He wasn't expecting this screen to flow in front of him beforehand. It follows a strange pattern of Latin language, while nothing indicated any pattern. It indicates no redeeming quality to understand it, with nothing indicating any pattern. William could imagine the symbols will become intangible from each other from a long enough distance. Making them appear the same.

But now he thinks it resembles some form of massage or something like that.

“Put my hand inside of it? I... I am not afraid.” William shoves his right hand into the screen with bravery and strength, so he wouldn't back down for the second time. The screen flickers as something enters, which causes something else.

William could also feel a sense of pressure envelop his right hand. He couldn't move it any longer. No matter the power he exerts, the hand stays in the fixed position inside the screen.

“I can't move,” he mutters while panicking a little.

“That is fine. Let it embrace it for a bit. The System's initialization takes some time and effort on Walker's side.” Mi-Yung convinces William, as he struggles with this strange feeling.

This whole process makes his whole being shiver as if something crazy is happening to him. It all started with the screen, where it began to flicker much faster. Almost like a failure of a TV. The symbols from before becomes to appear mixed with each other as they lost all meanings. If there is even any.

Instead, new letters in English appear on the screen, but can't be read as well. The vision of the letters flows like a vortex of water around William's arm that held the Emblem, which is much more active. A swirl of the Emblem's Vectors starts to flow out of his Emblem. It has no longer any barrier of entry like the previous luster gem, that kept the Vectors out.

“Calm your breathing. Be mindful of your surroundings, and especially your arm. Focus on calming any of the negative feelings and panic.” Mi-Yung says in a resolute tone as she clenches her fists.

She wishes there would be more that she could do, but this is about everything she could do. A small talk that is... unhelpful in the grand scheme of the Emblems, but this is the fusion of the Emblem with the System.

The very first thing that needs to be done, in order to solve the undeniable pain that she knows, is within William's mind. She knows it all too well since it's the same for every Awakening. No matter normal or forceful. She too experienced this, but questions regarding putting the chest towards the screen are a bit strange, too. Though the flow of the System knows what it needs. There are always some ways for the activation and fusion to happen.

“C-calm... sure, how easy... manageable. Walk in a park... I swear.” William mutters as he clenches his right elbow with his left hand. Breathing in and out helps nothing in his unsteady mind. So much for her trying to help him.

Yet, he has to do as he is told. That was his promise to go on this path.

Closing his eyes, he no longer pays any attention to the screens or the vortex of letters that have yet to take any meaningful shape. There is nothing to this than keep going, as there was no amount of failure. The fusion will happen one way or another unless the Walker would never initiate the fusion. In that case, there would be encompassing pressure on their mind, body, and sooner or later, death.

Seeing while not looking, William keeps on breathing while being breathless from the shock.

Alas, small changes happen even when it isn't the best what he could do.

The eyes are, after all, quite an important form of verbal communication and emotions. A person who sees, and the one who doesn't, will have drastic differences from each other. It usually let the blind person mad, or helpless as their world is full of dark, but in this case, it helps William calm down.

William manages to calm his laying body much better, with no longer twisting legs and upper body that shakes and quivers.

A trembling shock spreads from his arm, as the Emblem becomes a little vortex that explodes with Vectors. It envelops the majority of the room, but the Vectors don't destroy or do anything. They just keep on floating around the screen, and the Emblem, with nothing else on the way.

Mi-Yung keeps herself calm by his side, as this whole process isn't all that dangerous for the Walker itself. It is the surroundings, which are in the danger, and sooner or later, the Vectors will undergo the dangerous change.

“He... He will cause disaster!” she cries as the pressure keeps on raising. The change happens in only a few seconds, with the quantity of the Vectors, that causes the room to be filled with them. Cracks start to appear on the furniture, flood, and walls.

The Vector vortex within the Emblem is strong. A bit too stronger than any Rank 1 Walker, as it's a fundamental strength of the System. It is a brief call of the power to merge together to form a new Walker, supported by the System. The very first thing that enables Walkers to begin their path.

Alas, this is a dangerous prospect considering where are they at the moment.

Though, Mi-Yung thinks nothing of this, as she assumed this from the very beginning before she even walked to this place. She will be the protector with his own power. That should be more than sufficient.

Getting up to her feet, Mi-Yung's Emblem began to beat in the rhythm. Like small, sizzling beats. Thsh. Thsh!

“A Barrier!” She flickers her hand in mid-air, as an intricate beam of light shot from her chest. It forms chains that envelop the whole room from the walls to the bed. The Vectors calmed down, while the pressure of the chains, keeps the Vectors only 2 feet around William's hand. Then, another thing follows, as the chains break apart and make glass-like walls around his perimeter.

William couldn't see that at the moment, because something stranger is happening inside his mind.

The pain faded away a while ago, while something else enters his mind. Like a surge of water on the skin when one is under a waterfall, but hot, strong, and relentless. The Emblem changes its shape on its own, as the appearance of the Vectors becomes much more pronounced than ever before.

It begins with the motion of the Emblem getting out of the socket.

Lines around the dense perimeter of the vortex become fingers. Fingers become claws, while the Vectors themselves formed a strange shape of a big hand that tries to fly away through the barrier. The vortex is the Emblem, while the hand is the vortex.

“T-this little...” Mi-Yung scowls out, as she has never seen anything like this before. This Emblem is very strange. Too strange for her own guesses, which are amounting to nothing but a little knowledge.

Though she was the only one with keen eyes. In his Awakening, she has seen beyond the veil in the Vectors. She has seen things that others didn't, with secrets, sights, and questions she couldn't understand.

“Emblem that can exist outside of the body, huh?” She thinks to herself, while an aura of azure light perceives her whole being. It begins with her eyes, while the core is her Emblem. It is as if the formless pressure is giving rise in the middle of the tornado.

With the Emblem power rising, it almost seems like it wants to go into the screen that only William sees. Yet, it is a little bit off, as it hovers there as if it is unable to do anything. The clawed hand moves on its own, while William is still trying to fight through the strange motion of formless pressure. His mind is too focused on keeping his thoughts straight, but nothing more could help. He could only struggle while maintaining the best version of himself.

Revolving stronger and stronger, the whirlwind of the Vectors is getting faster while William is shaking with his hand, still in mid-air.

“What a fierce Emblem. It is unyielding as if Its stands on the same path as the System?!” Mi-Yung is blown away with sudden questions. A few steps from the much stronger barrier, she still keeps whatever is happening from happening. Only because of her Rank 6, and full activation of her Emblem.

“William!? Can you listen to me? You need to hold off for a few more moments. The fusion is almost over.” She shouts, but her words leave no answers. Any sound is being blown away in the continuous vortex that is his Emblem, while his mind has other issues.

The scene in front of William is already steady with a flow, and the shimmering appearance of his hand is getting calmer. Almost like a blurred image, it is yet to be understood by the only person it is meant for.

William endures it at the same rate as the Examination. Although there is less pain, the strange pressure and mental strain are more than enough to fear for his life. He never thought the approach of the System should be like this, while everything that is happening to him is total mayhem.

“I... I... I am fearless! You are part of my body. You can't hurt me like this all the time, you bloody rock in my hand,” William utters with deep emotion out loud. A firm voice that leads to the shaking to stop.

William at last opens his eyes.

A distinct crimson light is within his eyes.

He grabs his Emblem with his right that was within the vortex. The clawed hand no longer feels the firm form. Instead, it forms around William's hand.

The claw that is around his arm is resembling a coiling dragon's claws. Inhumane, yet with an unnatural texture of the Vectors.

At least, the Emblem was etched into his hand before he even realized that. He sees it once more embodied into his forearm, as it would never be otherwise.

Then, to his lack of surprise and words, the screen in front of him is crystal clear. With English wording, it tells.

Successful merge completed.

Stolen story; please report.

Initialization of the Arcanite matter completed.

The target of the merge successfully completed.

Rank 1 achieved.

System starting......

“Is it over?” William asks without a slim assumption it is.

His hand is still in the air, yet the matter of the screen keeps his eyes glued to it. The Emblem is yet to fully calm down as the new appearance of the clawed hand doesn't surprise William all that much. He still feels the shimmering energy, yet the pressure within his head still remains.

His thinking amidst this finishing touch is calmer as if the perception of the voice inside his mind is much more compelling.

“You did great. Your Emblem is good to go. How's the System?” Mi-Yung asks without concern about his mental health, while still maintaining the barrier.

“My hand...” William hears her words at last, but he chose to observe his hand instead.

“ I know you must have a lot of questions. There should be an opportunity for you to dissolve these effects that are forcing your mind and body to be very stressed. The System has a lot of dealings with the Emblem, so you need to figure out the right thing in some parts of the screen.” Mi-Yung explains, not knowing what William sees.

The System is very similar across the board for every Walker. Yet the fundamental thing that makes it hard to explain and teach is complicated. They are most often than not, confidential to each individual Walker, with even some differences. No one else but them can watch their own System and nothing would change that.

William keeps on looking at the brief text, and figures it is still doing some sort of processing... It is yet to be over.

“N-no... it is not the end,” he tells as his Emblem's power is still unrelenting.

“I am telling you that, for god's sake. Wait a bit. Don't go overextending yourself. Slow and steady is best when initializing the System. It is that important!” She argues in importance, but William doesn't hear all that much. Instead, he looks at the changing scene that goes through the motions of numbers. In the middle of countless little words, numbers and letters are flowing and changing number.

System's process 59 percent...

69

75

84

97

100

Then the System changes with a new message.

The System greets Vict... William Gale

Corresponding values attached.

Rank 1 merged with the System.

Proceeding towards the next stage after getting the full effects of the current Rank.

Arcanite affinity - Vectors.

Strength, health, senses - enchanted

Mutant Vectors detected..... Certain rules overruled.

William Gale successfully reaches Rank 1

Effects of the Mutant Vectors in the forearm formation detected. Error... Insufficient power.

Proceeding towards the Status board.

Yes // No

William reads the lines two times to get the base understanding that everything is over. He felt like it does, so he collapses his right hand to his chest. His feelings were indescribable, as he is more than glad for this to be over.

After all, it is too much for his body in a span of a single hour.

“Are you alright?” Mi-Yung tells in an unsure tone while flicking her hand in the air and ceasing the barrier away.

She appears fine, while any pressure that goes in the Emblem Awakening and the System is much stronger for the beginning Walkers. She knows it from her own experience, and Willam's is the same.

Scientists believe the System to be some form of the core that is made for the Emblem. Something striking and strange while not of this world. Only Walkers can see that, while no amount of science could explain it. When the Walkers awaken, the power it produces is a fundamental truth of their potential. No consideration is put on the Walkers themselves while undergoing the Fusion of the System and the Emblem.

After full initiation, the Emblem and the System will calm down, and not produce such sight things again, unless the Rank-Up happens.

When one is a scientist and not a Walker oneself, it is hard to determine the truths from misconceptions.

Some also believe the part of the strange power surge of reaching Rank 1 is more special than any other, but that is hard to guess or test it. Too many variables can occur when Walkers rise in power and the Emblem themselves are too strange.

William couldn't guess what is in front of him. Some sheet appears when he involuntarily swipes his left hand across the screen surface. He doesn't know why he did so, but it felt like he have to do it, so he could proceed with whatever is in front of him. Of course, the Yes is the answer he chose.

Willam Gale

Rank 1

Current progress: 0% towards Rank 2

Type: Vector, Mutant

Status: Death tired

Health: Somewhat good

Current skill: Touch of the Vectors - Rank 0, Vector Claw - Rank 0, Inner enchantment - Rank 0, Vector affinity - Rank 0, Velvet Eyes - Rank 0

Recomendations.

Skill will increase with the Rank-Up and their use. Training is recommended using the Mindless Eye. Hunting is necessary to harvest the results and follow the System.

“This is... rather detailed.” He glances forth, with the meanings of these words being quite clear to him.

He succeeded with the fusion, but his right hand still feels heavy on his chest. The Vectors aren't disappearing, so it makes his claw shimmer with destruction.

By this point, his whole shirt is long turned to dust.