The daily life of recently fourteen year old Kevin Branch; the youngest son of Joshua Branch - a recently promoted military official in the Southern Army of the California Republic was rather simple. Wake up early, at the fifth hour of the day and train.

Along with his younger half sister, a Branch scion trains primarily with the spear and sword. The traditional tools of the infantry, though polearm proficiency can change based on intuitions and personality, the basic art of the clan was closely followed for the purpose of instilling the self image of the fighter as well as the genuine training of the mind and the muscle.

The former however, may be more important than the latter in some eyes. In this world, you are either awakened or you are not and those between the ages of fourteen and twenty five either awake to the “System” or they do not. As a member of a hereditary soldier family, there was only the System or something akin to death. However Kevin was not one to worry too much.

“I’m going to awaken. I feel no fear, I can grasp it right in front of me almost.” He focused with his training spear and drove it straight into a massively worn dummy, snapping the stick as he pushed its point beyond its limit.

“Whoa! You broke it!” His little sister Viviane gaped in awe. She dressed similarly to him, in a tank top and pajama now dirtied pajama pants. Hair tied, unlike him she was blonde.

“Next time, that’ll go straight through.” Kevin stood there, basking in the awe of his little sister.

“When will you wake up today?” She said, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Wake up? I’m-” He paused and undid the belt that held his practice sword. “I forgot!” He sprinted to the bathroom, leaving Viviane to continue training for the rest of the hour before their older sibling gets up to train and supervise her.

Kevin makes it to the bathroom to see Mina, her irritation open on her face. She was a rather short but stern lady, about thirty years old. Glasses and a black apron backed by a floral shirt and black pants hid her vicious personality.

“Master Kevin… Why are you sweaty?” She asked, before pinching his arm.

“Owch… sorry! Can I take a shower? I’ll get ready.”

“Yes, yes you better young master. Do it quickly, you were supposed to present yourself like ten minutes ago.” She walked away and Kevin hopped into the shower to scrub himself down and make himself not smell like dirt and sweat. Shaking with every blast of cold water on his skin.

As he exited the shower he examined himself in the mirror. His long wet hair was beginning to encroach his eyes, it was dark which contrasted to his light skin but matched his eyes. Large for his age standing at five feet and ten inches and with satisfied huff he smirked as he flexed his abs and arms. “Kevin, are you done there?” He was interrupted by the housemaid. “Yup.” He came out and rushed into the clothes she had prepared for him. Mina assisted in making him look sharp with a fancy but dull blade at his hip and armed with a spear to walk with.

He exited the room excitedly, hitting the tip of the spear on the doorway. He exhaled, calming himself. He’s supposed to be a warrior, a fighter. Spear in hand, imagining magical enhancements on the tip. He elected for mindfulness of its placement and his surroundings.

Once in the living room, he was greeted by the joyous face of his mother and father. Both among the awakened themselves, prepared to see their soon-to-be peer. “Kevin, you look quite sharp. I’m sure Mina has much to do with that?” Kevin chuckled nervously.

“Yes Father, I am prepared for the ceremony.”

“Wait!” An unmistakable girly voice rang out from the hallway connecting their bedrooms, the training room and other areas of the house. Viviane was running, barefoot and still carrying a spear. “I made a trinket!”

“For?” Their father’s voice softened a great deal. Viviane approached him and held up a small cross-like trinket. “This is for Kev!” She exclaimed, holding it up in her face. The two men couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Well he’s right there. Hand it to him.” Viviane turned around and extended her hand out aggressively for Kevin to grab. Upon closer inspection it was covered in unrecognizable but cool and jagged word-like markings. He enclosed his hand over it and looped the string attached to it over his head, onto his neck.

“Thank you Vivy. Now do well in training, I will be there for your own awakening one day.” He smiled and Viviane quickly hugged him before rushing back to the training yard.

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“Now then, we can all go together. I will drive tonight, but Mina you can still come.”

“Oh Master Joshua… I can drive.”

“It’s not a bother. I rarely get a chance these days.”

“Somehow, this doesn’t sound good.” Kevin thought to himself, now that his Father is a busy man within the General’s camp he spends a lot of time filing paperwork, with most of his free time dedicated to keeping the wits of his arms. Of course, he makes plenty of time for family but it is not usually spent winding down.

Therefore Kevin carefully oriented himself so that should anything unexpected happen, his spear does not slide around and stab anyone. Although should it really come to that, there is nothing Kevin could do, though his parents would be able to handle it.

Once Joshua got the car rolling, his wife Sophia sighed. The fears were well grounded as Joshua speedily drove the car out of the driveway and into the street, almost already at the end of it. Though no one would get car sick, Kevin almost wished he got car sickness to make him stop.

Within no time, they were stopped by a long line of traffic. “We’re here!” Joshua joyfully exclaimed. “It’ll be a moment before we park. Kevin, you better get out now and walk. We’ll be around in time soon enough. Mina, accompany the boy would you?”

The two exit the car onto the sidewalk and begin making their way to the large crowd of other candidates for awakening are. It was not missable, one could not even count how many there were without a God’s eye view and even then. Mina and Kevin stood together in a rough line that had formed. For the youngest there, this was not unusual.

Being from a rather important family, even if Branch’s was not the most renowned or wealthiest - it was normal to have company that was not intended for awakening but simply as aides for whatever is necessary. One might be given lots of responsibility but it wasn’t until seventeen that they were expected to be considered independent.

Of course, this was not always the case. Commoners could not usually afford them and if they could, they would in these times seldom even consider an awakened career like they might have in Kevin’s grandfather’s youth. Younger candidates were also not always accompanied even if they were noble, everyone has their own circumstances. There were even those as old as twenty five, being their last chance to awaken. Though some had never even attempted before, perhaps becoming desperate in their search for work.

After a bit more waiting a feisty looking girl with tanned skin and dark hair approached the pair. Unlike most here she had a peculiar set of weaponry, a smaller than normal crossbow, spurs and a curved sword on her hip. “Ma’am, what is the time?”

“She must be from out East, or is she a Valleyan? I heard they used crossbows. What is she doing down here?” When Kevin realized he was totally staring at her he blushed, she noticed too but awaited Mina’s answer.

“It is five to eight. So not long before it all starts, would you like to stay with us?”

“No please.”

“Sure.” She smiled and awkwardly came in between Kevin and Mina. “Hey there, do I look weird?”

She stammered and blushed, unable to keep eye contact. “N-no… I was curious about your attire and choices of arms.”

“Oh these.” She continued as if she wasn’t just teasing him. “If you were wondering, yes I am from the Guartez family. I’m here for a visit so my Mother signed me up for awakening since I turned fourteen three days ago.”

“The twenty eighth? So did I.”

“Oh really?” She beamed, a bit too much for his taste.

“Yeah…” For Kevin, the horn that would blare before she could say more was a mere respite. As she stuck by him as all the candidates gathered to be separated into lines.

“There’s a lot of people here. I’ve never been to one of these. Plus my Father never told me anything about his.”

“Well, I hope you like it. It’s kind of long. It’s a really national event, journalists are here and even military officials. See, that man over there?” He points at his father.

“Yeah, who is he? He’s just in a suit.”

“That’s the Southern Army’s aide-de-camp. Brigadier General Joshua Branch.” He smirked, as his father waved at them.

“Holy crap he waved! Put your hand down!” She practically slapped his hand down, in response he just chuckled.

“Anyway, yeah it’s a big deal. I am surprised your father didn’t have you just go when you got back up. You are from the Valley right?”

“That’s true.” She sheepishly nodded. “But oh well, maybe I met a good friend.” She smiled, he blushed again. “By the way, I never got the chance to ask. I’m Amelia Guartez… but you already knew the surname.”

“Kevin Branch” They shook hands and then it began. An older man dressed rather sharply in a gray suit stood up on a platform. A miniature microphone adorning his ear. Other than that, a large trio of wounds adorned his face.

“Good morning candidates. I am this year’s lead proctor. Please remember, there will be ten lines. Roughly equal. Should you not receive a message after touching the stones - you are not to awaken this day, as such you should then walk out to the empty gate to the left of the line. Those that do receive the message, walk forward to your stone’s proctor. Understood?”

A cheer of varying enthusiasm answered “Yes” no matter if they understood or not. And they tried their best to form equal lines. In reality it doesn’t matter.

Still, Amelia stuck by Kevin as if they were glued together. They watched as people touched the stones, the color would change depending on officially unknown reasons.

“Do you think it’s true that the colors resemble zodiacs? Or at least personality types?”

“Probably not. It’s more likely it has to do with the signature of one’s magical capabilities when awakening. We still don’t really know why it does.”

“That’s kind of boring though. If it’s a zodiac then we will both get blue, but I want pink.”

“Is it supposed to mean something?”

“Probably. I just like the color.”

He sighed. “Why even bring up personality types then?”

“Well I mean I don’t remember everything… besides pink has gotta have nice connotations!”

“I suppose so.” As they kept chatting about whatever the lines would slowly inch forward to the little gate, though it was more like an open way between two benches.

“I’ve never been here outside the awakenings. I bet it’s packed for beach days.”

“I should learn how to surf. Do you know how Kev?”

“Uh… no.”

“B-but you live by the sea!” She stammers a bit and pouts. “Do you have strict parents or something?”

He looks back into his memory and it does fit, but they’ve always been kind. “Not really, I just never really got around to doing it.”

“Hmm. Maybe we could do it after?”

As time passed even longer. It was finally time. Kevin was finally feeling nervous as he saw all the eyes on him. Step by step he approached the stone, even as it seemingly tried to run away. But he finally caught it, placing his hand on it.

It glowed.