"The Starlights have arrived!"
A blurry shape streaked through the air, revealing a mystical, lavish flying car with a prismatic star attached to it. The star was the Starlight's insignia, representing their five-hundred-year heritage as a family. The car slowly descended.
"That handsome guy…"
"It's him! The one favored by the Star Overlord!"
"Zeke Starlight."
The car's doors opened. A tall, young man with red eyes stood with a sharp gaze. He had shoulder-length white hair slicked back, fully showcasing his flawless, handsome appearance.
As he appeared, countless murmurs echoed around him, praising him for his looks, his family, and even the way he breathed.
But Zeke was indifferent to everyone's praises, he had heard them ever since he learned how to talk. When the car descended, he stepped down and swept his gaze around calmly.
Today was the Awakening Ceremony for the upper-class families.
The Awakening Ceremony for upper-class families like theirs was carried out in the Ascension Palace, the castle of the first King of Humanity. Zeke raised his head and witnessed the vast spectacle in front of him.
Woosh!
Wide and magnificent, ethereal and sublime. The Ascension Palace walls stretched to the horizon, seemingly infinite. Mystical prismatic stars orbited around it. This wasn't Zeke's first time seeing it, but the palace's beauty still struck his soul.
Every year, the upper-class families of Magic City gathered their family members who turned 16 to awaken their Class in the Awakening Ceremony.
Many citizens of Magic City came to watch this event, even if they weren't allowed to go inside the palace. Catching a glimpse of the heavenly chosens like Zeke was enough for their eyes.
When Zeke stepped out of the flying car, a man wearing a black overcoat approached them respectfully.
"Esteemed Starlights, the other families are already in the Ascension Palace."
From behind Zeke, a tall, burly man with short white hair slowly walked out of the car. He had a long scar across his eye, showing an untold story. He was an elder of the Starlights, Belmud Starlight, the one in charge of accompanying Zeke in his awakening ceremony.
Belmud looked at the man briefly before nodding.
"Lead the way."
"It's my honor."
The man wasted no time, leading the two of them deeper towards the Ascension Palace.
Zeke followed silently, looking over the prismatic path that led towards the palace. They glittered like stars on the vast expanse. On his first trip here, he wondered what the point was of making even the pathway so glamorous when they were destined to be stepped on.
The elder accompanying him that time didn't dismiss his question. Instead, they answered him, their words leaving a deep mark on his mind.
'Just because they can.'
"The Starlights are here."
Zeke snapped out of his daze, raising his head as he looked ahead. A short, stout man waited in the palace entrance, greeting him and Belmud with a small smile. Unlike the others, his eyes didn't hold the worship Zeke was familiar with.
"Belmud, it's been a while."
But upon seeing the man's clothing, a white coat draped over his shoulder while a dark green insignia hung on his chest, Zeke quickly realized that he was the Ceremonial Master for this year.
The ceremonial masters were overseers assigned by the Global Earth Alliance, the ruling force of humanity. They were responsible for carrying out Awakening Ceremonies throughout the continent.
Zeke heard that the ceremonial master for upper-class families changed every year, but he didn't know why.
The Ceremonial Master suddenly noticed his gaze and showed an amicable smile.
'... He doesn't look bad.'
Zeke thought to himself. His elders had taught him that people from the Global Earth Alliance were terrible subhumans, creatures of evil, and the biggest hurdle for the upper-class families to rise.
But Zeke didn't believe them completely.
'Is she here…'
Upon entering the Ascension Palace, Zeke's eyes immediately swept around, not bothering to appreciate its interior. When he saw a familiar figure present, a smile broke out on his face.
A tall, beautiful girl stood a short distance away. She had long, silky red hair that reached her waist. Her gaze turned towards him, revealing her mesmerizing pupils that were gleaming with a crimson glow.
Her appearance was flawless, even though Zeke had seen many beautiful girls, no one matched his fiancée's beauty. Even in a garden of flowers, the sun would shine on her always, her beauty unmatched.
"Amber!"
Zold called out softly, catching the girl's attention.
When the girl saw him, her face broke out into a soft smile.
"Zeke!"
Amber had a pleased expression on her face. She turned towards the middle-aged woman beside her and whispered a few words, smiling widely. The woman looked at Zeke first, frowning. But after some consideration, she nodded her head.
Seeing that she had agreed, Amber quickly approached Zeke.
"Zeke, it's been a while. How have you been?" She asked, her gaze never leaving Zeke's eyes.
"I've been great as always." Zeke chuckled. "How about you? I can tell that something has changed with you."
"Oh?" Amber widened her eyes, curious.
"Yeah," Zeke nodded and looked at her seriously. "You're way prettier than the last time I saw you."
Amber was startled, her cheeks reddening like a tomato. She saw Zeke show an amused smile, as if he couldn't get enough of teasing her. Embarrassment rose in her throat, glaring at him.
"T-this again! I told you to stop teasing me!"
She turned her gaze elsewhere, pouting. But Zeke only found her cute. But then Amber murmured something under her breath.
"...y… too.."
Zeke couldn't hear her clearly. "Are you trying to say something?"
"I, I said…" Amber raised her gaze, looking at Zeke with a shy smile. "... You too. You've grown more handsome since the last time we met."
Zeke paused and blinked slightly longer than usual. Then, he nodded calmly, as if he wasn't affected in the slightest.
"How else can I be worthy of you?"
Amber's heart fluttered.
But before she could reply, a booming voice echoed in the palace.
"Esteemed families of Magic City, the Awakening Ceremony will now commence. Please get ready!"
The Ceremonial Master shouted.
Amber and Zeke glanced at each other, then laughed. Their laughter was gentle and soft, one that was pleasant to the ears.
Zeke held Amber's hand and kissed it gently.
"Good luck, Amber."
"You too."
Amber nodded and looked at him softly, her eyes admiring him openly. She turned around and went back to her family's position.
"A romantic one, are you?" Belmud suddenly spoke, glancing at Zeke. "How long have you known her?"
Zeke paused, then answered. "Two years? We were engaged as early as three years old. But I only met her at a banquet two years ago."
"... How come you already got her in your spell?" Belmud asked suspiciously.
"Huh?" Zeke was confused. He looked at Belmud and saw that the man was asking genuinely. "What… are you asking me for love advice, elder Belmud?"
Belmud fell silent, his expression turning deadpan. "Forget I asked."
'Should a Starlight really be asking such questions?'
Zeke thought strangely but kept it to himself. He shrugged, "I have a good sense of humor, I guess."
Belmud was unamused.
After waiting for a while, the Awakening Ceremony finally commenced.
"Bring the Class Awakening Orb to me."
The Ceremonial Master called one of his subordinates to come forward and bring a colorless cube.
Holding this cube, the Ceremonial Master waited for everyone to fall silent before beginning.
"Five hundred years ago, dungeons appeared all over the world. When the first humans were sucked inside these rifts, we discovered two things."
"One. Inside them, countless terrifying monsters lived, waiting for the dungeon to collapse so they could be released on Earth."
"Two. Humans who entered these dungeons awakened a new power, obtaining a class that gave them the ability to defend themselves."
The Ceremonial Master raised the cube slightly, his voice rising.
"Now, at the present, we have grown stronger and more powerful than ever! The sacrifices of our ancestors were not wasted. Our civilization has advanced leaps and bounds, discovering technologies that could sustain our future for a million years!"
"Those dungeons, which were a source of terror, are now controllable under our hands. Powers that we only dreamed of are now attainable by the worthy. Even awakening a class no longer needed one to step foot inside a dangerous dungeon."
He paused, then continued.
"... But the war against monsters and dungeons has not yet ended. As time passed, dungeon eruptions showed no signs of slowing down and even became stronger and more dangerous than before."
"Facing this issue, we can only rely on people like you, youths who bear the hope of humanity's survival. Among you, those who awaken powerful offensive classes shall become humanity's vanguard. Those who awaken mystical support classes shall become humanity's shadow."
He lowered his gaze briefly.
'... And those who awaken useless classes, shall remain ordinary.'
But he kept such thoughts to himself. After all, this was the Awakening Ceremony exclusively for the upper-class families.
How could there be anyone ordinary?
When all things that needed to be said were said, the Ceremonial Master began calling out names.
"Amber Xynth, please come forward and awaken your class by touching this Class Status Orb."
Amber was surprised, but the middle-aged woman behind her gently encouraged her. She nodded resolutely and walked towards the short man.
Since there weren't any outsiders here, it was relatively quiet, with only the heirs and elders of each upper-class family observing her.
"Like this…"
Amber murmured as she touched the colorless cube, immediately feeling an electrifying sensation course through her.
Whoosh!
A moment later, the colorless cube brightened, shining deep purple.
"Purple-quality class…!"
"The Xynths have another Chosen."
"Last year, the highest from their family was only Orange-quality, right?"
Opening her eyes, Amber saw the deep purple color and broke out into an excited smile, meeting the ceremonial master's gaze.
"Congratulations, young Xynth. You have awakened a powerful class, purple-quality Phoenix Master."
Amber's smile widened. She turned around and saw that the middle-aged woman was looking at her with an excited smile.
She shifted her gaze, turning to the Starlights. Likewise, she saw Zeke look at her with a smile on his own, giving her a thumbs-up.
Amber quickly left, returning to her family's position.
"Proceeding…"
The Ceremonial Master continued, his eyes shining.
"Zeke Starlight, please come forward and awaken your class by touching this Class Status Orb."
'It's him…'
The Ceremonial Master looked at the Starlights' position, expectant.
Zeke was surprised, but then Belmud gently pushed him forward, almost causing him to stumble. He glared at Belmud before making his first step toward the Ceremonial Master.
As he walked, he found himself increasing the pace of his steps.
Even as he tried to calm himself down, Zeke's heart stirred in excitement!
How long has it been since he waited for this day?
Humans were born twice: when they came out of their mother's womb, and the second time when they awakened their class.
Zeke was favored by the heavens since he was born. He was talented, smart, and always one step ahead of his peers.
Why would this time be different?!
'Is it purple? Or is it gold?'
He thought as he stopped in front of the ceremonial master, his gaze stuck on the colorless cube.
'Or maybe even… Red.'
Class potentials were separated into seven qualities: Gray, Green, Blue, Orange, Purple, Gold, and Red.
Zeke didn't even think about receiving anything below Purple, considering it to be beneath his status.
He was the heir of the Starlight!
A favored, chosen one!
All his life, he was praised as being the next King of the Starlight family. Zeke also knew that. He knew that he was destined to be extraordinary, someone so amazing that people could only look up to him!
Unconsciously, a smirk rose from his lips.
Murmurs echoed in the palace.
"Zeke Starlight… is it purple or gold?"
"It's said that when he was born, celestial light shone upon the Starlight family. Talk about the heavens chosen!"
"Good grief, the Starlight hasn't shown any strong moves recently, and then they bring this out."
Hearing those whispers, Zeke's smile widened, a feeling of pride rising in him.
'That's right… I am destined for greater things!'
'I am heaven's chosen!'
He raised his hand and put it on top of the cube, silencing everyone.
Zeke caught a breath. Then, an electrifying feeling surged inside him. But this feeling was different from the one he had read about.
It wasn't soft, nor was it pleasant.
It was painful!
It was utterly agonizing! His insides were being fried, a searing pain coursing through him. When the electrifying sensation reached his mind, his consciousness slipped away.
Whoosh!
'No… what did… I…'
Zeke suddenly fell forward, his eyes rolling backwards. Before he slipped into unconsciousness, he heard concerned shouts from everywhere.
But his gaze was focused on the colorless cube, unable to believe what he was seeing.
It shone a different color.
Instead of the purple or gold color he imagined, it was a pale… light gray.
Thud!
Zeke fell on the ground, causing a loud thud. If what he saw was real, he wished he had died right here.
Absolute silence reigned in the palace.
"Zeke Starlight…"
The ceremonial master cleared his throat, then continued.
"... Gray-quality class, Stick Master."