Chapter 11: The Awakening Ceremony (2)
Abel stood in front of the Awakening Orb with a calm expression.
But from the slight tremble in his fingers, I knew he was nervous.
He lowered his gaze for a moment, then slowly placed his palm on the crystal surface.
For a second… nothing happened.
Everyone watched, waiting for the orb to react.
The old priest even frowned, about to say something.
But then—
Wushhhh—!!
A soft sound echoed throughout the hall.
A golden light emerged from the orb—gentle at first, then growing brighter and brighter, as if a miniature sun had descended from the heavens.
The air in the room changed—warm, peaceful, serene.
Some children instinctively bowed their heads, and Sister Liora covered her mouth, her eyes trembling.
"W-what is this…?" whispered one of the young priests behind the altar.
The light began swirling, forming the shape of wings in the air—golden, shimmering, radiating a sacred warmth that soothed the soul of anyone who saw it.
Mia whispered wide-eyed, "That's… not a normal class…"
I couldn't answer.
My eyes were fixed on Abel's back—his body bathed in gentle light as radiant wings of pure energy appeared behind him, as though the light itself recognized and embraced him.
After a few seconds, the orb slowly dimmed, and the wings vanished—leaving behind small specks of light that drifted down like stardust.
The old priest stared at Abel with damp eyes, disbelief written all over his face.
"Little girl… you… you have awakened the unique class Saintess, rank SS."
His voice echoed through the hall.
Some children froze with their mouths open.
Even Sister Liora, always calm, shed a tear of pride.
"W-what?" Abel stuttered, unable to believe what he heard.
The priest nodded reverently.
"A class that only appears once every few hundred years.
You are blessed by holy light.
The world itself has chosen you, child."
The room fell silent—before bursting into cheers and gasps of awe.
I, standing in the front row, stared at him with mixed feelings—astonishment, happiness… and a little pressure.
Mia nudged my shoulder with a grin.
"Heh, looks like we lost badly, Ren."
I snorted. "Well… you never know."
"Eh?"
I smiled broadly at the altar. "It's my turn now, right?"
Abel stepped down from the platform, still dazed.
But when his eyes met mine, he gave his usual gentle smile.
"I don't know how this happened," he said softly, "but… I hope your result is great too, Ren."
I patted his shoulder. "Don't worry."
He chuckled. "Idiot."
The priest looked at his list again.
"And lastly… Ren from Stella Orphanage."
All eyes turned to me.
I took a slow breath and stepped forward.
Each step felt heavy—not with fear, but anticipation.
My footsteps echoed with every movement.
SS-rank Saintess, huh… I thought.
I stopped right in front of the orb.
The crystal looked ordinary, but I felt a pulse of energy inside it.
My hand slowly lifted…
And the moment my fingertip touched the orb—
BOOM—!
A massive explosion of aura and mana erupted without warning—far stronger than anything before.
Fire, ice, lightning, and all elemental affinities swirled around me.
Then the crystal turned pitch black—like the night sky filled with stars.
The crystal vibrated violently, emitting a low hum, as if reacting to something that shouldn't exist.
The old priest stared wide-eyed.
"T-this…! Impossible!"
Mia stepped back.
Abel looked at me in worry.
Meanwhile, I felt a foreign force flooding my entire body—hot, heavy, yet strangely… familiar.
Ding!
[Host has awakened the mana core!]
[Loading…]
Ding!
[Done. Mana core awakened.]
.
.
[Scanning class…]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained: Mythical Magic Swordmaster!]
Ding!
.
.
[??? bloodline reacts!]
[??? bloodline will awaken!]
Ding! Ding!
[Awakening bloodline…]
3%
24%
50%
…
85%
100%
[Cosmic Bloodline has awakened!]
BOOOOM!!
The explosion intensified.
Lightning struck from the sky, and clouds turned pitch dark.
The old priest shouted, "Everyone, back!!"
Sister Liora shielded the younger children.
The priest erected a mana barrier around them.
Meanwhile, I couldn't move.
My body shook violently, pain spreading through every inch—especially my chest.
My breath grew ragged, vision blurry.
And just before I lost consciousness—
The sky tore open.
A massive rift appeared above the city.
Something emerged—a head, featureless and enormous.
No eyes, no nose, no mouth, no hair.
Only cosmos—millions of stars and galaxies swirling within it.
Its size was immeasurable.
The silhouette alone dwarfed the horizon.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished—
as if it came only to confirm something.
---
Third Person POV:
A few minutes earlier, the city of Lumen moved as usual.
The central district's market buzzed with merchants shouting their wares.
Children ran through crowds, their laughter mixing with the rhythmic clatter of hooves.
And then—time stopped.
Just for a moment.
Falling leaves froze midair before slowly descending, as if time itself held its breath.
The bustling market fell silent, replaced by an eerie stillness.
"Eh? Why did everything suddenly stop…?"
A merchant frowned as he looked around.
The air grew heavy—too heavy.
People began to feel a strange pressure tightening in their chests.
Deep within Lumen, atop the Royal Mage Tower, an old mage straightened abruptly and looked north.
"...What am I sensing… mana?"
"No… this is clearly not mana."
Birds shrieked and fled in panic.
The temple gong rang on its own, echoing across the city.
In the lower district, a patrolling soldier looked up at the sky.
"What… what is that…?"
His voice quivered.
Above him, clouds twisted, forming a massive vortex over the Awakening Temple.
Lightning cracked wildly like the wrath of a god.
People rushed out of their homes and shops, pointing upward.
"Look! The sky… it's opening!"
Everyone turned—and indeed, the sky slowly fractured.
Their knees buckled instantly, as if losing all strength.
The sky shuddered.
Then, with a deafening tear, it ripped open.
No warmth came from the rift—only an overwhelming, alien divinity, as if the universe itself had opened.
A whisper like countless stars murmured in every ear.
Gravity and oxygen seemed to vanish for a second, leaving everyone breathless.
And when a colossal head made of galaxies and stars emerged above the city…
all life froze.
No one could scream.
No one could move.
Even time seemed to stop to make way for a being that should not exist in this world.
Seconds later, it vanished—
leaving the people trembling, paralyzed with fear.