Chapter 6: The Awakening Ceremony
The National Awakening Center was a massive complex on the outskirts of the city, built specifically for this purpose. Lin Feng had seen it before on school field trips, but approaching it as a participant felt entirely different. The building stretched across several city blocks, its architecture a blend of military functionality and ceremonial grandeur—gray steel and glass rising toward the sky, with enormous banners displaying the symbol of humanity's mecha forces.
Thousands of teenagers filled the plaza outside, all turning eighteen within the same month. The ceremony was held monthly to process everyone efficiently. Lin Feng estimated at least three thousand young people were present, maybe more. They clustered in nervous groups, some laughing too loudly to mask their anxiety, others silent and pale.
"Lin Feng!"
He turned to see his family pushing through the crowd. His father in his military dress uniform, medals gleaming on his chest. His mother in a formal dress, her eyes already wet. Xiao Yue bouncing on her toes with barely contained excitement.
"How are you feeling?" his mother asked, gripping his hand tightly.
"Ready," Lin Feng said, and meant it. Ten years of preparation had led to this moment.
"Remember what I told you," his father said quietly, stepping closer so only Lin Feng could hear. "Whatever awakens, it's just the beginning. Tier doesn't define your future—effort does."
Lin Feng nodded. His father was trying to prepare him for disappointment, for the possibility of awakening something weak. It was kind, but unnecessary. Lin Feng had long since accepted that he couldn't control what mecha he'd get. He could only control what he did with it.
"Attention all participants!" A voice boomed across the plaza, amplified by speakers. "The ceremony will begin in fifteen minutes. Please say your goodbyes to family members. Once inside, you will not be able to communicate with anyone outside the facility until the process is complete."
His mother hugged him tightly, and Lin Feng returned it with equal intensity. These were the people he'd spent ten years protecting, the reason he'd pushed himself so hard. Whatever happened today, he'd make it worthwhile.
"Make us proud, big brother," Xiao Yue said, and there were tears in her eyes despite her smile.
"Already have," his father said, clasping Lin Feng's shoulder. "Already have."
The fifteen minutes passed too quickly. Security personnel began herding the teenagers toward the facility entrance, separating them from their families. Lin Feng looked back once and saw his father saluting him—a proper military salute, showing respect rather than paternal affection. Lin Feng returned it.
Then he was swept into the crowd, moving with the flow of nervous eighteen-year-olds into the building.
The interior of the National Awakening Center was designed to process thousands of people systematically. Wide corridors directed them in orderly lines past checkpoints where officials verified identities, collected basic information, and assigned everyone to groups.
Lin Feng was placed in Group 47, Batch 3. They were directed to a massive hall—easily large enough to hold a thousand people—where rows of cushioned seats had been arranged in a grid pattern. Each seat was spaced three meters apart, giving everyone room for what was about to happen.
A woman in an official uniform stood on a raised platform at the front of the hall. She was middle-aged, her bearing suggesting military background, and she waited patiently as the last stragglers found their assigned seats.
"Welcome to your awakening ceremony," she began, her voice carrying clearly despite the size of the hall. "My name is Director Zhao Mei. I will be overseeing this session."
The nervous chatter died down. Everyone's attention fixed on her.
"Today, you will experience the most significant moment of your life so far. Your soul mecha, which has been dormant within you since birth, will fully manifest. You will gain conscious access to your soul space. You will take the first step toward becoming a mecha pilot."
She paused, letting that sink in.
"The process is natural and safe. Your body knows what to do. However, I need to explain what you will experience so you don't panic when it happens."
Director Zhao began pacing slowly across the platform, her movements measured and deliberate. "In approximately ten minutes, I will initiate the awakening field. This facility is equipped with specialized technology that stimulates the soul space of everyone within range. You will feel a pulling sensation, as if something inside you is being drawn upward. Do not resist this feeling. Let it happen."
Lin Feng listened intently, committing every detail to memory.
"Once the pulling sensation begins, close your eyes and focus inward. You will find yourself in your soul space—a mental dimension that is uniquely yours. The environment will vary from person to person. Some see vast empty spaces. Others see landscapes or rooms. There is no 'correct' soul space. It simply is what it is."
She stopped pacing and turned to face them directly. "In that space, you will see your mecha. It will be standing there, waiting for you. Approach it. The rest will happen instinctively. You will know how to synchronize, how to form the connection. Trust your instincts."
A boy two rows in front of Lin Feng raised his hand nervously. "What if... what if we can't find our mecha? What if there's nothing there?"
"That has never happened in the seventy years since awakening ceremonies began," Director Zhao said firmly. "Every human has a soul mecha. Every human can awaken it. You will find yours."
She resumed her explanation. "After synchronization, the testing phase will begin. Your mecha's basic statistics will be measured—tier, energy capacity, type classification. This information will appear on the screens in front of each seat. Officials will record your data for the national registry. The entire process typically takes thirty to forty minutes."
Thirty to forty minutes to change your entire life, Lin Feng thought. To go from ordinary human to mecha pilot.
"A few final warnings," Director Zhao continued, her tone becoming more serious. "First, do not attempt to pilot your mecha during the ceremony. You will have time for that later in controlled environments. Today is only for awakening and measurement. Second, do not compare yourself to others around you. Someone else's tier is not your concern. Focus on your own journey. Third, if you experience any unusual sensations—pain, disorientation, severe nausea—alert an official immediately. Complications are rare but not impossible."
She looked across the assembled teenagers, her expression softening slightly. "I know you're nervous. Everyone is nervous their first time. But remember: this is a celebration. Today you join the ranks of humanity's defenders. Today you become pilots. Be proud of that."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the hall, though the nervousness hadn't entirely dissipated.
Director Zhao walked to a control panel at the side of the platform. "We will begin in five minutes. Use this time to center yourself. Breathe deeply. Calm your mind. The clearer your mental state, the smoother the awakening process will be."
Lin Feng leaned back in his seat and did exactly that. Deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. He'd practiced meditation techniques during his ten years of preparation—nothing mystical, just practical mental clarity exercises. Now he put them to use, letting his racing thoughts slow and settle.
Around him, other teenagers were doing the same with varying degrees of success. Some looked terrified. Some looked excited. Some were praying.
Lin Feng simply waited.
The five minutes passed. Director Zhao's voice cut through the silence: "Awakening field activation in ten seconds. Close your eyes now."
Lin Feng closed his eyes.
"Nine. Eight. Seven."
His heartbeat was steady. His breathing controlled. His mind clear.
"Six. Five. Four."
Ten years of preparation. All leading to this moment.
"Three. Two. One."
"Awakening."
The change was immediate and profound. Lin Feng felt something shift inside his chest, not physically but deeper than that. Something fundamental. It was like a door opening in a room he'd never known existed, like suddenly becoming aware of a limb he'd had his entire life but never been able to move.
The pulling sensation Director Zhao had described wasn't gentle—it was a tidal force, irresistible and overwhelming. Lin Feng felt his consciousness being yanked inward, away from his physical body, into somewhere else entirely.
The world dropped away.
Lin Feng opened his eyes—or rather, he became aware again, though he wasn't sure if "opening eyes" was the right term for whatever had just happened—and found himself standing in an infinite white void.
His soul space.
It stretched in every direction without boundaries, without features, just endless white expanse like standing inside a blank page. The silence was absolute. No sound, no wind, no sense of temperature. Just existence in its purest form.
And there, fifty meters in front of him, stood his mecha.
Lin Feng's breath caught.
It was magnificent.
Fifteen meters tall, humanoid in shape, with proportions that suggested both power and grace. The armor was a deep midnight blue, almost black in some lights, with silver accents tracing along the edges of each plate. The design was sleek but not fragile—every line suggested purpose, function, efficiency. No wasted space, no purely decorative elements.
The mecha's head was angular with a single visor-like eye across the front, glowing faintly with blue light. Its shoulders were broader than strictly necessary for a humanoid frame, with visible mounting points suggesting modularity. The chest had a circular core in the center, currently dim but with faint energy patterns swirling within.
Its arms ended in hands that looked fully articulated, capable of fine manipulation rather than just crude grasping. The legs were digitigrade—built for explosive movement and stable bracing. And across its back, Lin Feng could see several hard points, empty now but clearly designed for equipment attachment.
"Logic Frame," Lin Feng whispered, and somehow he knew that was its name. Not something he chose, but something he simply understood, the same way you knew your own name.
The mecha's eye brightened at his voice. It was aware of him.
Lin Feng walked forward, his footsteps making no sound in the void. As he approached, the mecha seemed to grow larger, more imposing, until he stood directly in front of it, craning his neck to look up at its chest.
Up close, he could see more details. The armor plates weren't solid but layered, with micro-gaps suggesting the ability to shift and reconfigure. The blue metal had an almost liquid quality, as if it could flow and reshape if needed. And the energy core in the chest was slowly brightening, responding to his proximity.
Approach it, Director Zhao had said. Trust your instincts.
Lin Feng reached out and placed his hand against the mecha's leg. The metal was cool to the touch but not cold. And the moment he made contact, information flooded his mind.
Energy capacity: 500 units. Recovery rate: 2 units per second. Frame integrity: 100%. Weapon systems: Empty. Defense systems: Basic armor only. Special characteristics: Modular architecture, adaptive configuration, high synchronization potential.
Tier 1. But with five times the normal energy capacity for its tier. And that modular design—Lin Feng could feel the potential in it, the way the mecha was built to accept additions, modifications, upgrades. It wasn't the strongest initial awakening, but it was a foundation that could be built upon infinitely.
Perfect, Lin Feng thought. This is perfect.
"Let's synchronize," he said aloud.
The mecha's eye flared brilliant blue. Lin Feng felt that pulling sensation again, but this time it was welcoming, like being embraced. His consciousness expanded, stretched, merged with something vast and other. He could feel the mecha's systems as if they were his own nervous system. The energy flowing through its core was like blood in his veins. The armor plates were his skin.
And suddenly, he wasn't standing in front of the mecha anymore.
He was the mecha.
The white void of his soul space spread out before him, but now he saw it from fifteen meters up. He raised an arm—his arm, the mecha's arm, there was no difference anymore—and watched the blue-silver limb move with perfect precision. He took a step forward, and the motion was as natural as breathing.
This is synchronization.
Data flooded his awareness. Not overwhelming, just present, like background processes in a computer. Energy levels: 500/500. Structural integrity: optimal. All systems: nominal. And beneath it all, a presence—not quite consciousness, but something close. The mecha itself, aware and attentive, waiting for instruction.
"We're going to do great things together," Lin Feng said, and he felt the mecha's agreement like a warm pulse through their shared connection.
Then the world shifted again, and Lin Feng found himself back in his physical body, sitting in the cushioned seat in the ceremony hall. But he could still feel the connection, still sense his mecha existing in his soul space, patient and ready.
The screen in front of his seat lit up with text:
AWAKENING COMPLETE
Pilot Name: Lin Feng
Mecha Designation: Logic Frame
Classification: Balanced Type
Tier: 1
Energy Capacity: 500 units (Exceptional)
Recovery Rate: 2 units/second (Average)
Height: 15 meters (Above Average)
Special Traits: Modular System Architecture, High Synchronization Potential
Assessment: Above average initial awakening. Recommend standard academy placement with equipment optimization focus.
Lin Feng read the assessment and smiled. Above average, but not exceptional enough to draw too much attention. Tier 1 like most awakeners, but with that critical five-times energy capacity that would give him staying power in extended fights.
And most importantly: he could feel his soul space now. Could access it consciously. Which meant he could finally test whether his Analysis Protocol could actually work in practice.
Around him, other teenagers were finishing their awakenings. Some were crying with joy. Some looked disappointed. Officials moved through the rows, checking the screens, recording data, offering congratulations or consolation depending on what they saw.
An official stopped at Lin Feng's seat, a middle-aged man with a tablet. "Lin Feng?"
"Yes, sir."
"Congratulations on your awakening. Balanced type with exceptional energy capacity—that's a solid foundation. You'll do well with proper training." He tapped his tablet a few times. "Your data has been registered. You'll receive your official pilot license within one week. Are you planning to apply to an academy?"
"Yes, sir. National Defense Academy."
The official nodded approvingly. "Good choice. With your stats, you should qualify easily. The application portal will open tomorrow. Any questions?"
"No, sir. Thank you."
The official moved on to the next person. Lin Feng sat there, feeling the strange new sensation of his soul space existing parallel to his physical awareness. It was like having two bodies—one here, one there, both equally real.
He closed his eyes and consciously focused inward. The transition was smooth, easier than breathing. One moment he was in the ceremony hall, the next he was standing in his soul space, and Logic Frame towered above him, waiting.
"Can you hear me?" Lin Feng asked aloud, though there was no one to hear in the void.
The mecha's eye brightened. Lin Feng felt acknowledgment through their connection.
"Good. We have a lot of work to do. Ten years of theory to put into practice. Are you ready?"
Another pulse of agreement. The mecha was ready. It had been ready since the moment Lin Feng was born, dormant and waiting for this exact moment.
Lin Feng looked at the endless white void around them. In his previous life, he'd been a programmer. He'd built systems, created frameworks, solved problems through code and logic.
Now he was a mecha pilot with access to a mental dimension that responded to consciousness.
It was time to see if the Analysis Protocol he'd spent ten years developing could actually manifest here.
But that would have to wait. The ceremony wasn't over yet, and Lin Feng needed to return to his physical body and finish the formal process.
He opened his eyes back in the ceremony hall. The awakening was complete.
After ten years of preparation, Lin Feng was finally a pilot.
And now, the real work could begin.