"Brother, wake up! It's tomorrow already!" Maya bounced on Lucas's bed with a huge grin, trying to wake him up.
"Mmm..." Lucas groaned, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Maya, let me sleep a little longer..." He gently pushed her, and she plopped back onto the mattress with a giggle.
Maya pouted, then leaned close to his ear. "Do you want to be late for the awakening ceremony today?"
"Awakening..." he mumbled sleepily. "Awakening ceremony!" His eyes snapped open and he shot out of bed.
"8:30 AM," he muttered, glancing at the clock on his nightstand.
"Maya, come take your bath!" he shouted as he bolted down the stairs.
"Brother, calm down or you'll trip and crack your head on the stairs," she teased, slowly making her way down after him.
As Lucas washed Maya's back in the bathtub, she asked curiously, "What's the name of the beast you picked again?"
"When we paid the awakening fee, we were assigned a list of beasts based on the rank we chose. We got to pick one, remember?" Lucas replied. "From that day on, I had to visit the pet house near school every day to bond with it. It helps build a connection before the actual taming."
"So... what's yours?"
"It's a Steel Trunk Elephant," Lucas said with a proud smile. "It's small—only up to my knees—but it looks just like a regular elephant, except for its silver trunk. That trunk can dent metal, they say."
He'd been feeding it metal rice daily—a silvery, steel-colored grass. A single jar cost 1,000 UTS, and he always tried to feed it at least three different times before running out.
"Maya, eat fast or I'm leaving without you once I'm dressed!" he called out as he left her at the table.
After a quick shower, he pulled on a black shirt and blue trousers. Looking into the mirror, he checked himself out: slender build, short black hair, a pointed nose, neat curly eyebrows, and sharp blue eyes.
"Good." He nodded and headed downstairs. "Maya, let's go!"
She skipped up to him and together they stepped out toward school.
"I hope everyone awakens successfully," Lucas said. "And if someone doesn't, I hope they at least awaken a special ability."
Some people who couldn't tame beasts would unlock some kind of abilities instead. These could range from understanding beasts, enlarging parts of their body, to rare elemental control and many more . But such awakenings were extremely rare—only one in a thousand were that lucky.
"Maya, let's get some metal rice for my elephant," he said. "I want it to remember me clearly."
"'Pets Delicious'," Maya reads the store sign as they stepped in. The scent of beast food filled the air.
"Got any metal rice?" Lucas asked the young attendant behind the counter.
"Yeah, I'll grab it for you."
He returned with a plastic bag. "Here you go."
"How much?, he asked after inspecting the goods.
"2,000 UTS."
Lucas frowned. "What? I also work at a pet store—I know the price. It's 1,000 UTS."
"Okay, okay, chill. You caught me," the guy laughed. "Just trying to make a little extra."
Lucas sighed and handed over the money. "Here. The extra 500 is yours."
"Thanks, man. Appreciate it!" the guy grinned as Lucas pulled Maya along.
They made their way to the bus station, caught a bus heading toward their school, and soon arrived.
"Vistin Academy," Lucas murmured, looking at the glowing signboard.
"Maya, let's go in. The ceremony should start soon."
"Hey Lucas, wait up!"
Lucas turned and smiled. A slim boy with messy deep blue hair and a pointed nose jogged toward him.
"Hey Abdul, what's up?" Lucas greeted him with a fist bump.
"I'm good." Abdul looked at Maya and smiled. "Brought your sister, I see."
"Abdul! Long time!" Maya beamed.
"Yeah, been busy," Abdul said, playfully tugging her cheek. "She's more excited than you about this awakening, huh?"
"If I didn't bring her, our house would've been a mess before I got back," Lucas joked. The three of them laughed as they entered the bustling school.
"Let's wait in the classroom until they call everyone to the hall," Abdul suggested.
Outside the class, five boys were chatting. One spotted them. "Hey Kendrick, isn't that your cousin?"
Kendrick who has some similarities with Lucas especially the short black hair and skinny body frame glanced over and scoffed. "Don't call that idiot my cousin."
"Damn, that's cold," one of the boys laughed.
"Brother, look—it's Kendrick," Maya whispered.
"Ignore him," Lucas said calmly.
They brushed past Kendrick without a word.
"Bastard," Kendrick muttered.
"I never get why you and your cousins hate each other," Abdul said. "Want me to sweeten things up with some honey?"
"Don't bother. Bitter fruits just ruins the honey," Lucas replied, frowning.
Nearby, a group of girls gossiped.
"Who's that cute girl with your trash cousin?" one asked Leslie.
"She's his sister," Leslie sneered.
"Why do you even hate your cousin?" another girl asked.
"He's greedy. He once begged my dad for money to get an A-rank beast."she said loud enough for the entire class to hear.
"She's lying right ? ," Abdul asked.
"I only asked for 10,000 UTS—just a tiny bit of the money he stole from us," Lucas gritted his teeth.
"You and your sister are the real thieves!" Leslie snapped.
"Calm down, witch. Don't scare my sister with that screech," Lucas smirked, hugging Maya.
"You—!"
"Attention, everyone! Please head to the hall. The awakening is about to begin," a voice rang out from the speakers.
"Maya, let's go watch your big brother awaken," Lucas smiled.
"I hope you awaken nothing!" Leslie shouted.
"Not even in your dreams," Lucas shot back without looking back.
At the hall entrance stood a bald man in a black suit, his chest bearing a Beast Taming Association badge.
"Everyone, listen! The hall is arranged by rank. F-rank beast tamers to the right, followed by E, then D, and so on. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" the students chorused.
"All right, move in!"