Year MMXLV
Planet Earth
Astral City
The sound of muffled breathing could be heard behind a small house right outside the outskirts of Astral City, a young boy returned from the forest with a log of wood in hand.
He kicked open the door gently and entered into the house.
He dropped the log of wood on the ground along with the rest of the wood he gathered earlier before. "This should be enough for the night." He rubbed his palms together and got rid of the dust.
"Ethan?" The voice of a young girl came from the stairs, and the boy instinctively turned to look.
"Are you back already?" The voice was sweet and melodic, like a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. And it brought a smile on the boy's face just by hearing it.
"That was fast, I thought you'll-" The girl missed a step, and her eyes widened as she fell down the remaining flight of stairs.
"Eliza!" The boy dropped all he held and ran towards her immediately.
He caught her in his arms, just in time before her body met with the ground below, and he immediately sat her down on a nearby stool.
"You need to be more careful Eliza." The boy said as he checked her legs for any possible injuries she may have sustained.
"I'm fine Ethan, honest. I just thought there was another step there."
"How many times are you going to fall because you realize there are only just six steps that leads to the bedrooms upstairs Eliza?" He raised a brow, confused.
Eliza laughed softly.
"What's so funny." The boy frowned.
"Oh it's nothing, it's just cute how over reactive you get over little things. I'm fine Ethan, honest." She said with a bright smile. "Why wouldn't I be after all you've done for me? After you took me in when no one else would after the apocalypse hit?"
The Great Purge.
That was what humanity called it after it came four years ago.
The Advent of the Sanctuary.
The Advent of the Sanctuary was a realm that connected the mortal realm to others. No one knew where it came from, and how it came about.
All they knew was after the Sanctuary materialized in their world, it disrupted the balance of nature and the world, and brought about an apocalypse that nearly wiped away all of mankind.
Centuries ago, mankind was estimated to be around 8.30 billion. But after the Sanctuary arrived, that population dwindled to just 5 million.
The Sanctuary created rifts that poured out great beasts and mythical creatures into their world, beasts and creatures that should have only been allowed to exist in fantastical settings.
Humanity had nearly fallen, but luckily, the sanctuary didn't just bring about the end of humanity. It brought along the age of Awakeners, individuals whose body and souls evolved, granting them spirit wills and abilities that transcended beyond the boundaries of what humans perceived as impossible.
The war between the awakeners and these mythical beasts lasted for centuries, but somehow humanity found away to claw it's way back to survival.
And now, it was their turn.
"You need to stop praising me." Ethan sighed. "I just did what you would have done if you were in my shoes."
Ethan Kaiser.
Ethan was different from the rest of the humans on earth, and that's because he was a transmigrator.
In his previous world he was a dirt poor beggar who rationed off the scraps of other people's trash, his parents died when he could barely speak.
And after being rejected by his relatives, he was taken in by the orphanage.
But as luck had it, the orphanage closed down and all the children in their care were transferred into another orphanage.
All except Ethan.
He ended up in the streets, begging and just barely surviving. Then a speeding hijacked truck ended it all in one fatal car crash.
When he woke up, he found himself in this body and into this game like world.
It didn't take long before he got accustomed to his new body, and that was because survival in this world was completely different and far more difficult than in his previous life.
Then he saved her, Eliza Morgan.
An angel in the form of a human, a tall and sturdy woman with a curvy body that made her look more matured than her age suggested.
Ever since he took her in, he cared for her, provided their meals by hunting the little animals that fled the forest away from the beasts.
"Are you ready?"
Eliza nodded firmly, then stood up immediately from her seat. "Yeah... Let's go."
..
Astra City's Gymnasium
A large crowd of people filled the Astral City gymnasium. The wide hall that was usually used for sports was now packed with boys, girls standing close together.
Their voices blended into a low, constant murmur that echoed off the high walls and ceiling.
These boys and girls shared one thing in common. They were closely related in age, the oldest in the gymnasium was no more than 20 and the youngest no less than 18.
"Welcome." A man stepped forward dressed in a strange uniform. He wore a black long sleeveed jacket with the insignia of a spiral on his chest, a black baggy pants to match, and a pair of sturdy black boots.
"As much as I'd like to introduce myself properly, we don't have all day, so listen carefully." The man began.
"If you're here today, that means you have turned 18. And that means you will be transported into the Sanctuary tonight..." The man's words resonated in the hearts of every teenager in the gymnasium including Ethan who sat right next to Eliza.
They were all frightened, and for a very good reason. The man's words was more of a threat than a bad news, at age 18, for no reason anyone could explain, any one who had awakened was automatically transported into the sanctuary.
It was not a matter of choice, it was a fact.
That was the sole reason why humanity's numbers had dwindled over the years.
But at the same time, it was also an opportunity. The age of 18 represented an opportunity, a chance to join the ranks of the awakeners to fight for humanity's survival.
"I know you're frightened, but don't be, because over the years humanity have evolved, and now we can give to you all an opportunity to survive." The man continued, gesturing to a large sphere that rested on a table behind him.
"The Soul Stone."
"The Soul Stone?" The kids glanced at each other confused.
"Ahem." The man cleared his throat as a signal, and all of them remained silent.
"With that said, let's begin. My name is Alister Vance, I'm the lieutenant of the 13th Soul Squad. Despite your fears, I'm sure many of you had long awaited for this day, and I'll be your guide, your guide in the process of your Talent Awakening."
"Alright." Alister looked at his watch, then right back at the kids. A lot of time had been wasted, and they couldn't afford to waste anymore.
"You all know the process I trust? Just step forward and place your hand on the Soul Sphere. It's mystical energy will react with your life force and trigger an awakening. Whatever you awaken will decide your fate in the sanctuary, I can only wish you good luck. First up, Chrome!"
A boy from the front row of the crowd walked forward and stood in front of the Soul Sphere. As he reached out for it, his hand was visibly trembling.
In the sanctuary, your worth, your survival, it all depends on the spirit will you managed to awaken.
The boy put his hand on the Sphere, and almost immediately, a brilliant light bloomed from within it.
Everyone covered their eyes, and when the light finally died down, a faint glow of the insignia of a flame materialized in front of him, then flew into his chest and glowed faintly before fading away.
"Ah! The C-tier Talent! Elemental Will of flame! Congratulations Chrome, you'll become a splendid Elemental Assimilator!"
The whole gymnasium erupted in a loud applause. The Elemental Will was a C-tier will, with enough training, it could transcend even beyond that.
In this world, there were seven types of Spirit Wills, each with their own abilities divided into designated tiers. And each tier was graded from F-tier up all the way to SSS-tier, with F-tier being the least possible grade.
Although, there was another possibility, It was the minus possibility that theoretically wasn't supposed to be possible, at least not in the history of mankind.
Four more people stepped up to the Soul Sphere, two of which awakened the guardian spirit will, and their abilities belonged under the C-tier grade. The other two awakened the Warriors will, and while one fell under C-tier, the fourth person fell under E-tier.
The boy who awakened the E-tier spirit will returned to his seat, with tears in his eyes. In this situation, pride didn't matter anymore. He cried his heart out, and everyone around him became uncomfortable.
He knew, with his E-tier talent, his survival was surely limited once transported into the sanctuary.
Alister sighed in his heart. It was heartbreaking, but he had been through this process countless times. There were rare cases of people awakening an F-tier talent and dying the instant they were transported to the sanctuary.
"Next up." Nevertheless, that wasn't going to stop him. "Eliza Morgan!"
Ethan's heart beat faster as he heard her name, but Eliza on the other hand remained fairly composed.
"See you out there Ethan." She smiled, then stood up without hesitation and walked up to the Soul Sphere.
She placed her hand confidently on the Soul Sphere, and a blinding light shot up and illuminated the entire gymnasium instantly.
The light was bright, far brighter than the light that shone during Chrome's awakening.
Again, when the light finally died down, a faint glow of the insignia of a cross materialized in front of Eliza, then flew into her chest and glowed faintly before fading away.
"T—The B-tier Talent! Life Support Will!!" Alister couldn't help himself. This talent was sought after by almost all the Soul-Squads in the sanctuary. Her survival was surely certain!
Whispers, applause, envy. All sorts of emotions and encouragement flew across the gymnasium, Eliza wasn't just lucky, she was blessed!
Eliza smiled as she returned to her seat.
Just before Ethan could congratulate her, a sudden voice nearly shifted his heart. "Next up, Ethan Kaiser!"
Alister's voice cut clean through the air and into Ethan's ears.
"Don't worry, you've got this Ethan." Eliza noticed his anxiety, then assured him with a bright smile.
Her smile was more than enough the cold, doubtful feeling that resided in heart. He nodded firmly, took a deep breath, and walked towards the Soul Sphere.
'Here goes nothing.' He exhaled sharply. This moment was all he dreamt off, awakening a spirit will alongside Eliza, both of them surviving and having each other backs in the sanctuary.
Over the years, he fell in love with Eliza, and now, his dreams were being unfolded right in his eyes.
He stared at his reflection off the surface of the sphere, then placed his hand on it.
For a moment nothing happened, then Ethan increased his concentration and held the sphere tightly, as if trying to force a response out of it.
But still nothing happened.
The deafening silence in the hall was slowly replaced by whispers of shock and astonishment.
Alister sighed and shakes his head, and that gesture told Ethan everything he needed to know.
"Wait..." His eyes wavered as he understood the implications of what it meant. "Wait wait wait..." He removed his hand from the Sphere and placed it back immediately, as if hoping that by some miracle, the sphere would come to life.
"No... No." He tried to place his hand on the Sphere again, but Alister's hand caught his wrist.
"That's enough... Ethan Kaiser." His voice was cold and distant. He wasn't that he loathed Ethan for his results, but he ended up with the worst results imaginable.
He had seen how badly E-tier assimilators fared in the sanctuary, and how long it took before they were killed. He couldn't imagine the fate that awaited Ethan.
And he didn't want to, so it was best he discarded of the thoughts immediately.
"Unfortunately, your life force wasn't enough to activate the Soul Sphere and trigger an awakening. I never imagined that anyone would ever achieve the minus possibility."
"No..." Ethan slumped to his knees with wavering eyes. He watched the events of his previous life replay over and over again.
"Return to your seat Kaiser." Alister said with a harsh tone and a cold glare.