[: Daniel's POV :]
My heart hammered in my chest as the silver-haired Celestine's amber eyes fixed on me.
Every whisper, every murmur from the crowd faded into silence, leaving only the weight of hundreds of gazes pressing down like a tangible force.
I took a deep breath, my legs trembling as I stepped forward.
Each footfall felt heavier than the last, as if the ground itself were resisting my movement.
The courtyard stretched endlessly before me, the stone tiles etched with ancient runes that glowed faintly, reflecting my nervous pulse.
The Celestine elder raised a hand, motioning for me to stop just a few paces in front of him.
I froze, suddenly acutely aware of my smallness amidst the sea of observers.
His piercing gaze never wavered, but there was something calm, almost soothing, in the way he regarded me.
"Daniel," he said, his voice deep and resonant, carrying across the courtyard like a steady current.
"Do not fear what is to come. This is not a test of who you are, but a revelation of who you can become. Courage is not the absence of fear—it is acting despite it."
I swallowed hard, nodding, my throat dry.
The words grounded me, a faint ember of resolve igniting inside.
I clenched my fists tightly, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease just enough to give me the courage to move forward.
A younger member of the Celestine Family, a woman whose golden hair gleamed like sunlight, stepped closer with a small silver blade, its edge reflecting the morning light.
"Draw your blood, Daniel" she instructed, her voice gentle but commanding.
I looked down at my hands, palms sweating, the distant echo of my nightmare pressing faintly at the back of my mind.
Then, slowly, deliberately, I extended my right hand.
My fingers shook as I pressed the tip of the blade against my palm.
A sharp sting blossomed, red droplets forming almost immediately.
I held my hand steady as a single drop hovered, suspended by some unseen force, over a small crystal vessel in the Celestine woman's other hand.
Time seemed to stretch. Every heartbeat thundered in my ears.
The crowd waited. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
"Good," the elder said softly. "Now… let it reveal your path."
I exhaled, letting the drop fall.
The moment it touched the vessel, the air trembled.
A faint glow erupted from the crystal, swirling like liquid fire, illuminating my face and casting flickering shadows across the courtyard.
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening.
Whatever happened next… would determine the first step of my fate.
The Celestines watched with careful, trained eyes, their expressions calm but alert.
Their aura radiated quiet authority, yet in it, I sensed a trace of anticipation—an unspoken acknowledgement that some awakenings could surpass expectation, or shatter it entirely.
I clenched my jaw, forcing my mind to focus, letting go of fear, doubt, and even the lingering memory of that faceless girl from my nightmare.
Now was the time.
Now was the Awakening.
The moment the drop of blood touched the crystal vessel, the air itself seemed to shift.
A low hum reverberated through the courtyard, subtle at first, then growing louder, like the heartbeat of the world itself responding.
The crystal flared, a blinding light that forced me to shield my eyes.
But even through the brilliance, I could feel it—something ancient, immense, and unrelenting stirring within me.
The Celestine elder stepped back slightly, his amber eyes widening, the calm composure he maintained all morning trembling ever so slightly.
"This… this is…" he muttered under his breath, though the words didn't carry to the crowd.
I felt it before I saw it.
The surge of energy that shot through my body was nothing like the children before me.
My senses expanded, every nerve, every muscle awakened, as though the limits of my body were being rewritten from the inside out.
The floating scrolls above the crystal flared, quills moving rapidly, recording what the vessel revealed. The words glowed fiercely:
Name: Daniel
Spiritual Root: Perfect (SSS)
Physique: Eternal Combatant (SSS)
Innate Talent: Sword Intent (SSS)
Bloodline: Sun Incarnation (SSS)
Rank: SSS
A gasp swept through the courtyard like a wave. The murmurs rose into shocked whispers, then into exclamations.
"SSS?!"
"No way… Sun Incarnation? That's… that's an SSS-ranked bloodline!"
A boy near me paled, clutching his scroll. "I… I can't even imagine… that rank…"
Some children backed away instinctively, eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe.
Others muttered curses under their breath, the jealousy and disbelief sharp in their voices.
The Celestine elder's hand rested lightly on his staff, but even he looked unsettled.
Slowly, his voice cut through the stunned silence.
"This… child…" He paused, glancing at the other Celestines.
"He is not ordinary. Not even remarkable… extraordinary doesn't do justice. His talent… surpasses expectations of this age by far."
The golden-haired Celestine stepped closer, her voice softer but carrying authority.
"Daniel… the power you have awakened is rare beyond comprehension. The Sun Incarnation bloodline… a physique honed for combat… an SSS Spiritual Root… and Sword Intent''
''Few in a thousand lifetimes attain even one of these. You… have awakened them all at once."
My chest heaved, not from exertion, but from the overwhelming sensation of power.
Sword Intent… I could feel it, a presence coiling at the edge of my mind, waiting, urging, teaching.
It whispered possibilities, the fluid motions of battle, the rhythm of conflict.
The courtyard was silent now, all eyes on me, and for the first time that day, I realised the weight of what I had just become.
The Celestine elder's voice broke the tension.
"This is a prodigy. A child whose path may one day rival the legacies of the Ten Eternal Sovereigns themselves. Record this carefully."
I staggered slightly, the power within me thrumming like an untamed storm.
My fists clenched instinctively, and a faint shimmer of golden light danced across my skin, resonating with my Sun Incarnation bloodline.
Some children whispered prayers, others stared in disbelief, and a few could not hide the envy that twisted their expressions.
And I… I felt the faint echo of that faceless girl from my dream, as if even in the deepest shadow of nightmare, fate had drawn me to this moment.
I had awakened.
And nothing… would ever be the same again.