inconclusive incursion

"If the gap between us is as wide as the sky, then I will climb until the sky is beneath my feet." In a world plagued by grotesque alien creatures, absolute power belongs to the Awakeners. To be born with a low-tier ability is to be condemned to the bottom of the food chain, left to rot as a baby in the gas-filled trenches of District 5. For Vladimir Ackerman, a Rank 1 Gum ability felt like a death sentence to his lifelong dream of becoming a hero. He could survive, and he could fight if given time to prepare—but survival isn't glory, and preparation won't bridge the massive divide between the weak and the strong. When his childhood friend and longtime crush undergoes a late awakening, manifesting a high-tier ability that seals her destiny among the stars, Vlad is left staring into an insurmountable abyss. Until the ground shatters beneath him. Trapped in a subterranean dark hall before a colossal, chained horned entity, Vlad strikes a desperate bargain with the Entity: his freedom tomorrow for a second awakening today. Granted the dormant, paradigm-shifting power of Transcendence, Vlad finally holds the key to forging his own place in this world. But as he steps back onto the surface, equipped to tear down the walls of District 5 and maneuver through ruthless factions, he will quickly realize that a grand ability doesn't make a savior. In a land built on sacrifice and brutal hierarchies, becoming a hero will demand a price far more arduous, bloody, and calculated than he ever could have imagined.