The snow covered the sunlight. People with all kinds of intentions moved in the street.

Adrian had passed the edge of the town. Usually, awaken centre existed in the heart of the town but being a wealthy town they placed far away from the heart.

That doesn't mean nobles will come here to awaken their cores. They had their place.

Adrian stopped his steps in front of a tall building. The air was charged with palpable energy, hinting at the immense power contained within those walls.

Elaborate carvings adorned the archway, depicting scenes of spellcasters conjuring storms, healing wounds, and sculpting reality itself.

It was only the outside grand view. Adrain sighed and walked inside the building.

As he stepped inside, he was stopped by two huge guards.

" State your reason. " One of the guards asked Adrain.

" I come here to awaken my core. " Adrain replied honestly.

The two guards nodded at each other and let him pass. " Walk inside the door. There you will see the counter. Ask the man and he will do the job. "

Adrian noted all the instructions and walked past the guards.

Adrian found himself in a vast chamber adorned with ornate arches and intricate tapestries. In the centre of the room, a polished wooden counter stretched out, and behind it sat a man engrossed in his work.

He arrived at the counter. Seeing no reaction from the man, Adrain cleared his throat, gaining the man's attention.

The man looked up, his eyes gleaming with bright light. It was deep blue. A rare colour in this town, Adrain only saw those in the grand festival. The eyes of a noble were indeed from a commoner.

" Welcome, " he said, settling down the quill. " I am the keeper of this place. How can I assist you? "

Hearing those words, Adrain slightly stuttered. Does he not see his appearance?

Adrain thought for a moment but he returned to his normal self quickly. " I am here to form my core. I am 18. "

Curiosity formed on the keeper's face for a brief second, " I see. Follow me. "

The keeper stood up, his height overwhelmed Adrain. Although he was not short, his small frame made him like 15 years old.

Compared to the flesh-filled keeper he can only look up.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The keeper pushed the door which was placed beside the counter revealing a long hallway. The interior was flat and boring and had no distant features. It was just plain old wood.

With each step they took a creak formed.

" Do you know anything about energy? Or about Hunter. " The keeper questioned Adrain's knowledge.

Adrain scratched his hand. It's not that he doesn't know any of the things the keeper was talking about. It was just his knowledge was surface level. Even the child could answer those questions.

Energy is the fundamental source of power for every living being.

As for hunters, they are the being who used energy.

Seeing the puzzle face on Adrain, the keeper nodded. ' Outsider. ' His eyes observed top to bottom from the moment Adrain entered in front of him.

' His demeanour lacks confidence. But I can see the fire in his eyes. It is rare for an outsider to have that kind of spirit. '

" If you don't know then I will tell you about it. " The keeper said.

" Like everyone thought energy is the fundamental source of power. You can mould and shape that energy. There are many names you can call energy. Some called it mana, chi and many more. "

The keeper paused for a brief second to collect himself. He continued. " There is no wrong name for this because everyone used it differently. For example, Mana users can shoot fireballs and such. Fireball is a basic thing for a hunter but the usage of energy was different. "

The keeper raised his hand and demonstrated. A fireball manifested in his palm. Adrain took a step back.

The fire did not act like a normal fire. He can't describe it. It was odd seeing a very familiar element performed differently. The fireball was calm, it emitted faint heat.

" I just used mana and create a fireball. And let's compare that to chi. " The keeper raised his left hand.

A sudden burst of flame exploded. It burned like a mad dog. Compare to the calm fireball, it was like a hot lava burning furiously.

" See the difference? " The keeper asked with a faint smile.

Adrain nodded.

" What I just demonstrate was a simple usage of energy. Some people just called it, a simple energy manipulation. " The keeper sighed. " They are not wrong. You can believe both sides. "

They arrived at the end of the hallway. The keeper opened the door leading inside. The room was dark. But Adrain can see it clearly due to the faint glow emitting on the wall.

There was no furniture in the room. A strange symbol was drawn on the floor. Some circles and ovals shapes were present. It seems like the whole thing was drawn with white chalk.

" I will explain about Hunter after we finished forming your core. " The keeper said and pointed at the centre. " Sit there. "

Adrian walked toward it. The circle were curved into the floor. He sat like the keeper told him to.

" I need you to take off your clothes. " The keeper said.

" All of my clothes? " Adrain asked.

" Sorry. I mean the upper body. I will guide your inner energy to form the core. " The keeper also sat behind Adrain.

Adrain nodded and took out his clothes. He threw the clothes beside the circle.

" What should I do next? "

The keeper places his hand on Adrain's back. He felt a sharp pain for an instant.

" Ouch. " Adrain yelled. The pain lasted for a moment, the keeper took back his hand and frowned.

The calm and collected eyes went dark.

Adrain turned around because there was no movement from the keeper. " What the matter? " He asked.

Seeing the frown on the keeper, Adrain concluded that it must have been some problem with his body.

" You see. My role in this Awaken Centre is to help people form in the core. The process is relatively easy. I just had to gather some large pieces of energy and you just need to hold them. "He paused. " I checked your body by injecting my energy. Usually, I can pinpoint the pieces I need to pull. "

The keeper sighed. "You don't have this kind of large piece. Everything inside your body was equally divided. "

Adrain could understand what the keeper was saying. " You just need to do the same right? "

The keeper smiled. " Yeah, you are correct but can you handle the pain? "