The air was still, the silence unbearable. Everyone blinked in confusion, as if they didn't properly hear what their instructor announced.
"A…Low Grade Talent..?" Someone said, their tone full of disbelief.
Everyone's eyes shifted to Loraine, eyes full of confusion, as if seeking for answers. They had all expected Loraine to awaken something extraordinary, as she was an idol in the eyes of many and someone of great importance in their academy.
"How is that possible? There's no way she really awakened a Low Grade Talent. Perhaps the Instructor is just pulling our legs?"
"Ha! How the mighty have fallen! Looks like Loraine was nothing but a waste after all."
"I feel a bit bad for her, there's not much a Seeker could gain with a Low Grade Talent. Poor Loraine."
Whispers started to fill the air, some of pity, some openly mocking her, and others somewhat satisfied to see her downfall.
Lorraine stood as still as a statue, listening to everything everyone was saying about her. She couldn't help but clench her fists out of frustration, her knuckles turning white with the pain of her anger and helplessness.
Amy watched as Loraine started to walk back towards the rest of the students, her head held down, gaze moving across the ground.
'Loraine….' Amy inwardly called out towards her, her heart clenching at the sight of her dearest friend in so much pain. Although Loraine was trying to hide it by keeping a calm appearance, she could see the frustration and hurt in her eyes.
Loraine looked up to meet Amy's gaze, seeing the worried expression on her face. She couldn't bear to look into the eyes of her friend, the pain of awakening a Low Grade Talent weighing down on her like invisible force.
'Damn it…she must think I'm so pathetic right now….' Loraine couldn't help but think, her gaze dropping to the ground once more.
Unexpectedly, Lorraine flinched as she found herself in a warm embrace, looking up with wide eyes to see her best friend embracing her. She was surprised, but more so confused, as she didn't think that Amy would want to associate herself with someone like her anymore.
Amy simply said nothing, her body did all the talking as she tightened her hold on Loraine, as if afraid to let her go. Loraine's heart swelled with emotion, a strong flutter blooming in her chest as a sense of peace and tranquility enveloped her. Loraine closed her eyes and returned the embrace, as the foul whispers that hung heavy around the air, slowly started to fade out, leaving only the two of them in their own little world.
"Thank you…" Lorraine whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.
Pulling back a bit to see Loraine's gaze, Amy smiled radiantly "Of course! You didn't think I'd simply discard you now, did you?" Amy said, her tone a bit possessive, surprising Loraine as she looked at her pouting face.
"Eh….I mean…no?" Lorraine said nervously, trying to avoid eye contact.
"You're a terrible liar. You make it so obvious, haha!" Amy laughed.
Loraine smiled, thankful to have a friend like her in her life. She was worried that Amy would probably see her differently, as Amy was the center of attention now. It was almost like their roles were reversed, and that Amy came into the spotlight, while Loraine was bound to fade into the background.
After a while all the students had their Talents recorded, there a few High Grade Talents, each one of them bringing a smile to the Instructor's face as she was beaming, one of them being Amy, as out of everyone, her Talent was the most developed and had the most potential out of all of them, making her a gem in the eyes of the instructors and those around her.
"Alright, the awakening ceremony is over!" The instructor said, a small smile on her face, satisfied by the batch of seekers they managed to awaken this year. "Gather up and make your way outside the Tower immediately."
—----------
The professor glanced around the field of students, his movements uneasy and impatient. "Where the hell are Veleria and the students, the awakening shouldn't be taking so long, I'm growing tired of standing in one spot for too long!" The professor grumbled angrily under his breath, until he finally saw the students exiting the Tower.
'Finally!' He thought, his expression changing to a joyful one in an instant.
The instructor, Veleria, approached the professor as she walked towards him. "The awakening ceremony has been completed. We've managed to get a good batch of Seekers this year, but the majority of them failed to awaken however." She spoke, a small sigh escaping her lips.
"I don't care about that!" The professor spoke, "I want to hear what Loraine awakened!? This is the only reason I'm able to endure standing like a statue for 3 whole hours!" He said, his tone annoyed, but also excited.
"Oh…Loraine…" Veleria started, glancing at her as she walked with her class back towards the other mass of students. "As much as it hurts to say, Loraine has been nothing but a disappointment. Her academic scores and aptitude tests hinted to great potential, but it seems that she nothing but a bust."
"What do you mean? You mean to tell me that Loraine didn't awaken at all!?" The professor asked, a look of horror appearing on his face.
"No, she did in fact awaken…it's just…." Veleria said, taking a deep breath, "Loraine had awakened a Low Grade Talent….."
The words that left Veleria's mouth took a moment to register in the professor's mind, he couldn't imagine how something like that could be possible.
"But Loraine showed so much more potential than all the other students, everything from her intelligence, to her physical capabilities was phenomenal, how could she have awakened a Low Grade Talent, that just doesn't make sense." The professor sighed, immensely disappointed at what their star student had gained.
"The Tower is random, it chooses those who are deemed worthy in its eyes and bestows greater power to them, and those who aren't either don't get chosen, or get something that isn't desirable in an ideel Seeker. I guess Loraine wasn't one of them."
The professor eyed Loraine as she stood among her students, he had high hopes and dreams for this girl, as he was certain that someone like her would be able to achieve a Legendary Grade Talent. But it seems that Loraine wasn't a suitable candidate for the Tower.
"Was there at least someone who yielded impressive results? Surely there were at least a few High Grade Talents?" The proffesor asked.
Veleria grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Of course, there were quite a few High Grade Talents, all of them were really powerful and could gather the attentions of most guilds." She spoke, pausing for a second before continuing.
"However, out of all of them, one was exceptionally powerful." Veleria spoke, gaining the attention of the Proffessor.
"Amy Azalea had managed to awaken an A-Rank Talent."
—-----------
A few hours later.....
Inside a quiet hospital room, the beeping of a heart monitor pulsed occasionally beside the bed of an ill woman. Her skin was pale and frail, an air mask resting on her face, as her lungs fought hard daily to catch some breath.
Across her face and half of her body, strange coloured crystals were formed, pulsing with a dark light, slowly draining her life force.
Strange medical equipment, and large magical circles hovered over her form, stabilizing her condition to keep the illness from getting worse.
A fresh breeze entered through the open window of the hospital, the golden rays of the sunset filling the room.
The door to the room opened, and stepping inside was Loraine as she gently closed the door behind her.
"Hi mom, I'm back…." Loraine whispered, her eyes full of sadness as she walked towards her mothers side.