It was the first day of Pride. A day even the smallest dust in the air shimmered with a certain amount of pride. The roof of the Guild had a hole above the awakening podium, and through it, the bright light of the Pride star gazed inside.
The dust particles in the entire awakening venue seemed to gather into the spilled light, wanting to announce their presence to everyone gathered inside.
'I hate the month of Pride,' thought Noah as she leaned in a dark corner.
Granted, the venue was hidden under the roof, shielding everyone inside from the influence of the Pride star. But for some reason, everywhere she looked, people wore pride disguised as confident smiles plastered across their faces.
Noah hated it. She hated how even the smallest particles seemed infected with the same smugness that radiated from the nobles around her.
She sighed glancing at the teenagers waiting under the podium.
Today was the only day in the entire year when sixteen-year-olds in Chasmire could awaken their aspects. Noah didn't know why they had chosen this month, but she'd heard it was because the prism here only reflected the light of the Pride star. Whatever the reason, it made her skin crawl.
Only families of Legacies were allowed inside, while common people had to wait outside. Luckily, the entire guild was covered under the roof, so they were at least protected from the prideful rays of light.
Noah watched as guild members fixed the prism in the podium, directly under the hole in the roof. The light struck the prism, and it burst into a cascade of translucent colors, illuminating the surroundings.
The first teenager stepped onto the podium, followed by a melodic chiming announcing his successful awakening. Noah waited until the last child entered the podium before slipping away unnoticed.
*
* *
"Two rare and one epic," she muttered under her breath as she walked down the cobbled path. "Not bad. Alexander's probably laughing his ass off."
She turned a few corners before stopping at a dark wooden door.
With a deep breath, she pushed it open—only to be greeted by three teenagers standing across from the table. Behind it, a thin old man leaned back, correcting his heavy glasses, a grin stretching ear to ear.
Noah groaned. Not again.
"I'm here to bid farewell," she said, her gaze flickering over the two boys and the girl. Her eyes lingered on the girl for a moment longer. The epic. Of course.
"What?" Alexander's voice boomed, feigning surprise. Noah wasn't fooled. He knew exactly why she was here.
"The clause in our contract," she said, her tone clipped. "It stated I'd be free from my—no, my brother's debt if I finished a year as a guide. It's been a year. I'm done."
Alexander adjusted his glasses, the lenses catching the light from the lamp above. Noah wondered why a Seeker like him even needed glasses.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Maybe it was a quirk, a way to seem more human. She didn't care. She just wanted him to take her resignation letter so she could disappear from this city for good.
He studied her for a moment, then sighed. Alarm bells rang in Noah's head as he opened his mouth to speak. She braced herself, already knowing she wasn't going to like what came next.
"What now?" she asked, her always calm voice masking her turbulent emotions.
"That's…" Alexander gestured to the three teenagers.
"I reject," Noah said immediately.
"You can't."
"Why?"
"Because the year isn't over yet," Alexander said, shrugging as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Noah stared at him, brows furrowing. "What do you mean, the year isn't over? It's Pride. Every year starts with Pride."
"Ahem…" One of the teenagers cleared his throat. Feeling her gaze, he let out a cheeky smile. A blonde. Handsome, if not for the flirtatious grin.
"I am Ronin. A rare."
"I was in the venue. There was another one too." She pointed at the bulky guy towering over seven feet tall. She had to strain her neck to meet his scarred face.
"Then not so rare."
The cheeky smile disappeared from Ronin's face. A muffled sound escaped from the Epic. Her shoulders, hidden under a dark cloak, trembled suspiciously.
Noah returned her gaze to Alexander. Her voice dropped, laced with quiet danger.
"What do you mean by the year not being over?"
There were twelve months in a year. The first six were the months of Sin. Except for the star of Sloth, every other star of Sin covered the world with its light—each in order, one month at a time. Pride was always first.
The following six months were the months of Clash—when Clashes of Legacies raged across the entire Tower. Ordinary awakeners like her had no role in them. Unless she sought to upgrade her core, entering the Tower was strictly forbidden.
Alexander smirked. "There is no Wrath this year."
"What?" Noah frowned in doubt.
"The path of Pride met Wrath in its rotation this year, and so the month of Wrath became Pride as it covered Wrath. And as per the law of months, this year has two beginnings. The clause only mentioned you'd be free after the beginning of Pride."
'Two beginnings.'
And so, Noah found herself once again leading a party of four to their first Legacy gate.
* *
"Hey… two in a thousand is also rare."
Noah washed the dirt off her hands with water before looking at Ronin. His eyes glinted at her, and she groaned again.
"Ok…"
He seemed to be taken aback, then returned to his always cocky self.
"Can you answer a question?" he asked again.
"Ok…" Noah felt helplessness creeping down her spine.
"What grade are you?"
Noah stared at him before muttering, "Ordinary…"
"That's a lie." Ronin shook his head.
"Why do you think so?" Despite being annoyed by Ronin, Noah was in a good mood because the gate they received was merely of ordinary difficulty.
Considering her previous missions, this was child's play. Noah was sure even without her help, the party here could clear it in no time.
Except for the bulky one, Ronin and the Epic were from extraordinary backgrounds. Their attire and equipment were of high quality, and Noah was certain they had already noded with at least one property.
As for the bulky one… she silently gazed at Scarface.
Her prolonged stare seemed to unsettle him as his face reddened, his shoulders stiffening under her scrutiny.
“…For someone to clear a Calamity—”
Ronin’s words forced her to snap her attention back to him.
"I wasn't the one who cleared it," Noah cut Ronin off mid-sentence.
That was a memory she didn't want to remember, still haunted her every night. She wanted to escape from this memory, that's the main reason she sought resignation from the guild.
Her face drained of color as the past slithered back into her mind. Her gaze flickered to the system icon in the corner of her sight, her heart pounding as she pulled up a certain Legacy—one she wished she could forget.
[Legacy]
A fragmented mirror once pulled yourself into it, pushing out your reflection to wander in the world. Now, the reflection stared into the mirror, but the mirror was empty.
Name: Shattered Self
Variant: 9
→ Element(s)
1.Soul
Properties →
•1. Equipment
•2. Enhancement
She felt her heart clench in an invisible grip.
She forgot to breathe.
Noah suddenly regretted checking it.