CHAPTER 70: INTRODUCTION

The silence in Logan’s room was thick enough to choke on.

He sat on the edge of his bed, his arms crossed, and a deep frown was etched into his face.

His walls, usually echoing only with his own footsteps or thoughts, now bore witness to a complete invasion.

Vera had thrown open the window to "let some air in," Orion was dragging a stool from the corner and sitting like he owned the place, and Liam... Liam hovered by the door, unsure if he should breathe too loudly. Scared of attracting Logan’s attention.

"This is stupid," Logan muttered.

"Nope," Vera replied with a grin as she helped herself to the only chair near Logan’s desk. "This is bonding."

"It’s forced bonding," Logan deadpanned.

"Exactly!" she smiled far too cheerfully for Logan.

"The best kind. It builds trauma and trauma builds friendship which builds synergy and finally, synergy wins battles."

"That’s not how that works," he grumbled.

Orion shrugged, settling comfortably into his seat. "It might. I’ve seen worse strategies."

"You’re all mad," Logan said. "Get out."

"Oh come on," Vera pouted.

"You want to die on some battlefield because you didn’t know I get cranky when I’m low on mana?" It seemed that she had abandoned her serious tone.

It could always be a state that she is in only when she needs something to be done.

"No, I want to die alone, in peace, not surrounded by lunatics who barge into my room without knocking."

"I knocked," Liam offered quietly.

"No one asked you."

Liam immediately looked away as his face turned red.

The poor kid hadn’t said much since... well, since Logan almost blew him to pieces.

Guilt didn’t stay on Logan’s shoulders; instead, it lodged itself somewhere deeper, behind his ribs, silent and heavy. But guilt didn’t change facts. They were on a team now, and that meant...

No. He still didn’t like it.

They had moved them to the second floor and he had no idea who his roommates were.

Vera cleared her throat and clapped once. "Alright, everyone. Since Logan refuses to play nice unless we literally kidnap him in his own room, let’s start properly. Introductions. Powers. Weaknesses. Secrets. Phobias. First crushes. Blood types..."

Orion gave her a look. "We’re not giving blood samples."

"Speak for yourself," she shot back. "Mine’s type O perfection."

Logan massaged his temples. "Can we just... get this over with?"

"I’ll go first," Liam said quickly, as if racing before he lost his courage. "Um... I’m Liam. Second-year. I use Healing Magic, light-aligned. I specialize in restorative pulses and mana regulation. I’m... I’m not great at combat but I can shield and stabilize most injuries under D-tier. I, uh, also bake sometimes."

Silence.

Logan blinked at him.

"You bake?" Vera said.

"I - it calms me."

"That’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard," she declared. "You’re now our emotional support cinnamon roll."

Liam turned a deep shade of red.

Logan sighed and gestured lazily. "Fine. Orion?"

"Blacksmith," Orion said simply. "Elemental enhancement, mana-forged weapons, gear augmentation. I don’t really do flashy stuff like you people."

"You people?" Vera raised a brow.

"Yes. You, who throws glowing glyphs at people and expects them not to explode."

She flipped her hair. "It’s called style, darling."

Orion ignored her. "I craft. I design. If you want a sword that can breathe fire while insulting your opponent’s fashion sense—I’m your guy."

"...Do you actually make swords that insult people?" Liam asked.

"Only on request. Of course I’m joking!!"

Vera let out a dramatic sigh. "I wanted one."

"Find someone else to make them for you."

They both looked at Logan, who hadn’t moved from his perch.

"Your turn," Vera said.

"No."

"You agreed."

"I never did."

"You didn’t disagree hard enough."

Logan stared at her. "That’s not how consent works."

She leaned forward. "It is in this room."

He looked at Liam, then Orion, and then at the door.

"I’ll burn the door if you try to leave," Vera said sweetly.

Logan grunted. "Fine. Logan. Battle Mage. Darkness affinity. I don’t like being touched. Or crowds. Or small talk. I’m here because the academy says I have to be. Not because I want friends."

There was a beat of silence after that.

"Wow," Vera said. "That was bleak. Do you do birthdays too?"

Logan didn’t respond.

"I think it was honest," Liam offered timidly.

"You would, sugarbun."

"Don’t call me that..."

"So," Orion said, clearly trying to steer things back. "We have a Battle Mage, a Healer, a Blacksmith, and an Enchanter. Technically balanced."

"Technically," Logan echoed, his voice dry.

"Hey," Vera said, folding her arms. "I haven’t even given my glorious introduction yet."

"You’ve been talking nonstop since you came in," Logan pointed out.

"Yes, but now it’s officially my turn." She stood dramatically, conjuring a single glowing glyph that shimmered gold and silver.

"Vera Green. Second-year. Enchanter extraordinaire. Runes, artifacts, binding magic, elemental inscription. I can lace your armor with pain-triggered counterbursts or your boots with featherweight spells. I’m also devastatingly pretty, criminally misunderstood, and allergic to bad vibes."

"Do you actually write enchantments for pain-triggered explosions?" Orion asked, interested.

"Of course. I call them Karma Tags."

"...I want five."

"Get in line."

Logan leaned back slightly, finally letting himself exhale.

It was strange. He didn’t want this. He still didn’t. But with them bickering and boasting and filling up his space with noise and light and everything he usually avoided, it wasn’t... awful.

Still, he wasn’t about to say that.

"So what’s the strategy here?" he asked instead. "We train together? Fight monsters? Skip rope in sync?"

Vera’s grin widened. "All of the above. But first, I say we start small. A few trust exercises. A little one-on-one sparring. Maybe a game night. And then maybe team sleepovers!"

"No."

"Yes."

"I will leave."

"I’ll enchant your door shut."

"...You’re insane."

"And you are finally participating. Baby steps, Logan. Baby steps."

Liam chuckled quietly at that, and even Orion cracked a rare smile.

Maybe this team wouldn’t work.

Or maybe, Logan thought with reluctant irritation, it would work too well.

_________________

To My Dearest Readers, the Dreamers, the Brave, the Believers...

From the deepest corners of my heart, I welcome you—not just as readers, but as companions in a journey that stretches beyond ink and pages. Whether you stumbled upon this tale out of curiosity, followed a whisper through a shadowed realm, or have been with Logan since the beginning... thank you. Truly. You are seen. You are valued. And you are part of this world now.

Divine Magus: Awakening is not just a story. It is a cry from the soul, a whisper from the void, and a flicker of light in the endless dark. It was born from sleepless nights, from emotions too raw to contain, from the desire to craft something real—painfully, beautifully real—in a world that often hides behind illusions.

Logan’s path is not easy. It was never meant to be. Through blood-stained corridors, agonizing rituals, betrayals that slice deeper than any blade, and a magic system that bends the very laws of existence, his story mirrors the struggles we all face: of finding ourselves when everything is stripped away, of standing when the world begs us to kneel, of believing we are more than what they told us we were.

To those who resonated with Logan’s trauma, with his quiet rage, his unspoken grief, his flickering hope—I see you. To those who laughed at Orion’s sarcasm or held their breath during Minerva’s terrifying displays of power—I hear your hearts beating alongside mine. Every moment you’ve spent reading, theorizing, crying, or simply existing in this universe... it matters.

You matter.

This isn’t a book made to simply entertain. It’s a saga meant to challenge you. To make you think. To make you feel. Whether it’s the heavy silence after a brutal battle, the fragile warmth of an unexpected friendship, or the raw, terrifying force of magic itself—Divine Magus: Awakening was never meant to play it safe. And neither are you.

You, my dear readers, are part of a growing legion. You’re part of the awakening. With each Chapter, you draw closer not just to the secrets of Logan’s world, but to the truth about your own power—the ability to imagine, to empathize, to create worlds with your mind alone.

It humbles me every time I read your comments, see your theories, and witness how deeply you’ve come to care for the characters. You’ve turned names on a screen into living beings. You’ve breathed life into a world that once only existed in my head. That’s the true magic here—not mana, not runes, not enchantments... but you.

And I promise you, this is only the beginning.

There are battles still to be fought. Tears still to be shed. Revelations that will shake the very foundation of what you believe. Not everyone will survive. Not all friendships will last. Not every hero wears a glowing smile—and not every villain is beyond redemption. As the Chapters grow darker and the stakes rise higher, I ask only one thing of you:

Stay with me.

Stay curious. Stay fearless. Stay emotionally vulnerable. Because Logan’s journey is far from over—and neither is yours.

From the depths of cursed ruins to the dizzying heights of magical kingdoms, from soul-splitting pain to world-altering awakenings, we’ll walk this path together. And every scar, every scream, every whispered word of doubt will shape the legend we’re building—together.

To the old readers who’ve stuck around since the prologue, I salute your unwavering faith. To the new readers just joining us, welcome to the chaos. There is a seat for everyone at this strange, maddening, magnificent table. And if you ever find yourself lost in the story, unsure of what’s real or where it’s going—remember: neither is Logan.

But that’s the beauty of it.

Welcome to Divine Magus: Awakening.

Where magic is earned, pain is power, and the greatest truths are hidden in the darkest shadows.

With all my heart—and a little bit of madness,

—Your Author