'Messed up.'
Leo went silent. How had he forgotten? He'd just shoved his friend's greatest misery right back into his face.
'Way to go, talkative. Real smooth.'
Taren waved a hand, shaking his head dismissively with a pale, tired smile. "Ah, you don't have to feel sorry, Leo. It's nothing."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Who said I felt sorry?"
Taren froze, a weird, confused expression crossing his face.
Leo shook his head quickly. "No, no… that's not what I meant. Why should I feel sorry? Honestly, I wouldn't even want you to be an Aura Farmer. You might be older than me, but you haven't let the madness of adulthood rot you yet. You're a gentle, innocent soul, Taren. I wouldn't want this crazed system to run you mad. That's exactly why I hate your job as an Imperial Officer."
Taren softened, reaching over to pat Leo on the head. "You've truly grown up, even for a thirteen-year-old. But don't worry, I'm just a back-up official since I haven't clocked eighteen yet. I barely even see the war. Besides, I heard that after Awakening, the brainpower of a human increases until it reaches a superhuman level. As you rank up, it only ascends further. It'll make you incredibly smart. And you know what else it'll make you?"
A dark frown settled on Leo's face. "Don't you dare say it."
That signature, childlike smile returned to Taren's face. "It'll make you so… cute!"
"Curse youuuuu!" Leo hissed, swatting Taren's hand away.
Once the bickering died down, Leo looked back at the glowing root, his voice turning serious. "That aside… what Volume do you think I'll awaken?"
Taren tapped his chin, thinking for a moment. "Maybe the Advent Volume, similar to Fang Rui."
At that moment, Fang Rui glanced back at Leo and smirked. "Him? Yeah. Maybe when ducks fly."
Leo gritted his teeth and forced himself to look away. Ignoring Fang Rui was like trying to ignore a burning itch, but he managed it. He focused his eyes on the massive, spiraling root in the center of the hall, trying to steady his breathing.
The man in the white tunic stepped toward the glowing spear of wood, a heavy, metallic scroll unfurling in his hands. The sound of the parchment opening seemed to echo louder than the chants from before.
"The time has come," the host announced, his voice booming through the cathedral's acoustics. He looked down at the first name. The silence in the room was so thick one could hear a pin fall on the ground.
"Kaelen of the Iron Lane District. Step forward."
Leo watched as a boy, perhaps a year older than himself, stood up from the middle rows. The boy's hands were shaking so violently he had to tuck them into his sleeves. As he walked toward the glowing root, the influentials leaned forward. King Tharok's steely eyes didn't blink. Jean remained a statue of indifference.
Leo felt a cold shiver. This was it. The moment where they either turned you into a god or broke you into pieces.
Kaelen wasn't given much attention by the crowd except for the influentials, as he wasn't a Royal. The crowd did not care about a slum kid since they have a very low chance of awakening, while the influentials cared because if he awakened, they'll have to fight over him—and it would be up to Kaelen to choose the clan or family he wants to join.
He bowed slightly to the host and raised his hand toward the wood. Vines grew and glowed, wrapping around his hand. Kaelen closed his eyes and bit his lips.
Everyone who was just witnessing the awakening process was mesmerized until a godly feminine voice echoed from the wood while also displaying a foreign language above it in a hexagon. Leo understood the language since he was taught all sorts of things before coming here; it was the original language of the Aura System called Auric Codex.
The system said:
[Unable to farm!]
[Mortal has been banished]
The vines recoiled as if they'd touched something rotten. The light dimmed.
Kaelen collapsed to his knees, his eyes wide with disbelief and horror. The hope that had carried him to the stage vanished. It was finally over for him. He would forever remain a slum kid.
Leo watched the boy being ushered away by guards, his heart hammering. 'Banished. Just like that. One touch and your life is over.'
He looked at Taren, then at Fang Rui. The smirk was gone from Fang Rui's face, replaced by a cold, clinical observation. The host didn't offer a word of comfort. He simply looked back at his scroll.
"Sophia Of Eldoria."
As Leo had thought, the organizer would call out those who aren't Royals first before moving to the real drama everyone was here for.
A girl walked out of the crowd. She was of the same age, of course, with long pink hair and small, seductive eyes even for her age. She had a confident smile that made Leo gasp a little. She wore dirty clothing, not concerned about those looking at her. Not bowing to the man, she stretched her hand forward and gazed at the wood with confidence. The vines outstretched and wrapped around her hand.
The voice echoed again:
[Able to farm!]
[Mortal shall follow the Path Of Corruption!]
[Mortal has awakened Oracle Volume!]
Leo felt his heart skip multiple beats. The crowd occupying most of the lower class erupted into roars. The influentials remained composed. Mirage's eyes widened in mixed emotions. Taren continued smiling. Fang Rui was unreadable.
'An Oracle volume!'
Volumes represent the potential capacity of a person's soul—essentially the vessel that determines how much Aura they can hold and how high their Tree can grow. There were four volumes and a mysterious one. Starting from the Echo, to the Chorus, then Saga, and finally Oracle. Oracle was the pinnacle of humanity and essentially a promise of a future leader and hero.
It did not matter whether it was the Path of Corruption or Ascension. An Oracle was an Oracle.
The mysterious one was the Advent Volume, since its level of power was still unknown. Leo had theorized it was a rank similar to or higher than Oracle, as only one person has awakened it: someone who followed the Path of Corruption. The Demon of Shadows himself, Fang Rui.
Leo turned to Fang Rui, but the young man was unreadable. What was he thinking? Of course, he was listening to everyone's thoughts. In cases like this, he had to be on alert. He was of the Fang Royal Family and the current acting leader; he might have also come here to scout. But this was Fang Rui—he might not even care about such things.
'Is he here to check if someone will awaken as an Advent?'
Leo watched as Sophia walked off the stage with buoyancy. She was from Eldoria, which meant King Tharok had a high chance of recruiting her—that is, of course, if he gives her family a promising contract, as she is still too young to understand such things.
'Is this how quick someone's life changes?'
He was the one to talk. His life changed right after he was born. His whole clan was assassinated by a shadow during his mother's labor, leaving only him and Yariel. If Jean had not appeared in time back then, he would have died and wouldn't be able to awaken.
After that, countless slum kids were called, with a small percentage awakening between Echo and Chorus Volumes. Leo studied different emotions today and was now understanding the fear of going closer toward the wood and stretching his hand forward. His body went cold every second.
After the slum kids were called out, the Royals began, with the first three awakening Chorus Volumes and following the Path Of Ascension. No one knew the exact difference between Corruption and Ascension or why the system divides both, since everyone will become strong at the end of the day. So, everyone decided Corruption was a bad thing and Ascension was a good thing, creating an internal war among humanity. Those on the Path of Ascension were called Celestials, while those on the Path Of Corruption were called Tenebris.
As the fifth Royal left the stage awakening an Echo volume, the host stared at the scroll again.
"Next," the man called out, his voice as sharp as a blade. "Mirage Atlantis. Step forward."
****
"Mirage Atlantis. Step forward."
The words echoed through the cathedral as the crowd started murmuring insults or praises.
Leo felt the world vanish into a white expanse as he only saw Mirage within that void. She turned to him with a frightened expression. Leo hid his own fear and gave her a reassuring, warm smile.
'Go get them, tigress.'
Although he only thought it, it felt as if she heard him. Mirage slowly stood up and walked through the white expanse. Soon, the world returned to normal, and Mirage was already in front of the wood.
She hesitated for a while, glancing at Leo again. Then she summoned her courage and outstretched her hand. The vines grabbed it like a hungry monster.
Time seemed to slow. Nothing happened for the next few seconds until the wood immediately burst into a bright glow that blinded everyone for a split second.
The voice came back. This time it was a bit joyous.
[Able to farm!]
[Mortal has awakened the Advent Volume]
[Mortal shall follow the Path of Ascension]
Leo's eyes widened.
'She did it. She did it!'
Soon the whole cathedral was drowned in roars.
But then Mirage immediately screamed, her eyes wide in horror as the vines unwrapped from her hands. She ignored the crowd and ran into the embrace of Jean.
"It was big... A very big snake... It almost killed me."
Jean petted her with no sign of surprise, as if he had seen this a billion times.
Leo heard what she said. 'What snake?'
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his own name.
"Leo Atlantis. Step forward."
Leo summoned all his courage and walked forward. As he walked, he heard all sorts of murmuring.
"Isn't he one of the remaining survivors of the Zahara Clan?"
"And now he's in the Dravenor Clan. From the frying pan into the fire. Poor boy."
"Wonder how he was saved from the Shadow Assassin."
Shadow Assassin. That's what they call the vile shadow that wiped out an entire clan, singlehandedly. People believe he'll still come back. And when he does, Leo will be waiting. That's one of the reasons he needed to pass the awakening: to kill the Shadow and avenge his clan's death, while also stopping the vile thing from causing more havoc.
He had learned everything about awakening and had spent his whole life preparing for this day. Getting trained by Yariel, learning more about the Aura system, and many more events gave him a guarantee he'll surely awaken. He had also learned that the system chooses randomly and gifts abilities based on how the human can handle them.
So Mirage's part about seeing a huge snake still remained confusing to him. If she had seen a snake, she should have killed it. They hadn't been training for naught. What kind of snake had she seen?
'Let the vines wrap around my hand and then give me my volume. That's all.'
It wasn't much more than that.
As he got to the tree, he noticed Taren giving him a thumbs up. Mirage was already fast asleep in Jean's arms. Fang Rui was Fang Rui.
'I hate that bastard. "When ducks fly," huh? I'll show you.'
A sinister smile appeared on Fang Rui's face as he formed a heart with his two hands and gestured, breaking it... which translates to...
"I hate you too. The feeling is mutual."
Leo took a deep breath and stared at the wood. It was ethereally beautiful up close. It glowed and hummed, making Leo's heart ache. Leo slowly stretched his hand forward and closed his eyes. Soon, he felt the vines slowly crawling up to his elbow, then stopping at his shoulder.
'Just wait for the voice. Wait for the voice. Wait for the voice.'
His thoughts were interrupted when sand blew in his face and he couldn't feel his body anymore.
The stone floor, the roaring crowd, and the hum of the mini-orb vanished, replaced by a crushing, suffocating heat. Leo wasn't standing anymore. He was low. Uncomfortably low.
He tried to wipe the grit from his eyes, but he couldn't find his hands. In fact, he couldn't feel his arms at all. Panic flared in his chest, but when he tried to gasp for air, his tongue flicked out, tasting the air for heat.
He wasn't in the cathedral. He was in a vast, endless desert of obsidian sand under a sky the color of bruised ribs.
He tried to run, but his legs were gone. Instead, his body moved in a rhythmic, terrifying S-curve. He felt the scales on his belly grate against the sharp volcanic sand, a dry, slithering sound that echoed in the silence. He was a long, muscular cord of golden-brown diamond patterns, winding through the dunes with a speed that felt like liquid lightning.
He tried to speak, but no words came out. Then, Mirage's words echoed in his head, hitting him like a physical blow:
"It was big... A very big snake... It almost killed me."
He was the snake.
The realization sent a jolt through his long, coiled spine. How had she seen him like this in such a short time? Nothing in the recorded history of the Aura System mentioned being transported to another realm during the ceremony.
'Is this because of the Advent Volume?' he wondered, his lidless eyes scanning the dark horizon. 'Is this a test? If it is, how did Mirage pass it so quickly?'
Questions swarmed his mind, but he was too disoriented to process them. Frustration boiled over, and he tried to yell, to scream at the empty desert—but what came out wasn't a hiss.
It was a deafening, earth-shaking roar.
Leo froze. 'Snakes can roar?'
That didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. He was a thirteen-year-old boy trapped in the body of a golden predator in a world made of black sand.
Suddenly, the godly feminine voice vibrated through the air, and the hexagonal Auric Codex appeared directly in front of his snout. It looked tiny now, like a small book compared to his massive form.
[Mortal! Pass your first Seek and reach the Castle of Light!]