The Tower Of Ospherius, Year 2028
The students of the Golden Seekers Academy stood in front of a large, erect structure. Its form disappearing into the clouds as it stretched on for what seemed like forever. Their sleek black academy uniforms, barred with golden accents, clung tightly to their skin, an invisible pressure weighing down on their shoulders.
The air was charged with tension and anticipation, everyone was aware of how important of an event it was today. As this very event shall determine their very lives as Seekers, and their standing in the Social Hierarchy.
A young woman with short black hair stood tall and confident, she was the star and talk of everyone in the Golden Seekers Academy, an academic genius with a bright future ahead of her. She was extremely beautiful and popular, a bright sun in comparison to measly stars.
She had been looking forward to this day her entire life, imagining herself emerging as a powerful Seeker with a high ranked Talent, striking envy into the hearts of many as she had always done with her academic performance.
"Everything is riding on this...." She whispered to herself, her breath hot and heavy with the force of her nervousness. Despite her confident demeanor, she was absolutely terrified by what would happen if she didn't awaken a powerful Talent.
All her academic scores would mean nothing, as power is the number one priority in this world, as without it, your very worth could equate to nothing.
The professor stood in front of the large batch of students, neatly lined in rows as they stood in front of the large entrance of the Tower. He took a moment to glance around, observing their faces for a moment.
Many were scared, some were confident, and a few were confused as to why they were even here. But it was to be expected, as this was the most important moment for their lives.
"Students of the Golden Seeker Academy!" He began, his voice loud and firm. "Today marks the point of your lives where your very fates will be determined." He stopped for a moment, letting his words sink in.
"Upon stepping into the first floor of the Ospherius Tower, some of you will be chosen as Seekers, and some of you will not. Some of you will Receive a blessing from the Tower known as a Talent, and some of you will not."
He took a deep breath, saying the next words in a slow, but ominous tone. "Remember, your very futures depend on what transpires today, so keep your heads up. May lady luck be with you on this auspicious day."
He said, stepping back as he stood by the side of the entrance. He turned to the combat instructor, a faint smile on his face. "Now then, it's time to take them in." He said, receiving a nod from her as she walked forward, her iron gaze stabbing fear into the hearts of many students.
"Listen up you damn brats!" She spoke, her voice loud and full of conviction. She placed her hands on her hips, brushing against the high ranked daggers that were stapped on her hips, gleaming ominously in the sunlight.
"We'll be heading into the Tower right now, and I want all of you to follow my instructions as we head inside. The Tower is no joke, as you can lose your life at the slightest bit of hesitation, so you better stay focused and alert at all times. Understood?" She asked, her voice dripping with venom.
"Yes mam!" Everyone shouted in unison, tensing up under her intense gaze.
"Good," She said with a nod, "I'll be calling your classes one by one, and you'll be following me into the Tower. If the Tower accepts you, you will be blessed and granted entry, if not, then you better have a plan B if you wish to make it in this life."
She pulled out a sheet of paper with the names of all the classes in Golden Seeker Academy, clearing her throat as she prepared to announce them all in order.
"We're going to be starting with the lowest class and making our way up."
"We'll be starting with Class 1-E! Get ready and follow me inside." She said, turning around and making their way to the entrance.
The students tensed up as they heard their class number being called, quickly hurrying to move behind her as they walked in line. After a few minutes, the instructor and the students returned from the Tower, but a different glow surrounded them.
Some were ecstatic, their faces beaming with bright smiles and joyful expressions. While a few were utterly devasted, their expressions pale and on the brink of breaking down into tears.
Just from their expressions alone you could tell that they weren't fortunate to have awakened at all, as they were not chosen by the Tower and thus....their fates were set in stone.
"I wonder what kinds of Talents they received, the instructor hadn't announced anything yet." A close whisper to her ear caught the girl with short black hair off guard, causing her to jump in place as she spun around to see her best friend behind her.
"Jesus! Don't scare me like that, Amy." She said, clutching her racing heart. Amy simply laughed however, finding the sight hilarious.
"Don't be so tense Loraine, I'm sure once it's your turn you'll be great! You're the academy's star after all." Amy said, a soft smile on her face.
"Thanks..." Loraine said, her voice soft. She glanced to see yet another class leave, walking in to have their fates granted to them. A heavy weight settled on her chest, a deep sense of unease crawling up her spine.
'Why do I feel so...terrified? I....I'll be fine..' She reassured herself internally.
The classes kept leaving and entering the Tower, until it was finally their turn. The instructor had set the students who awakened and those who hadn't awakened to be separated, but no one knew which of the two were the awakened and who weren't.
She turned her gaze to the last batch of students, the best class in the entire Academy, Class 1-S. Her personal favorite class, full of the most promising students that shone with the most potential, especially Loraine.
'I have high hopes for that girl.' The instructor thought, turning around as she walked towards the entrance of the Tower.
"Now, for the last class. Class 1-S, get ready and follow me." The instructor commanded, and immediately the class began moving following behind.
Loraine's heart started to race, breaking a sweat as she moved in line. This was it, it was finally happening, her very future was about to be determined forever.
They approached the Tower's entrance, a dark ominous energy immediately hit them, making them shudder as they felt the foreign energy colliding against their bodies. The instructor glanced back at them, her eyes meeting theirs as without a word, she stepped into the Tower and ascended past a flight of stairs.
'I…I was chosen…' Loraine thought, her face lighting up. She glanced back behind her, seeing that a lot of the students couldn't move past the entrance, as there was a barrier that blocked them from gaining entry.
That meant that they weren't chosen as Seekers, and that their lives would be very difficult moving forward as they would have to find jobs that could provide for them.
She felt a bit bad for some of them, but she couldn't allow herself to get distracted. She couldn't rest until she awakens a high ranking Talent.
With that in mind, Loraine followed closely behind with her group, each step up the dar"k and ominous stairs feeling like a countdown approaching its impending end.
They arrived inside the Tower, particularly on the first floor. The environment resembled that of a cavern, stretching on for quite a few metres as darkness enveloped them all.
The air was cold, heavy, and made everyone feel uneasy as they all took a moment to analyze their surroundings.
The instructor turned to face them, her iron gaze looming over them as she spoke.
"We've arrived on the first floor of the Tower, try to remain calm and focused, anything can happen around here, and you might just lose your life if you get distracted for even a moment." She said.
"Now that you're in the Tower, I want you all to stay here for a moment to commence your awakening. It usually takes around a few minutes for you to awaken, and you will know that the Tower has selected you once you hear a strange voice in your heads."
Loraine listened to the words of the Instructor very carefully. They had already learned about this back at the Academy, but she assumed that the Instructor must be repeating what they already learned to make sure they are well prepared.
After a few minutes of waiting, Loraine started to feel a bit strange. The air that she was breathing, filled with Mana, started to lose it's burning sensation that scorched her lungs the moment she inhaled.
The pain slowly started to reduce, until it disappeared completely, becoming no different than the air she breathed outside on a daily basis. Suddenly, out of nowhere and catching her completely by surprise, a strange voice echoed in her mind, startling her.
[Ding! Congratulations! The Tower Acknowledges You And Deemed You Worthy Of The Title Of Seeker!]
[Ding! Distributing Random Talent!]
[Ding! You Have Gained The Low-Rank Grade Talent: Muscle Reinforcement(E)!]
Loraine's eyes widened in horror, as her world started to fade out around her. Her heart skipped a beat, her face twisting in shock, as she realized that everything she had been building up to this point, was all going to come crashing down.