The Author's Draft

Chapter 93 - 12: Awakening

Callum stood with roughly seventy other eighteen-year-olds in the awakening chamber, his back pressed against the cool wall as he tried to get his breathing under control. The room was large and circular, with rows of chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing a raised platform at the front. The awakening stone sat in the center of that platform, maybe three meters tall and carved from dark crystal that seemed to drink in the overhead lighting.

This stone was different from the basic testing stones used for quick checks. It was massive, covered in intricate runes that pulsed with faint spiritual energy, designed specifically for official awakening ceremonies. The kind that would determine whether you joined the awakened class or remained ordinary for the rest of your life.

A middle-aged man in Hunter Association uniform stood beside the platform, tablet in hand, looking thoroughly bored with the whole procedure. His name tag read "Examiner Willis" and he had the tired expression of someone who’d run through this ceremony hundreds of times and expected today to be no different despite the global crisis happening outside.

He cleared his throat, his voice carrying clearly across the chamber. "Alright, settle down. We’re going to begin shortly, so listen carefully to the instructions."

The nervous chatter among the teenagers died down to scattered whispers, then silence. Everyone turned their attention to the front, though Callum noticed several people were still fidgeting with their numbered tags or checking their phones even though the networks were mostly dead.

Examiner Willis tapped his tablet a few times, then looked up at the group. "The process is straightforward. I’ll call you by your tag number. When called, you’ll approach the platform, climb the steps, and place both hands on the awakening stone. The stone will measure whether you possess a mana core and, if so, what rank and class you’ve awakened to."

He gestured at the registration desk set up in a corner of the room. "If you awaken, proceed to that desk over there. They’ll issue your official documentation and hunter license. If you don’t awaken, you’ll also go to registration for documentation confirming your ordinary status, which you’ll need for various legal purposes going forward."

Nobody spoke. A few people shifted in their seats, the tension in the room thick enough to cut.

Willis continued in the same monotone. "The process takes about thirty seconds per person. You’ll feel warmth if your mana core responds to the stone. If you feel nothing, that means you haven’t awakened. Don’t panic either way. Both outcomes are perfectly normal and there’s support available regardless of result."

Callum barely listened to the procedural details. His heart pounded so hard he could feel it in his throat, each beat seeming louder than the last. The numbered tag with "3" on it felt heavy in his pocket where he’d stuffed it after getting it distributed. Around him, other kids were equally nervous. Some whispered to each other in low voices, probably trying to reassure themselves or make predictions about their chances. Others sat in tense silence, staring at the awakening stone like it held their entire future.

Which, in a way, it did.

The examiner finished his explanation and tapped his tablet again. "We’ll begin now. Number One, please approach the platform and prepare to—"

Suddenly, everyone in the room went rigid.

A pressure descended on the entire building like a physical weight dropping from above. It wasn’t localized to this chamber, Callum could tell immediately that whatever this was, it was everywhere, pressing down through walls and floors and ceilings, seeping into every corner of the headquarters.

It felt wrong. Dangerous. Like standing too close to something that could kill you without even noticing you were there.

Callum’s breath caught in his chest. His hands gripped the edges of his chair, knuckles going white. Around him, several kids gasped audibly. A girl two seats down stumbled even though she was sitting, her body lurching sideways like someone had pushed her. Another kid near the back grabbed his chair for support, his face draining of color until he looked like he might pass out.

The pressure pulsed once. Twice. Each pulse felt like a heartbeat made of pure killing intent, the kind of presence that made every survival instinct scream to run, to hide, to get as far away as possible.

Examiner Willis’s expression changed immediately from bored professionalism to alert concern. He was clearly stronger than the teenagers, probably D or C-rank based on his position, and it helped him resist the pressure better. But even he felt it, his posture stiffening, his hand instinctively moving toward where a weapon would normally hang.

"What is that?" someone whispered, their voice shaking badly enough that the words were barely intelligible.

A few people started crying. Not loud sobbing, just silent tears running down their faces as their bodies responded to the overwhelming sense of danger with the only outlet available.

Then the pressure vanished.

It stopped as suddenly as it had arrived, leaving everyone disoriented and scared, breathing hard like they’d just run a marathon. The absence of the pressure felt almost as jarring as its presence had been, the sudden relief making Callum’s head spin.

Examiner Willis took a deep breath, clearly shaken but trying to hide it for the sake of maintaining order. His hand moved away from where his weapon would have been, and he forced his expression back to something approaching professional calm.

"That was probably just rift interference," he said, his voice not quite as steady as before. "The dimensional barriers are extremely unstable right now with the countdown active. Energy fluctuations are expected. Nothing to worry about."

Nobody looked convinced. Callum certainly wasn’t. That hadn’t felt like random energy fluctuation. That had felt targeted, controlled, like someone or something had released killing intent so powerful it affected the entire building.

But the examiner was already moving on, clearly not wanting to dwell on what had just happened. "Let’s continue. The awakening ceremony will proceed as planned." He looked down at his tablet, then back up at the room. "Number One?"

A nervous-looking boy with messy brown hair stood up from the front row. His legs shook as he walked toward the platform, and he nearly tripped on the first step before catching himself on the railing. The room settled back into tense anticipation as he climbed to the top and stood before the awakening stone, though everyone kept glancing around nervously like the pressure might return at any moment.

Callum watched as Number One placed his hands on the stone’s surface. Thirty seconds passed in complete silence. The stone didn’t glow. Didn’t react at all. The boy’s shoulders slumped and he walked toward registration looking equal parts relieved and disappointed.

No awakening.

"Number Two," Willis called.

A girl with glasses approached the platform, looking like she might throw up from nerves. She touched the stone. Again, nothing happened. She walked away quickly, not making eye contact with anyone.

"Number Three."

Another failure.