The Awakening Hall stank of rot hidden under expensive perfume. Rich kids in silk uniforms filled velvet chairs, laughing and pointing at anyone they thought was beneath them. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like frozen tears, casting harsh light on marble floors that cost more than most people made in a lifetime.
I stood near the back in my patched clothes, trying to blend into the shadows. My black shirt used to belong to my father before he disappeared. My pants were too short, showing boots held together with wire. My mother had spent hours trying to make me look decent, but decent didn't matter when you were surrounded by people who saw you as trash.
At the front of the hall, the Awakening Crystal pulsed with inner light. It was huge, carved from black stone that fell from the sky centuries ago. One touch would reveal your talent, your rank, your future. Heroes were born here. So were nobodies.
The ceremony had been going on for hours. I watched noble after noble step up to touch the crystal. Most got B or A-rank talents. Fire control, super strength, healing magic. Useful stuff that guaranteed them good jobs and respect.
A few hit the jackpot with S-rank abilities. Marcus Aldrich, the duke's son, got Divine Lightning. Golden bolts that could level buildings. The crowd went crazy cheering for him.
Lady Catherine got Absolute Defense. Barriers that nothing could break through. Her father actually cried with joy.
Then Princess Elena stepped up. The whole hall went silent. When she touched the crystal, colors exploded everywhere. Letters of pure gold appeared in the air:
**Talent: Divine Authority**
**Rank: SSS**
The crowd lost their minds. SSS-rank talents were legendary, maybe one every few generations. Divine Authority meant she could command absolute obedience from anyone she considered beneath her. As future empress, that was literally everyone.
I watched her accept congratulations with a perfect smile. Platinum blonde hair, violet eyes, beautiful in a way that spoke of unlimited power and privilege. She glanced at me once during the celebration. There might have been curiosity in her look, maybe pity. Then someone whispered in her ear and she turned away, dismissing me like I didn't exist.
Now they were at the bottom of the list. The charity cases.
"Aiden Cross."
Instructor Blackwood's voice cut through the chatter. He was thin and bitter, a former B-rank hero whose career ended with an injury. Now he took his anger out on students who couldn't fight back.
He said my name like it tasted bad. The whispers started immediately.
"That slum rat?"
"Why waste everyone's time?"
"Bet he won't even light the crystal."
"Should have left him in the gutter with his whore mother."
I'd heard it all before. The words didn't hurt anymore, but the looks did. The way they stared at me like I was something stuck to their shoe.
I stood up from my wooden chair. Not velvet like the nobles got, just plain wood that left splinters. My legs shook but I forced them steady. This was my one chance to prove I was more than garbage.
Every eye tracked me as I walked toward the crystal. The distance felt endless. My footsteps echoed in the sudden quiet. Even the whispers died down as people leaned forward to watch my humiliation.
The nobles wore masks of cruel anticipation. Some smiled openly, excited for the show. Others looked bored, like my presence offended them. Princess Elena watched with an unreadable expression.
I climbed the steps to the platform. The crystal loomed over me, massive and beautiful and terrifying. Up close I could see symbols carved into its surface, words from the old language that scholars said held the secrets of human power.
The crystal pulsed faster as I got near. Colors swirled in its depths. It was like looking into the eye of a sleeping god.
I hesitated, hand hovering over the surface. Once I touched it, there was no going back. Whatever happened would define my whole life.
Behind me, someone coughed impatiently. Another person muttered about wasting time. The pressure of their expectations pressed down on me.
But something stirred in my chest. A spark of defiance that refused to die. Maybe I would fail. Maybe I really was just a slum rat with big dreams. But I'd come this far.
I pressed my palm against the crystal.
Fire raced up my arm, setting every nerve ablaze. My vision blurred, colors bleeding together. The world tilted sideways and I almost fell.
Then came the pulse.
It started in my chest, matching my heartbeat. The feeling spread through my body and into the crystal itself. The massive stone began glowing brighter, responding to whatever power slept in my blood.
The light grew painful to look at. People in front raised their hands to shield their eyes. It kept building, brighter and brighter, until I was touching a piece of the sun.
Energy exploded through the hall in visible waves. Chandeliers swayed, candles flickered, nobles stumbled in their chairs. The wave washed over everyone, making their skin crawl and minds reel.
Letters burned themselves into the air above the crystal, appearing slowly like the universe was hesitant to reveal what it found:
**Talent: Hypnosis**
**Rank: SSS**
The hall held its breath for one perfect moment. A thousand eyes stared at the floating words, trying to process what they were seeing.
Then reality crashed back and the laughter began.
It started as a snicker somewhere in the crowd. Then someone else joined in, and another, until mockery echoed off the walls. The laughter wasn't just amusement. It was vindictive, predators sensing weakness.
"Hypnosis?" Marcus called out. "What is this, a circus trick? Did the crystal mistake you for a street performer?"
"SSS-rank?" Lady Catherine's voice dripped fake sweetness. "The crystal must be broken. Someone should check it."
"Useless talent, no matter the rank," another noble added. "Trash dressed up in gold is still trash."
"I've seen better tricks from street magicians!"
The laughter built like wildfire. Young men in silk slapped their knees. Ladies hid smiles behind fans. Even the adults couldn't hide their amusement. Parents and instructors who should have known better were wiping tears from their eyes.
Instructor Blackwood cleared his throat, trying to restore order. But even he couldn't hide his smirk.
"Well," he said as the laughter died down. "Ranks are only numbers. True power lies in application, not meaningless letters." His eyes warned me not to get ideas above my station.
The mockery crashed over me like waves. These pampered parasites were having the time of their lives at my expense. Each laugh drove the knife deeper.
SSS-rank. The letters still floated above the crystal, glowing. With any other talent, those letters would mean instant fame, unlimited opportunities, a life of luxury and respect.
But hypnosis? In a world where heroes fought monsters with flaming swords and lightning bolts, what use was messing with people's minds?
The jeers continued:
"Maybe he can hypnotize people into thinking he matters!"
"His first trick should be making himself disappear!"
"SSS-rank failure!"
I pulled my hand from the crystal and felt empty, like something vital had been drained away. Maybe they were right. Maybe it was worthless, no matter what rank the crystal gave it.
But as I turned away, something nagged at me. That warmth I'd felt, that electric pulse when the crystal responded. It hadn't felt weak. It had felt powerful, overwhelming.
During those moments of connection, I'd sensed potential. Like standing at the ocean's edge and knowing vast depths lay beneath the surface.
I made it halfway back to my chair before I stopped. The laughter was still going, still feeding on itself. These spoiled, worthless excuses for human beings were having a party at my expense.
Something hot and vicious uncurled in my chest. Not just anger but pure rage that burned away fear and shame. They wanted to laugh at me? Fine. Let them laugh.
I turned around slowly, facing the crowd of nobles still wiping tears from their eyes. They didn't notice at first, too caught up in their cruel joy. But gradually, one by one, their laughter died as they realized I was staring.
The silence that followed was different. Heavier. Charged with something that made their hair stand up.
I looked at Marcus first. The duke's golden boy with his perfect life handed to him on a silver platter. Our eyes met and for a moment, I imagined his arrogance stripped away. Forced to grovel like the people his family kept in poverty.
Something flickered in his eyes. Confusion, maybe unease.
Then Lady Catherine with her cruel smile and expensive jewelry. The other nobles so quick to mock. Instructor Blackwood savoring my humiliation.
One by one, I met their eyes. One by one, their expressions shifted. The laughter died completely, replaced by thick silence.
Maybe I was fooling myself. Maybe hypnosis really was a useless party trick.
But as I stood there watching confusion and the first whispers of fear creep across their faces, I couldn't shake one feeling.
Everyone in this filthy hall was about to make the worst mistake of their lives.
The crystal pulsed once more behind me, casting my shadow long and dark across the marble. And in that shadow, something stirred that hadn't been there before.
Something that whispered of power they couldn't imagine.