Juan gazed at the Primary Core tucked beneath the loose metal floorplate. The device pulsed with a faint, rhythmic blue light, in perfect synchronization with the distant, muffled hum of the energy barrier. Each beat seemed to mimic Juan's own heart. Today was the day of the Awakening Ceremony, and dawn was breaking over New Madrid with its usual bleak greyness. As the condensation from the container's ceiling dripped onto his face with a metallic scent, Juan slowly placed his hand over the core. The device was cold, but the hidden energy within sent a tingle through his fingertips. This small object would be either his salvation or his end.
Sofia sat on an old tin can in the corner of the room, silently watching Juan prepare. She stood up and opened a small, rusted box on the table. From it, she pulled a polished, silver Guardian Pin. "Happy birthday, Juan. Look, I repaired this for you. An old Guardian Pin. They say it brings luck" Sofia said, her voice tender, yet unable to hide the sharp, protective edge beneath. She carefully fastened the pin to the lapel of Juan's tattered jacket. Seeing the hope in his sister's eyes, Juan felt a pang in his chest. "Thanks, Sofia. But I don't think a pin can change the Altar's verdict. What if... what if nothing happens?" he whispered. Sofia didn't answer; she simply squeezed his shoulders and handed him their last high-calorie synthetic bars, which tasted like chalk. This was their final, silent ritual.
As they left Sector 7 and began their walk toward the Inner City, the atmosphere shifted rapidly. The piles of rusted metal and open sewers were gradually replaced by cleaner, more orderly roads. When they reached the 'Glow Boundary,' the sight dazzled Juan's eyes. The Silver District was where the squalor ended and the true masters of New Madrid lived. Here, the roads were paved with smooth white stone; the buildings were flawless towers of glass and steel reaching for the heavens. Small cleaning droids hovered in the air, instantly erasing even the slightest speck of dust from the paths. To Juan, however, this beauty felt oppressive and alien.
The residents of the Silver District gathered along the roadsides, wrinkling their noses as they watched the Sector 7 candidates pass by in their ragtag clothes. An elegantly dressed man turned to the woman beside him and spoke loudly: "Look at these Sector 7 rats. The stench of rust and misery reaches all the way here. Do they really think they can stand at the sacred altar in those rags?" Juan burned the man's face into his memory. He would not forget the disdainful curl of the man's lips, the glowing necklace around his neck, or the pure hatred in his eyes. Revenge was a distant dream for now, but gathering these memories was the only power accumulating within Juan's frail body.
When they reached the massive main gate of the Inner City, security was ten times tighter than usual. Heavily armored guards and red-eyed Watcher Droids were scrutinizing every candidate. Juan felt the core in his pocket growing warm. His pulse quickened. When it was his turn, a Watcher Droid hovered close to his chest. The moment the droid's sensors neared the Primary Core in his pocket, a low-frequency pulse emanated from the device. The droid suddenly jerked, emitting a strange sound as sparks flew from its metallic frame. Its red eye flashed rapidly, and a high-pitched alarm filled the square.
"Halt right there! The droid has detected an anomaly. Empty your pockets now!" a guard barked, leveling a heavy weapon at Juan. Sofia stepped forward in fear, but Juan acted faster. The complex technical schematics in his mind unfurled like the pages of a book. He understood instantly why the droid had malfunctioned; the energy emitted by the core had overloaded the droid's phase-modulator. If he didn't intervene now, he would be searched, and the core would be found. This was Juan's first true test.
Trying to appear calm, Juan raised his hands and looked the guard directly in the eye. "The problem isn't me, sir. The phase-modulators on this Watcher series tend to build up a static charge in humid weather. The ions left over from the Ozone Rain must have caused a short circuit in the droid's 4th pin. If you reset the 4th pin, the error will clear. See? Nothing dangerous" he said. His voice was steadier than he expected. The guard paused, surprised that a child possessed such specific technical knowledge. He signaled to a nearby technician. When the technician opened the droid's back panel and performed the action Juan described, the droid returned to normal instantly, glowing green as it retreated. The guard eyed Juan once more, then gave a gruff gesture for him to pass. Juan slipped through, taking a deep breath. Sofia looked at her brother with a mix of admiration and relief, but Juan's focus was already elsewhere.
The Ceremony Square vibrated with the roar of thousands of people. In the very center of the square stood a monolithic crystal structure piercing the sky like a spear: the Awakening Altar. The crystal was a massive power source that breathed like a living organism, trapping every color of the rainbow within. The High Proctor appeared at the top of the altar in white robes, wielding a golden staff. His voice thundered across every corner of the square: "Next group: Sector 7 candidates! Approach the Altar!"
Juan squeezed Sofia's hand one last time and began to walk through the crowd toward the altar. As he drew closer to the massive energy source, the Primary Core in his pocket grew hot—almost painfully so. Juan felt the eyes of the entire world on him as he climbed the steps of the altar. With every step, the core pulsed more violently. His fate would be shaped in a few seconds, at the tips of his fingers as they touched that ice-cold crystal surface. Fifteen years of misery would either end here or turn into eternal darkness.
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'Scent of the Silver District' — A synthetic fragrance of compressed jasmine and sterile ozone, hanging so thick that Sector 7 candidates often sneeze from the sudden lack of dust.
'The Tithe Mark' — A faint, glowing tattoo found on the necks of Silver District residents, which shines brighter depending on their family's energy contribution to the barrier.
'Ozone Rain' — A thin, metallic mist formed when the energy barrier interacts with low-lying clouds, leaving a copper-scented residue on the metallic slums.