Bastards Ascension: A Playground of Gods
Chapter 37: AFO

Chapter 37: AFO

"So you’ll be following us back to AFO to sign up as a faction member," Jacob said, his tone cool but with a slight edge, as he led Kieran through the academics gate.

Kieran paused just before stepping through. He cast one last look back at the academy.

The familiar walls towered behind him like a fading memory. Through the open gates, he could see students funnelling toward the school hall—some excited, others uncertain. The air still buzzed faintly with the aftershock of the barrier lifting, an invisible pressure that had loomed over the campus now dissipated.

The selection ceremony had finally begun.

It should have happened immediately after the Awakening. But thanks to the chaos that unfolded, it had been postponed—giving rise to whispers, suspicion, and now, a tense rush to secure talents before they were swept away.

Inside the hall, dozens of faction officials had assembled, representatives from powerful families and renowned groups. Their mission: to lure the brightest and strongest students into their fold.

Kieran’s name was on everyone’s lips—even if they hadn’t seen his face yet.

Jacob had left Anita behind specifically for this. While he personally escorted Kieran out, she was left to handle the political games inside.

Because when it came to a student like Kieran... influence wasn’t just expected. It was inevitable.

"Where’s the SSS-ranked student? I heard there was one in this academy," a sharp voice pierced through the hall.

Heads turned.

Faction members who had been scattered across recruitment booths suddenly converged. Conversations buzzed. Some loud. Some whispered like conspiracies in the shadows.

"I heard the Blue Fang faction got to him first."

"No way. Are you serious?"

"Blue Fang? Those bastards got lucky this time," someone muttered darkly.

"Wait—wasn’t the barrier up too long? You think the school tipped them off early?"

"Nellyx? Not likely. She wouldn’t just give that kind of gift away. If she had a say in it, that boy would already be hers."

The older man of the group, grizzled and seasoned, folded his arms. "Then we’ve already lost him."

A collective sigh passed through the officials. Frustration. Resignation.

They began to turn, returning to their booths with disappointment carved into their faces—until someone pointed.

"Look there. By the gate."

All heads snapped in near-perfect unison.

There, just beyond the gate, stood Jacob. And beside him...

Kieran.

Even from a distance, the look of muted defiance on Kieran’s face was enough to ignite a ripple of murmurs.

Jacob could feel it—the stares.

Tension hung over his shoulders like a predator’s gaze, heavy and crawling.

They hated him for this. For getting to Kieran first. For making the deal before the rest even had the chance to speak.

But he didn’t care.

’A deal’s a deal,’ Jacob thought. ’And he chose us. That’s all that matters now.’

Still, deep in his chest, he felt the crawling weight of doubt. The Nelkon family... they wouldn’t forget this. And now they had to be dealt with.

But not today.

Today, Kieran was his.

Behind him, Kieran kept his gaze locked on the school. It stood like a monument of memories. His entire life had been lived within those walls.

He had no recollection of the Outerlands—no family stories, no nostalgic past. His whole world was inside that compound.

He trained there. Bled there. Fought for others there. All for one reason.

For her.

Yet when he needed her most...

She vanished. No explanations. No loyalty. Just... silence.

His hand tightened into a fist, nails digging into his palm.

’I’ll deal with the Nelkon family... and I’ll find you. You’ll tell me why you abandoned me.’

A sharp gust of wind broke his reflection.

The hover shuttle approached like a blur of sleek silver and electric blue. Its quiet hum turned into a powerful whoosh as it came to a gentle stop in front of them.

The pill-shaped shuttle’s door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing its lavish interior.

"Enter," Jacob said, his voice composed but firm.

Kieran hesitated—just for a moment.

He had seen these shuttles before, zipping through the skies like falling stars. They were always out of reach—privileges for the elite, for the Awakened, and even among them, only the chosen few.

Now he was one of them.

As he stepped inside, he didn’t just enter a shuttle. He crossed a threshold.

The interior was nothing short of luxury: neon-lit lines traced beautiful patterns along the curved walls, soft stools that adjusted perfectly to his form, and polished panels that glimmered under ambient lighting.

It was comfort unlike anything he’d known.

He barely had time to settle when the engines revved with a sharp whir. Lights flared along the shuttle’s sides, and then—with a powerful blast—it rocketed upward.

The sudden burst pinned him against the backrest, his body adjusting to the G-force.

Outside, the world turned into a blur of towering skyscrapers, golden rooftops, and layered skyways. The megacity unfolded before him, brilliant and endless.

It was his first time flying.

But even with the wonder around him, his mind remained elsewhere.

’Why did Miss Jane try to frame me... what the hell is really going on? This bloodline... who are my real parents?’

More questions poured in.

’What happened to the gods? Why did they leave?’

His fingers trembled slightly on his lap.

The system... It was supposed to be a guide. A helper.

Yet nothing about it felt ordinary.

Its very existence raised more questions than answers.

’How did it activate in the first place? And why is it different from the AFO’s system?’

He had asked Alexa. But even she, with all her knowledge, could only offer fragments. Vague theories. No real truth.

’There’s more happening beneath the surface... I can feel it.’

His hand curled again into a fist.

’I need to know what’s going on. I need to understand what’s happening to our world. To me.’

The shuttle began to descend, and the smoothness of its flight broke him from his thoughts.

Jacob turned toward the window. "We’re here."

From where he sat, Kieran leaned forward, peering out.

And there it stood.

The AFO.

The skyscraper towered over the rest of the city. An elegant structure of dark-glass panels and steel veins running through its surface like arteries. Its shape formed a grand ’U,’ with the logo boldly set in the center.

AFO.

The ’F’ was shaped like a spaceship, as though lifting off from the earth.

It was a symbol of power. Of dominance.

And of control.

Kieran stared, awe bleeding into suspicion.

Before he could ask anything, a chime echoed softly in his ears.

Ding!

A familiar chill ran down his spine as the system’s voice rang out.

> {God candidate has been detected}

{Your trial will soon begin}

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