Before he knew it, the sun had already crested its high point of the day and begun slowly descending into the horizon. Groups of villagers began to make their journey to the town hall. Lloyd, of course, walked with his family. Looking over, Lloyd saw Regal returning smiles and handshakes with people they passed. His hand constantly found its way to the part of his neck just below his head. It was a tell that Lloyd knew all too well. His brother did that when he was nervous or telling lies. It was a secret he liked to keep to himself so that he could always catch his brother out. Regal very clearly wasn't lying, so Lloyd didn't know what Regal could possibly be nervous about. Lloyd would be beyond excited if they switched positions.

Streams of people, deep in conversation, walked past Lloyd's group as they entered the hall. This building was the size of nine average houses arranged in a three-by-three grid. The typical and monotonous dark timber that framed the facades of all the other buildings in town parted ways to highlight the distinct wood of the Town Hall. The wood was grown from a unique Magnolia tree in the northern forest. That was one of the few trees that Lloyd remembered the name of. His failure to remember names didn't just stop at humans; it also extended to nature. The building's walls and roof were built with a bright yellow-brown wood from the tree. The roof angled inwards, making it technically the only two-story home in the village if you didn't count the home in the willow tree.

It was large enough to fit everyone inside the town all at once. The center of the roof was left open to allow for the beams of light during Ascensions to cascade into the sky. Which yes, made it so that anytime it rained, the building would fill with its fair share of water. That was also by design, as the building was decorated with beautiful vines, flowers, and shrubbery, courtesy of Tera. Lloyd quickly glanced around the circular room. Wooden bleachers three rows high created a perfect half circle that faced the center of the room. Four-foot-tall wooden pillars with metal braziers on top were planted equidistant around the room. The flames were all lit and swayed with the gentle gusts of gossip. The greenery wove in between the bleachers. Large berry bushes and small trees were set as a backdrop to the center stage which housed a small platform with a podium off to one side. The noise began to settle down as Tera and her family made their way toward the center of the building.

Most seats near the middle of the building, next to the raised platform, were empty. These seats are for the family members of those who would Ascend. Today, that would be Cassius and Regal's family. Gavin, Lloyd, and Jimmy sat in the front row to the right of the main walkway. Regal followed his mom onto the stage, and they all began to chat with the random scattering of humans that gathered there. Lloyd saw Gareth shake Regal's hand before heading in his direction. Gareth was sans sword, but still had his Guard armor on.

"It's going to be an eventful day," Gareth said.

"Sure will," Gavin replied.

"You must be incredibly proud of that man up on stage,"

"Absolutely. I'm proud of all my boys," Gavin said, smiling at Lloyd.

"The kid is a beast now. I'm excited to see how big of a hit he can take after the Ascension."

"Me too!" Cassius said as he slapped Gavin on the shoulder, then stuck out a hand. Gavin gripped it and shook hands with Cassius.

Once the room realized that Cassius and his family had entered, instead of the room quieting, it doubled in decibels. There were a few cheers, whoops, and excited conversations that started back up again now that both men were in the building. Cassius moved towards the front of the stage as his parents, siblings, and extended family sat in the front row opposite Regal's family. Regal broke off from his conversation partner and walked towards Cassius. Before Regal could reach him, Cassius did a duck and weave to the left and right a few times, then threw a couple of feints and jabs at Regal, who decided to play along with this and did a few dodges as well. Finally, they hugged each other with a few massive palm slaps on each other's backs and started talking rapidly and excitedly about the possibilities of their Ascensions.

Lloyd always felt a little weird during this process. The exact time of birth wasn't something that was typically recorded. They often had to play the waiting game until someone started their Ascension. Now-a-days, parents would record the exact moment of birth to make the Ascension days easier in the future. As Lloyd wondered about this process, the familiar churning of his stomach began. He remembered all the times he would sit and try to will himself into powers. Each time he would tell himself that this would be the time, that this would be the day he gained powers. Each time, he was as disappointed as the last when it didn't happen.

Before the eventual disappointment, there would be a moment when he would feel himself get giddy with anticipation and hope. His stomach would do loops just like it was doing now. This time, he wasn't excited for himself but for his brother instead.

A little over an hour passed before Regal shot up rapidly from his sitting position, and the room went into immediate silence. They all knew what was coming.

"It's happening, I think it's time," Regal said.

The beginning of the Ascension would start with a rapid and warm tingle throughout the body. For some people it would take but moments; for others, it might take a matter of a few minutes, upwards of an hour. There was a man, George, who took almost forty minutes to Ascend. Lloyd remembered the man with rosy cheeks admitting to the group that he was embarrassed that it took so long. Lloyd would sit in the middle of the room for weeks if it meant he would finally get powers. There was nothing to be embarrassed about in his mind. Lloyd and Cassius had a bet going. Cassius thought his transformation would be faster than Regal's, but Lloyd thought Regal would beat him. He saw Cassius on stage, with two fingers up in the air, then three, then four. Cassius let a smirk slide onto his face, and Lloyd let a laugh slip. This was one of the only sounds in the room as everyone else practically held their breath.

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Tera briefly positioned Regal in the center of the room so that the beam from his Ascension would go straight through the center of the open-top roof. Once in position, she stepped away and addressed the packed room. Her silver dress shimmered in the flamelight.

"Today, I'm filled with joy and pride, for today, my son will Ascend. Tomorrow, he will begin his venture west to The Citadel and join the Kingsguard. His powers, along with Cassius' powers," Tera said as she looked over to Cassius and gave him a nod. She moved her gaze towards the family and did the same. "They will make Breakwater proud and bring to the Kingdom the first of the Omegas, which we hope will be the first of many. These two will help finally break the wave of behemoth beasts in the West and bring an end to this chaos. Let me say…" Tera began another sentence, clearly wanting to say more, but her son had started to glow.

Moments later, a beam of light shot straight into the sky. The beam lasted for only a few moments, and once it cleared, Regal stood there, seemingly unchanged. Lloyd looked at his newly Ascended brother with moistening eyes. Pride welled up in his heart, sending a tsunami of warmth through his body. He was so happy for his brother. Happy, but also a soft and shallow itch in the depths of that prideful current that spoke of a hint of jealousy. Lloyd looked away from his brother and saw Cassius holding up eight fingers. I guess that is the time to beat, Lloyd thought. Once Regal finished glowing, the room erupted in applause, giving Regal a moment to right himself. He quickly hugged his mom, and the noise settled down a few moments later.

"How do you feel man?" Cassius asked.

Regal took a moment to look around the room before he answered. "Stronger, for sure, but I can't tell the difference."

"I figured that might be the case; I brought a few things along. They might help solve that answer," Cassius said as a goofy grin appeared.

Before Regal could respond, Cassius pulled out a dagger and stabbed Regal's arm. The dagger's point slightly dimpled the skin but did not cut into it. Regal slowly looked down at the dagger still pressed into his arm and then up at his friend.

"Really? Was that necessary?" Regal asked Cassius.

Cassius returned the dagger to its hidden sheath. "I don't know about necessary, but it seemed like a fun idea, " he said.

Regal smirked, "Not like an attack like that from you would have done anything before my Ascension anyway."

Cassius returned the smirk, looking down at his hand as it gathered electricity.

"Nope, you know I'm not resistant to that," Regal said, slowly backing away.

"Come on, maybe you are now," Cassius said with an ever-growing smile.

Lloyd could hear a few bouts of laughter bouncing around the room.

"Not how Ascensions work."

"Maybe it is how Omegas work," Cassius said as he thrust a fist forward, Regal easily dodging. Cassius readied another attack amongst the laughter of the crowd.

Mid-swing, the electricity fizzed out from Cassius' hand. He scanned the room as his eyes widened. Lloyd met Cassius' gaze and began to put up a finger as he mouthed the words one…two…three, counting along with his fingers as he did. Knowing the process had started, Tera began to escort Cassius to the center of the room. She stepped away to give him space. Regal stood beside his mother as they watched Cassius with determined and excited glares.

The beam of light took much longer to shoot up from his soul than Regal's. The light lasted about as long, and afterward, Cassius stood there flexing his muscles. Much like Regal, Lloyd could not spot anything different on the outside, but Lloyd knew he was stronger nonetheless.

"All right, everyone. Give me a little bit of room," Cassius said as he rolled his shoulders and continued to flex his muscles.

Everyone on stage and some of the front and second row started to venture farther away from the stage. They all knew of Cassius' pre-Ascended lightning powers. Lloyd was sure they were all thinking what he was thinking. What would they be like now? Regal stayed on stage, standing in front of his best friend.

Cassius walked up and put his hand on Regal. "You ready for this man? Cassius asked.

"Nope, not doing it," Regal said, even though a sly smile slid across his face.

Seeing the look in his friend's eyes, Cassius retreated a few steps. He brought his arms behind him and rapidly pushed them forward towards Regal. Lightning arced from his hands and shot towards his daring friend. The multi-branched lightning struck Regal, forcing him to his knees as Regal released a pained yell. A few of the bolts missed Regal and hit the wall behind him. It blew a chunk of the wall away and left a small burn scar next to it. Seeing the slight damage that he did to the most important building in the town,

Cassius looked a little shy and ashamed as he ducked his head and stepped back.

"Sorry about that. I guess I have to get used to my aim a little bit," Cassius said as he addressed Tera.

He then took a moment to look down at his friend, who was finally getting back to his feet. The two men looked at each other as the room swept back into silence in observance of them. Regal grimaced as he clutched his stomach. Lloyd could see a small burn hole in Regal's shirt from the electricity's entry.

"Still not resistant to elements. That hurt pretty good."

"Ha! It seems I got the better end of the deal power-wise. That was probably only seventy percent, too." Cassius said as he continued to admire himself, flexing his muscles and letting the lightning rumble and arc around his body.

"Seventy? Geez, could have started weaker." Regal said before walking over and hugging his friend.

Both men turned towards their on-lookers and raised their hands.

"To the newly Ascended!" Tera shouted, and the entire room followed.

Clapping, whistles, and cheers erupted in the room. The cacophony threatening to deafen Lloyd. His hands shot up towards his ears to muzzle the sound. Lucas could always heal me if they do make me deaf, Lloyd thought.

A few of the elders seemed angry, and the others seemed excited. Lloyd couldn't quite tell, but his mom seemed to be a mixture of both emotions and maybe a few others mixed in there as well. She approached the two boys, grabbing one of their wrists in each of her hands and raising them into the air.

"There is much that I would like to say, but ultimately, it comes down to this. Our world was changed long ago, and we have been fighting every day since to stay alive. I've been told our struggles here in Breakwater are fairly tame compared to the rest of the Kingdom." Tera said as her gaze shifted to her brother Gareth, sitting beside Lloyd.

"I hope my boys and Cassius can make a real difference in this world," Tera said as she looked between Regal, Cassius, and even Lloyd.

Lloyd felt his face redden, and he began to grip the underside of the bleachers a bit harder. Lloyd was taken aback that his mom mentioned his name in the same sentence as Regal and Cassius. He'd indeed be venturing with them, but he wasn't sure exactly how much help he would be bringing along. He had trained for over a decade, but nothing could replace being Altered.

"I know," Tera said, this time emphasizing these words, "that these boys will bring prosperity, they will help those that need it, and they will bring the end to the devastation that these monsters have wrecked upon our families and friends and the rest of our kin in this Kingdom."

The room erupted with applause and cheers, while a few whistles pierced through and added to the ruckus.