The next morning came.
Leo found himself standing in a long line outside the Awakeners Association Guild. The place wasn't some small office, it was a massive stadium, big enough to hold ten thousand people, like one of those old soccer arenas he had only seen in pictures.
All around him were kids his age, boys and girls, some nervous, some excited, all waiting for the same thing, to be registered for their awakening.
This was how things worked in the world now. Ever since the monsters from different planes started invading, humans had gained powers to fight back. Magic, skills, strange supernatural gifts. It became a rule, when you turned sixteen, you got one chance to awaken.
But not everyone was so lucky. Only about one in a hundred actually awakened. The rest? They stayed ordinary. And in this world, powerless meant living like prey, hiding behind walls while hunters and heroes stood at the front.
Leo shifted on his feet, staring at the endless line that barely seemed to move. His stomach growled.
'When's my turn already? I came before sunrise just so I'd be done early… why does it feel like we're not moving at all?' he grumbled in his head.
He tipped back the paper cup in his hand, gulping the last drop of bitter coffee. That single cup was his only meal for today, the last coin in his pocket spent on it. He sighed, crumpled the cup, and tossed it into the trash bin nearby.
"Great," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his empty stomach. "Guess that's all the energy I've got to awaken with."
Suddenly, the sound of engines roared from the street. A line of buses pulled up. One by one, students in neat uniforms stepped out, each marked with a golden eagle crest on their chest.
"It's finally here… the day I've been waiting for," a fat teenage boy said loudly, puffing out his chest.
"Aren't you nervous? What if we don't awaken?" his friend asked from behind, clutching his bag straps nervously.
The fat boy shrugged, smiling. "Then I just take over my family's business. No big deal, life goes on."
The group laughed as they walked proudly toward the guild gates. Hundreds of them poured out, all wearing clean uniforms, polished shoes, and even jewelry on their wrists and necks. Excitement buzzed around them, though nervousness peeked out in their voices too.
Leo glanced at them, then at the kids waiting in his own line. The difference was obvious. The ones in uniforms came from the academy were from wealthy families, the kind who had backing no matter what happened.
On the other hand, the ones in his line wore patched shirts, torn pants, and sandals that had seen better days. These were the children of the slums.
"Why are they getting in ahead of us? We've been waiting here for hours!" a boy from Leo's line suddenly shouted, pointing at the academy kids already heading inside.
"Yeah! We've been standing here since dawn, and they just walk in?" another complained with fists clenched.
"Is it because they're from the academy? Tch… is this how biased the Guild is," someone else muttered, and soon the line was full of angry murmurs.
Then a roar cut through the noise.
"SHUT UPPP!"
The voice boomed like a thunder, silencing everyone in an instant. Heads turned toward the source, and what they saw made them stood frozen.
A man stepped forward, almost three meters tall, and his body built like gorilla. Muscles bulged across his arms, his chest, even his neck. And a long scar ran across his face, making everyone that looked at him avoid his eyes.
His gaze swept across the kids like a predator. Most shrank back, trembling.
"Who the hell are you brats to question the Association's decision?" the man growled. And no one dared to speak up now.
The man let out a cold snort. "Be glad the Association even bothers to take in trashes like you." With that, he turned away, leaving the line in heavy silence.
The registration dragged on. The academy brats were the first to step up, their names written down quick, then guided toward the crystal like VIPs. The rest of them, the kids from the slums, just watched and waited, shoved to the back like always.
After hours of lining up, everyone was finally herded into the stadium. The place was massive, filled with more than ten thousand youths, buzzing with chatter and nerves. At the very back, Leo stood with the other slum kids, squeezed tight together while the ones at the front had all the space they wanted.
Then the noise died on its own.
A man had walked onto the stage, tall and broad-shouldered, built like a general ready for war. His very presence pulled every pair of eyes toward him, the air suddenly heavy.
He grabbed the mic, and his voice boomed through the entire stadium.
"My name is Magnus Ironvale, Branch Chief of the Awakeners Association Guild here in Aegisburg City."
The crowd went dead silent. His tone was commanding, the kind that made you want to stand straighter even if you didn't mean to.
"Two hundred years ago, when humanity was at its peak, the world changed. Rifts tore open across the land, and monsters poured out. We fought with everything we had, but it wasn't enough. Cities fell, lands were lost, and humanity was pushed to the edge of extinction."
He scanned the sea of young faces.
"But then… awakenings began. Mana spread, changing humans and animals alike. Some gained powers that could stand against the monsters. Our ancestors fought back with blood and sacrifice, carving out safe ground piece by piece. That's why you stand here today, because they refused to give up."
Magnus's gaze drifted toward the front rows, where the academy elites stood, as if speaking only to them.
"Today, it's your turn. Each of you will have a chance to awaken. If you gain power, don't waste it. Use it to protect humanity, to guard the lands that remain, and to push back against the monsters outside these walls."
The moment his speech ended, the front rows erupted into cheers, the academy kids almost glowing with excitement. Their eyes burned with dreams of power, fame, and glory.
Meanwhile, in the back, Leo stayed quiet. 'Protect humanity? Let the heroes do that. I just need to awaken and make it through the next three days.'