The floor, which carried the podium on which Laz had fallen, still sparked with faint traces of the energy storm that had enveloped him moments earlier.
"Laz Mann?" the soft, urgent voice repeated.
Laz blinked as his vision slowly cleared. Before him was the tall woman in a flowing silver robe, kneeling beside him. She touched him gently on his temple, possibly to check if the energy from the lightning had affected him.
"The shock must have drained your spirit flow. Don't worry," she said, and was about to dash to find whatever Laz didn't know about, but he held her hand.
"I'm fine," Laz mumbled with a groan. "Help me up first."
Lady Hiss, the Awakening moderator, helped him sit up and with a firm grip, pulled him up to his feet. Other bearers watched carefully to understand what had happened, some used the opportunity for hushed gossip.
"Okay!" Lady Hiss's voice brought silence to the crowd as she turned to the board behind, where each Bearer's awakening information was found.
"Laz Mann has awakened..."
She fell silent immediately, a smile tugging on her lips.
Over the years, it was rare to find a Bearer who was able to awaken past the Initiate Rank. They always got the Black talent, and so, they started their journey in the Land of Testament as beginners.
But, due to the recent changes and resources provided for prospective Bearers before they embarked on their trials in the Land of Call: Survival Manuals, Tips and Guidelines, and even private tutors, the result of today's awakening was distinguishing.
Not only did they find someone who was able to awaken the Awakened Rank talent, but they also found the Evolved and the Ascended. And now, the result on the board is showing another excellent outcome.
"He has awakened a Blue Talent and bears the Rank of the Ascended," Lady Hiss blurted.
The hall erupted into cheers and murmurs of expectation.
"I'm not too surprised..."
"If he didn't awaken something great, I'd be very much disappointed..."
"I mean, did you see the dazzle of energy on his cloak while he entered?"
From the moment of Laz's grand entrance into the hall, people expected that he was already going to be one of their powerful brethren. The aura he extinguished, and the confidence with which he had carried himself, already hinted at his greatness.
Now, they all waited to hear the bloodline and possibly, his origin.
Even though what mattered was the Talent and Rank of a Bearer, the bloodline also served as a major boosting factor to ascertain the survival of whosoever.
For instance, Timo had awakened a Red Talent and was of the Drakenvorne. If Laz was to awaken the same bloodline with him, they were not going to be on the same par of power.
What did this job of power differentiation was the core that each of them was able to absorb. Naturally, a bearer of an Ascended rank should have been able to absorb at least 200 soul cores, which was the determinant in refining the energy level and strength of the bearer.
But, given all these facts, Laz knew there was a mistake somewhere.
From what he could remember from his experience in the Land of Call, he wasn't even able to absorb up to 50 soul cores. Maybe, if he had killed the dragon snake, his reward would be marvelous, but how come?
Looking back at the teacher, he noticed that the mood her face showed had changed to disappointment.
'The results should have corrected themselves.'
Gasps erupted, causing Laz to turn to the crowd. Several hands flew to their mouths, and some who had their head caps on even took them off.
"Laz has inherited an Animagus bloodline." Lady Hiss's voice didn't sound joyful this time.
"And, why is his Origin still erased?"
"I've never heard about an Animagus bloodline."
"Does it mean his destiny is tied to a revolution of the future?"
"Let's just say, your assumption will forever be a myth."
"No, maybe respected as a Legend."
Laughter ensued.
"..."
The Bearers from the hall couldn't let Lady Hiss finish with her announcement. They began to make claims based on what lay before them.
Laz couldn't move his leg, even though he didn't want to move it yet. He still wanted to understand what his awakening outcome meant.
From the face Lady Hiss is putting on, it only meant it doesn't mean a good thing. So, what then?
"Ma? I don't understand what's going on?" Laz's calm voice asked.
"You awakened a rare bloodline," Lady Hiss replied bluntly, covering the thick book hovering in the air before her.
The hall went still as everyone wanted to hear what their moderator had to say about the bloodline.
"Your Bloodline has never been recorded in our manuals, and I'm sorry to say, but the last time something like this happened, the bearer faced a quick death."
WOAH!
"But that aura earlier when he entered the hall..."
"Hehe, never judge a book by its cover."
"True. The Pedestal of Awakening is an object that tests both our inside-out to produce our awakening results."
"..."
"So, ma, are you trying to say that I should lose hope because I awakened a Rare Bloodline?" Laz asked; he still wanted to be sure.
"Not necessarily," Lady Hiss replied. "It's just that we have no way to offer assistance to any bearer with a rare bloodline since we wouldn't be able to adopt survival methods for such a bearer."
Putting the book of names by her side, she sighed. "Congratulations, Laz Mann. Only that Bearers with such bloodlines tend to have a 0.1% survival rate in the Land of Testament."
She gave him a forced smile. "Good luck."
'Just tell me to lose hope, even if bluntly, and stop biting about the bush,' Laz was angered in his thoughts and began to make his way down to his seat.
"You may now return to the celebration," Lady Hiss turned to the crowd, who cheered in return. "Once you are done, find a suitable room for your rest tonight. Tomorrow, you will face the Land of Testament."
She said this and turned to leave. "Rest wisely," she finally muttered and vanished from sight.
The hall dissolved into a sea of murmurs and stares, but Laz said nothing.
He returned to his table, still carrying his shoulders high. And there, under the gaze of multiple bearers, he did the one thing no one expected someone in his situation would do.
'The fact remained that I awakened a bloodline, and even a high talent. So, whatever.'
He thought as he shoved the leg of a chicken into his mouth.
Laz had returned to eat.
Comfortably, Laz only focused on making the balls and laps of meat before him make their way into his stomach, before averting his gaze to the cheese and other dishes on the table.
Other Bearers had also turned to their enjoyment, chatting away their time.
The Awakening Ceremony served as a get-together for Bearers to know more about themselves.
Laz was the only exception to this notion, or was he?
Before him, a translucent, sky-blue screen appeared, and in his mind, he could hear a voice reading out what was in view.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Laz Mann, your awakening was completed some time ago in the Land of Call ↑»
Laz gulped, dropping the bone he held in his hand.
'So, what just happened in this hall?'
«↓ Your Appraisal ↑»
'Wait, are you for real? That failure was my appraisal?'
«↓ Laz Mann, do not rush the system ↑»
...
«↓ Processing your Appraisal Results ↑»
«↓ ... ↑»
«↓ ... ↑»
«↓ Completed ↑»
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laz's eyes widened.
He expected to see a different result.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Name: Laz Mann ↑»
«↓ Age: 18 ↑»
«↓ Status: Bearer ↑»
«↓ Bloodline: Animagus |
«↓ Origin: The Right and Wrong ↑»
«↓ Talent: Blue ↑»
«↓ Rank: Ascended ↑»
«↓ Rank Core: [37/50] ↑»
«↓ Core Trait: Transformation |
«↓ Ability: Summoning |
«↓ Weakness: Reflection |
«↓ You might want to check out the various descriptions ↑»
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Of course," Laz verbalized.
There were many misconceptions from the appraisal that the screen showed. Then, why was it asking him to calm down?
How can he awaken a Blue talent with an Ascended rank, and his Rank Core was still less than fifty?
Has the awakening system actually developed a fault, or maybe it's glitching?
Well, he was going to check out the various descriptions. Maybe he would understand better by doing so.
Just as he was about to reach his hand to the screen, a hand tapped his shoulder.
He turned and froze.
It was her.
The girl he could have been on par with, if not for the rare bloodline. The girl who stood above all others as the top Awakener of their time.
"Hey," she said with a calm and measured voice.
"Hi." Laz stuffed the last bite of cheese into his mouth, causing the girl to chuckle.