Before they could ask Lucan about it, a loud voice interrupted not only them but every other group as well.
"Silence." Rebecca's cold voice echoed, causing all the students to immediately shut their mouths.
"Till now, I have given you all plenty of time to get a little familiar with your teammates," she said.
"And now, before we move to the next step, let me brief you with some basic knowledge. Although it may be something your parents or guardians might have already told you along with teaching you common reading and writing.
So let us talk about the Human Federation."
She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. Seeing that, the students below straightened their backs and focused more on her.
"Our world, five hundred years ago, was a normal world. There were no powers, no extraordinary things, only plain humans living across our planet Greystar within their respective countries.
But on February 21st, 1896, people all around the world felt huge tremors as if the land itself was turning over, causing mass destruction across the entire planet.
The top countries, along with smaller ones, decided to face this situation together, gathering troops, food, and supplies. But they had no idea what was about to begin.
The movement continue for 7 days, Soon after, they discovered that their lands had changed. Distances between towns and cities had grown larger, as if someone had inserted new land between them. A town that was once close to another was now twice or thrice as far. Countries that once shared borders were now hundreds of miles apart, and this became the new normal.
Then they realized that the world had increased to hundreds of times its original size. Communication failures became common, and both major and minor problems began to appear one after another."
She continued, "The countries were in shambles, houses were destroyed, and great monuments had collapsed like discarded sandcastles. Humans became homeless, wandering with nowhere to go.
Just when they thought things could not get any worse, they appeared."
As she finished that line, a deep emotion flickered in Rebecca's eyes, different from her usual coldness.
"The Dread Beasts," she said, her tone heavier as she went on.
"The embodiment of hatred, the enemies of all living things.
Cursed souls, dark fallen ones. They were the beings that descended upon this world, bringing with them endless malice.
From being at the top of the food chain, humans were dragged down, once again becoming weak and humble prey just like thousands of years ago.
Modern weapons were useless. Even nuclear bombs could only kill the weaker ones, while the stronger Dread Beasts treated such attacks as nothing more than toys.
Countries fell, humans were slaughtered, and the very air smelled of blood. The land was covered in bones and rubble.
Survivors scattered, living in small groups and constantly on the run. Some were lucky enough to never encounter a Dread Beast, while others were wiped out in an instant.
This continued for the next fifty-three years. Humanity was on the brink of extinction, living like insects, terrified to even show themselves for fear of being crushed."
Rebecca paused again, taking a deep breath. This time, there was a faint tremor in her voice - not of fear, but a kind of deep excitement.
"But then, humans finally had enough," she said firmly. "A group of our human ancestors finally stood up. They used their own flesh and blood as bait, their knowledge as a sword, and their unity as a shield. After countless sacrifices, they managed to slay the weakest of the Dread Beasts."
"They used the blood and flesh of the beast and feasted on it. They took out its organs and transplanted them into their own bodies. As the trials continued, the corpse of the Dread Beast was completely used up.
But one was not enough. Then came two, three, four..... They did not stop. They kept hunting, one after another, using countless companions as sacrifices, trying to find that single ray of light while standing on a ladder built from the flesh and blood of their fallen comrades.
Yet even after countless attempts, it was all futile. Darkness surrounded them, mocking the helplessness of humans and the worthlessness of their sacrifices.
But then, the time for a miracle came. Just like when humans first learned to create fire, one small spark was all it took. They finally found a way for humanity to survive in this new and merciless world.
From that moment, the counterattack began. They started by hunting smaller Dread Beasts and merging with other survivors. After decades of living like insects, they finally established the first city, City No.001.
With that, their organization was born, known as the Human Federation, vowing to reclaim every inch of land that belonged to the Dread Beasts and to purge them completely from Greystar."
Rebecca's tone grew firmer as she continued.
"Now, it has been more than five hundred years. Through the sacrifices of countless humans, we have built two hundred forty-nine cities and pushed the Dread Beasts further and further back.
Our City No.203 was founded seventy-eight years ago, while the newest, City No.249, was established only two years ago.
And we will continue to expand, conquering this land until the Dread Beasts have nowhere left to hide, and humanity takes back its rightful place once again."
Rebecca finally stopped speaking, her tone gradually calming down as the spinning of her mechanical eye also slowed down.
Looking down, she saw that all the students and staff wore serious expressions. Their eyes reflected the same strong light that burned in hers.
After a small nod, she spoke again.
"Now, that is the basic history, and we will proceed with the Awakening Ceremony," she said calmly. "Group No.1, step forward."
At her command, the students of that group quickly moved to the front in an orderly line.
From the side, several staff members and security personnel stepped forward as well, carrying a large box engraved with complex runes. Four people held it carefully.
A few of them operated the mechanism, and with a clear click, the box opened.
Inside was a large spherical object surrounded by two rings, one vertical and the other horizontal, both floating and rotating in the air.
With the help of the staff, the sphere was placed onto a platform on the stage, and the ten students gathered around it.
"Mr. Jacob, you may begin," Rebecca said to the leader of the security personnel, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes, a long scar across his forehead, and a stern expression.
"Thanks , teacher Rebecca," he replied, giving Rebecca a short nod before stepping forward.