In a small, quiet room bathed in golden morning light, Lucas slowly opened his eyes. His heart was beating a little faster than usual. He knew it... Today was not a day like any other.
He had just turned seven. And this morning, he was going to experience what everyone else had been eagerly awaiting or dreading: the Awakening.
This ancient, sacred ritual marked a child's first connection with mana. It was the moment when their elemental affinity could be revealed. A decisive, almost mystical step, where everything could change.
A voice came from downstairs, soft but firm:
'Lucas, please come downstairs right away. We're waiting for you.'
He stayed under the covers for another second, staring at the ceiling. Was he ready? His stomach knotted with excitement and apprehension. Then, slowly, he pushed back the sheets.
Today, his life was going to change.
Lucas quietly descended the stairs, his bare feet caressing the cool steps of the polished wood. In the living room, bathed in soft light, his mother stood upright, her gaze fixed on him, a gentle smile lighting up her face. Right next to her, standing slightly back, was Eric, his anxious father
He wore his usual stoic expression, but something in the tension of his jaw betrayed a certain nervousness.
In front of him, resting on a black stone pedestal, glistened a translucent sphere with bluish reflections: the awakening ball.
Lucas silently watched Eric's hand clenched around the crystal. His fingers were so white from his grip that microcracks were beginning to appear on the surface of the sphere.
'Darling...' said Séraphine in a sharp voice, staring at Eric. 'If you break the awakening crystal, I'll turn your head into crystal. And believe me, you'll quickly regret not letting go.'
Eric blinked, as if waking from a dream, then slowly released his hand. He placed the crystal down carefully, his gaze briefly meeting Lucas's.
The little boy stood frozen. He had just witnessed a strange and impressive scene, almost unreal.
'Are you okay, sweetheart?' Séraphine asked gently, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Lucas nodded, his fists clenched to hide the trembling of his fingers.
'Yes. I'm ready,' he whispered.
A knowing silence fell. Séraphine and Éric exchanged glances.
'Whatever the outcome,' said Eric in a serious voice, 'we'll always be here for you.'
'Nonsense,' Séraphine interrupted immediately with an ironic smile. 'He's my son. Of course it will be a perfect Awakening. Have you seen who his parents are? It's just a formality.'
Eric rolled his eyes, defeated.
Lucas approached the crystal slowly, then reached out his hand. His fingers touched the smooth, cool surface. The moment his palm made full contact, a bright light suddenly burst forth, flooding the entire room.
The silence was replaced by a mystical breath. And for a fraction of a second, the world seemed to stand still.
As soon as the light burst forth, Lucas was overwhelmed by an indescribable sensation.
It was like diving into an invisible sea of energy. Particles of mana floated around him, caressing him, penetrating him.
He no longer saw with his eyes, but with his entire being. His senses opened up, extending beyond his body, as if he were becoming the world itself. He swam in a cocoon of energy, warm and soothing... until the cocoon suddenly burst like a bubble, propelling him into total vision.
He saw everything he heard. He felt the echo of objects, the density of the air, the vibration of things. The world was no longer a place, it was a song.
And then, before everyone, the ball of Awakening lit up violently before projecting a translucent hologram floating above the pedestal.
One by one, words appeared in golden letters, accompanied by ancient runes:
Name: Lucas Storm]
[Age: 7]
[Strength: 2]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Endurance: 2]
[Speed: 2]
[Elemental Affinity: Shadow – SS]
[Elemental Affinity: Space – SSS-]
[Elemental Affinity: Lightning – SSS+]
[Mana Talent: Divine I]
[Physical: Body of the Blazing Void]
→ Elemental Fusion: Shadow + Space + Lightning
→ Quality: ???
The living room was still bathed in the diffuse light emanating from the Awakening crystal. Golden runes floated slowly in the air, as if suspended in time. But what really reigned in the room was the heavy silence of incomprehension... and shock.
Eric, usually so stoic, expressionless, his face frozen like stone, had his eyes wide open, his mouth slightly ajar, frozen in an expression no one had ever seen before.
He couldn't take his eyes off the hologram floating above the crystal. What he had just read... defied all logic.
At his side, Séraphine wore a slight, almost detached smile. She seemed calm, serene... but inside, it was the opposite.
Her mind was racing, her heart was beating too fast, and she was holding her breath.
"He can only be my blood... I carried this monster for nine months... It's impossible otherwise..."
But suddenly, as her gaze slid over the golden lines, she frowned.
Affinity with shadow: SS.
Lower than lightning and space.
She threw a tantrum.
'It's not fair!' she exploded, approaching the hologram.
'Why is your affinity with Shadow lower?! It's supposed to be the strongest! It's my element! You're my son!'
Eric barely glanced at her, shaken by her theatrical reaction... but unable to take it seriously. He had other things on his mind.
How can she remain so calm when... he's a monster?
A divine mana talent, rivaling the greatest legends... a power that, according to some ancient archives, had only appeared in sacred dragons or the elven heirs of the first era.
That talent alone would make Lucas a prodigy with overwhelming potential.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
An SSS+ affinity... something that hadn't been seen in centuries. An unknown, indescribable, probably unique physique... And above all...
He froze.
...Space.
Space was not just an element. It was a foundation of the world, a primordial force, a cosmic law.
In his own clan, Eric had four affinities. Seraphine had three. Having three to five affinities was not unusual among ancient bloodlines. But Space...
He clenched his fists.
Space alone eclipses all the other elements. It's not a gift... it's a danger. Too rare. Too powerful. Too coveted.
He closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't put into words what he was feeling.
Pride? Terror? Responsibility? All of that, perhaps. But deep down, he knew.
Lucas slowly began to regain his senses.
The light had faded. The hologram still floated in the air, but its glow had dimmed. Lucas blinked, as if waking from a strange dream.
Then his gaze fell on the golden screen suspended in front of him.
It looks like... a video game screen, he thought.
The kind of interface he had seen before, when he used to visit his uncle in hospital. They would spend hours playing together, between two machines and muffled laughter.
The memory brought a discreet smile to his lips.
His gaze then turned to his parents. And he immediately understood that something was wrong... well, that something was beyond anything they could have imagined.
Are they... shocked? Worried? Impressed? All of the above?
He felt a strange warmth rising in his chest. Not fear. Joy.
My awakening... it's not just good. It's... exceptional. So exceptional that even they don't understand.
The idea delighted him.
He turned his eyes to his mother.
And saw her, ranting loudly because her affinity with the Shadow was 'inferior' to that of the other elements.
Pfff... That's just like her.
Always unpredictable, excessive, wholehearted.
He wanted to laugh. A small, mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Then his gaze shifted to Eric, his father.
He said nothing, but Lucas watched every micro-expression on his face.
Shock.
Incomprehension.
Terror...
Pride.
And finally... responsibility.
He felt it all, as if he could read his mind. As if their bond was already beyond blood.
And it touched him deeply.
Dad...
He may have been only seven years old, but he knew that something had changed forever. In him. In them. In the world.
And this was only the beginning.