They trained with their weapons throughout that week. Kael would wake them up at dawn with food, then train till night. They ate only in the morning and at night.
Azaroth was now good with his sword. He was thin and nimble, flexible with the thin blade. And he was fast. The fastest among all of them. He could slash and bring his sword up for defense in one swift movement.
Kael had started teaching him complicated forms that blended into each other to create a barrage of slashing steel, and Azaroth was now on equal footing with his peers.
Not that he cared. Azaroth knew he was going to surpass them anyway. Since his body changed, he was faster, his muscles grew stronger, and his stamina had increased so much that he would continue training even when others had dropped from quivering limbs.
Kael called Stallus the cunning fighter because her saber would always find an attacker's face while she dodged and wove between any attack against her.
Azaroth could keep himself from getting pierced by her saber because of his quick defense, but he could tell how fast she was.
It wasn't just that she was fast; since her saber style was based on piercing with quick attacks and had no defense, she had invested heavily in her footwork. Anytime her blade came close to her target, her legs were already moving her out of counterattack range.
Only Catena was able to land a hit on her with his chains because of his long reach. He would wrap the chain on his left and right hand, the right for offense and the left for defense.
Alex too had improved, though his type of fighting was staying in one place and letting the enemy come close. He concentrated the bulk of his training on making powerful slashes.
It was exactly one week and one day when they were training that Alex Awakened.
It was as if focused wind had been released from Alex, blasting out of him and swirling like a small whirlwind around him. Alex stared wide-eyed at them when the wind disappeared.
"Congratulations. You now have a core," Kael said.
Alex checked himself frantically but found nothing.
"You won't start feeling it actively until you start harvesting your essence," Kael, who had been watching him, said.
Azaroth wondered if what he heard in his dream was true, but he dismissed it. How could it be true? But the eye said he wouldn't start feeling it until he began harvesting essence, just like Kael said now.
Azaroth shook his head and started swinging his sword again. Who would believe a rude red eye?
A day later, Stallus and Catena Awakened. It was just like Alex's, only that Stallus' wind was blue.
Two days after that, Azaroth Awakened. No swirling wind, just a blast that sent everyone flying. Only Kael remained standing, and he stared at Azaroth with his mask throughout that day.
The next day Kael didn't ask them to train; instead, he asked them to sit.
"The main focus of your weapon training was to create a new way to manipulate essence but also to give you a chance when you enter the crypt." Kael stared down at them.
"The crypts that sprouted through the earth on the 'Dark Day' contain monsters that, if not cleared, would burst out and start killing. We Awakeners have the duty of going in and cleaning them up from time to time. The crypt monsters are also ranked according to the human Awakened ranking."
"Today you will be entering a crypt," Kael said.
Alex raised his hand, and Kael nodded. "But we are not Initiates... I heard that it is common to help grind for new Awakeners to at least get a chance at doing the rest."
Kael grinned behind his mask. "Normally yes, but you are Hounds and will do as you are told. This is also a test to cut off those who are weak. The second group will be doing the same as well."
"And who said anything about not helping?" Kael clapped, and four Hounds came in carrying small boxes.
The boxes were put in front of each of them and opened. Inside were small bat-like creatures with curved fangs that protruded outward.
"That is one of the lowest, and it's frankly pathetic that it wasn't ranked. Take!" Kael threw blades at them, and they caught them. "To kill a monster, you must hit its important parts. Heart, brain, or cut its head. Now kill it."
With a swift movement, Azaroth pinned the bat creature with the blade. The thing screeched and went limp, then a ripple of invisible energy lifted like a wisp of smoke and settled on Azaroth.
He felt it then. His core. Cores.
So the dream had been true. He felt his cores low in his stomach. He could tell which was his normal core; it was white and shiny. The other one was smaller and a mixture of black and red.
"Now take the essence into your core," Kael instructed.
It was easy. Azaroth barely had to imagine it before the essence circulated through his body and into his normal core. He didn't feel any difference.
"Do you know you can harvest essence in the air?" Kael said. "It's so diluted that it can't be used for anything more than filling your core for use. What people do in killing monsters is to get concentrated essence to harden and enlarge their core for advancement. But if you want to fight and your core is low, then a few hours in any place and you'll fill it, depending on the person and the location."
Azaroth nodded. He had seen his father and his hunters do this.
"Now to become a proper Initiate, you have to kill seventy-five of the unranked monsters," Kael said. "We have a crypt here that is lower than an Initiate Crypt. You will be entering that."
Azaroth's eyes glinted. Finally!