A chariot flew amongst the clouds, followed by four more.
It was pulled by two white horses with beautiful, large wings and steered by a rider in a black uniform. Three people occupied the passenger seat: a middle-aged man wearing a simple white overgarment, a high-collared shirt, tight breeches, and a cape with fur at the neck. Beside him were two children, a boy and a girl, dressed in similar attire.
The girl had long, ashen-brown hair shot through with silver strands like an old woman's. The contrast made her appear otherworldy and beautiful, especially alongside her large eyes—orbs like an endless white ocean that reflected everything around them.
The boy had honey-bronze skin and rough, dark mahogany hair. Unlike the other two, whose expressions were unreadable and anxious, he wore a smile.
A prideful smile.
It was a fitting look, considering his life was about to change for the… worse.
His training would soon multiply tenfold. He would have to begin schooling at the strictest academy on Earth. He would be dragged into the ongoing war between Primoria and Eldrath. There was much more he couldn't even fathom yet, but he was overwhelmed by happiness nonetheless.
In a nutshell: he was going to awaken as an Aura Farmer.
'I'll get my abilities and become the strongest,' he thought.
Leo was so lost in his childish joy that he didn't notice his sister, Mirage, trembling beside him.
Thirteen years ago, the Aura System had fully manifested on Primoria. Aura had existed before then, but it could only be used by those with high soul affinities. Even they had to travel to other realms to sign contracts with powerful beings to grant them its use. These individuals eventually united from different royal families to form clans that ruled not just Earth, but the entire Primoria realm.
That era ended thirteen years ago when Elara Atlantis of the Dravenor Clan broke the rules and brought Aura to the common world. Her actions cost humanity dearly; many died due to low soul affinities, while others gained access to the system. Some were "banished"—unable to use Aura, yet allowed to live.
Aura wasn't the only killer, though. Some were slain by the Eldrath—a neighboring realm with a grudge against humanity. The arrival of the Aura System had weakened the seals held by the clans, allowing Eldrath beings to pour through and spark a war that had raged for over a decade.
On the bright side, every year, children between the ages of eleven and thirteen are given the privilege to attempt an Awakening, birthing countless new Aura Farmers.
Today, it was Leo and Mirage's turn.
Mirage touched Leo's shoulder, her hand shaking. "Leo?" she whispered, her face pale with fear.
Leo flinched at her touch but quickly composed himself. They weren't biological siblings; Leo was from the Zurin Family of the Zahara Clan, which had been wiped out by a "shadow," while Mirage was of the Atlantis Family. In every way that mattered, the Atlantis family had adopted him.
"Yes, Mira?"
Mirage paused, glancing at their father before whispering in Leo's ear. "What if we don't awaken?"
Leo didn't hesitate. "Why wouldn't we? We're Royals, remember? We were born to people who mastered Aura even before it landed here. We would have been Aura Farmers even if the system didn't exist."
Not fully reassured, Mirage nodded, though her trembling worsened.
A guilty smile tugged at Leo's lips. 'I shouldn't have mentioned the Royal part. That only made her feel more pressure.'
He turned his gaze back to the clouds. They were magnificent. In the distance, he could see the Crimson Orb that had appeared alongside the system. Its glow was dim, yet it seemed to reach everywhere. It was a paradox—visible in the North, East, West, and South simultaneously, yet located neither in the clouds nor in space. Aside from acting as a harbinger of Aura, it remained a total mystery.
Leo sighed, glanced at the trailing chariots, and turned to their father, Jean. "Where's Aunt Yariel, by the way?"
Jean stared at him with an unreadable expression before pointing downward toward the world below.
Leo's eyes widened. "But... but..."
Jean offered a small smile. "I know. An Eldrath portal opened yesterday. That's why she's there. Remember, she's your trainer and the last warrior of Zahara. She can handle it."
Leo calmed himself. He couldn't bear the thought of losing the only person he felt was his true blood family. He shrugged off the worry and returned to his prideful watch of the sky.
Soon, the chariots approached a massive city. From a distance, it looked like a mere black dot, but as they drew closer, both Leo and Mirage were left in awe.
The city was constructed of red stone and sat atop a miraculous fountain of flowing water. The water surged upward from a still ocean and cascaded back down simultaneously, creating a permanent liquid platform for the architecture. At the center of the city stood a massive glass dome that reflected the sky, hiding everything within.
The Awakening Cathedral.
Leo had heard stories of this place his entire life, but seeing it was a dream come true.
The chariots landed in front of the dome. The three of them disembarked, flanked by soldiers. As they walked toward the entrance, the surrounding crowd began to mutter.
"Isn't that Jean, the Divine Mage?"
"I heard he casts spells in English."
"Isn't he one of the warlords who stole the crown from King Tharok?"
"Damn! It's that witch's children and her husband."
"I thought Jean was just her butler."
"Elara ruined our world and now her children want to awaken? Thank goodness she's in jail."
Jean and Leo ignored the vitriol, but Mirage flinched at the harsh words. They reached the entrance and were greeted by organizers who exchanged quick pleasantries with Jean before gesturing for them to enter.
But as they stepped forward, a pleasant voice called out to them.
Leo gritted his teeth at the sound. Mirage, however, smiled brightly. Jean turned, already knowing who it was.
Two young men stood before them. The elder, Fang Rui, wore a black and white hanfu of soft silk with flowing sleeves and a white sash. His long black hair framed a pleasant, almost deceitful smile. Beside him was Taren, who wore black armor made of the same soft material, with white sashes tied around his arms. He had short brown hair and honest eyes, porcelain skin, though his left arm and right leg were crafted from porcelain wood. He wore a simple, childlike smile.
Fang Rui bowed slightly and met Jean's eyes.
"Let's walk in together, Atlantis."
The statement triggered a storm of different emotions. Leo was burning with fury, Mirage was beaming with happiness, while Jean's expression remained unreadable. Suddenly, a slight, respectful smile appeared on his face.
"Why not?" He turned his gaze to Taren and nodded. "Good to see you again, Taren. Glad to see you're doing well."
Taren smiled sheepishly as they walked closer to the Atlantis family. "Ah, thanks."
Taren and Fang Rui exchanged glances with the younger Atlantis children. Mirage ran into the embrace of Taren and Fang Rui.
"Leo! Big brothers are here!"
Leo… wasn't feeling the same way. He kept staring at Fang Rui as if he wanted to burn the young man into ashes, then bring him back to life just to burn him again and again…
'...And again…. No, no. On the fifth time, how about I break his bones slowly, then feed his balls to the horses? Yes, yes.. then I'll roast his flesh and ask Jean to help me serve it to the prisoners. I'll kill two birds with one stone: kill him and feed the prisoners bad meat.'
He grinned to himself like a madman as he continued thinking of bizarre ways to satisfy a grudge. At that moment, Fang Rui spoke.
"Too bad for you; I am not going to die such petty deaths. And in case you haven't noticed, my skin and flesh are much more enticing."
Leo froze for a moment. 'Forgot the bastard reads minds. What a fool I am. Ah, his skin has surely changed. Wait! Did he rank up?!'
Fang Rui smiled at the little boy in front of him. "It's nice to know we both agree on the level of your smartness. And yes, my skin is beautiful. And oh, yes... I ranked up."
Leo gritted his teeth, unable to say anything. Then, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
'Just wait till I awaken, you fool.'
"Are we switching the 'fool' roles now? And I'll definitely wait. I trust you—"
'Oh. Well, that was ni—'
"—to fail."
'Spoke too soon.'
Fang Rui was about to say something else when Taren called out to them. The two loggerheads were so caught up in their grudge that they hadn't noticed the rest had already entered the cathedral. Taren was poking his head out of the large door, calling out to them.
"Leo! Fang Rui! It's about to start!"
The two glanced at each other one last time before walking into the dome.
'Wow…'
The cathedral was magnificent. Though the outer shell was made of glass, the interior was built entirely of stone. There was no glass in sight. Leo did not understand how that worked, but it was spectacular.
High above, where the dome should have been, there were no rafters or glass panes. Instead, a miniature version of the Crimson Orb floated in the center of the ceiling, rotating slowly. It acted as a sun for the interior, casting long, dramatic shadows across the thousands of seats arranged in a perfect circle.
At the very center of the stone floor, there was a massive, glowing root that burst from the ground like a wooden spear, spiraling upward toward the mini-orb.
It was beautiful. It was terrifying. And according to the logic of the world, this giant piece of wood was about to decide if he was a king or a peasant.
Taren ushered them to the front seats alongside Mirage. When they reached the entrance directly facing the wood, Leo's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt a surge of fear.
Gritting his teeth, he sat down right next to Taren, and the remaining two followed suit. Jean was seated opposite them on the other side of the wood with other influential figures, one of whom Leo recognized instantly.
'Ah, the old geezer came.'
Sitting next to Jean was King Tharok of Eldoria. He was still the King, but he barely held any value after the Aura System had fully landed. What had transpired between his butler, his daughter's husband, Jean, and his own daughter still remained a mystery. And yet, they behaved naturally.
'Ah, adults and their nonsense.'
King Tharok wore dark, fearsome armor draped with a thick red cape. He had steely eyes and a rough, unkempt beard. The other people seated nearby weren't as familiar to Leo, but he could identify the Chairman of the Celestial Academy and the Chairman of the Tenebris Academy. Commanders, Royals, Clan Leaders—the room was a collection of the most powerful people in Primoria.
A man draped in an overly large white tunic stepped out of the crowd and started addressing the people.
"Welcome, everyone. Welcome to the 12th annual Awakening Ceremony. Today another generation of elites will be born. Glory to Aura. But before we get started, we need to remember the one who had given us the privilege to use Aura. Aura is a mysterious energy used by other realms and a collective few amongst us. But that's not the case anymore. A heroine! Queen! Went all her way to gift us the privilege to use Aura. Can we all stand up and salute Elara Atlantis, Queen of Bones?"
After that, everyone stood up. Leo and Mirage were surprised. People had always hated their mother while others liked her, but going to the extent of saluting her was just pure madness.
'I mean, she's currently in jail.'
Leo glanced at Mirage, who was already getting emotional. He shook his head and observed the expressions of others. Taren had that innocent smile, while Fang Rui stared at him back with a mocking smile. Leo cursed under his breath.
Fang Rui chuckled and faced the host again.
Leo then turned his gaze to the influential figures. Jean had an unreadable expression as usual. Even Tharok was indifferent, as were all the other leaders.
'What is wrong with people?'
His thoughts were interrupted as the first voices began to rise.
"Once we lived in shame!" the crowd roared, thousands of voices hitting like a physical wave.
"But then she came and made a name!"
"She said fight or die without a name!"
"Truly, Glory to the Queen of Bones!"
"LONG LIVE, QUEEN OF BONES!"
After that, everyone settled back in their seats. With that, the host went on discussing things that were boring Leo. He immediately had the idea to start a discussion with Taren.
Taren was older, but he was Leo's best friend. It was a shame they were currently linked by a mind-reading bastard, because Leo had a lot to catch up on. He wanted to brag about finally defeating Yariel in a spar, or how he'd managed to ride a horse without Jean ever finding out. There were just too many stories.
Noticing the honey-bronze boy staring at him with a growing grin, Taren shifted uncomfortably. He looked at Leo with a weird, cautious expression.
"Uhm... is there something you want to talk about, Leo?"
Leo's grin widened, nearly creeping Taren out. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping so low that it barely reached Taren's ear, though he knew Fang Rui was probably listening anyway.
"Taren," Leo began, glancing briefly toward the high-ranking officials and the King across the room. "Doesn't this whole thing feel weird to you?"
He pointed subtly toward the stage.
"They keep calling Awakening a gift for humanity, but the people standing up there are already the strongest people in the world. Kings. Clan Leaders. Warlords." He tilted his head slightly. "It's always the same people."
His grin remained, but there was something strange behind it now.
"Makes me wonder if we're really here to become heroes... or just more soldiers for their war."
Taren's breath hitched slightly, but Leo wasn't done.
"Though forget all that." His grin widened again. "If I awaken a Seed stronger than yours and Fang Rui's combined..." He leaned even closer. "Will you still call me little brother? Or will you start looking at me the same way those people outside do?"
Taren's expression slowly became deadpan.
He genuinely couldn't understand how Leo could say things like that while smiling like a lunatic. It was disturbing.
And yet... the kid was making a terrifying amount of sense.
"Uhm, Leo," Taren said softly. "I think you're forgetting something."
Leo raised an eyebrow, his grin never wavering. "What might that be?"
Taren smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Nothing much. Just maybe the fact that I am a Banished."