The first person to step forward hailed from the Silva family, one of the three most influential clans in Redien City.

That Silva boy puffed his chest and went to the podium with a look full of arrogance. But just as he saw the staff take out a syringe full of serum, his face was a scene to behold. And a drama of a trypanophobic child's struggle with Sensory Serum took the stage.

The staff displayed remarkable professionalism, swiftly administering the serum before he could let out a scream. Following the serum's injection, his limbs trembled uncontrollably, and he cast cautious glances at his surroundings. His peculiar behavior raised eyebrows among the onlookers.

Foreseeing this reaction, Richard chimed in, "This serum heightens your sensitivity to the surrounding origin energy. Normally, the empty air around us remains imperceptible. But post-serum, foreign origin energy becomes as familiar as an old friend. This sudden shift can be challenging to adapt to. However, fret not, for the serum's effects are temporary. As you progress along your path as an Elementalist, you'll develop a keener awareness of the surrounding origin energy. This serves as a gentle introduction to awakening your element. In contrast, our neighboring nations employ far more aggressive methods to awaken their elements."

Richard then motioned to Daniel with a nod, signaling the continuation of the procedure. Daniel, rather than experimenting with the crystals, proceeded directly to the Metal crystal, seeking a response. Lo and behold, the metal shard reacted! An announcer promptly identified the phenomenon.

"Daniel Silva, Metal element user."

The revelation surprised some, while members of the Silva and other noble families seemed unsurprised. The Silvas, renowned Metal users, evidently possessed ancestral ties to the element.

Subsequent participants followed Daniel, reaffirming Richard's assertion. Among the fifteen, six were Earth users, with others exhibiting affinity for the water element.

Following the succession of Earth, Air, Water, and Wood awakenings, serial number 33 took center stage. This elegant individual elicited a response from a golden crystal, causing a stir.

"Leonard Howard, Light element user."

As another noble awakened a rare element, everyone sighed. Did nobility give rare elements or did rare elements give nobility, this was an idiot's job to ponder about?

But the ceremony continued. There were consecutive awakenings of 5 Fire users after Leo. And they looked like from the same family based on their looks and attire.

"Marie Rose, Dark Element user."

This sudden intervention of Dark element in the list of five elemental candidates paused the audience for some time. No one expected Redien City to have a darkness user in today's ceremony. It can't be helped, as Darkness users have pretty bad historical records in the continental's history. Especially in Redien city, an event of a shocking holocaust was related to a Dark Elementalist. So, this element became a taboo word here. Across the border in the Aslan Empire, these individuals faced persecution, while the Pandemonium faction wholeheartedly welcomed them.

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Pandemonium has the highest darkness user in the whole Origin world. It's not like the council didn't have darkness users. If Redien city can produce one- others can too. It's just human's inherent fear of dark and darkness users' natural assassin-like quality that made the atmosphere solemn.

Yet, Richard and the association members appeared unfazed, their experiences extending far beyond the confines of their narrow world.

Following a flurry of activity, my serial number was finally called. I had harbored some trepidation about receiving the Earth element, similar to the majority of participants. However, recollections of Richard's speech dispelled my reluctance.

"Regardless of what element I awaken," I mused to myself, "what truly matters is how I cultivate it and the purpose for which I use it."

Uttering these words under my breath, I took a deep breath and ascended the podium.

As the staff member injected the serum into my arm, I anticipated a sudden burst of heightened senses or the revelation of a new world. However, nothing occurred—absolutely nothing!

"Could it be," I wondered, "that I am one of the unfortunate individuals who fail to awaken their affinity? Will the dream I've cherished for so long remain forever elusive?" Negative thoughts began to cloud my already despondent mind. The staff gestured toward the essence crystals, unaware of my inner turmoil.

With a resolute expression, I stood before the brown crystal, endeavoring to absorb its essence. Yet, my attempts yielded no response. I was not an Earth user!

Subsequently, I moved to the blue crystal, but it, too, remained unresponsive. My endeavors with other crystals yielded the same outcome—failure, repeated time and again. Each failure struck at my heart like a heavy hammer, causing my legs to tremble and my body to break out in cold sweat. Fear proved far more formidable than the Sensory serum, shaking not only my body but also my heart and soul.

Finally, I stood before the purple crystal, my last hope. Although I couldn't absorb origin essence, each crystal imbued me with a distinct sensation. I sensed calmness from blue, fury from Red, and silence from Dark.

Yet, the purple crystal emanated a pure, unadulterated violence. An innate desire to obliterate. As I attempted to absorb a trace of essence from this core, an overwhelming surge of energy coursed into my body, as if a dam had burst and inundated me. My body reacted as though it had yearned for this power. This continued for a brief period.

Although I had a genuine desire to delve deeper into this sensation, I hastily withdrew my hands from the crystal to avert any unnecessary complications. I glanced behind me, only to find a bewildered announcer. Even the usually nonchalant Richard observed me intently, not to mention the gathered crowd. Suddenly thrust into the center of attention, I could only sheepishly scratch the back of my head.

It can't be helped. Affinity depends on the interaction with the element. Even in the rare awakened elements of Light and darkness, people can interact with them on a regular basis. But no one is stupid enough to go on a date with lightning. Getting shocked to death just to receive its affection – even our headstrong ancestors gave up the idea.

But the moody Lightning still got some humans to shower with her love, giving birth to Lightning's affinity in the human body.

That's why the case of awakening the Lightning element is the rarest of all. The amazed announcer regained his composure and announced loudly,

"Aryan Indra, Lightning Element user."

The declaration resounded through the assembly, while silence beheld.