Five years had flown by in the blink of an eye. During those five years, Carlos hadn't tried to seek out any other opportunities.
Instead, he focused on attending classes seriously, training like crazy, and pushing his body to its absolute limits to prepare for his awakening.
The other opportunities were either restricted to Psionics only, or they were way too far away—some even in the outer ring worlds.
...
Inside the Valois family estate, Carlos had just turned fifteen. Standing in the center of the main hall, he cut an impressive figure—handsome features, a strong and lean build, with a natural air of calm maturity about him.
In this world of The Dark Era, regular humans lived around 150 years, with thirty being considered true adulthood.
Psionics lived even longer, with each advancement automatically extending their lifespan.
But hardly anyone actually made it to their natural end—most met death somewhere along the way.
"Sister, I want to take part in this awakening ceremony!"
"Alright!"
Iris's eyes were full of affection. She knew Carlos's capabilities inside and out, so naturally she agreed—this was exactly what she'd been planning to arrange anyway.
...
Seven days later, deep into the night, high above Ember City, a blood-red crescent moon hung in the sky, shrouded in mysterious clouds. Behind that veil seemed to lurk terrifying darkness and mystery.
Ever since the dark mist invasion began, this blood moon had been hanging over their world.
Humans had gotten used to it. The ethereal, otherworldly quality of the original moon had been forgotten by most people long ago.
Emberstone Valley, one of the key facilities surrounding Ember City, served as the location for spiritual awakenings. During each awakening ceremony, the area was heavily guarded by garrison troops to ensure no one could launch an attack.
But something felt off about this spiritual awakening ceremony—there were only seven half-elves stationed here for security duty.
At this moment, dozens of fifteen-year-old apprentices who met the basic requirements had gathered here, about to undergo their first spiritual awakening ceremony.
In the crowd, Carlos stood with his arms crossed, expression cold and mature for his age, making him stand out among the other apprentices.
"Carlos, it seems like in the past few years, there haven't been any geniuses who succeeded on their first awakening attempt. Do you think our class might have one?"
Kathy, once that little girl, had now blossomed into a lovely young woman, though anxiety creased her brow.
"There will be."
Giving Kathy a casual response, Carlos quietly regulated his breathing and blood flow, keeping both body and mind in peak condition.
Every year, Ember City selected fifteen-year-old apprentices who met the grade requirements to participate in their first awakening ceremony.
Anyone who could successfully awaken on their first try was undoubtedly a true genius.
If they failed this time, they could continue strengthening their body and mind, waiting for the twenty-year-old awakening ceremony.
But if the second awakening ceremony also failed, they'd pretty much be written off as having no Psionic potential—better to just be a regular person.
Carlos was extremely confident about this awakening.
The two most important factors for successful awakening were mental and physical strength, and Carlos felt he was way ahead in both areas.
Over these five years, Carlos had trained relentlessly. His body and soul had grown incredibly powerful under the nourishment of that trace of demigod essence.
Even if something unexpected happened, he still had the demigod mark as backup. This awakening was absolutely foolproof.
"Carlos, you're not talking about yourself, are you?"
Kathy giggled. Knowing Carlos as well as she did, if anyone was going to awaken this time, it would definitely be him.
Neither of them noticed that in the crowd, a girl was subtly and "coincidentally" passing by them, ears perked up, perfectly positioned to overhear their chat.
Kathy caught sight of her from the corner of her eye and immediately went on alert.
"Heidi, what are you sneaking around for? What do you want?"
The girl had delicate features and wore fancy clothes, clearly from a noble family, though she was pretty short—only coming up to Kathy's chest.
She tried to cover her guilt with anger:
"Kathy! This isn't your house, so mind your own business!"
"Right, it's not my business, but I can't just ignore what a certain little shorty is thinking."
"Golden retriever, you wanna fight?"
The tension between the two girls was ramping up fast, and it looked like they were about to throw down.
Just then, a slender arm suddenly came between them, stopping the brewing conflict.
It belonged to a graceful half-elf woman who was absolutely beautiful. She was the Psionic in charge of this awakening ceremony and also the captain of the seven-person Psionic team.
"The awakening ceremony is about to begin. Get ready."
With that cold statement, both girls immediately stopped arguing, though they continued glaring at each other.
After speaking, the half-elf captain didn't leave right away. Instead, she walked over to Carlos, studying him with her gaze.
Carlos gave the half-elf lady a polite bow:
"Sister Elsa, it's such an honor that you're overseeing this awakening ceremony."
Carlos wasn't particularly familiar with this half-elf sister—they'd only met a few times.
But his own sister was the captain of the half-elf guard unit, so they should have a good relationship.
Elsa didn't respond to Carlos's words, just smiled and nodded at him before turning away.