Year MMXLV
Planet Earth
Astral City
"Rentaro!"
The soft voice of a young girl echoed through a young boy's ears, and his eyes snapped open almost immediately.
The boy sat up immediately, breathing hard and fast, like he hadn't taken a breath in hours.
"Rentaro! I'm so glad you're okay!" The girl wrapped her arms around his neck instantly, and tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. "I don't know what I would have done without you."
"Huh?" The boy was utterly confused. 'Rentaro? Who the hell is that?' He thought in his mind.
His eyes searched every corner of the tiny room they were in, and it was unfamiliar to him. They color of the walls, the holes in the wooden floor, and the damaged ceiling fan that barely clung to the ceiling.
He didn't recognize any of them.
Then he looked down at the girl that hugged him tightly.
"Huh?" He sprang to his feet and pulled away from her immediately. "What do you want with me? Who the hell are you?" He demanded to know with a firm and expressionless face.
The girl's sober expression twisted to shock, and she slowly rose to her feet to calm him down. "Who am I? It's me Rentaro, it's Eliza. How hard did you hit your head?"
"Again with this Rentaro, why do you keep calling me Rentaro?" He glanced down at his body, and his eyes twitched slightly.
"Huh?" His body had changed. It was no longer the dried up skin of accumulated dead cells with a foul stench and torn clothes.
From his arms to his legs, he inspected every corner of his body, and he discovered something shocking.
He was now younger than before, his skin was as pale as a vampire, his hair was white, and his eyes were blue. He grew more slender, but his most outstanding feature was his height, standing at exactly six foot two.
But from what he recalled, he was pretty sure he was 5'9 a few minutes ago.
'This is not my body... Who is this?'
"Rentaro!" The girl's voice snapped him out of his thoughts immediately.
She drew closer to him and held his hands. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"Urr... I feel a bit lightheaded, but I'm fine... I guess?"
"That's a relief." The girl sighed in relief, then walked past him towards the door. "I heard a noise from your room and when I rushed over, I saw you unconscious on the floor. Give me a sec." She hurriedly left.
He stared at his hands in confusion, then suddenly, it all came to him.
"This body..." He glanced around at the small space he stood within. "I've heard stories about it but it sounded so good to be true."
He glanced back at his hands, then to his legs and to his reflection on the mirror mounted just near the small bed at the corner.
There was no mistake.
"I transmigrated?"
The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was scavenging through some dumpsters, then a bright light flashed in his eyes.
When he woke up, he found himself on the ground in a completely different environment, and a completely different body.
"I see..." The more he glanced at his body, the more he seemed to understand it. "I died didn't I? And I somehow got transmigrated into this strange body?"
The concept of transmigration was not new to him, in fact, it was very popular with all the webnovels he read growing up as a kid.
"Alright, now that we're all set, let's go." The girl returned fully dressed in a white collared cropped shirt, mini black skirts, and a pair boots.
"Go?" He blinked. "Go where?" It was all happening too fast, after all, he just died.
"Have you forgotten? Today is day 300 from when we turned eighteen."
His brows jerked, and he became even more confused.
The girl sighed, then put her hand on her waist as she said. "At exactly 300 days from the day we turned eighteen, it is our Talent Awakening Ceremony."
"Talent Awakening Ceremony? You're joking right?"
The Great Purge.
That was what humanity called it after it came centuries ago.
The Trial of the Sanctuaries.
The Trial of the Sanctuaries was a realm that connected the mortal realm to other realms. No one knew how it happened, and how it came about.
All they knew was after the Sanctuaries materialized centuries ago, 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 Sanctuaries arrived, that population dwindled to just 5 million.
The Sanctuaries created rifts that poured out great beasts and mystical 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 sanctuaries 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.
Due to the inbalance of nature, at age 18, for unknown reasons, humans were transported into the sanctuaries where survival became their only objective and aim.
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.
"We don't have time for your incompetence Rentaro, let's go. Now."
Xavier Millers.
He 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 him.
He ended up in the streets, begging and just barely surviving. Then one day, a blinding light and a speeding truck decided his fate.
When he woke up, he found himself in this body... In the body of a young boy named Rentaro Mizuno.
And the young girl?
She was another survivor of the inbalance that the previous Rentaro had saved, 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 the previous Rentaro took her in, he cared for her, provided their meals by hunting the little animals that fled the forest away from the beasts.
"Let's go or we'll be late. We can't afford to be late!"
..
Astra City Square
A large crowd of people filled the Astral City square. 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 city square 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 Sanctuaries tonight..." The man's words resonated in the hearts of every teenager in the hall including Rentaro who sat right next to Eliza.
They were all frightened, well all except Rentaro who had no idea what was happening, 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 hall 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!"
Rentaro looked at Eliza with an expressionless face, his memories were still a bit fuzzy, but from what he could remember and feel. This body held some sort of affection towards her.
"See you out there Rentaro." 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.
"A B-tier talent? That's impressive." Rentaro said.
Just before the hall's excitement could finally calm down, a sudden voice startled him. "Ethan Kaiser, please approach the Sphere."
Like royalty who stood above others, Mizuki was the only one who maintained his composure when approaching the Sphere. His personal philosophy was, respect grants power.
Approaching the Sphere, he placed his dominant hand on it. Immediately, the same glow that lit the room during Eliza's awakening illuminated the class once again, forcing everyone to shield their eyes with their arms.
Alister chuckled. 'It seems we have another prodigy on our hands.' He thought.
Much like Eliza, a faint glow of the insignia of a sword materialized in front of him, then flew into his chest and glowed faintly before fading away.
"Ethan Kaiser — The A-tier Talent, The Warriors Will."
"What!?"
"Is this for real?"
"These guys are monsters! Awakening A-tier Spirit Wills?"
A warm smile fluttered Alister's face, he knew as much as the rest of the crowd that this year's awakeners were simply outstanding compared to the other years. The previous years, the highest ranking awakeners only awakened a C-tier Spirit Will.
Then, Alister's voice cut clean through the air and into Rentaro's ears.
"Don't worry, you've got this Rentaro." Eliza noticed his anxiety, then assured him with a bright smile.
Her smile was more than enough to soothe the cold, doubtful feeling that resided in anyone's heart.
He nodded firmly and stood up from his seat. It was all overwhelming to take in, but one thing was obvious, this world wasn't just different, it was more dangerous than his previous world. And this was the only way to survive.
He took on a steady breath, then walked towards the Soul Sphere.
'Here goes nothing.' He exhaled sharply.
He stared at his reflection off the surface of the sphere, then placed his hand on it.
For a moment nothing happened, then Rentaro brows jerked slightly as he 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 shaked his head bitterly, and that gesture told everyone everything they needed to know.
"Hm? Nothing happened. Did I do it wrong?" His brows jerked slightly as he tried to understand what exactly went wrong.
He removed his hand from the Sphere and placed it back immediately, thinking that by some miracle, the sphere would come to life.
He tried to place his hand on the Sphere again, but Alister's hand caught his wrist.
"That's enough... Rentaro Mizuno." His voice was cold and distant. He wasn't that he loathed Rentaro 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 him.
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."
"Huh?" Rentaro's eyes widened a bit.
"Return to your seat, Mizuno." Alister said with a harsh tone and a cold glare.