19. The Awakening Ceremony
Cale scanned the arena-like auditorium. The seats were filled to the brim on one side with 300 students for the Awakening.
Surprisingly, nobody backed out after the stunt Professor Zoren pulled. Literally nobody.
Rather, the documentary seemed to have created the opposite effect. Students looked more determined than scared.
Normally, Cale would consider them naive, but he could only begrudgingly respect their courage.
He and Lucas reunited with the group. Which means it’ll be noisier. Not that Cale minded. He made sure Lucas sat with Chloe.
Lucas glared at him as he was sandwiched between Mark and Chloe. Meanwhile, Aoife, Bear, and him – in that specific order – sat on a row of seats behind them.
At the centre of the auditorium facing the students, three hooded figures (wizards) stood, each holding a silver orb – the Awakening Orb.
Professor Zoren stood before them.
Those Awakening Orb are critical to the Awakening. They’re tools used by wizards to help unlock the soul core.
Without a wizard guiding the flow of the aether to someone making the Awakening attempt, and without an Awakening Orb, there is a high chance of failure–– even for Legacies or Bloodliners.
And an Awakening can only be attempted once. Failure, sometimes, may even lead to death.
“By threes, you will be called to take on the Awakening,” Professor Zoren said as he gestured to one of the wizards who toyed with a silver orb on his palm, tossing it up and down. “You will be called in no particular order. But we will begin with one student, to give you all an idea on how we’ll proceed. We will begin with… Elise Levin.”
The student called Elise looked pale when she descended. It must be nerve-wracking for her, especially being the first Levin Bloodline Legacy in ten years, Cale thought. Not that he understood the pressure. For one, Primes like him never had to unlock their soul cores. And two, contrary to public perception of Mexur as warrior priests, they are unlike Bloodline Families obsessed with power and status.
As followers of the Christian faith, they only care about protecting society and sharing unto others the Word of the Lord. It just so happened that they are really that good at fighting and cultivating the Awakened.
“Miss Levin. Are you ready?” said Professor Zoren.
From beside Cale, Aoife grinned with a whistle. “And so it begins.”
Chloe replied, “I’m nervous.”
Mark yawned as he wiped a tear from one eye. “It’ll be fine. You just place your hand on the orb, and done. It’s the wizards doing the hard part for you,” he said. “So you won’t have to be worry about shattering your soul core. There’s practically no risk with an Awakening Orb.”
“You’re right. But it’s just the nerves, you know?”
It was Aoife this time. “Oh, you’ll be fine,” she said as she slapped Chloe’s back from behind. And then there was a loud explosion. “Oh, wow. Elise did it. We have our first Awakened. See, Chloe? It’s that easy!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Chloe said with a wry smile, obviously still anxious. “I guess wizards really are that amazing.”
Professor Zoren narrowed his eyes to Elise, her eyes turning blue. Specifically cerulean. “Evoker.”
When Evokers use their Aura, their eyes turn from silver to cerulean. While Sentinels’ eyes shift from silver to red.
Chloe, as if her prior anxiety was immediately gone, spoke in excitement; almost jumping from her seat as she did so. “Oh, I know what that is! Evokers use mind-based spells, or the outward manipulation of the aether, like aether blasts, aether shields, or aether bullets! Right?”
Cale thought she must be trying to impress Lucas. After all, Professor Zoren also already did mention that during the documentary. But, I suppose nobody was paying attention at all, he thought.
Anyway, Lucas just smiled in response to Chloe, oblivious to her attempt for a chat. How unrefined…
Aoife grinned and hugged Chloe from behind. “You must have done a lot of reading. Good job.”
“I did!” Chloe grinned back.
Back to the centre. Elise stood up from a meditative position.
Professor Zoren instructed, “We’ll now proceed with the spell control test. Wear your talus.”
“Understood,” Elise said. After she wore her talus on her index finger, she stiffened, looking surprised, seemingly looking at something before her. No. She is looking at something. Something only visible to her.
Professor Zoren smiled. “That’s the Awakened System. It’s like an augmented reality headset… without the headset. So, only you can see it, not unless you share it to others, of course. Now, use your first spell,” said Professor Zoren and gestured to a group of metal dummies. “Destroy one of ten. Even if you don’t, it’s no big deal.”
Elise nodded and shot an Aether Blast. It looked like a blob of aether. The first spell an Evoker-type Awakened automatically learns when they first awaken. Elise missed.
Professor Zoren asked. “Did you… not close your System window?”
Elise sheepishly nodded. “Yeah. It blocked my vision.”
Professor Zoren laughed. “It’s fine. Just think ‘Close System’, and it’ll close. In the future, you’ll do it by instinct. It’s a matter of conveying your intent to the System. And don’t overthink! Sure, this is a test, but you’re not being graded here,” he said. “Again.”
Elise nodded again before lifting her talus. She looked more focused this time. She cast Aether Blast toward the furthest dummy, before her spell curved like a boomerang to hit five more. Then it finally crashed against the wall. But the wall did not even get a scratch.
“Six! Good job, Elise!” said Professor Zoren.
Aoife, Mark, Chloe, and the rest of the students clapped in uproar as Elise wiped the sweat off her forehead.
“Amazing,” said Cale. He’s rarely impressed.
“Yeah. To get six, she’s probably already an SC-2,” Bear glanced at Cale as he shifted his bear-like frame on his seat.
Bear… he’s sharp. But that’s expected for someone with the Mark of Ursa, Cale thought. The Mark of Ursa is the Dube family’s Bloodline Trait. Bear is one of the Bloodline Legacies in this year’s batch of freshmen. There are seven of them, almost double the average compared to previous years.
Cale nodded at him. “Agreed. She’s a Bloodliner.”
“I see. But even Bloodlines normally should only have SC-1.10 in the beginning,” Bear said as his eyes briefly sharpened, lips curving into an almost indiscernible smile. He’s excited. “If she hadn’t just Awakened, I would’ve mistaken her for a Prime.”
Chloe then exclaimed, looking at Aoife. “Sentinels?! Wait! I know that! Sentinels are locked to body-based spells, like enhanced strength, speed, or endurance! But… uh, what’s an SC-something?”
Still trying to impress Lucas, Cale thought, noticing how she stole a glance at Lucas after she spoke. This made Cale understand that she already knew the answer to her own question. She was just hoping Lucas to answer.
Bear raised one eyebrow before whispering to Cale. “Bro, she sure likes Lucas, eh?”
Cale scoffed. “He likes her too.”
Bear laughed. “Yeah. They’re a bit too obvious.”
But the seemingly oblivious Lucas did not say anything to Chloe, and Cale closed his eyes at his friend’s stupidity.
While Cale and Bear were whispering, more students went on to Awaken.
At the same time, it was Aoife who replied to Chloe. “You’re right!” she said as she pinched both Chloe’s cheeks. “And SC just means spell control. The highest is five, but each level is divided into 10 sub-levels.”
Chloe widened her eyes. “10?! That’s a lot…”
“Yep! If Spell Control Levels indicate what spells you can use, the sub-levels indicate how much of the spell’s potential you can bring out. Each sub-level below the max decreases your spell potential by 10 per cent. And every sub-level increases the total damage of the spells you have on a corresponding rank by 10 per cent.”
“Sorry, I might have lost you there. What do you mean by below the max?” asked Chloe. A genuine inquiry this time. Full understanding of spell control in the beginning can be difficult to understand.
“It’ll be easier to show you.” Aoife brought out her phone and leaned over her seat to show Chloe a Stat Sheet. Cale could see it from where he sat.
“So, the following is a Stat Sheet of a typical Level 1 Natural. They have an SC-1.1. That’s the SC-level we usually start with. That means their spells only function at 10 per cent the normal capacity,” said Aoife.
Status
Name: Lorem Ipsum
Shield (SH): 100
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Level: 1
Force: (FR): 10
Age: 15
Basic Attack: 5 (10 FR x 0.50)
Class: Evoker I (Mind)
Aether Essence (AE): 0/100
Spell Control: 1.1
National Rank: N/A
Global Rank: N/A
Spells – 1/5
(Spell Damage = Force x Spell Power)
1. Aether Blast (Common)
(Evoker-exclusive)
SC Requirement: 1.10
Type: Active.
Effect: Form a sphere of aether and shoot forward, pushing your target back.
Spell Power (SP): 4
Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Effective Cooldown: 57 seconds.
Chloe patiently waited for Fia to continue explaining.
“The Stat Sheet says an Aether Blast have 4 SP, right? That means it’s full damage potential is 40. But with an SC-1.1, you can only bring out 10 per cent of the spell’s full potential. This means you’d only be dealing 4 damage every cast – which is way less effective than just using your basic attacks.”
“It also says Effective Cooldown. So, Cooldown is it affected too?”
“Yeah, it does. With a 1.1 spell control, your Cooldown is up by 90 per cent. But as your SC's sub-level go up, your effective cooldown also goes down," said Aoife. "Then when you reach 1.10, the cooldown effect goes away."
Chloe nodded eagerly. “I see. Does spell control also correlate to the level of an Awakened? Similar to how Ashen grades correlate with Awakened classes?”
“Hmm… Kinda, I think? I mean, I do know that if an Awakened is a Class II for example, but they only have a level 1 spell control, they won’t be able to imprint a Class II spell book,” said Aoife.
“How do you improve your spell control then?”
“Through aetheric meditation or aetheric control exercises.”
“Meditation? That’s how the Awakened absorb aether from the environment and level up though, right?”
“Correct. But meditation isn’t only done to level up. It’s main purpose is to increase your spell control. The best way to level up is still to absorb aether stones or by killing Coals and absorbing their aether cores. But why do you ask?”
“It’s just… we also have to increase our spell control levels in addition to our Awakened level too,” said Chloe with a groan. “Urgh… it’s just so complicated. Why do we have to worry about spell control levels too?”
“I know… But I suppose, it’s why we have the Awakened System in the first place. It makes it easier for us to understand the concepts of the Aetheric Path,” said Aoife.
Chloe hummed in thought. “I still don’t know how the System works. Because I thought that the Awakened can’t use technology when they’re wearing their talus. But at the same time, the System is so similar to augmented reality.”
“That’s true. But the System is magitech in nature, so we can use it. I think it was around a hundred years ago when the wizards shot a satellite in space to kind of like act as a server for the System, allowing all the Awakened across the globe to access it through their taluses. Don't ask me how it works.”
“That’s interesting. So, the Awakened in the past didn’t have the System?”
“Nope. They relied on sheer cultivation,” Aoife said as she leaned back in her seat.
Chloe tilted her head. “Cultivation?”
“Cultivation of the soul core. We still do it, the term just changed to levels. And instead of Classes, I believe they were using the terms ‘Realms’ to refer to their soul core ranks in the past. Like for example, a Class I Awakened would have a First Realm soul core, and so on and so forth,” said Aoife. “Apparently, the wizard who headed the project loved video games so much that he borrowed terms from them. Something about not fixing or changing what’s not broken.”
Mark, who fell asleep somewhere in the middle of the conversation, woke up and yawned beside Aoife. “That’s so long-winded, Aoife.”
“I agree,” joked Lucas.
Bear snickered.
Aoife glared at them.
Chloe shook her head. “Oh! No, no, no. It’s totally fine!” She grinned. “It’s actually fascinating. And I think I get it!” Chloe cleared her throat. “So, basically, we still follow the same form of cultivation as the Awakened of the past did, right? The Awakened System simply just uh… how do I explain this.”
Lucas finally spoke. Finally. “It numeralizes.”
Chloe looked at Lucas who scooted closer to her so she could hear him better. Not that she needed to. “Numeralizes?”
“The System provides metrics or numerical calculations equivalent to the bioscan of an Awakened through their taluses,” said Lucas.
Chloe didn't react and just stared at him.
Lucas cleared his throat and continued. “Through a talus, it scans your body, and shows you the metric equivalent of your soul core – levels and ranks. And the amount of spells you can imprint. But all you have to worry about for now is… to improve your spell control if you want to use your spells’ full potential, and if you want to learn a higher classed spell like Aoife said.”
“So, Spell Rank correlates to the Awakened’s Spell Control, and not their Class Rank?”
“Exactly. Because while we do unlock our starter spell when we awaken, Imprinting after that takes a level of focus – your SC. It’s like getting a tattoo, you need to have a certain level of pain tolerance. So, theoretically, you can learn a Class II spell even if you’re still a Class I. That is if you have a Level 2 Spell Control. But that’s extremely rare.”
Cale hid a smirk. Now, it’s him trying to impress her, he thought. To see them interact is akin to watching a romantic comedy with a 1.3/10 rating in the movie database.
Mark made an exaggerated sigh. “Thank you, Lucas!”
“Shut up, Mark! I was explaining the full details!” said Aoife.
Chloe briefly looked at Cale and Bear’s direction. “So, that’s why you guys were so impressed with Elise,” she muttered.
Cale just nodded.
And Bear did affirm her words. “Yeah. With an SC-2.01, Elise practically has a 90 per cent Force advantage compared to Naturals. And as a Bloodline Legacy, she would have access to Class II spell books from the Levin family. That’s the difference between Naturals and Legacies in the early stages.”
Chloe’s eyes sparkled. “Wow, that’s so amazing…,” she said before looking back to Lucas. She didn’t seem to mind Lucas scooting closer to her earlier. “I forgot to ask. But you said there’s a spell limit, right? What’s the limit?”
Cale looked at Chloe. Most students in the auditorium should have done their homework in preparation for becoming an Awakened, and should already know the basics like spell limits, or even how the System functions as Lucas explained.
Still pretending she doesn’t know, Cale thought. But maybe she didn't truly fully understand the concept of spell control. She did seem to really have no idea how that worked. But that knowledge is pretty obscure for the non-Awakened. The public generally only cares about Class Ranks, after all. But it would be foolish if Lucas hadn’t already realized she’s just pretending. He’s not that stupid.
“Five spells. But 10 spells for C-III and above,” Lucas replied and looked back to the middle of the auditorium. “So, we have to be very particular with our spell choices and combinations – ensuring optimal synergy. They’re called spell builds–– er…, apparently. And it’s up to an Awakened to figure out what works for them and what doesn’t.”
“Spell builds?” asked Chloe.
“Spell builds, spell-kits, or just builds. They’re the combination of spells an Awakened chooses to imprint. But I don’t think we’d have to worry about that for now. We’ll probably only have two or three aetheric spells in the next couple of years until we become third years, and the teachers should help pick the most optimal spells for each of us.”
“Can an Awakened change their imprinted spells?”
“I’m not sure,” Lucas said. “I think so?”
But Cale knew he lied. It’s a bit of common knowledge that the Awakened can change their imprinted spells. But someone still has to find that information for themselves, which requires them to already have an interest with the Awakened.
And as part of Lucas’ cover as a Legacy, he has to pick what information he should and should not know. Spell Refund is one of those that he chose not to know.
A bit of a stupid option. I'll have to tell him to be more careful in the future, Cale thought. Any Legacy knows about Spell Refund.
Also, Cale noticed how Chloe only asked what she knew a prepared student would only be able to answer. Even she is being careful not to reveal Lucas’ identity as a Prime. It seems they really just want to talk to each other. Even if they don’t realize it, Cale thought. But, Chloe knowing what questions to ask means that she knows more than she lets on.
Student after student later, soon it was finally Lucas’ turn. Of course, he unlocked his soul core and became a Sentinel. The first Sentinel among the students so far.
Then it was Aoife’s turn. A Natural. Evoker.
Mark. A Bloodline Legacy. Evoker.
Bear. A Bloodline Legacy. Sentinel.
Chloe. A Natural. Evoker.
Cale. A Legacy. Evoker.
Anyway. It took quite some time, about 2 hours, to awaken all the 300 students before the orientation finally ended.
As Cale expected, there were only four other students who became Sentinels besides Lucas and Bear, and they were all Naturals. So, six Sentinels.
No other Legacies and Bloodliners were lucky enough to become Sentinels aside from Bear. But, Bear is an exception. A Dube Bloodliner will always become a Sentinel.
Overall, there are 33 Legacies in total, and 8 of them are Bloodliners.
The rest of the students, about 270 of them, are all Naturals.
***
After dinner, they were sorted into the dormitories. It was nothing interesting.
There were four dormitories, divided into four grade-levels; first year, second year, third year, and fourth year. The dorms are located at the edges of the four cardinal directions of the campus.
They will be staying in the same dormitory for all four years. So, first years are moving into the dormitory previously occupied by the fourth years – the House of Winter (North).
The current second years are in the House of Spring (East); third years are in the House of Summer (South); fourth years in the House of Autumn (West).
The dorms, however, are in no way related to the school curriculum. It’s just where they’ll be staying to sleep, eat, and defecate. So, it eludes Cale why some students, particularly the seniors and the alumni, holds such pride as to the House where they belong.
“Legacy and merit, Cale. It is everlasting,” said Master Livia as she stood before the window, watching the moon resting on a cloudless night sky. “It’s been just a bit over 100 years since Noah Academy and the four Houses were established. Previously, these Houses were just places of residence. But as time passed, the alumni of these Houses have achieved many great feats during their time in school and when they have graduated.”
“I see. They became a source of pride and inspiration,” said Cale as he sipped his green tea. He figured the tea leaves must have been imported from the Empire of Samirthya.
“Yes. The House of Summer, for example, while have remained–– average, for quite some time. It dominated the FCT two decades ago for four consecutive years. No Houses have been able to replicate that feat ever since.”
“Shadow Spear. The late Oliver Hill,” Cale said. Oliver Hill also won the World Awakened Championship when he was a Class III. The WAC is a tournament that happens every four years open to all Awakened.
“Yes. And just last year, your House of Winter represented the League at the World War Games, claiming the championship.”
“I see. The War Games. That’s for fourth years, no? So, it will be the House of Autumn representing Noah this year at the qualifiers. Do you think they stand a chance?”
“We’ll see. Araldas is very promising, indeed. They also have Joran Voss. A very good strategist, and an equally capable Evoker. But Great Lake Academy have a very strong lineup as well, that even Joran, who could defeat Araldas, lost to Great Lake’s best third year in the last FCT.”
Cale sipped his tea as he considered Master Livia’ words. He silently agreed. Araldas have admitted himself that if he didn’t join the Fourth Year category, he would have lost to Joran. And Joran lost to Great Lake’s Valora Heade in the Third Year category.
That’s not to say Valora is stronger than Araldas. But between the three, it’s a rock-paper-scissor situation. Araldas would beat Valora, while Valora would beat Joran, and Joran would beat Araldas.
“Nevertheless, it’s going to be interesting,” said Master Livia, before joining Cale on the table. “But that is not why we’re here.”
Cale nodded. Master Livia is supposed to talk about the reason why the Academy was infiltrated, and explain why Operation ROLLING PANDA is a Grade VI operation. He poured the wizard some of her tea, and said, “Speak freely, Master Livia.”
“What do you know of Victor?”
----------------------------------------
The truth behind the Grade VI operation is finally going to unravel, and it seems the battle Lucas seeks may not be as far ahead in the future.
Coming up next week on the Ring of Avernus...
"When there's lull, it's usually just an illusion," said Cale.
Master Livia looked out the window. "I couldn't agree more..."