We are aware of the danger that transmigrants pose—individuals from other worlds who have inherited the legacies that should have belonged to us. We also know of the mark they possess, but except these individuals identify themselves, finding them is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Duchess Madrassa Darlington,
High Member of the Council of Lords, Central Kingdom (Lutia).
Year 2273.
----------------------------------------
Aodhán woke up to the sound of crashing waves in the distance and the feel of water lapping at his feet. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and a clear blue sky revealed itself.
The chirping of birds and small insects filled his ears, and the pleasant scent of nature hung heavy in the air.
He took in a deep breath, and air rushed into his lungs, revitalizing him and filling him with energy. He chuckled lightly and muttered. “A whole new world, indeed.”
As his strength slowly returned, he forced himself into a sitting position, hoping to get a better view of his surroundings. He’d woken up on the shore of an island, with clear blue waves lapping at his bare feet and a dense forest of tall trees only a few meters behind him.
He wiggled his toes, still wary of any scars or wounds, but fortunately couldn’t find any. Aodhán took another deep breath, savoring the crisp sea breeze and letting it ruffle his hair.
He was still clad in the clothes he wore back on Earth, but they were burned and torn so badly that they looked more like a rags. There was barely anything left of them, so he peeled the tatters off his smooth brown skin and fashioned it into something resembling a loincloth, so that he at least had a part of his body completely covered.
The forest behind him was filled with trees so tall that they seemed to pierce the clouds, their green leaves ruffling in the evening breeze.
Except for how crisp the air was, Aodhán didn't see anything special or magical about this new world. In fact, if it weren't for the golden-colored clouds and the electric feel of energy in the air, he could have mistaken it for a resort island in Bora Bora.
After another deep breath, he moved to stand to his feet, but something at the corner of his vision caught his attention, and when he focused, it zoomed in to reveal a few lines of text.
AWAKENING PROCESS IS COMPLETE.
ANALYZING RESIDUAL MIND FRAGMENT.
…..
LUTIAN LANGUAGE LEARNED
…….
[STATUS]
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Name: Aodhán Ashoka
Title: N/A
Class: Evolved storm awakened: 1%
Tier: 0%
Skills {Innate}: [Storm creation and manipulation] [Lightning creation and manipulation]
Bloodline: Nil
...
Aodhán's eyes widened as he read the texts displayed on the white-gold holographic screen. He couldn’t believe he’d thought this world seemed ordinary just a few moments ago.
Reading the text again, his gaze paused at the third line of text. He focused on it, but no further information was provided. Not that more information was required anyway; it basically meant he’d learned the Lutian language. When he tried to speak it, though, strange sounds emerged from his mouth, and although he understood their meaning, they still required some getting used to.
As he continued reading, he came to another pause when he got to his class, and Az’s words about evolving came to mind.
Without the tribulation, would his class simply have been storm-awakened? He asked himself as his gaze landed on the 1% written in front of it. That seemed to suggest that he could continue evolving, but if he required a tribulation for every evolution, then he didn’t see himself evolving anytime soon.
After one more read, he dismissed the text and pushed himself to his feet before making his way to the forest. Immediately after he crossed the tree line, a sigh of relief escaped his lips, and he smiled as a sense of peace and security engulfed him.
The ruffling of leaves grew louder, blending into a symphony with the chirping of birds and the chittering of insects. Without hesitation, Aodhán walked deeper into the forest until he reached a small clearing, where he sat down to rest against a large tree trunk.
He’d regained most of his strength during the walk, so he decided to experiment a little with his new-found abilities. Az had mentioned that he would have the ability to control, manipulate, and create both storms and lightning, so he would start there.
“First, I’ll start with storm creation.” He muttered, thinking back to the massive storm he’d seen in the first vision. Obviously, he wasn’t strong enough to create a storm that large yet, so he’d have to start small.
With a determined gaze, he raised his hands to the sky and shouted.
“Storm. Descend!”
“Storm. Awaken!”
“Storm. Originate!”
Five minutes later, after his voice had become raw and he’d called out almost every storm-word combination he could think of, he decided to try a different tactic.
“Perhaps it’s about visualization.” He mused, and after a few seconds to calm his mind, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine a storm.
Dark clouds converged in his mind, the rumble of thunder heralding them; multiple arcs of lightning flashed, and the wind raged.
Energy surged through him, and he gasped as wind swirled around him, but the energy sputtered out before it could materialize the storm he’d envisioned.
It was a failure, but Aodhán couldn’t stop smiling; he’d gotten something right. This meant visualization was the way; he just had to imagine on a much smaller scale.
He didn’t raise his hands this time, nor did he close his eyes, but instead of an entire storm, he imagined a single storm cloud, half his height and just as wide.
Energy surged through him once more, and this time, the cloud materialized before him, its surface roiling like thick smoke while droplets of water fell from it.
“By the Maker! I did it.” He exclaimed in excitement, but as his concentration slipped, the cloud dissipated into black smoke.
“I just need to practice more; soon enough, I’ll be able to create real storms.” He muttered, still amazed, and after a few more seconds, he said. “Let’s try lightning this time.”