Raiven sat comfortably inside the car as he waved goodbye to Allen and Stella.
He glanced at the girl sitting beside him.
She had long black hair and a stern expression. She adjusted her black suit before folding her arms.
She didn't even spare Raiven a glance.
"Good morning, big sis," Raiven said as he looked away.
"Drive," Verah Ashland, his elder sister, said.
It was obvious that she wasn't talking to Raiven.
The man seated at the driver's seat nodded before driving out of the mansion.
As the car entered the road, Verah finally looked at Raiven.
"Now, look at me," she said, her voice firm.
Raiven quickly looked at her.
"As soon as we get to the Academy, make sure you do not start saying unnecessary things," Verah said, her eyes never leaving Raiven. "Is that clear?"
"Yes, big sis."
Verah squinted her eyes after hearing Raiven's response.
'He's not talking back or complaining?'
It was strange.
Normally, Raiven would groan or complain, but now…
She decided to ignore it. For now, she was just thank*l that he was listening for once.
"Good," she said. "Just focus on awakening a reasonable Soul Ability."
She relaxed on the seat and looked outside, taking in the sight of the skyscrapers they were driving past as she continued,
"You did horribly on the written exam. I had to use my influence as a teacher in the academy to make you eligible to take part in the Awakening Ceremony."
Verah was talking harshly, but Raiven couldn't even blame her.
'The original Raiven was a total idiot. Always causing trouble and wasn't even appreciative of anything,' Raiven thought. 'Now that I think about it, how did he even die? I mean, I could only transmigrate into his body because he was dead, right? Or did I just take over his soul even though he wasn't dead?'
Raiven didn't have the answer to that now, so he decided to put it at the back of his mind for now.
"I understand," Raiven said, making Verah surprised once again.
Thirty minutes later, Raiven could see the academy.
'It's massive, just like the author described it.'
Luxurious cars just like the one Raiven was in were also driving into the academy.
It wasn't surprising to see, after all, this was the first and still the best academy in Bluesky City.
The car drove in and arrived at the parking space.
Raiven and Verah sat in silence for a few seconds, none of them looking at each other.
And then…
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you," Raiven said.
He pressed the button beside the handle and the door opened with a soft click.
As he was about to close the door…
"Raiven…" Verah called out.
Raiven paused, staring at her.
"Actions speak louder than words… Now, go."
Raiven smiled because he knew what she meant by that.
'I'm still her brother, after all,' Raiven thought.
With that, he closed the door and began walking towards the Academy hall.
He had been attending the training for individuals who were yet to awaken in this academy, so he knew the different locations in the academy.
"Today, in the whole world, everyone who is 17 years old and eligible to awaken will awaken their Soul Ability in the academy they trained at."
This same Awakening Ceremony was happening in the different Academies in the whole world.
He quickly found his way to the hall where almost all the students in the academy and some of the staff of the academy were gathered.
The students were discussing among themselves. Some were talking to each other while others were encouraging their siblings who were about to awaken.
A few minutes later, Raiven found his way to the platform where those who were about to awaken were standing.
There was a podium in the centre of the platform and a transparent orb the size of a football was engraved on the podium.
Raiven stared at the orb as he pursed his lips.
'The Soul Awakening Orb…'
Raiven averted his gaze from the orb. He looked to the left where some of the students who were about to awaken were standing.
And that's when he saw him…
Raiven's heart rate suddenly increased.
"That's him… Avin Serak."
[Avin's POV]
"I've been waiting for this moment," Avin muttered under his breath.
He ruffled his black hair as he stared at the Soul Awakening Orb as if it was a plate of food that he was about to devour.
"If I awaken a powerful Soul Ability, I can finally change everything…"
His eyes looked dead and he had little scratches all over his arms… Evidence of the months of bullying he had been going through.
Though, he couldn't help but think…
'What if I awaken a weak Soul Ability…? Well, it doesn't matter. Even if I awaken a weak Soul Ability, I will make sure I do what I have to do…'
He looked at five boys who were standing together at the other side of the podium. They were laughing and discussing among themselves.
Avin clenched his fists as he squinted his eyes.
"I'll make sure I kill every single one of them…"
His eyes travelled to the far left and he spotted a boy with black hair who was staring right back at him.
Avin squinted his eyes even further as he muttered,
"Including you… Raiven Ashland."
[Raiven's POV]
Raiven instantly averted his gaze from Avin who was glaring at him.
"Relax," he muttered to himself. "Stay calm."
From the corner of his eyes, he saw five boys walking towards him.
"Hey, Raiven," one of them with blue hair called out. "You look dull. Aren't you excited about the Awakening Ceremony?"
He was quite tall, and Raiven even had to raise his head a little bit to look at his face.
Four other boys were walking behind him, and all of them including Raiven were the ones who usually bullied Avin.
"I'm just as excited as every other person here," Raiven said, trying to keep it short.
"Huh? Are you sure? You look gloomy?" Tim, the blue-haired boy asked.
"C'mon Raiven, what's wrong?" one of the boys standing behind Tim asked.
Tim's eyes widened slightly as if he just got an idea. He suddenly grinned as he leaned closer to Raiven.
"I have an idea. To cheer you up, how about we go taunt little Avin over there?"
A frown instantly appeared on Raiven's face.
He hated these people, after all, he wasn't the former Raiven.
"Just let him be, Tim. The Awakening Ceremony is about to start. Moreover, almost all the students in the academy and some of the teachers are here," Raiven said.
'Avin can kill these bastards. I don't even care,' Raiven thought. 'I just have to prioritize my own survival.'
Their deaths wouldn't even cause an uproar or anything.
One of the reasons why this academy, Bloomfield Academy, was popular was because of the deaths that happened here.
If a student died, as far as he or she wasn't from a very prominent family, the case wouldn't even be investigated.
'According to the novel, the Academy saw it as a part of learning,' Raiven thought.
But even with that, parents still brought their children to this academy because of the fame. And apart from that, the change that the world underwent 50 years ago had made the individuals who witnessed the change hard-hearted and they believed that their children would grow stronger by attending an academy like this.
Tim furrowed his brows.
"Yeah, you have a poi–"
"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!"
A booming voice suddenly interrupted Tim.
Everyone watched as a man who seemed to be in his mid-fifties climbed the platform.
He had black hair with some white strands, and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue suit and even though he wasn't holding a microphone, his voice was still really loud.
'He's enhancing his voice with Soul Energy,' Raiven thought.
This man was Klein Derald, the principal of Bloomfield Academy.
The hall instantly became quiet as everyone focused on him.
"As you all know, we are gathered here for the Soul Awakening Ceremony, an important aspect that will determine the future of those who are going to awaken today.
There was a little bit of delay, so without wasting any more time, let's start with a short summary of the things those of you who are going to awaken today need to know."
'Is there any need for that?' Raiven thought.
Everyone already knew how the Awakening process was, so he was wondering why Klein needed to summarize everything again.
"First of all, there are seven ranks of Soul Abilities. Normal, Uncommon, Rare, Elite, Exalted, Calamity, and Disaster Rank. Each rank has three tiers except Disaster Rank which has nine tiers.
Also, Soul Abilities are classified into six Soul Paths. The Elemental Path, Beast Path, Tech Path, Warden Path, Mind Path, and Mystic Path.
At seventeen, an individual can now access their Soul Energy and draw it out. And by imbuing that Energy into the Soul Awakening Orb, you will be able to awaken your Soul Ability. The moment you awaken your Soul Ability, your Soul Circuit will also be unlocked, and your system will be available to you."
'The Soul Circuit is a unique passive ability everyone has in their soul. It can only awaken when an individual has awakened their Soul Ability,' Raiven thought. 'The good part about it is that while a person's Soul Ability is revealed during the Awakening Ceremony, the Soul Circuit will not be revealed. Only the person can know their Soul Circuit.'
Raiven glanced at Avin who was staring at the orb with his eyes devoid of any emotion.
He suddenly felt bitter as he glanced at his hands.
'I did this to him… No, Raiven did this to him.'
Raiven inhaled deeply.
'Avin awakened a Disaster Rank Fire Ability, and his Soul Circuit was Soul Reservoir which allowed him to recover his Soul Energy and Stamina two times faster than others.'
'I can't remember what ability I awakened in the novel, after all, Raiven Ashland was just an extra, but I know for a fact that it was a weak ability.'
Klein stepped forward, now standing beside the podium.
"Now, without further delay, let's start properly."
The students who came to watch the ceremony began discussing again, eager to see what abilities the aspiring students of the academy were going to awaken.
One of the academy staff stepped forward. He was holding a glass-like device that looked like a tablet. On it, names were written.
"Okay," the man began, "let's start with Tim Fernan!"
Tim smiled as he glanced at the other boys before walking towards the podium.
He placed his hand on the orb, and imbued his Soul Energy into it.
A few seconds later, the orb suddenly lit up in a bright blue colour. Brown rock instantly began forming on Tim's arm.
"Tim Fernan, Earth Element Ability, Elite Rank, Elemental Path!" the staff announced.
The colour the orb displayed was what represented a person's rank.
Tim grinned as he walked back to his friends, satisfied by his Ability.
The students who were watching clapped as they waited for the next name to be called.
"Cia Marfield!"
A girl walked towards the podium and did the same thing Tim did.
This time, the orb lit up with a grey colour and
"Cia Marfield, Telekinesis, Uncommon Rank, Mind Path!"
Like that, more names began getting called.
Thirty minutes later, the amount of students who were yet to awaken weren't many again.
Raiven looked at Klein, noticing the slight frown on his face.
'He's waiting to see if anyone will awaken a Disaster Rank Ability. They're really rare and valued, after all,' Raiven thought.
The girl standing in front of the podium stared at the bright purple light emanating from the orb.
Her long red hair fluttered as her eyes widened slightly.
Instantly, a blue orb the size of a ping-pong ball formed above her hand.
"Leah Morrin, Power Core, Calamity Rank, Tech Path."
Everyone instantly began clapping. This was the second Calamity Rank ability they were seeing today.
Though, Klein still had a frown on his face.
'We had two Disaster Rank Ability users last year,' he thought as he watched Leah walk away from the podium. 'So there won't be any Disaster Rank Ability user this year?'
A few more students awakened their ability after Leah, and then…
"Avin Serak!"
Avin walked towards the podium, his dead expression unchanging.
Raiven could hear Tim and the other boys laughing from behind but he didn't even bother to turn back.
'They don't even realize what's going to happen to them tomorrow,' Raiven thought.
Avin stopped in front of the podium.
He placed his hand on the orb and imbued his Soul Energy into it.
For some reason, it felt like the hall became even quieter than before when it was Avin's turn to awaken.
Raiven could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. He didn't even realize that he was holding his breath.
After a few seconds, the orb finally lit up.
It let out a blinding red light, making everyone look away, shielding their eyes.
Gasps could be heard from different corners of the hall as the light finally reduced.
It was to be expected. Everyone knew what that red light meant.
The staff's mouth opened slightly but he couldn't even say anything.
As for Avin, for the first time in months, his eyes finally showed emotion.
His eyes widened as he stared at the orb in disbelief.
"D… Did I…?"
Klein instantly nudged the staff who was still surprised.
He quickly broke out of his stupor and spoke.
"A-Avin Serak, Unknown Ability, Disaster Rank, Mystic Path."
And then…
"WHOOOOO!!!"
The students instantly erupted in cheers and began clapping. Some of them were too shocked and were unable to even raise their hands to clap.
Tim's eyes widened in horror as he stared at Avin.
"D-Disaster Rank? How is that even possible? How the hell did he awaken a Disaster Rank Ability?"
His eyes instantly went to the orb.
"Yes… The Awakening Orb, I think the orb is broken," Tim said loudly, making sure the staff heard him.
The staff instantly shot him a look.
Tim shivered as he looked away. He didn't need interpretation. The staff was obviously telling him to shut up.
Though, he was still in disbelief.
'I refuse to accept this. It can't be true!'
Klein's eyes beamed with joy and he rushed towards Avin and gave him a hug.
"Yes. Finally, a Disaster Rank Ability. One is better than nothing," Klein blabbered, spitting all over Avin's face.
Avin was still awestruck, immensely surprised by the rank of his own ability.
'D-Disaster Rank? I really awakened a Disaster Rank Ability…?'
A smile slowly began forming on his face.
'Then that means…'
He slowly began raising his head as his eyes searched the platform, and then…
His eyes met Raiven's eyes as a malicious grin formed on his face.
'… I can finally get rid of those bastards.'
Just like with every other person, the system screen appeared in front of him.
It would normally display a congratulatory message and display everything about his ability including his Soul Energy and Soul Circuit and also his inventory. That was how it was for everyone.
But Avin was seeing something different.
He raised a brow as he stared at the system screen.
[You have inherited a Blessing]
[You now have the 'Life' Ability]
[You have received numerous perks due to your blessing]
'Blessing? Life?'
[You have just one quest]
[The quest will be initiated as soon as the time comes.]
Avin furrowed his brows. 'What the hell is all this?'
Raiven took a step back after Avin looked at him with bloodlust.
'This is real life… It's not just a novel,' Raiven thought.
He glanced at Avin again, but he seemed to be looking at his system screen so he wasn't looking at Raiven anymore.
The way Avin looked at him was really scary, but Raiven was concerned about one more thing.
'In the novel, Avin awakened a Fire Ability, which is an ability of the Elemental Path, so why is his ability unknown and why is it of the Mystic Path?' Raiven thought.
Suddenly, he realized something as he raised a brow.
'Wait… Could it be that my presence in this world is already changing the plot…?!'