to something no one else knew.

Something he had never spoken about since he was a kid and only ever known by his mother, Seraphine. He had awakened. Long ago, since he was 3 years old. Earlier than any recorded history.

The day it happened, there were no celebrations, no grand revelations, no thunderous applause. Only silence. Only the quiet, creeping knowledge that spiritual bond with undeniable power had awakened with him. And he wanted nothing to do with it.

Kael had once admired the strong Phantoms. As a child, he looked up to them, to their strength, their victories, and their seemingly unshakable presence. He had dreamed of standing among them, of being someone people relied on, someone who mattered.

But admiration faded with time.

He had seen what happened when heroes faltered. When expectations loomed too high, a single misstep sent the world into outrage. The very people who once cheered their names turned on them the moment they failed to meet impossible standards.

There was one hero he had revered above all others. A legend who had saved entire districts, who had once been called invincible. Until the day he wasn't. A single failure, leaving a zone unprotected and a team wiped out, was broadcast, revealing his weakness and disappointing others. The media shredded him, the public abandoned him, and the city he had once bled for now only whispered his name in disgrace. Kael knew that none of it had been what the hero wanted. None of it was fair.

That was when he understood.

Strength wasn't freedom. It was a chain.

No matter how powerful someone became, no matter how much they sacrificed, society would always look for someone to blame. Power wasn't a blessing; it was an expectation, a burden that never let up.

So, he had made his decision.

He would never allow himself to be trapped in that cycle. Never let them put him on a pedestal, only to rip him down the moment he failed to be perfect. And if that meant staying as nothing in their eyes, then so be it.

He pushed himself off the rooftop ledge, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked back inside the mansion. The corridors of Veyne Estate were as cold and lifeless as ever, an empty castle for an unwanted heir. He barely noticed anymore.

Reaching his quarters, he shut the door behind him, the quiet pressing in.

Whatever the world expected of him, whatever his family had hoped for, none of it mattered. Because Kael Veyne had already made his choice to keep a quiet life as normals do.

He lay down, letting the city hum fill the silence. In their eyes, he was nothing. And that was exactly how he wanted it.