"Well, I've arrived at this rotten police station."
Nox stood in front of the only police station in the area, a very small one with no more than 40 staff members. Either way, Noox was thinking about recent events, especially his failed suicide attempt.
"Oh God, this is going to be exhausting, but I can't run away from it," Nox complained as he entered the station and headed toward the officer sitting at a desk in the reporting section.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
The officer said without even lifting his head, looking as if he was bored of his job. He was a middle-aged man, brown hair, ordinary black eyes, and a thin body for a policeman. He clearly seemed like an ordinary person, not someone awakened; only an normal person would work in such a neglected neighborhood.
"I've awakened, and as far as I know, I should report this to the police."
The officer paused from typing on his computer and looked up in surprise.
"Y-You… what?"
"I've awakened. Why, does being a cop make you deaf or something?" Nox said sarcastically. After all, he hated the police and would never miss an opportunity to mock them.
' I'm awake now, so I can be a little arrogant too. This is your fault for not taking your job seriously,' the officer finally replied, recovering from his confusion.
"Sorry, please wait; I'll call my Boss."
The officer said this as he rushed toward the chief's office, making a commotion that drew curious glances from everyone.
"Heh, what an idiot. Now everyone will know I've awakened. Don't these cops even use their brains?"
Anyway, now the station chief would arrive himself, and serious conversations would begin. Hopefully, they wouldn't have the ability to sense attributes, or everything would go to waste.
Two minutes later, the foolish officer returned with a man who was clearly in his fifties, black hair streaked with silver, brown eyes, and a short mustache. He looked like a typical officer, but his confident stride made it obvious he wouldn't be intimidated by a single awakened.
"Hello, I'm the Officer in Charge here. My name is Alexander. How should I address you?"
Oh, clearly someone was trying to be polite. After all, even the weakest awakened could easily kill humans.
"You can call me Nox."
"Then, Mr. Nox, would you mind if we moved our conversation somewhere more private? I suspect you wouldn't want strangers listening." Alexander said, glancing at the people around.
"I agree. Lead the way, please." Nox replied, already walking.
...
Alexander took him to his private office. Nox sat on a brown leather chair, while Alexander sat across a small table.
"Would you like something to drink?"
Alexander offered.
'Hmm, I don't want to be over thinking but is there a chance the drink contains some serum that could reveal me? Better ask for a glass of water; it will be easier to notice if something's wrong.'
"Water, please."
Alexander looked at the officer—whose name seemed to be Mark—and fortunately, he hadn't acted foolishly and went to bring the water.
"Anyway, Mr. Nox, can you tell me how you became awakened?" Alexander asked, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to appear authoritative.
'He seems foolish too. Does he think changing his tone will scare me? I'm not easily intimidated, even without the Dark Shard.'
"Officer, as far as you know, Shards are acquired in three ways. The first, is obtaining them from the Abyss World, but this is exclusive to those already awakened."
While Nox spoke, Mark entered, carrying a glass of cold water and black coffee, placed them quietly on the table, and left.
Nox drank the water before continuing.
"The second way is to find Shards in our world, and as known, Shards appear randomly, most likely in ancient areas. The third is inheriting the fragment from one's family." Nox paused to see if the officer was paying attention.
"I know this, Mr. Nox. Since the first method was impossible for you, it's clear you found it. Because, with all my respect, if you had inherited your Shard, it wouldn't have come to me."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Officer, but you're almost wrong."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Alexander's eyes widened, leaning forward with curiosity.
"As you see, Officer, I am an orphan, but I possessed a necklace my father gave me. They thought it was just a special stone and decided to give it to a newborn child. It happened that today is 7/21, my birthday, and apparently, my good luck decided to activate the fragment I carried all my life without knowing it."
'Yes, a good story. After all, a good lie must contain some truth.' Nox felt proud of his well-crafted plan.
"What luck! To think someone would consider a fragment worthless, just a stone. I bet many people would kill themselves if they knew this," Alexander sighed, expressing obvious envy.
"So, Mr. Nox, I need to register your fragment type. Can you tell me its power?" Alexander asked politely, though it was clear he wouldn't accept any other answer.
"Certainly, I awakened the Dark Fragment."
Looks like I can't hide this, but I'll hide the attribute no matter what.
"Oh, Dark? I haven't heard of a Shards like that. It seems to be a new type. As far as I know, each Shards grants a special attribute. Can you tell me yours?"
"Do I have to?" Noox said, narrowing his eyes. Logically, the attribute is important; revealing it allows the other party to know your weakness, so I shouldn't disclose it.
"To be honest, children of noble families don't reveal their attributes, but it's different for the public. We need to ensure that unknown individuals don't cause massacres."
Alexander spoke with clear reasoning. What if an unstable unknown awakened person with a deadly attribute came and killed people? No one would know their identity even if they registered as awakened.
"My attribute allows me to see in the dark."
'Good, I didn't lie. I can see easily in the dark. This must be linked to the Dark Fragment itself.'
"Oh, what a great attribute! Congratulations, Mr. Nox," Alexander expressed his genuine happiness.
"Alright, we've finished recording the necessary information. Now, Mr. Nox, as an officially awakened , you must enter the National Training Academy. This will help you learn combat and self-defense, and also help you control your Shard."
"Alright, I know what this academy is, but isn't it too late for me at 19? I don't want to be among spoiled kids," Nox complained, knowing the academy was mostly filled with children from wealthy families.
"Don't worry, most of them are between 17 and 20 years old, so you're perfectly suitable. The academy also has a strict training system and forbids using status there," Alexander reassured him, dispelling his negative thoughts.
"In any case, we'll arrange for someone to take you to the academy. You can stay here until they arrive."
"Thanks for your kindness. If you don't mind, can I sleep? I feel exhausted after awakening." Nox was serious; he hadn't eaten for two days, and the suicide attempt had affected him physically and mentally. Awakening itself was painful and exhausting, and he barely managed to come to the station.
"Understood. Take your time, Mr. Nox. You can sleep on the couch. I must leave to take care of some matters, forgive me."
After saying this, Alexander left the office, leaving Nox alone.
"Finally, he's gone. I should sleep a little," Nox said, lying on the couch and closing his eyes.
'When I wake up, I'll have to deal with annoying things, so I'll enjoy this last moment of peace.'
Nox stopped thinking and let the world of dreams take him