Alex, who will turn eighteen this year, lay on his bed in the Andersons' manor. His room was lit in very dim blue light, which he had grown up to love because of how easily sleep came under it. The room interior looked nothing special, with a few artistic portraits on the wall.
His closed eyelids were twitching with disturbing intensity. His sharp face was drenched in heavy sweat, and his expression was laced with horror. He was saying something inaudible.
He tossed and turned in his sleep for a while before forcefully sitting up with his eyes wide open.
His breaths came out short and ragged. He looked around the vicinity and realized he was still in his room.
He breathed in and out slowly, trying to regulate his rapid heartbeat. When he calmed down a bit, he heard a faint knock on his door and turned. He looked up at the antique-style digital clock on the wall.
It said 4:50 am. He wanted to speak, but his throat was too dry. He just stared at the door absentmindedly.
It creaked open after a few seconds, and his mother entered.
She was in her red nightgown, obviously woken from her sleep. She walked to the table beside Alex's bed, picked up the stylish water jug, poured water into a glass, and handed it to him.
Alex gulped it down silently. His mother was also silent.
She sat at the bed's edge, playing with her wedding ring.
She noticed a little girl hiding behind the entrance door, peeking in. By the expression on her face, she was obviously scared by the sudden noise that came from her brother's room.
When Alex dropped the glass back on the table, he cleared his throat before apologizing.
This wasn't the first time this was happening, so everyone was getting used to it, maybe except the little girl still peeking in without entering.
"Want to talk about it?" his mother asked. Her usually lively voice carried a touch of pity.
"Still couldn't recall anything," he replied honestly, leaning on the smooth headboard. Despite the air conditioner being active, he was still sweating. Even though he wasn't stinky, the smell was still strong enough to feel intense. His clothes had become wet from the excess sweat.
He wanted to bring up today's awakening ceremony, but he felt that the topic would worry her further.
He swallowed his words and forced a reassuring smile.
His mother sighed helplessly. "I bought charms for mind and luck enhancement.
They really helped me back then too, during my awakening at the same academy. I awakened as low talent, but I believe it was Storm-Source's blessings and the charms that helped me awaken without dying."
Alex knew this was her way of encouraging him regarding today's awakening ceremony.
It was the first day of the year, and new seeds turning eighteen years would awaken at the academy. Once they awakened, they would board at the academy and start living there until graduation.
But he, being a mentally fractured seed, had a very shallow chance of a successful awakening.
It was either he died trying or he became a null after a successful awakening, there was also rarely a laughable chance of awakening as low talent instead. There were no other ways about it.
The charms and prayers were only there to try keep him alive through the process.
His father, Sage Anderson, who was the principal of the academy, had gone out of his way years ago to travel the world in search of solutions to his son's unique case.
He was supposed to come back yesterday before the awakening, but he was nowhere to be seen. His communicator was also unresponsive.
They didn't want to entertain any negative thoughts, so they assumed he was close to his goal and couldn't make it back in time as promised.
Alex listened to his mother's words of encouragement without interrupting. The words helped mend him, temporarily.
The little girl at the door matched gazes with Alex. When he smiled at her, she returned the smile and finally walked in, smiling happily.
They talked for a while, telling stories and jokes before the girl dozed off. Mrs. Anderson carried her carefully back into their room and closed Alex's door behind her.
Alex sat on his bed quietly. He looked up at the clock again. This time it said 5:59 am.
His body was already dried up and chilled thanks to the air conditioner.
It would be a blatant lie if he said that the awakening didn't worry him.
His life was on the line, so he was naturally worried. He had another glass of water before falling back asleep mid-thought.
—
The next morning on Saturday, Alex, who had just come out of his bathroom wrapped in a white towel, sat in front of the mirror stand with a hairdresser kit from the drawer attached to the mirror.
His short black hair was still slightly wet. He stood in front of the full mirror.
His build wasn't exactly slim or lean. It stood somewhere between the two. His face was average in terms of handsomeness, with a chiseled jaw and sharp features.
His irises were sky blue, a special trait of the Anderson household, a family blessed by the wind itself.
He wanted to be as presentable as possible, since his appearance would uphold the prestige of his father… It was all for his father; he didn't care what others thought of him personally.
After combing his hair and styling it, he unfolded the uniform placed neatly on his bed and put it on.
A dark blue tailored uniform of Coeron Arbora, silver lines tracing the wrist and button-placket seams, crisp and unblemished. Etched at the right chest was the academy's insignia: a circular heraldic crest with a single vertical tree at its center.
He knotted the black tie neatly around the shirt's collar before tucking the shirt into the black pants. He also picked up his portable communicator and stuffed it into his pocket. He picked up his storage ring and put it on too… Of course, everything he needed to have a comfortable life at the academy is already stored inside the ring.
He searched for the male perfume in the drawer, wore it, checked the time, and hurried outside. It said 9:09 am.
He had overslept unknowingly, which was rare.
His mother and little sister— Kira, waited beside the car. It looked more than just a car. It had no wheels but still hovered inches above the surface.
"Brother!" Kira jumped at the sight of Alex, her smooth cheeks flushing in exaggerated happiness.
Alex, whose mood was still sore from the weight of the awakening, had no choice but to smile.
They entered the car, which opened on its own, and drove off with a faint buzz. No one was truly driving. The car followed instructions and headed to the destination.
The massive gate to the mansion locked automatically the moment they exited the building.
Alloy reinforcements slammed back into place in dozens. It sounded as though a giant was stomping the earth.
The mansion became covered in a towering dome of black and blue alloy.
With this level of protection, it would be nearly impossible for most monsters to break through.
The magnificent city of Coeron streaked past them as they headed to the academy.
—
Coeron Arbora stood on the tallest mountain in Coeron. Every citizen of the city could see it when they looked up from anywhere.
They stopped at the parking area at the mountain foot as per order and got out.
No sort of transportation device was allowed into Coeron Arbora.
People lined the open reception area, both students and non-students. They needed to be scanned. If they had no business with the academy or had a hidden storage ring, the scanner would indicate it and they would be denied entry.
No storage rings were allowed, as they could house all sorts of abnormal weapons that could harm the academy's prodigies, such as the city Lord's youngest daughter, the academy principal's son, and many other nobles from distant cities who were awakening today.
It was one of the grandest days in the academy. A security guard shouted out when he noticed a family of three walking into the VIP reception desk without joining the long queue.
"Hey! You should all get in line like the others. No one is above the law here. Even if you're the city Lord's family, everyone will eventually get…" His expression changed to utter terror, and his words got stuck in his throat when he got close enough, only then did he notice who the richly dressed lady was.