CHAPTER 307: WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

The Titan Training studio looked exactly as Kaiden remembered it. The smell of iron, sweat, and disinfectant lingered in the air. To him, it was the smell of effort and results. This was where it all began, the place that whipped him into shape for his tutorial mission, the place where he stopped being pathetic, as the system’s tutorial mission said he was.

[Stop Being Pathetic] Those words lingered in Kaiden’s mind for a moment.

He had poured money into this gym, sparing no expense when he was near penniless. This was the best gym in the region, and he even hired a personal trainer while working night shifts to be able to afford it.

Liam, the man who had done more than just train him. Liam had given him the foundation to survive. To win.

Kaiden walked in with Aria’s hand in his, and the girl practically sparkled beside him. Her smile was radiant, brighter than the gym lights overhead, looking as if she were the sun itself. She hopped lightly with every step, bunny-like, unable to contain her giddy excitement.

Aria adored all of Kaiden’s lovers, but this was different. This was their date. Just her and her man, back at the place where they first met.

But now, they were here for a different reason. It was time to put an end to their old, ordinary lives once and for good. A final farewell to the "normal" world, A trip down memory lane, so to speak.

For Aria, who had spent a long time here as a trainer, it was even more personal. She wanted to say goodbye to her colleagues, to this place that shaped her into who she was. Kaiden thought it only right to walk beside her... and give one last nod to Liam. Without him, Kaiden might never have made it out of the tutorial mission, at which point the system likely would’ve left him, looking for a new host to inherit the Heavenly Demon’s Legacy.

Trailing close were Riven and Rae. Bodyguards in casual attire, though their eyes scanned everything with sharpness. Being in public was dangerous for someone like Kaiden, so the artificer twins had already contacted the Awakened Association. Backup was stationed discreetly outside, and extra protection covered the building’s perimeter. Even here, they weren’t alone.

When they stepped in, Kaiden was greeted by a familiar face. The same cute receptionist from his early days sat behind the counter, eyes glued to him as though she’d seen a ghost. She had been the one who gave him his first choice: Aria or Liam as his trainer. The memory stirred something warm inside him, and Aria’s grip on his hand tightened, nostalgia clear in her eyes.

But then the girl at the desk blinked, her mouth slowly falling open. Back then, they had been nothing more than locals with a spark of potential. Now? Their names carried weight. Their faces were known. And that recognition lit up her expression in shock.

Aria didn’t hesitate. With a burst of supernatural agility, she was suddenly across the counter, throwing her arms around the receptionist and pulling her into a crushing, affectionate hug. Her laugh was warm, her joy radiant, her presence overwhelming as always.

And soon, people noticed. Phones came out, voices whispered, a crowd slowly forming as lenses and camera flashes focused in on them. But neither Kaiden nor Aria cared.

The silver-haired beauty bounded back across the floor, eyes only for her man. Then, without pause, she leapt into him, hands flinging around his neck as she pressed her lips against his in a sloppy, wet, unapologetically loud kiss. She tiptoed high, breasts squishing against his chest as her tongue immediately dove into his mouth, writhing and tangling with his.

Kaiden chuckled into the kiss, amused at her fire, but didn’t grope her butt like he usually did when she presented herself like this. And she noticed.

Oh, she noticed.

Aria bit down lightly on his tongue, pulling back just enough to release a dissatisfied little feminine scoff. She wasn’t letting him off easy. She refused to release his tongue as her hungry lips meshed to his, but her displeasure was all but spelled out.

Laughing inwardly, Kaiden gave in. His hands slid down, gripping that juicy ass through her workout shorts, squeezing the firm yet soft flesh. The sensation was everything—springy muscle wrapped in a plushness made directly for his palms.

The crowd reacted instantly. A chorus of yelps, gasps, and squeals rose from the onlookers, scandalized by the shameless display. Aria, however, purred happily, the vibration of her throat brushing against his lips, satisfied at last.

And in that moment, Kaiden caught on. He understood what was going on in that head of hers.

This wasn’t just lust. This wasn’t just affection. In this moment, by doing what she had, Aria had marked him. Claimed him before all eyes, before the eyes of would-be opportunistic women who would no doubt walk up to Kaiden soon enough and begin making small talk.

Her instinctual possessiveness was shining through, burning hotter than the sunlit joy she wore earlier. It was primal, unconscious even. A yandere princess by title, and by nature.

His other lovers weren’t wrong. That’s exactly what she was.

Kaiden laughed inside, amused at himself for resisting it so long. Fine. He’d embrace the nickname, too.

The yandere princess was his.

After a dozen or so seconds, she finally detached and looked around.

"Oh! Jas! Rose! Emi!" Aria’s voice rang out as she waved to another cluster of trainers and gym-goers she used to work with. With the same bunny-like bounce, she darted off to throw herself into more hugs as her laughter carried through the air.

That left Kaiden on his own for the moment, though not truly alone, with Rae keeping a watchful gaze just a few steps behind him. Riven had left to go after Aria.

In the next moment, his attention shifted as a deep voice called out.

"Kaiden!"

He turned to see a familiar wall of muscle striding his way. Liam looked the same as always: broad, tall, and wearing that easy, confident grin. The man’s aura wasn’t awakened, but his presence had always been perhaps larger than life. At least, that’s how Kaiden felt.

They clasped hands, a firm handshake that carried memory and respect both ways. Liam whistled, his eyes dropping to Kaiden’s grip.

"Damn... you became a real man in such a short time."

Kaiden chuckled, shaking his head. "I was already twenty-two when we met."

"Hah! A lanky twenty-two-year-old boy, maybe," Liam shot back with a booming laugh.

The two of them laughed together. For a moment, it really did feel like no time had passed.

"Honestly," Liam went on, slapping his back with a meaty palm, "I thought you were ghosting me for a while there. You stopped showing up. Then..." His grin widened, teasing. "Then I see you on the damn news. Making waves, huh?"

Kaiden could only smile apologetically. "Sorry, I didn’t reach out sooner. Things got... busy."

"That you were," Liam said with another laugh, shaking his head. "But hey, you’re here now. Wanna go through the old routine? See if the muscles remember?"

Kaiden nodded. "Sure. Why not?"

The two moved into the familiar flow, stretching and warming up, then sliding into the same set Liam had drilled into him during the earliest days of his training. Squats. Pulls. Pushes. The movements felt natural, almost nostalgic in themselves.

Eventually, Kaiden found himself back on the bench with a loaded bar resting above him. His hands curled around the steel, but his mind... drifted.

The weight above wasn’t the only one he carried.

[Status Window]

[Name: Kaiden Grey]

[Rank: 3 - Star]

[Class: Paragon of Sin]

[Level: 24 → 26 | XP: 103,500 / 260,000]

He’d only gained two levels with the breakthrough, but those levels had given him more than most would expect. His growth wasn’t fixed; it was not flat ten stat points per level. The universal system that governed all awakened people weighed the worth of slain enemies, the difficulty of challenges overcome.

The Countess had been no pushover. A nightmare boss who had nearly cost them dearly. Her minions hadn’t been "easy prey" either. The system had rewarded him accordingly, with twenty-five stat points per level. Two levels that felt equal to five if he faced challenging but less brutal enemies.

Still, the numbers didn’t make the memories vanish.