"And with that, the Awakening Ceremony officially concludes. To those among you who have awakened, I charge you to become the unyielding rays of light for our kingdom, for the future of Terris now rests upon your shoulders. To those who have not yet awakened, do not allow your hearts to despair; your spark simply awaits its destined moment, and a second chance remains for you when you reach your eighteenth year. Understand clearly that Awakening is not the end, but rather the founding stone of the long journey ahead. BE RELENTLESS. BE UNBREAKABLE. BE THE LEGEND TERRIS DESERVES. GLORY TO TERRIS!"
"GLORY TO TERRIS!!!" the students roared in response.
As the Headmaster stepped down from the stage, a new official took his place at the lectern. He wore a crisp black shirt and military-grade trousers; his hair was cut short and precise, and he carried the unmistakable, heavy aura of a seasoned general.
"Good day, students. I am Paul Maxwell, the Guild Head of the Ravenrock Awakeners Guild. It is an honor to meet you all."
The crowd erupted once more, this time fueled by a mixture of raw respect and awe. Every student in the hall looked at Paul with esteemed gazes. In the Ravenrock province, the position of Guild Head held immense importance. Ever since the unification of the Empire, the old kingdoms had been dismantled and rebranded as provinces, and the Awakeners Guild was the hand that governed them. The Guild served as the primary military might of the Empire; in short, Paul Maxwell was the Guardian of Ravenrock—the most powerful individual in the region.
Paul raised a hand, instantly silencing the applause to proceed with his announcement. "As you well know, the looming threat of the dimensional war is upon us. Though we are holding them back for now and the conflict has reached a stalemate, that peace can shatter at any moment. It is better to be prepared than to lose this war to overconfidence. That is why we have begun recruiting at your age; we must prevent another Great Descent at all costs." He gripped the edges of the lectern, his voice hardening into a growl.
"Those wicked and scheming Aethelgardians must be eradicated from our lands and driven back to their own dimension. We will not fail our fallen brothers and sisters. Now, Awakeners, it is your turn to fight. Officials will guide you to the Guild Hall in the center of the city. After registering, you will be sent to training camps and then deployed to the front lines. That is all. GLORY TO TERRIS!"
After the announcement concluded, twenty officials led us from our seats to the assigned buses that would take us to the Guild Hall. As one official performed a final headcount, he couldn't help but frown; only fifty-three students in our batch of a thousand had successfully Awakened. While it wasn't an abysmally low number for a forced Awakening, it was still well below the yearly average.
As the bus pulled away from the school, William—who had once again snagged the seat next to me—was practically vibrating with that same excited gaze.
"So, Kurt, what's your skill? And what rank is it?" he whispered urgently. "The official announced you had A-Rank Talent, so you definitely have a high-ranking skill to match!"
A-Rank Talent. I hadn't even heard the official's announcement earlier; I had been too engrossed in the strange, overwhelming sensation of the Mana compiling in my chest.
"Let's talk later, William," I said, keeping my voice low. "When we're somewhere private. I don't think we should be announcing this in public."
Only a fool would openly broadcast their Innate Skill and its description. In a world defined by dimensional war and constant intrigue—where the strong command the weak and the law of the jungle prevails—the last thing an Awakener wants is for someone to learn their secrets. Knowledge is a weapon; if your enemy knows your skill, they can produce countermeasures. In this world, that kind of slip-up is exactly what gets you killed.
As our bus neared its destination, the massive stone citadel finally loomed over the horizon. It rose from the earth like a titan, its base as wide as a football field and its peak disappearing into the high clouds. The structure was an imposing feat of engineering, built in eight massive, tapered segments that stacked atop one another like a heavy, armored spire. Thousands of narrow windows were carved into its dark, smooth stone sides, reflecting the pale sky.
We came to a halt at the main entrance. Looking up from the foot of the fortress made me feel even smaller than I had from afar; the building didn't just stand there—it seemed to pierce the heavens.
"Welcome, Awakeners. I will be your guide. Please follow me to the registration area of the Guild Hall."
A female official greeted us with a professional smile and began leading us toward the interior. The moment we stepped inside the tower, the sheer scale of the architecture was overwhelming. The halls were colossal, and the ceiling of the first floor was so high it made the space feel endless.
As we continued walking through various counters, we encountered a group of enlisted Awakeners. They were dressed like soldiers in black attire and black garrison caps. You would think that an Awakeners Guild would handle mercenaries or adventurers like those in RPGs, but the reality is different. The Guild is strictly military, and it looks like every awakened soldier in the province is garrisoned right here.