Chapter 12
In Rayner’s Soul Space
Rayner is standing in the hallway as he looks toward the gate ahead. The gate looks a lot like the estate gate of the Whitehill main family, which somewhat dissatisfied him,
He knew he always felt somewhat dissatisfied with the main family, mostly because his cousins received more resources than him, even though they were in the same family.
The main family always gets priority while the branch family only gets the leftover resources of the Whitehill family, which makes Rayner dissatisfied as he is confident that if he had received the treatment that the main family received, he would improve a lot faster than his cousins.
“Hmph”
Rayner ignored the gate appearance and closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and mentally prepared himself before opening his eyes as determination flickers in his eyes
Rayner’s body began to quiver as he tried to resist the pressure around him, he felt like his body was a mountain, unable to move, but he didn’t give up and continued resisting
Rayner slowly lifted his foot as he tried to put it forward while his whole body was visibly shaking as he grits his teeth in frustration, and when he laid his feet forward, the whole hallway tremored
Rayner’s breath was haggard at the first step as he looked toward the distance between him and his Life gate, making him quite dejected
‘How am I supposed to get there when I’m this heavy?’ Rayner thought but quickly shook his head. ‘I can’t give up now. Let’s take it slow’ as more determination and defiance flickered in his eyes
2 Steps
4 Steps
8 Steps
16 Steps
Rayner continued his slow but strong advance as he controlled his breathing every step he took with his eyes focused only on the gate ahead of him.
But as he approached the gate, his body became heavier. He didn’t know whether it was because he was getting tired or the pressure around his getting stronger, but nonetheless, he continued forward without any thought of stopping.
Rayner knew that if he stopped now, his momentum would fade, and he didn’t know whether he could walk forward again once he stopped.
After a few minutes of struggle, Rayner successfully stood at the front of his Life Gate, gasping for air with his chest heaving heavily.
Rayner’s hands were shaking as he tried to lift his hands to touch the Life Gate in front of him, but in the end, he couldn’t lift his hand with the heavy pressure around him, so he decided to throw himself toward the Life gate, letting himself fall to the life gate.
Rayner’s head slammed the life gate in front of him, removing all the pressure on his body and making Rayner sigh in relief as he supported himself back up.
'This is just the first phase, and it’s already this hard. Can I really do this?' Doubt appeared in Rayner’s mind as he felt his breath haggard, as though his lungs would burst out at any moment
Rayner collapse on the floor as he tries to control his breathing. He is so tired that it feels like it is his first time breathing.
After a few minutes, Rayner stood again, his posture emanating confidence and determination as he smiled at the life gate before him.
‘One more step, and ill have my mana,’ Rayner thought. ‘Just you wait. I’ll show you all what I am capable of.’
Rayner placed his hands on the life gate with one foot forward and one foot backward as he took a deep breath, preparing his whole body to push the gate in front of him with everything he got.
“AAHHH” Rayner shouted as he pushed the gate in front of him, but to his disappointment, the life gate didn’t budge as though it felt nothing.
‘One more time!’ Rayner thought as he tried again, but alas, the Life Gate didn’t budge, no matter how much he tried, which annoyed Rayner.
Rayner shook his head and calmed himself down. ‘I have ten hours to push my life gate. I can’t get impatient now.’
.
Two Hours later
Rayner sat beside the life gate, using the life gate as the back cushion while breathing heavily as he tried to rest for a moment and control his breathing.
For the past three hours, Rayner didn’t get any progress, making him quite annoyed and discouraged, no matter how much he tried to be optimistic.
After resting for a few minutes, Rayner stood again, ready to start the next round of pushing the life gate, but he no longer had the confidence he once had.
.
Four Hours Later
Rayner lay down on the floor beside the life gate, completely dejected as he couldn’t help but be depressed by his lack of progress.
Six hours of pushing and nothing to show for it.
As Rayner is in his soul space, he only needs a few minutes of resting before recovering to his peak state, but the six hours of pushing still pushed him to his mental limits, especially since he couldn’t get any progress.
‘What am I doing wrong?’ Rayner thought as he looked toward the high ceiling, hoping someone would answer him
.
Eight Hours Later
“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH”
Rayner shouted from the top of his long as he rammed his body to the life gate with everything he got but to no avail. No matter how much he tried, his Life gate just won’t budge.
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“FUCK!!!!”
Rayner clenched his fist so hard that it might pop, he could feel his eyes turn moist, and for the first time in years, he felt crying
But Rayner quickly wiped his tears as the sorrow and disappointment that he was feeling turned into anger. Anger at himself and anger toward the gate in front of him
“AHHH”
*Thud*
Rayner punched the gate in front of him with everything he got as he released all his anger, he got to the life gate
*Creak*
The creaking sound immediately drew Rayner’s attention as he noticed a small opening in his life gate.
“Eh?” Rayner dazedly said
“I… I open it!” Rayner shouted in delight while raising his fist in the air, but seeing how small the opening was, Rayner immediately calmed himself down
“So, I need to punch it?” Rayner said as he looked at his fist
“How come I never heard of this?” Rayner said while recalling his knowledge about the awakening ceremony, but quickly changed his mind. “I don’t have time for this. I only have a few hours left.”
Although he doesn’t know how much time has passed, he knows better than waste his time on things that won’t solve his current problem of opening his life gate
“AHHH”
*Thud*
Rayner punched the life gate once more, trying to recreate the punch he had done earlier. However, this time, the life gate didn’t budge, but Rayner didn’t care and continued throwing a punch at the life gate
*Thud*
*Thud*
*Thud*
The sounds of the life gate getting punched echoed in the hallway without any sign of stopping. Rather it was getting louder and louder with each punch.
However, the life gate still didn’t budge, but unlike before, Rayner didn’t get depressed. Rather he felt anger once more as his punches became stronger.
The moment anger exploded in Rayner’s mind, the life gate shook once more as the gap in the life gate became wider
But Rayner didn’t stop to celebrate and continued to punch the life gate, and all the repressed rage that Rayner had inside him burst out
*Thud*
“AHHH”
*Thud*
.
Ten hours Later
Rayner continuously punched the life gate for almost two hours without any intention of stopping. Sometimes the opening gap of the life gate would widen, and sometimes it wouldn’t, creating instabilities in Rayner’s emotions
*Thud*
*Thud*
The punch was much weaker than before, but Rayner’s rage was still in every punch he delivered.
“A little more,” Rayner thought as he looked at the opening gap in his life gate. The gap is wide enough to fit half of his body but not enough for all.
Rayner only needs to open his life gate until his whole body can fit in, and once that happens, the life gate will naturally open.
*Thud*
Rayner delivered another blow, but before he could continue, he noticed his arm turn translucent as though it was fading out of existence.
The moment Rayner saw that his body had turned translucent, his heart dropped. “No. No. No. No. I’m not finished yet.”
Rayner delivered another punch to his life, but before it could connect, his arm disappeared.
“No. Please, No! Nooo!” Rayner shouted as his whole body disappeared
…
Awakening Temple: Arena Stage
Rayner opened his eyes and saw the participants around him while the golden sphere around him slowly disappeared.
“No. no…. I…. I failed,” Rayner softly said as he felt his chest sink
While 10 hours have passed in each participant’s soul space, in the temple, it only took 10 minutes, and during those 10 minutes, countless celebrations have happened
The second participant awakened at the first minute of the awakening ceremony, and after that, every few seconds, another would be awakened, but the majority of them were 14 years old participants, and it was their second time in the awakening ceremony, making deon quite a special case
In the awakening ceremony. It is common sense that the second-timers would have a larger chance than first-timers and that 3rd timers would have a larger chance than 2nd timers. However, very few know the reason,
and its because the progress that the first timers do in their soul space won’t disappear and will remain intact, and when they do their 2nd-time participation, they will have a large advantage of not going through the first phase again and their life gate already slightly opened, and of course their experience.
.
Deon opened his eyes, brimming with power and excitement as he looked around him, trying to find his friends to share his good news but halted when he saw his two friends demoralized.
‘Oh no, did they fail?’ Deon thought, wanting to approach his friends, but immediately stopped when he heard trumpets sound in the temple with countless spectators cheering
The awakening ceremony hasn’t finished yet, and he would get in trouble if he broke the formation.
The old priest at the center of the stage stopped his prayer and stood up with his scepter before raising his hand, signaling the crowd to be quiet, to which the crowd complied.
“The Awakening Ceremony has ended, and looking at the newly awakened beyonders. I am confident in our future and the safety of our Kingdom.”
The crowd cheered when the old priest finished his closing speech, making the whole temple full of celebration.
“But before we close our ceremony, is there anything his majesty would like to tell all the participants?”
Hearing the old priest, the crowd went silent as they looked toward the temple’s royal booth, expecting the king to do so.
Deon and the other participants also look towards the royal booth with their own expectations.
The thin curtain in the royal booth slowly opened, revealing the king standing at the edge of the booth.
The king has silver hair, a silver beard, blue eyes, a golden crown above his head, and a regal demeanor around him.
The crowd went wild when they saw the king. Their cheers were louder than before as they praised the king.
The king gently smiled as he saw the crowd before him and slowly raised his hand, signaling the crowd to be quiet.
It took the crowd a few seconds to fully quiet down, but the king didn’t mind and calmly addressed the crowd before him:
“I am honored to stand before you today in this sacred place, where we come to seek solace and guidance from a higher power. As we gather here in this temple, let us take a moment to reflect on the blessings that we have received and the challenges that we face.
For many of us, life can be difficult, filled with trials and tribulations that test our faith and resolve. But in moments like these, surrounded by the love and support of our community, we find the strength to carry on.
In this temple, we find a sanctuary, a place where we can connect with something greater than ourselves and find hope and inspiration to keep moving forward.
As for my young and newly minted mana users:
I am honored to stand before you today, to congratulate you on achieving this great honor, and to offer words of encouragement as you embark on your new journey.
As Mana users of the Kingdom, you have accepted the call to serve your Kingdom and your people, to defend the innocent, and to uphold justice. This is a noble and sacred duty, one that requires courage, wisdom, and above all, a strong heart.
I urge you to embrace this new role with all the passion and dedication that brought you here today. Remember that as Mana users, you are not only warriors but also ambassadors of peace, tasked with representing all that is good and just in our Kingdom.”
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As the king continued his speech, deon couldn’t help but think of his friends and look toward them and saw how they were calmly listening to the king above them.
‘Did I overthink it?’ Deon thought
.
“For those that failed, As your king, it brings me great sadness to see the disappointment on your faces, knowing that you did not achieve the goal of becoming Mana users. But I want you to know that this failure does not define you, nor does it diminish the many talents and gifts that you possess.
Life is full of twists and turns, and sometimes our path takes us in unexpected directions. But what truly matters is how we respond to these challenges and setbacks.
I urge you to take this moment as an opportunity for growth and self-discovery.
Remember, my dear young ones, that you are all valuable members of this Kingdom, and your contributions are greatly appreciated. Whether it be through your creativity, your kindness, your intellect, or your sense of humor, you have much to offer the world.
So do not let this moment define you, but rather let it inspire you to new heights of greatness. I have faith in you and know that you will go on to achieve great things.
Thank you for being a part of our Kingdom, and may the blessings of the realm be upon you always.
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Thought For thoughts (Author’s Note)
* I actually wanted Deon to experience the same hardship as Rayner but decided not to do it since it would overthrow my plan for deon.
* Did Lucien and Caleb fail? Find out in the episode of Dragon Ball Z. Heh (Cringe?)