Trrring
~Trrrring
~Trrr...
Atlas woke up from the constant ringing of the alarm clock, glancing at the time as he did so.
'7:00. I've still got plenty of time to beat the rush.' He hopped out of his bed and headed into the bathroom to freshen up.
20 minutes later, he emerged with a towel tied around his waist and proceeded to dress in the school-issued uniform.
After putting on his headphones and grabbing his bag, Atlas left the room, locking it behind him. With quick and purposeful strides, he zipped through the hallways, finally arriving at the door he used as an exit.
Opening the door and darting through the opening, Atlas ran down the path that connected the orphanage to the street.
The sun was rising from behind the buildings of hishishishisdheart, its rays gleaming and reflecting off the glass towers that stood like the pillars of the city.
Each of them was unique in its own right: one had molten magma flowing from the top, another had vines and greenery climbing up it like a tapestry of nature, and one had a golden beacon at its summit. The largest, however, was a building with a purple framework and golden windows and beast statues adorning it.
The rest were simply skyscrapers with waterfalls, lush gardens, and constantly rearranging floating bridges that connected them.
In the far distance, he could see a titanic wall that surrounded the city, outfitted with mana cannons, high voltage railguns, and countless standard turrets of all shapes and sizes.
Stepping into the train station, Atlas hopped onto an Aetherline which would take him straight to school.
Aetherlines were high-speed trains powered perpetually by mana and momentum. They were unique because they never stopped. Passengers stepped onto a spherical booth at the station and were picked up by the train as it passed.
When they wished to exit, they were not required to do anything. The train deposited them at their pre-determined destination.
This was made possible by mana. The booths were harnessed by gravitational magic when they entered and exited the train, allowing for a smooth and stable trip.
He stepped into a single passenger booth, designed with a simple seat jutting out from the far side of the all white-sphere.
Atlas sat down and set his bag beside him as the door closed. The next thing he knew, a podium-like construct rose from the ground with an interface inlaid on top.
He selected the station at his high school, and in four minutes, he had arrived.
Exiting the booth, Atlas looked to either side of him, and a similar scene played out in front of his eyes.
Thousands of students stepped out of the identical white spheres, some in groups, others by themselves.
He started walking out of the station, his eyes drifting to the massive school that had laid itself out before him.
With gleaming spires and a size that made it feel like a city in its own right, Creedheart High School was one of the largest buildings in the city.
Built like a castle with futuristic technology, it combined an archaic design type with new materials and functions.
It had over 5,000 staff members, plazas, gardens, labs, libraries, and even magic-training rooms.
The reason for such a large school in place of multiple smaller ones was easy to explain. It was because of the Underworlders. Whenever they could, they attacked and slaughtered entire schools, simply to send a message.
In each city, they had the same huge high school for the convenience of having to power only one mana barrier to protect it.
He finally arrived at his class after 15 minutes of walking, the tag outside read Class 36-B. Stepping into the classroom, a familiar sight greeted him.
Rows of sleek white tables adorned the room, and students were spread around, talking and chatting before classes began.
Atlas walked over to his seat and set his bag down beside him before settling down into his chair.
Suddenly, the door to the classroom banged open, and a youth stumbled through.
"Hey, Atlas!" said a cheery voice.
"Hello, Charlie. How are you?" he said smiling.
"I'm great! Did you do yesterday's homework?" Charlie said the latter while looking ashamedly at the ground.
"Yes. Would you like my answers?" he asked, although he already knew the response. Before a reply came, he had already handed over the notebook before taking a glance due to some changes he had noticed from Charlie.
Charlie was a tall guy, about 188 cm, but looked bigger due to his hefty figure. He had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He had a face that would be described as handsome if not for the fat that was usually covering it. Today however, there was a noticeable change in his physique.
"Have you been working out, Charlie? You're looking quite a bit slimmer." He voiced his inner thoughts out loud, grinning.
"I-is it t-that noticeable?" He said shyly before sitting at the desk in front of Atlas.
"Yeah, you're looking good," Atlas said, genuinely happy for his friend.
"Thanks!" he said, a proud expression on his face.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and the entire class quieted down. Through the entrance stepped in our teacher, Glenda Burkholt.
"Good morning, Mrs. Burkholt," the class chorused in unison.
She was a relatively attractive woman with a well-proportioned figure, something common in all humans due to the awakening.
She had black hair and black eyes, attributed to her affinity for Darkness. However, her talent, like the majority of humanity, was a meagre Dreamer rank.
"Good morning, class. Let's get to business, since I'm sure you all must be pretty excited. Today is the day of awakening, and with it comes a certain amount of procedure that must be followed."
She went on to explain the changes to the bell schedule, our path to the central auditorium, and trivial topics such as homework and assignments.
After her announcements had concluded, the class stood up and assembled in a straight line at the door behind Mrs. Burkholt before beginning to follow her towards the Cloudstones.
Upon reaching a loading zone of sorts that extended from our 36th floor, like a balcony, we started boarding the Cloudstones. They were essentially elevators that were capable of bilateral movement, thus allowing us to reach the auditorium more quickly. After all, the high school was massive, and traversing through it would have taken close to half an hour.
Within seconds, they stepped off the platform onto a loading zone similar to the one we had exited from, except this one was located at the auditorium. The awakening ceremony had been occurring for the past week, and it was now our turn.
Down a small staircase they went and soon arrived at the doors to the auditorium.
Stepping through the entryway, Atlas observed the main auditorium for the first time. He had never been here before, even for the beginning-of-year assemblies. He was 16 though, so maybe those who awaken with mediocre talents will be here for their graduation.
They continued walking down the center aisle until they reached the stage, which was empty save for two people and a strange red obelisk that he estimated would reach to his waist.
Of the two people, both were men. One was tall and skinny with grey hair and an average face, and he was fiddling with the obelisk in some way. He wore a lab coat of sorts, save for the fact that it was purple with gold engravings.
The man on the right of the obelisk was even taller and more imposing. His features were hidden behind a cylindrical, pitch-black helmet with only a narrow slit for his eyes. He donned similar black, heavy armor and had a gigantic black sword strapped to his back. Overall, he had an imposing presence and stood as still as a statue.
Suddenly, the man inas as as as as as the lab coat straightened and clapped his hands twice before proclaiming:
"Attention, students!"
Following his words, our procession immediately quieted its murmurs as
Mrs. Burkholt led us directly in front of the strange obelisk.
The man continued:
"As you already know, today is the day of your awakening! I am Senior Research Assistant Daryl Ronder from the Grahan Royal Institute of Science, and I will be conducting your awakening! Step up in your present order and we shall proceed immediately!"
As the first student stepped up to the statuette, he began talking once again.
"Allow me to inform you of today's procedures. Simply step up to the CT and place your index finger on it. You will feel a slight pricking sensation as it draws your blood. I will tell you the results from this device right here. Don't worry, I'll heal you straight after."
He smiled reassuringly while stating the last bit and brandishing a slate-like electronic device. He gestured toward the student first in line, and he stepped up, albeit nervously, extending his hand. After all, nobody wishes to be the first in line, especially for something that decides your future.
The boy placed his index finger on the tip of the obelisk, and swiftly, it began to glow. A sense of dread filled the room, before disappearing just as quickly.
Daryl stated succinctly, "Terror affinity, Dreamer-rank talent."
The boy, with slumped shoulders, walked dejectedly through the door designated for exit, his grandiose dreams of glory and power shattered.
Soon, the process continued, and various phenomena occurred as Atlas's fellow students awakened.
"Fire affinity, Vagrant-rank talent."
"Space affinity, Dreamer-rank talent."
"Soul affinity, Dormant-rank talent."
However, when it came Charlie's turn to awaken, something miraculous happened.
"Spectral Waves affinity, Precursor rank talent!"
The stage disappeared, and for a moment, they all saw humongous, translucent waves raging in an ocean. Nevertheless, just as abruptly as the vision appeared, it had vanished.
A hushing silence spread across the stage as the students recovered their focus. When they saw clearly again, a woman was standing on the stage. With auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes, she wore deep, flowing blue robes with black highlights and was an exceptional beauty.
She calmly stated, with the poise of a seasoned veteran, "The Navy will be recruiting young Charlie, unless he has a problem with that?"
She smiled, looking at Charlie, who was still in a daze from the vision. When he came to, he was shocked to see such a beautiful woman looking at him, and he simply nodded after figuring out what she wanted. She extended her hand to him, and he took it.
However, before the two had disappeared, Charlie had looked at Atlas, who simply smiled at him.
After that event, the awakening proceeded, until it finally came Atlas's turn. As he stepped up, his nerves reached an all-time high, before he forced himself to calm down and quiet his raging emotions.
He extended his hand, placing the index finger on the tip of the statuette. He felt as if a needle had pricked him, and then the statue began to glow once more.
Abruptly, a landscape filled the spectators' eyes.
A dark sky, cloudless, extended infinitely. Birds soared, their calls echoing through the space, unshackled. Radiant flowers bloomed on the land. Kaleidoscopic stars shone in the sky.
Far away, chromatic eyes opened in the mindscape, watching unseen.
As the viewers returned to the material world, they saw the scientist with wide eyes.
He shouted, uncaring of his public image,
"Unregistered affinity, Arcane-rank talent?!?!"