It was dark again.
This time it felt different.
It felt like the darkness was a part of Kalen now.
Kalen opened his eyes to find himself in a new place.
He was not in the plaza anymore.
The ceiling was white. The room was very clean
It looked like a hospital room.
A nurse was standing next to him watching him carefully.
"Are you awake?" she asked.
Kalen sat up slowly.
His body felt strange like something was off.
"What happened to me?" he asked the nurse.
"You collapsed during the Awakening ceremony. You are lucky to be alive." She said.
Kalen wanted to know his result.
So he asked the nurse "What was my result?"
The nurse hesitated.
"You're F-rank."
Kalen wasn't surprised.
"Of course" he said.
She told him that something strange happened during the ceremony.
The instructors were still trying to figure out what it was.
Then Kalen heard a voice in his head.
It was Lyra.
"Tell her you're special," she teased.
"Be quiet," he muttered under his breath.
The nurse blinked.
"…What?"
"Nothing."
Then Kalen heard another voice in his head.
It was Asha'Kareth.
"Pathetic"
"Reduced to this" Making fun of him.
"Leave me alone". Kalen said clenching his jaw
"You're not in a position to be giving commands." She wouldn't listen.
Suddenly something strange appeared in front of Kalen.
It was like a computer screen.
It was not really there.
Only visible to him.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING]
Kalen was very surprised.
"What… is that?" He asked the nurse.
The nurse frowned.
"What is what?" She replied.
She couldn't see it.
[SOVEREIGN SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Lyra laughed softly.
"There it is." He said
Asha'Kareth went silent. Watching.
The screen showed Kalen some information.
[HOST: KALEN VIRE]
[STATUS: UNSTABLE]
[ECHO COUNT: 3]
Kalen dumbfounded.
Three?
That was Impossible, Illegal and Unheard of.
[WARNING: MULTIPLE SSS-RANK ENTITIES DETECTED]
Everything inside him went cold.
SSS?
No.
No, that wasn't—
"Looks like you hit the jackpot," Lyra said.
Asha'Kareth's voice cut through.
"This changes nothing."
The red-haired voice whispered:
"Oh, it changes everything."
[ABILITY UNLOCKED: AUTHORITY REVERSAL]
Kalen exhaled slowly.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Or terribly right.
And he had no control over either.