"Listen to me carefully: this will be your last chance to awaken and become an Awakened One. And those who fail today will have to live as normal civilians for the rest of their lives. But don't be discouraged; you won't have to risk your life."
The professor's voice echoed through the large Awakening Ceremony hall, causing the young people, lined up in rows, to swallow nervously.
Among them was Noctis.
Noctis did not belong in this world. Four days ago, unfortunately, he had awakened in this body, which coincidentally had the same name as him.
According to the memories he had inherited, decades ago, when the world was still recovering from a series of wars, the first cracks appeared, portals from which monsters emerged and brought chaos.
Humanity had been on the brink of extinction.
Noctis remembered that, according to the body's owner's memories, everything changed when the first people with supernatural abilities, known as Awakened Ones, appeared. Thanks to them, balance was restored.
Thanks to these individuals, humanity avoided extinction and recovered nearly seventy percent of the planet.
As expected, at least according to the memories I had inherited, "peace" returned to the world. However, the appeal of awakening never disappeared.
Those first Awakened Ones became important figures, heroes admired by young people, many of whom also dreamed of awakening one day.
Of course, becoming an Awakened was a rare privilege, granted to only a select few. For the group gathered in the grand hall of the Awakening Ceremony, this was a unique opportunity.
The opportunity to become an Awakened like their heroes...
Or to live an everyday life, which, for Noctis, didn't sound so bad after all.
Of course, he wanted to become one too, so he couldn't help but feel nervous.
"We will proceed now."
The professor's voice snapped Noctis out of his thoughts. He turned his head slightly and noticed that the other young people were much more tense than usual. He understood perfectly well: the moment they had been waiting for for eighteen long years had arrived.
"You know how this works."
The professor continued.
"Put your hand on the glass. If it glows, it means you have awakened. And if it doesn't glow... You know your fate."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"Mathias Wall!"
A young man standing in the middle of the line stepped forward. His face was covered in sweat, and his hands trembled slightly, unable to hide his nerves. Noctis watched him closely. What kind of class would he wake up to?
Mathias took a deep breath and placed his hand on the glass.
Immediately, an intense glow flooded the great hall of the Awakening Ceremony, forcing Noctis to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he saw the image of a long, single-edged sword forming on the surface of the crystal.
"Mathias Wall has successfully awakened a class: Swordsman. Congratulations!"
The professor announced without the slightest change in expression. Even so, Noctis thought he saw a slight glimmer of surprise in his eyes... although he wasn't entirely sure..
The probability of waking up was minimal, and yet the first to be called had succeeded. That was enough to ease the tension in the room slightly. Shortly after, scattered applause began to be heard, eventually filling the room.
However, uncertainty still hung in the air.
Would they be able to awaken a class successfully... or had that first case been just a stroke of luck?
"Wow! Mathias, lucky you, you've awakened! Congratulations!"
The scream shattered the tension in the room like a stone hitting glass. Several heads turned at once toward the front, where Mathias stood, still stunned, his eyes wide open.
"How lucky... To be called first and wake up successfully..."
The words spread like a poisonous whisper among the young people. Envy, relief for others, hope. All mixed.
Before the murmur grew louder, the teacher raised his hand.
The sharp sound of his cane hitting the floor was enough to silence the room.
"Silence."
The excitement froze. Noctis felt the air grow heavier. Every passing second seemed to stretch out, as if the world were waiting for the next name to decide someone else's fate.
"Mia Kall. Failed awakening."
Mia lowered her head. Her shoulders trembled for just a moment before she returned to the line, dragging her feet. No one said anything.
"Megan Fox. Failed awakening."
Noctis swallowed hard. The echo of the professor's voice seemed to resonate directly in his chest.
"Meryl Streep. Failed awakening."
One after another.
Each announcement extinguished a hope. Each "failed" was like an invisible sentence. Some clenched their fists, others closed their eyes, and there were those who no longer even reacted, as if they had resigned themselves before hearing their name.
Of the twenty-four young people who had entered the room, fourteen had already fallen.
Mathias remained the only one who had succeeded.
The large room, which at first had been filled with nervousness and murmurs, was now a dead space. No one was breathing heavily. No one was moving excessively. Only ten young people remained standing.
Among them, Noctis.
He felt a slight cold sweat run down his back.
He didn't know whether he wanted to hear his name...
"Samuel Luque!"
Noctis watched the young man stand up stiffly. His steps were clumsy and uncoordinated; he even stumbled and fell before reaching the teacher. However, no one laughed. The entire gym was plunged into tense silence.
Samuel swallowed hard and placed his hand on the glass.
Instantly, it began to glow brightly, forcing Noctis to close his eyes against the glare.
But everyone knew what that meant.
He had successfully awakened!
The glow gradually faded, and Noctis glanced at the crystal. An exquisitely detailed shield had appeared on its surface, but it quickly dissipated like smoke.
"Samuel Luque has successfully awakened a class: Knight Squire. Congratulations!"
Samuel didn't have time to celebrate his awakening. The teacher was already calling the next name.
Then came two more successes... and one failure.
Noctis watched as the defeated young man stopped beside him, head bowed, shoulders slumped. No one said anything. Noctis looked away.
"Noctis Vale!"
As he walked toward the podium, Noctis could feel all eyes in the gym fixed on his back, silently following him.
The awakening stone rested on the table, still glowing faintly from the previous student's success.
Noctis stopped in front of it, observing his own distorted reflection on the crystalline surface. Then he pressed both palms against the stone. It was cold to the touch, smooth as glass.
He waited.
He concentrated everything he had on that single point of contact, trying to feel something... any sign, any response.
Nothing.
The stone remained unresponsive beneath his hands. Its light did not intensify or show the slightest change.
The seconds dragged on, heavy, until the professor sighed and slowly shook his head.
"That's enough."
Then, suddenly, the crystal glowed with blinding intensity.
Noctis closed his eyes reflexively. When he opened them again, his heart was pounding. He felt a mixture of relief and anxiety.
What class had he awakened to?
The professor's voice rang out clearly in the large Awakening Ceremony Hall.
"Noctis Vale has successfully awakened... however, he does not have a class."