Right after regaining control of my body, I noticed the changes that had occurred.
It wasn't just a physical change, even though I could feel that all my abilities had significantly improved.
I could sense it in my muscles, in my blood… even in my bones—an energy I had never felt before.
I understood that this strange sensation was due to mana interacting with my body.
It felt odd, but it didn't bring me any discomfort. I would probably get used to it soon enough, since it was going to become the norm.
I immediately tried to use my elements, driven by the curiosity typical of any fantasy novel reader.
I tried with wind first, and a light breeze brushed against the bed.
Fantastic. The only problem was that I had aimed at the ceiling to avoid causing damage… I'd need a lot of practice.
Then it was time to try creating an illusion.
Even after thinking about it for a long time, I had no idea what to do…
Before I could come up with an answer, the door to my room burst open.
I looked at the guard and realized something: she was a woman—something I had never noticed before.
That alone could've made me public enemy number one for the entire female population if anyone found out.
In my defense, I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to notice such small details… okay, I had just mentally called my guard flat-chested. Better stop now while I still could.
Second point, much more important: I could see a strange aura surrounding the guard.
It was barely visible, but if I focused enough, I could see it.
While I was studying the guard, the guard was also studying me.
She stared at me intensely, then spoke.
"Number 33, you've awakened."
It wasn't a question, but I answered anyway.
"Yes, I just finished awakening."
She nodded and motioned for me to follow her. I assumed my "medical examinations" were next—something I absolutely dreaded.
I hoped I could hide my illusion element and pass as a wind-awakened, but I wasn't sure I could pull it off.
In the worst-case scenario, I would have to reveal everything, and that would affect my chances of escaping.
Why?
Well, I was planning to explore the base and use illusions to deceive the staff and move unnoticed. But if someone noticed something strange, who would they point fingers at?
Obviously, the awakened with the illusion element.
Racists.
So yeah, it was much more convenient to hide my affinity with illusion for now.
While I was thinking about my next moves, we arrived in front of a large metal door that seemed to be our destination.
I wasn't sure where we were. The only thing I had noticed during the walk was that we had gone down some stairs, so I assumed we were on one of the lower levels of the base.
The door opened, and we stepped inside. In front of me was a very small room, completely empty except for a table and two chairs.
Seated on one of them was the same man who had welcomed us on our first day at Eclipse.
He looked at me and smiled—a truly unsettling smile.
"Sit."
I did as I was told.
"You will now answer a few questions for me. Question number one: which element or elements have you awakened?"
"I awakened the wind element."
I answered without any hesitation in my voice, even though I was sweating inside at the thought of being discovered.
Meanwhile, the scientist wrote something in a notebook.
"Only wind, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"According to your records, your potential was between four and five stars. You passed a trial during your awakening, correct? Tell me about it."
I paused briefly to think, then spoke.
"I was in a field, and I had to reach my element. As I got closer, there was a wind pushing me back. It was annoying, but not strong enough to stop me."
Yeah, I had changed the story a bit. If I was going to lie, I might as well go all the way.
"You were alone when the awakening occurred. Do you know roughly how long it lasted?"
I thought back to Number 7 and Victor's awakenings, then replied.
"I always wake up fifteen minutes before the guard arrives. Right after waking up, my awakening started, and shortly after it ended, my door opened. So I think it lasted around ten minutes."
As I spoke, I realized just how lucky I had been to awaken in my room at night.
My awakening had definitely lasted at least a couple of hours.
It wasn't strange, considering the soul fusion… but if those lunatics found out, what would happen to me?
The thought of becoming experimental material sent a chill down my spine.
Another thing I noticed was that, after awakening, there didn't seem to be a precise way to measure someone's potential.
Otherwise, these questions would be completely useless.
In fact, these questions were probably far more personal than I initially thought—but these bastards clearly didn't care about my privacy.
"Last question: if you had to evaluate the intelligence level of your element's avatar, what would you say?"
What a weird question. I didn't say that out loud.
"An animal… maybe a bit stupid?"
I'm sorry, Aurora.
He nodded.
"Good. Now place your hand on this stone and channel some mana into it to confirm your element."
The scientist pulled out a small, colorless crystal-like stone from his pocket.
I knew it. There was the catch.
"To help you, try to think about using your element—perhaps create a small gust of wind."
Oh! So that meant it could only detect one element at a time? I mentally thanked the wonderful stone that had just become my savior.
I did as instructed, imagining using only the wind element. Fortunately, the result didn't surprise me: the stone began to glow with a bright green light.
After writing something else in his notebook, the scientist turned to look at me.
"Good. The results are as expected. You are an awakened with four-star potential who has awakened the wind element. Any questions?"
I didn't show it, but I was incredibly happy with my evaluation.
Luckily, I wasn't like those novel protagonists who can't control their powers and end up blowing up devices with their overwhelming potential.
For me, this was a victory. I had also held back a lot when releasing my mana—I stopped as soon as the stone started glowing, just to be safe.
I'm getting off track. The lab coat bastard had asked if I had any questions. So, with all the innocence of a ten-year-old child, I asked:
"What were those questions for, sir?"
The scientist replied with a smile.
"You see, first you need to understand what awakening is…"
I had forgotten how much this guy liked to talk…
In simple terms, everyone's body—not just awakened individuals—interacted with mana.
The body acted like a bridge between mana and what was defined as our "soul essence."
If the body was compatible enough with mana, a human could awaken.
So, based on our body, our soul essence, and how they interacted with mana, everything was determined: possible awakening, elements, and potential.
The problem was that studying the interaction between mana and soul essence was currently impossible with the existing level of technology.
So other methods were used to determine an individual's actual potential.
That explained the initial test we took upon arriving at the base, and the questions about awakening duration, element intelligence, and soul trial difficulty…
I also learned that if an element displayed human-level intelligence, your potential was at least six stars.
Yeah, based solely on Harry's behavior, if I survived long enough, I would become a monster in this world.
Additionally, there were a total of three soul trials, but not everyone was qualified to face them.
The first was the awakening trial. The second was called the body trial and was faced by any two-star awakened who wanted to reach three stars.
The last was the ascension trial, faced by any five-star awakened who wanted to reach six stars.
If you failed the first trial, no matter your potential, you would be stuck as a one-star awakened forever. Honestly, I would've preferred knowing that earlier.
Naturally, if you failed the other two trials, you would remain a two-star or five-star awakened for the rest of your life.
That reminded me of the moment when I felt like Harry and Aurora were judging me—it wasn't just a feeling!
After what felt like hours, Professor Claude,who had introduced himself at some point, finally finished his lecture about why it was important to cut us open to uncover the secrets of human awakening.
A madman.
Then the atmosphere in the room changed.
"…however, Number 33, it's a shame. The initial test showed a good chance of five-star potential, but you have disappointed the organization's expectations. Take him to the disciplinary room."
"Wha—"
I didn't even finish speaking before I felt a blow to the back of my head.
Everything went dark.