The gathering hall was full. Seats were filled up by both students and teachers. Whispers and murmurs loud enough to drown an angry fly's buzz filled the hall, depicting the excitement and anticipation of the crowd for what was to come—the Awakening Ceremony.
Draco Borne Academy was the best academy in Kelv City, housing the most SS rank beast contractors in the city and even beyond. It was ranked at the top, number 1 and had stayed there for the past ten years with no competition.
Beast contractors were people who had beasts spirits as a guide and partner and they awakened these beasts as part of their special abilities. Everyone in the world Waa a beast contractors.
This came about a hundred years ago when dungeons started appearing. All kinds of monsters and beasts, from four-legged to humanoid appeared, bringing terror to the world (classic cliche of dungeons). But it truly happened. Humans lived in fear and terror for fifty years until one human managed to discover power, what is known as mana.
With this, Lord Rodney, also known as the Father of Beast Contracts and the Undying Lord, managed to awaken an ability. What is was, no one knows but it is the reason why he's almost immortal and has stayed alive for so long.
He couldn't bring out the power of his ability because it needed a catalyst. He wasn't born with it like now and even if he was born with it, beasts and monsters were more attuned to their elements and nature than humans.
So, he embarked on a quest.
And this quest proved fruitful as he went through a second awakening, this time, awakening and contracting a beast alongside.
It is said that, when one awakens, his or her mana draws in the spirit of either a dead beast or a yet-to-be-born beast. Either way, the beast is brought to life through the awakening and will bond with you forever, forming an eternal contract—an equivalent exchange where you both share power.
Draco Borne Academy was known for its numerous beast contractors and a large number of SS rank beast contractors as compared to other schools.
Rankings for beast contractors ranged from D to S, with SS being rare. This made Draco Borne the top with ten SS ranks. SS ranks were known to have more than one beast. The highest number ever recorded was three and the person was close to Lord Rodney. As for Lord Rodney's rank, it was SSS and he was the only known person to have that rank.
As for D to A, they had single beasts but with classifications on their power and strength.
It was time for the awakening ceremony for the 1st Years of Draco Borne, an event that sparked a lot of excitement. Everyone, even outside enjoyed this event because they got to witness the rise of geniuses, powerhouses and discover new beasts and abilities they never knew existed.
The situation in the gathering was a mix of tension, anticipation and excitement as they waited for the principal to give his boring speech as usual.
"Ladies and gentlemen…" Principal Daniel dragged on and on, recalling history they all knew about, the essence of a beast contractors.
By the time he was done, quiet a number was dozing off.
"Now… the moment you've all been waiting for. Let the awakening begin!" He said as he left the stage and a beautiful lady appeared in his place. She had long black hair that reached her perky butt, smooth fair skin, a slim and athletic body with curves in the right place that made most of the guys' eyes sparkle with admiration and lust. Her large chest bounced as she set up the awakening device with fluidity and precision—the kind that came from experience.
As she set up the device, whispers flew around.
"I wonder what the academy's number 1 will awaken."
"I'm sure it will be S rank at the least. Her mana is very potent."
"To become the number 1 in her first year—I doubt it will be anything less than extraordinary."
"Don't expect much… Fate is a bitch."
"You're just jealous."
Amidst all this, a young girl about 18 years sat, her face exuding grace, calmness and a hint of arrogance—Rena Belle-Nyx, the academy's number 1, known for her intelligence and genius, but mostly for having the largest mana capacity in the school, a whooping 1000 even as an unawakened.
Even the strongest student only had 800+ and that was after years of practice and training. This made her the most anticipated person in the entire academy, as everyone expected her to awaken something special and epic.
Rena was a beauty whose appearance was nothing short of perfection. Long platinum blonde hair, beautiful purple eyes, smooth fair skin, long eyelashes, a slim yet athletic body, slender waist, big breasts that made guys hungry with lust — she was the dream girl of a lot of people, both boys and girls.
But there was one thing about her that made people afraid to approach her, most of the time.
She was cold and arrogant, and with her background, it was normal for her to be that way. She was after all, the great granddaughter of the Father of Beast Contracts, Lord Rodney.
She wore the academy's uniform, a beautiful white shirt with red bow tie, red skirt and shoes to match. Her socks were long, almost reaching her thighs, which were a bit thick due to workouts. Her hair was tied up in a braid and strung over her right shoulder reaching her stomach as she sat.
In no time, the lady, Miss Chloe, finished setting up the device and picked a pad, her movements graceful.
"I will explain what you're supposed to do when you come up here. Just stand in front of the device and release your mana, it will activate automatically and transport your consciousness into the awakening world. You will see only a void, a grimoire which is your ability and an orb which is your beast contract. Just touch both of them and your awakening is complete. Some will see more than one orb or the dreaded one—none.
The brighter the glow of these things, the higher your rank.
Good luck!" Miss Chloe said, earning excited and anticipated glances from the audience. They totally forgot the last part. Rena didn't even listen to it. To her, she would get 10 beasts just like great grandfather!
"Felix Amor!" Miss Chloe's voice called for silence as the mentioned guy rose up with a nervous smile. His short black hair was combed back, with his blue eyes glinting under the lights in the hall. With somewhat shaky steps, he climbed the stage and stood in front of the device.
The device was about the size of a normal computer monitor, cube shaped and hovering on one point. It was totally black with glowing blue lines forming an intricate pattern on it.
"Calm down, close your eyes and release your mana slowly, Miss Chloe's voice managed to calm Felix down a bit.
Faint wisps of white energy streamed from him as he calmed down. The device flared up all of a sudden and started rotating, sucking in the wisps which was mana like a thirsty man in a desert who had discovered an oasis.
Slowly a radiant blue light covered him, disconnecting him from the world.
"A rank!" Miss Chloe's excited voice rang out like a toll bell as the light around Felix slowly died down. His hair floated slightly as a grimoire and an orb appeared beside him. The device slowed in rotation as Miss Chloe stared at her tablet again.
"Solar Flare. Golden Sun Warrior: Humanoid!" With this announcement, Felix finally opened his eyes, blue orbs glowing with power. He was A rank! The thought excited him to no end. If you ignored the monsters at S rank, he was undoubtedly part of the strongest, if not the strongest. With this, his position was set in stone and his family would now rise!
He couldn't wait to get home.
After Felix, others came, some awakening B, C but no D. So far, there had been no S too.
"Rena Belle-Nyx!" Miss Chloe's voice rang out, causing everyone to quieten down instantly. It was time for the academy's number 1 to awaken. She was the most anticipated.
Rena stood up with the kind of confidence and arrogance that her name suggested. She was a Nyx, the strongest in the world. They were rich and strong and she was the heiress. Her attitude was clearly justified. She was above everyone in academy!
With graceful steps she ascended the stage like it was hers, her skirt swaying mesmerizingly—her hair still over her shoulder.
Whispers and murmurs grew as she stood in front of the device and slowly closed her eyes without waiting for Miss Chloe's guidance. She could have awakened privately… but what was the use. She had to show people how awesome she was.
Her mana streamed slowly from her body, powerful and radiant. Everyone felt it. It was heavy and powerful… she would clearly awaken an S rank ability and beast contract no doubt!
The device slowly rotated and started spinning, engulfing her in a blue light.
…
Rena opened her eyes to another world not a void. But the world was… empty. The only things there were a sea and a sky with a sun the size of a basketball. She stood atop the sea, right under the glow of the small sun with a purple grimoire floating before her. Strings and sigils floated around it as she reached out to touch it.
The grimoire entered through her forehead, as she let out an exhilarated sigh. She then turned to look for the next item, the orb but all she saw was a blank world and strange small sun, which drew her suspicion.
She moved, flying slowly to touch it when Miss Chloe's voice drove her out of her consciousness.
"SSS rank: Absolute Control!"
The announcement shocked everyone, making them stand up.
SSS rank!