POV Dex:
"Why? Just why is the person who was supposed to be the Blood Ice Queen holding hands with me? This makes absolutely no sense at all."
Those thoughts ran through Dex's mind as he felt the cold hand of Selene clasping his own.
"Pheeeeep!" Echidna whistled lightly.
"It was you, damn dragon!?" he thought in fury.
"I might have something to do with it, but you can't really blame me."
Then she began to explain: "Remember, I'm a Dark Dragon, and we're bound by a contract?"
"Yes."
"Vampires are weak against holy energy, which is abundant in the Elven Continent since it's produced by the World Tree. But around you, there's a layer of dark mana that partially nullifies the sacred mana."
She continued: "But I think the real reason… is you."
"How could the real reason be me?"
"Do you think it was just coincidence that you possessed this exact body?" she said, in a serious tone for the first time in a long while.
Confused, he asked: "What do you mean by that?"
And back to her teasing voice: "That's something you'll have to figure out yourself."
Dex rolled his eyes and continued walking hand in hand with Selene toward the Awakening Hall.
One of the attendants approached a woman at the entrance.
"Lady Marlene, could you guide the lovebirds to their seats?"
She chuckled, noticing Dex's blushing face and Selene's growing smile.
"Of course."
She led them inside. The hall was shaped like an auditorium, with enough seats to accommodate at least a thousand people. At the center stood a platform with two distinct altars: the Awakening Altar and the Predestined Item Altar.
This was the place where the true journey began in the game—and where one of its most memorable scenes occurred: "The Birth of the Hero."
"I think the young couple can sit here," she said, giving them a playful wink.
"Thank you," Dex replied as the woman took her leave.
Right after, he felt a tug on his hand. The young vampire, already seated, gestured for him to sit beside her. With no choice, he did.
Still confused about everything that had happened so far with Selene, Dex decided to question her before the rituals began.
"Before this starts… why me?"
"What do you mean by that, honey?"
"We've never met in our lives. I don't even know your name, and I doubt you know mine! So why are we holding hands, and why is everyone looking at us like we're a couple!?"
Hearing Dex's words, Selene lost her smile. Her grip loosened on his hand.
Lowering her head, she whispered as if on the verge of tears:
"I… I was being too forward? You don't like me?"
Realizing he had gone too far, Dex hurried to fix it.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. My name is Dex. And yours?"
Sniff-sniff.
Still a little teary-eyed, she answered:
"My name is Selene."
Seeing her eyes glisten, Dex—for the first time—took her hand willingly, intertwining their fingers.
"I'm not upset, see?"
Her eyes welled up with tears once more.
Dex panicked again.
"Why are you crying now?"
"B-because it's the first time you've shown me anything other than indifference. I'm so happy, and I don't even know why."
"My heart races only for you, even though we just met today. I don't know why either."
"The only thing I know is that when I'm by your side… I can't control myself."
Selene took a deep, shaky breath and spoke again, softer this time:
"I also think it's strange… I've never been like this. But even so, I still want to stay by your side."
Without words, Dex squeezed her hand tighter, leaned closer, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Selene trembled, but slowly a small smile formed at the tender gesture.
Unbeknownst to the two, part of the auditorium had overheard Selene's love confession—sparking what would become the biggest wave of gossip the Academy had ever seen.
After about half an hour of waiting, the most anticipated moment of these young cadets' lives arrived.
A wolf-type Beastman stood on the Awakening platform. He was tall, around 1.87 meters, with dark hair and fur. His physique alone made it obvious he was an aura user.
Clap!!!!
With crushing force, he clapped his hands together, and the sound silenced everyone. It was so strong that even Selene squeezed Dex's hand tighter.
"I am Vice-Director Dorian Ironfang, and this year I will oversee the ceremonies of the five hundred first-year students."
"We will conduct this test in order of birth. Both rituals will be performed one after the other."
"Cadet Thomas BigRiver, step forward and begin your Awakening."
Selene, ignoring the ritual, leaned closer and asked Dex:
"When's your birthday, honey?"
"December 18th. And you?"
Her eyes widened, both shocked and happy.
"Mine too—December 18th."
Hearing that, Dex remembered Echidna's words about possessing this body. But his thoughts were interrupted by the next call.
"Cadet Lyra Ironfang, step forward and begin your Awakening."
For the first time, the usually expressionless Vice-Director revealed a faint smile at the sight of his youngest niece—but it quickly vanished.
Lyra Ironfang. That was the name of the warrior who would later become part of the hero's party, one of the main heroines of the story. If Dex had to describe her in one word, it would be Uncontrollable—and that stemmed from the power she would awaken today.
She had blue hair, wolf ears, and a tail. Among the game's fans, she was one of the most beloved heroines due to her beauty and her striking personality.
Reaching the top of the platform, she approached the Awakening Altar and placed her hand on the orb. Until now, it looked like an ordinary crystal ball—but it suddenly shone crimson. That energy surged into her body, and she glowed red.
"Lyra Ironfang has awakened as a Knight of the subclass Berserker."
Still radiating remnants of her freshly awakened aura, she moved toward the Predestined Item Altar. Following instructions, she picked up the small knife on the altar, made a shallow cut on her finger, and let the blood drip onto the ancient runes.
The moment her blood touched them, the runes blazed scarlet. Crimson lightning formed around the object being summoned. Its shape emerged as that of a massive warhammer—but not an ordinary one.
It was the warhammer last wielded in the Ancient Era, forged millennia ago from the body of the Fire Ancestral Dragon, Volkris!