Chapter 25: Awakening - I

Awakening...

One would wonder if this was the same cliché type of Awakening ceremony that every other protagonist went through in those novels. They would place their hands on a crystal, Mana would be channeled through their Mana Veins, and they would awaken a Unique Talent, with the entire process simply being called "Awakening."

However, the Awakening Neolan was about to go through was completely different from those stories. This world had undergone a fundamental change a century ago when Monsters first began appearing through Rifts in space.

When those Monsters arrived, an energy known as Astrine descended onto Earth through the Rifts as well, spreading across the entire planet and giving humanity access to a completely new form of energy. It didn’t simply allow Humans to cultivate energy or suddenly grant them supernatural abilities.

Instead, Astrine became the foundation of the Awakened Individuals who would eventually reshape the entire world. The moment someone awakened, Astrine would respond to their existence and manifest something unique to them. That something was known as an Astrine Blade.

An Astrine Blade could take countless forms depending on the Individual. Some awakened Daggers, while others received Swords, Scissors, Scythes, Spears, or countless other forms of weapons.

There was no fixed rule determining what weapon someone would receive, and the Blade itself was unique to the Individual. However, the process didn’t end with the manifestation of the Blade. The Astrine Blade would eventually fuse with the soul of its wielder, creating a permanent connection between the two.

After the fusion was completed, the Individual would acquire a Talent unique to themselves and their Astrine Blade, along with an Aspect Ability derived from that Talent. From that point onward, the Awakener would step onto the path of Evolution through several different methods and means.

Neolan knew the details of that process from his previous life, but there was no need to explain everything right now. There would be plenty of opportunities to discuss Evolution and everything that came with it later.

After a century had passed, Earth had gradually stabilized despite the continuous appearance of Rifts. Humanity had become accustomed to their existence and had learned countless things about Astrine and the Awakened.

One of the most important discoveries was that Humans could awaken their Astrine Blade once they reached the age of twenty. The process itself was relatively simple: the Individual only needed to place their hand on a Monster Core, allowing Astrine to enter their body and initiate the Awakening.

As of right now, Neolan could already be seen inside the Awakening Association, sitting at the far-left end of the massive room. He had arrived slightly late because of the meeting with his father, but that wasn’t a problem since the ceremony itself had not begun yet.

Ranson had directly delayed the beginning of the ceremony through methods known only to him, giving Neolan enough time to arrive without drawing unnecessary attention. The other participants had already gathered, and Neolan could recognize quite a few familiar Individuals among them.

For now, he simply kept those familiar faces in the back of his mind. His gaze shifted toward the elevated podium at the front of the room as the Association Director continued his speech.

’It is about to start...’

The Association Director finally finished his speech, and the floating podium slowly began to rise higher above the floor. As it moved upward, it revealed a pedestal beneath it, allowing everyone in the massive hall to clearly see the spherical Monster Core floating above a slightly raised pillar.

The Monster Core was the key to the entire Awakening process, and the moment the participants saw it, the boredom that had filled the room immediately disappeared. Everyone’s attention became focused on the Core as anticipation spread throughout the hall.

The Association Director standing on the elevated podium looked down at the participants before finally speaking. "Alright, now the first participant is William Hunt."

The moment his name was called, a boy sitting at the very front stood up. His attire and refined demeanor immediately gave away the fact that he came from a Noble family, and he didn’t show any hesitation as he stepped forward.

William walked through the center of the hall while countless eyes followed him before finally reaching the pedestal where the Monster Core floated in front of him, "Now place your palm onto it. After the Astrine energy enters your veins, you will awaken your Astrine Blade, and the details of your Talent and Aspect Ability will be displayed on the wristwatch given directly by the Goddess of Nifleheim."

William nodded before doing exactly as he was instructed. The moment his palm touched the Monster Core, he felt something invisible enter his body. At first, a gentle warmth spread through his veins, but that sensation quickly changed as an intense heat surged through his entire body. William clenched his teeth as the sudden pressure spread through him.

"Khug!"

Despite the pain, he didn’t remove his hand from the Monster Core. He continued enduring the sensation as Astrine flowed through his body and gradually began reacting to his soul. Neolan watched him silently from his seat, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recognized the young man’s face.

’He was also one of them who remained alive until the very end when the Demonic War started.’ Neolan immediately remembered William’s name and face from his previous life.

More importantly, he wanted to confirm whether the Astrine Blade William awakened this time would remain the same as the one he remembered. If the Blade changed, it would be another piece of evidence that the timeline was already deviating from his memories.

He didn’t need to wait another second.

Suddenly, the entire atmosphere around the massive floor changed. The ambient Astrine energy began rushing toward William from every direction, gathering around his body before rapidly concentrating into a single point in front of him. The concentrated energy continued growing denser until, in the next moment, it suddenly transformed into a completely white-colored sword.

There was no metal within the sword, nor was its hilt made from any physical material. The entire weapon was formed purely from concentrated Astrine energy, giving it an appearance that was unlike any ordinary weapon. William stared at the sword in awe for a brief moment, but before he could properly react, the entire sword suddenly collapsed back into a single point of concentrated energy.

The point of Astrine shot directly toward William’s chest.

The moment it entered his body, William’s eyes immediately shut as his body began floating on its own. A powerful wave of Astrine spread outward from him, dispersing the surrounding air as his short blonde hair was violently ruffled by the resulting wind. His body rose nearly a meter above the floor before everything suddenly stopped. A moment later, his feet slowly descended and touched the ground with a slight Thud.

William opened his eyes and looked toward the countless people staring at him with curiosity. He could already feel the knowledge of his Talent and Aspect Ability within his mind, but he still wanted to see what the Goddess of Nifleheim had registered. He immediately activated the wristwatch on his left wrist, causing a blue Hologram interface to appear in front of him.

The information displayed on the Hologram was simple.

[Talent: White Sword — S-Grade]

[Aspect Ability: Sword Halo — S-rank]

The moment the information appeared, the entire hall fell silent.

An S-Grade Talent.

And an S-Grade Aspect Ability.

Even William himself stared at the Hologram for a moment, as if he needed time to process what he had just awakened.

Meanwhile, Neolan’s expression remained calm as he stared at the information from his seat. His memories had told him what William possessed in the original timeline, but seeing the same result appear before his eyes gave him another answer.

’His Talent and Aspect Ability remained the same.’

Neolan leaned back slightly in his seat, his eyes narrowing as he continued observing the ceremony. One person awakening the same Talent didn’t prove that everything would follow the original timeline. However, it at least confirmed that some things remained unchanged.