As one by one fragments awakened, most of them turned out to be common and normal as expected. Time passed quickly until it was finally Elara's and Cole's turn. Since they sat in the same row, a chubby boy I didn't recognize also went with them.
Elara, Cole, and the chubby boy stepped onto the elevated platforms and pressed their dominant hands against the stone pillar. Just like before, the entire structure began to glow. From Elara's side came a brilliant light blue, from Cole's side a steady grey, and from the third a faint blue shimmer.
Elara's fragment was unforgettable — a silvery-blue rectangle that enhanced brain power. The same fragment that had ultimately led to her death in my previous life as I remembered.
"Hey! Look — two rare fragments at once!"
"Yeah, one square and one rectangle… damn!"
"I wish I had that kind of luck."
The crowd erupted into cheers, amazed at the sight of multiple rare fragments appearing at once. Whispers ran through the rows:
"Wait, is that… silver?"
"What kind of ability does it even give?"
Nobody paid attention to the chubby boy, who had only awakened a common grey circle fragment. That was how this world worked. Even if someone grew strong later, the first fragment mattered the most. It became the main fragment, the primary fragment, and shaped a person's entire future. There were ways to change it, but not many. In general, your first fragment determined the limits of your strength. Of course, this world was full of exceptions… but still.
That round became one of the most important in the ceremony. Two people awakened rare fragments at once.
The ceremony continued, and soon, it was finally my turn.
I rose along with two others. To my surprise, the ones standing beside me were Sarah Carter and Tristan. Both of them were destined to awaken rare fragments, just like in my past life. This meant the spotlight would naturally fall on them.
But I didn't care. In my last life, I had been standing with Elara during my awakening. Already, things were different.
As I walked toward the platforms, I caught sight of my sister, Amanda, and Cole cheering for me from the crowd. Their eyes sparkled with excitement. For a brief moment, I felt the same weakness from my past life — the reason I had become such a simp. It looked so real… too real.
Shaking the thought away, I stepped up onto the platform, as i looked around i saw hundreds of people looking at us well Sarah and Tristan and as soon the instructor waved his hand, the three of us placed our hands on the pillar at the same time.
The stone felt warm against my palm. For an instant, I saw my reflection in one of the countless embedded fragments. Then, the entire pillar burst into three lights — red, green, and… white.
Wait. White?
In my previous life, it had been grey. How could it be white this time?
From deep inside the pillar, a fragment slowly emerged in front of me: a white triangle fragment streaked with faint stripes.
Gasps filled the crowd.
On Tristan's side, a red square fragment with an arrow symbol appeared.
On Sarah's side, a green square fragment marked with a spiral design glowed brightly.
"Hey, look! Two square fragments again!"
"That makes four geniuses in this hall!"
"Damn, why did I have to get a normal one?"
"Wait, look at the third one—he has a triangle fragment!"
The entire hall erupted into chaos. It wasn't just rare fragments being awakened. This time, it was two squares and one triangle — something no one had expected.
Even I was stunned. A triangle fragment… That had never happened in my past life.
When a person touches the stone pillar, the fragment doesn't just stick to the skin — it goes much deeper. The human body in this world has something special called the Fragment Core, an organ-like structure located just beside the heart. It is invisible to the naked eye, but it exists in every human being from birth. Normally, it stays dormant, waiting for the first fragment to awaken it.
The moment a fragment makes contact with the body, it sends out tiny threads of energy, almost like veins of light, which pierce through the skin and travel directly toward the Core. People describe this feeling differently — some say it's like warmth spreading through their chest, while others say it feels like lightning crawling inside their veins.
Once the energy threads reach the Core, the fragment merges with it, almost like a puzzle piece fitting into its slot. The Core then generates a faint membrane around the fragment, binding it safely and linking it to the person's bloodstream and nervous system. This connection allows the body to channel the fragment's power naturally, as if it was always part of them.
From that point on, the fragment becomes a living organ within the person — a second heartbeat, a hidden spark.
As the ceremony ended and the crowd started leaving the hall, I found Elara waiting for me with a big smile. Her silvery blue fragment still glowed faintly on her arm, and she looked proud. Cole stood tall beside her, showing off his square water fragment, while Amanda walked over with that bright smile everyone loved.
"We did it!" Elara said, almost jumping. "Now we can finally apply to the Astral Fragment Academy. Brother, can you believe it? We're really going to be students there!"
Amanda laughed softly. "Yes, and I'll already be your senior. I'll take care of both of you, don't worry."
Cole put his arm around her shoulder and added, "Astral Academy only takes the best. And now with our fragments, we'll rise fast."
I forced a smile, nodding at them, but inside my chest there was only disgust. In my eyes, I saw not the proud smiles of friends but the shadows of the people who would betray me thirty years later. Only Elara felt real, only her joy mattered.
The walk home was filled with Elara's chatter about the academy and how heroes once studied there. By the time we reached our house, the sun was already setting.
Our home was small and simple, with wooden walls and a tiled roof. The paint was fading, the furniture was plain, but it was warm. A square table with four chairs filled the kitchen, and our living room had only one old sofa and a bookshelf half-empty. Still, it was home.
After dinner, Elara leaned close to me, her eyes shining. "Brother, which Path will you choose at the Academy? Warrior, Mage, Seer, or maybe something rare like a Warden?"
I looked at her quietly, hiding my thoughts.