The Author's Draft

Chapter 86 - 5: Registration II

Aiden looked up and saw a man climbing onto a podium that had been set up near the main staircase. He was in his twenties, wearing a formal Hunter Association uniform with rank insignia that marked him as an A-rank official. His presence radiated authority even before he opened his mouth.

"Hello," the man said, his voice projecting across the lobby.

Nobody stopped talking. The roar of conversation continued unchanged, hundreds of people too focused on their own discussions to notice one more person speaking.

The man’s expression didn’t change. "Hello," he repeated, louder this time.

Still nothing. Maybe a few people near the podium glanced up, but the overall noise level stayed the same.

The man took a breath, and Aiden felt the shift in the air a heartbeat before it happened.

Power flooded into the man’s voice, spiritual energy amplifying the sound until it hit like a physical force.

"HELLO!"

The word crashed through the lobby like a thunderclap.

The effect was immediate and dramatic. Everyone in the crowd staggered, some clutching their heads, others stumbling back a step. The wave of sound and spiritual pressure washed over them with enough force to rattle teeth and make ears ring.

Aiden stood completely still, unbothered. The technique was crude, just raw power poured into a voice with no real finesse, and his cultivation made him immune to something that basic.

Around him, a few other people remained standing normally too. The unregistered awakeners, mostly, plus a handful of the eighteen-year-olds who’d apparently awakened early through divine contracts or rare circumstances.

The man on the podium noticed.

His eyes swept across the crowd, cataloging the ones who hadn’t been affected, and a small smile crossed his face. Then he raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"My apologies," he said, his voice normal volume now that he had everyone’s attention. "I didn’t mean to use quite that much force. I just needed to get everyone’s attention, and shouting clearly wasn’t working."

Nervous laughter rippled through the crowd. People were recovering from the shock, hands dropping from ears, equilibrium returning.

The man waited for the noise to die down completely before continuing.

"My name is Coordinator Hayes," he said, his voice carrying clearly now that everyone was listening. "I’m an A-rank hunter working with the London Hunter Association branch, and I want to start by acknowledging something that I’m sure many of you are already thinking."

He paused, letting the silence stretch.

"This is terrifying," Coordinator Hayes said simply. "You’ve been called in for your awakening ceremony months ahead of schedule. The sky has turned black, rifts have opened across the city, and everyone’s talking about an invasion that’s supposed to start in less than three days. Some of you probably didn’t sleep last night. Some of you are wondering if you’ll even survive the week."

More nervous laughter, though it sounded strained this time.

"I’m not going to lie to you and say everything will be fine," Coordinator Hayes continued. "I’m not going to tell you that this isn’t dangerous, because it absolutely is. What’s coming when those barriers fall is going to be the most significant threat humanity has faced since the First Awakening sixty years ago."

The lobby had gone completely silent now. Even the people who’d been whispering to their friends had stopped to listen.

"But here’s what I will tell you," Coordinator Hayes said, his voice taking on a different tone. Firmer. More confident. "The fact that you’ve been called in early isn’t a death sentence. It’s an opportunity. For you, and for everyone on this planet."

He gestured around the lobby, encompassing the entire crowd.

"If you awaken today, you’ll be joining the ranks of humanity’s defenders at a time when we need every awakener we can get. You’ll have the chance to make a real difference in this war. To protect your families, your friends, your communities. And yes, to make a name for yourself in the process."

His smile widened slightly.

"The guilds are watching. The associations are watching. This crisis has created opportunities for advancement that wouldn’t normally exist for decades. If you prove yourself capable during the invasion, you could be scouted early by major organizations. You could skip years of the normal career progression and jump straight into positions that would take others half a lifetime to reach."

Interest flickered across faces in the crowd. The fear was still there, but now it was competing with something else. Ambition, maybe. Or just hope that there might be something positive waiting on the other side of the terror.

"And if you don’t awaken?" Coordinator Hayes’s expression softened. "Then that’s okay too. You’ll go back to living a normal life. You’ll stay safe behind the defensive lines while the hunters do their jobs. And honestly? That makes our jobs easier. Every civilian who survives is a victory. Every person we don’t have to rescue is one more hunter who can focus on fighting."

He let that sink in before continuing.

"So whether you awaken or not, I’m asking you to do one thing. Survive. Do your absolute best to stay alive over the next few days. Follow evacuation orders, get to Safe Zones when directed, and don’t try to be a hero if you’re not equipped for it."

Coordinator Hayes’s eyes swept across the crowd one more time.

"We will get through this," he said firmly. "Humanity survived the First Awakening. We’ll survive this too. But we need everyone working together, awakeners and civilians alike. Can I count on you?"

The response was scattered at first, a few voices calling out agreement, then building into a louder chorus as more people joined in. Not quite cheering, but close to it. Determination replacing some of the fear that had been so thick in the air before.

Coordinator Hayes nodded, satisfied, then gestured to someone standing near the base of the podium.

"Now, for the practical matters," he said. "If you’re here for your first awakening ceremony, please follow my colleague here."

A woman in an Association uniform stepped forward, raising her hand so people could see where she was. "First-time ceremony participants, this way please. We’ll be directing you to the testing chambers on the second floor."

She started moving toward one of the staircases, and a significant portion of the crowd began following her. The teenagers, mostly, plus a few young adults who’d turned eighteen recently enough to still be in the mandatory testing window.

"For those of you who have already awakened," Coordinator Hayes continued, his attention shifting to the smaller group left behind, "you’ll be following me. We need to conduct a formal assessment to determine your current rank and capabilities before we can complete your registration."

His eyes found the scattered awakeners in the crowd, including Aiden.

"This includes anyone who awakened through divine contract, anyone who’s been operating unregistered, and anyone who’s here because they received the mandatory compliance notice. We’ll be taking you to the assessment chambers on the fourth floor."

He stepped down from the podium and started walking toward a different staircase, and the remaining awakeners began moving to follow him.

Aiden turned to Callum.

"You need to go with your group," he said, keeping his voice low. "Follow that woman to the second floor, do the ceremony, and then wait for me outside when you’re done. I’ll meet you at the front of the building."

Callum nodded, though his face had gone a bit pale again. "How long do you think it’ll take?"

"No idea. Could be an hour, could be three. Just be patient and do what they tell you."

"Right." Callum swallowed hard. "And if I... if I don’t awaken?"

"Then you wait for me anyway," Aiden said firmly. "Either way, we’re going home together. Understand?"

Callum managed a weak smile. "Yeah. Okay."

They separated, Callum joining the stream of teenagers heading toward the second floor while Aiden turned to follow Coordinator Hayes’s group.

The whispers started up again immediately.

"He’s going with the awakeners."

"So he really is registered?"

"I thought the Association was hunting him?"

"Maybe he’s turning himself in?"

"Or maybe they cut a deal."

Aiden ignored them and kept walking, following Coordinator Hayes toward the fourth floor assessment chambers.

The crowd of awakeners was smaller than the ceremony group, maybe fifty people total, but they were a different breed entirely. Older. More composed. Moving with the kind of confidence that came from knowing exactly what they were capable of.

A few of them were watching Aiden with open curiosity. Others looked wary, like they weren’t sure if his presence was a good thing or a threat.

Coordinator Hayes led them up the stairs without looking back, his pace steady and unhurried despite the crowd following behind.

When they reached the fourth floor, he stopped and turned to address them.

"Welcome to the assessment level," he said. "Before we begin, I want to make something very clear. The tests you’re about to undergo are designed to measure your current capabilities accurately. This is not a competition. This is not about proving you’re better than anyone else. This is about ensuring we have accurate information for deployment purposes when the barriers fall."

His expression became serious.

"Some of you may find the assessment uncomfortable. Some of the tests will push you to your limits. But I need you to give us your best effort anyway, because inaccurate assessments could get people killed when the real fighting starts."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"Any questions before we begin?"

Silence. The awakeners stood there, waiting.

Coordinator Hayes nodded once. "Good. Then let’s get started. Follow me."

He turned and led them deeper into the fourth floor, toward chambers that Aiden suspected would reveal exactly how much power he’d been hiding.

[64:12:47... 64:12:46... 64:12:45...]

Less than sixty-five hours until the barriers fell.

And Aiden was about to show the Hunter Association exactly what he could do.