Laz regretted not having to give the serpent dragon a name before it vanished. How was he going to summon it when needed?
At this thought, he understood that since they had bonded energies together, making use of the Sword gifted to him by the creature was going to have a successful effect on future summoning.
'Until then.'
Bracing himself, he stared into the rift of void, covered with blue sparkling energy and walked forward into it.
And, disappeared with a flash.
***
Streaks of glimmering blue energy tore through space, slithering through layers of unforeseen existence in the air. It moved with distorting shocks that wrapped around its form like spirals, and for a moment, the world around it seemed to blur, until the blue streak halted.
Then, a figure emerged from it in front of a colossal door that loomed like a gate enclosed in a building. The surrounding air warped slightly, waving the silver hairs of the figure backward.
"What was that just now?" the figure, which appeared to be Laz, spoke, still shocked.
But his surprises were yet to end when a gust of wind caused the doors to groan, then burst open with a loud clang against their adjacent walls. What followed was a gale — invisible in air — surging into the hall behind the colossal doors like a tidal wave of pressure and presence.
HUH!
Everyone in the hall gasped as they discerned the figure that had caused this great chaos with a sweep of unnatural power. Slowly, the energy wrapped around the figure dwindled until it vanished.
Like the beholders in the hall, Laz's eyes met theirs with shock, unknown to him, what might have caused their much attention towards him.
Then, turning to explore the environs of the hall, his jaw dropped.
"Wow."
The hall was vastly spacious and majestic. Its ceiling, high above, mirrored the crimson clouds and sparkling stars of the sky outside, as if the building had no roof; it was an enchanted ceiling.
Four long tables stretched across, each table containing as many bearers as is required to contain any population in the hall. Empty tall seats were found here and there, proof that not many initial bearers had made it back.
Not knowing how to ascertain the many eyes that landed on him, Laz grinned and began to walk forward along the aisle of the hall.
After a while of walking, he came to a halt in front of an empty seat, with not many bearers occupying the table and settled down on it.
"With the last surviving bearer, shall we begin?!" a soft, sweet voice echoed from the stage before the bearers.
YES!
The lady, who owned the voice earlier, and seemed to be moderating the ceremony that was foregoing, stood out in front of the crowd, and rolled her eyes around the hall to discern the bearers present.
Her posture was elegant, with a quiet commanding presence. Her skin was smooth, fair complexion, and her dark hair flowed down to her waist in silken waves.
The aura with which she made every moment proved she was just no ordinary person to the formalities of the world they were in. Maybe she could be one of the celestial beings.
'But, she is beauty in balance,' Laz thought before the lady's voice interrupted.
"I am Lady Hissterion," she announced, causing silence to traverse the hall at once.
"You can call me Lady Hiss," she added, letting a smile tug at her lips. "I formally welcome you all to the Hall of Awakening. Huh, don't mistake it for a dining hall or so, this entertainment set-up is actually to congratulate our surviving bearers."
An uproar shot through the crowd, each bearer clapping more for themselves than for her speech, for having made it back.
Meanwhile, Laz was seated at his desk, not enjoying the moment with his fellows.
'Yes, they can call me a foodie if they want to,' he thought, his eyes locking on the several dishes already served on the table. 'So, finding myself here was what I needed?'
"Good though," he muttered, stretching his hands to almost get them on the laps of the chicken on the plate close to him, and withdrew them. "Hold on a little longer."
"...you have nothing to worry about now. Since you already survived the Land of Call, overcoming trials that claimed many others. That's a feat, and if not for your number, I would hand down a thumbs up to everyone of you, hehe," the Lady mentioned, surprising the onlookers who had discerned her with a serious perspective.
She, however, continued. "Now, you all are entitled to awaken. Your only worry should be what Bloodline am I to awaken? No bloodline is bad. No talent is bad as well. And no ability is a curse. All that matters is your ability to make use of them in the Land of Testament."
A sudden quietness swept across the hall, replacing the initial bustle of murmurs.
Lady Hiss's tone changed from playful to serious as she took a step forward. With each step she made, the floor beneath her feet responded with a soft pulse of glowing white light.
"The Land of Testament shares a slight difference with the Land of Call, you all shall know in due time. However, as bearers, you are faced with simple yet brutal priorities.
Survive.
Awaken.
And Ascend."
The bearers seemed to find their voices as a hum went through the room. Whispers filled the moment, before getting silenced with a raise of Lady Hiss's hand.
"The second priority is not brutal, but is necessary. It is what will determine how you ascend in the Land of Testament.
Mind you, you ascend not only to glory, but to solve the world puzzle that had caused Chaos to befall Ellipse," she explained and looked at the huge ticking clock on the wall in the corner of the hall.
"Okay, okay, we are running out of time. Let me not emphasize too many concepts you will find as you retire to your resting rooms. This night is solely for Awakening, nothing more. But I must add, all bearers are exposed to death triangles."
Then, she turned to the center of the stage, where three ascending steps emerged from the ground in the shape of a triangular podium. As they solidified, lines of energy formed between them like veins pulsing with cosmic blood, before causing an eruption of crimson to shoot out from the opening it created on its top.
Lady Hiss went over to the podium and looked into it before returning her gaze to the crowd of bearers.
"The procedures are easy. Step onto the stage, move over to the podium, put your hand into the podium and pull out a card. The card will dissolve in your hands, and whatever happens after that is left for me to take note."
She looked once again at the inquisitive faces of the bearers, and satisfied that they understood her, looked up into the plaque ceiling. The sound of a gong echoed from nowhere and yet everywhere.
And as she spread her hands, she announced. "Let the Awakening Commence."
***
"Sich Timo," Lady Hiss called out.
A dark-haired boy, with naturally pale eyes and a grumpy appearance, stood up from his table and walked to the stage.
Once he was on stage, he followed the steps according to Lady Hiss's instructions and put his right hand on the podium. Bringing it out, a red card shone bright on his palm, before dissolving menacingly.
Then, an oval-shaped, transparent cloak covered him, and with the collective gasps that filled the hall, everyone thought he had vanished. Just as their thoughts were about becoming their beliefs, he appeared again, and runes began to form on a wooden board, placed high above on the wall behind the stage.
The information displayed on the board was clear to everybody, except the abilities and weaknesses, which were blurred from the sight of the bearers. Lady Hiss, however, was still going to announce the clear results.
"Sich Timo has awakened a Red Talent ranked Awakened. His bloodline, Drakenvorne, and he has got himself an amazing origin. Primordial Flame."
The hall erupted with cheers and congratulatory messages from the bearers. The fact was that your bloodline and origin don't matter much during awakening. What mattered was the Talent and Rank.
Ranks are categorized according to the talent one awakens, and they both determine the master of whatever ability your bloodline offered you.
There are seven talents: Black, Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Violet and White. The connotations are accordingly based on the naming arrangements.
For instance, Timo, who awakened a Red Talent, was ranked Awakened. If any other person were to awaken a Green talent, they would be ranked Evolved.
While that was the formality of awakening, the possibilities are also rare since the ranks one gained are also determined by the number of soul cores the person was able to absorb in the Land of Call.
'Wait, so this means he was able to get his hands on killing monsters who gave him more than 50 cores? And he still left that brutal world before me?'
Laz's eyes widened at the thought as he watched Timo come to settle on the table beside his.
The noise caused by the cheers vanished as other bearers were called upon for the Awakening. The process was the same as that of Timo, except the results were no longer outstanding.
None of them were able to awaken past a Black talent, even though they all got amazing bloodlines: Ignisheart, Nocturane, Drakenvorne, Valkrynt, Sylverune and Mortanis.
However, the short-lived joy that had appeared on Lady Hiss's face after Timo awakened appeared once a name was called, and the results showed.
"Chelsea Mint."
A girl with pale bronze skin and rusted smoky hair walked slowly from her table. She ascended the podium and stood there for a while before doing as others did.
Once her results showed on the board, gasps filled the hall.
"Amazing! She has awakened a Blue talent and so, is ranked Ascended," Lady Hiss announced with joy tinged in her tone.
'What?' Laz scrubbed his eyes to be sure he was seeing right. Still in doubt, he rubbed his fingers into his eyes as if to ascertain a clear sound of Lady Hiss's voice.
'She absorbed more than 200 soul cores?'
...
"Her bloodline is Nocturane, and she has been endowed with the origin, Dying Star."
The cheers this time were more than when Timo awakened.
There were two last bearers to awaken.
Laz.
And, "Tyler Stelz," the moderator called out.
The girl walked up to the stage, and she also achieved a marvelous result.
"Talent: Green, Rank: Evolved, Bloodline: Sylverune and her Origin, Speaking Nature."
The expectations of other bearers after seeing Chelsea's awakening results lowered, but they, however, still congratulated Tyler and cheered her. She was still the second top awakened bearer as far as the present was concerned.
"And finally, the last Bearer... Lazy Man."