The Awakening Hall held its silence like a cathedral waiting for prophecy.
Light ran along the great crystalline pillars and gathered at the center where the orb hovered—radiant, suspended, ancient as frozen moonlight. The twelve elemental runes carved into the marble floor glowed faintly beneath it, each symbol a silent witness to whatever destiny would unfold.
Nobles, captains, and priests from every race stood without breathing too deeply—still wrapped in the aftershock of what they had just seen. When the prince laid his palm on the orb, the world had shifted. Now, even minutes after the pillars dimmed, no one had been able to return to normal.
Arcanis remained at the center.
His hand still rested on the orb, though its light had begun to simmer down. The air around him shimmered with thin threads of mana, cold and crystalline, curling off him like faint mist rising from winter's edge. Even when the hall returned to stillness, there was a sense that the space had been recalibrated—measured against something new and found small.
The High Priestess stepped forward.
Her robes whispered like flowing water. Her silver-blue eyes reflected the dimming orb with a mixture of reverence and disbelief. She had witnessed awakenings for more than a century—had documented rare affinities, freak mutations, elemental anomalies—but nothing had prepared her for what had erupted the moment Arcanis touched the crystal.
When she spoke, her voice carried the weight of ancient scripture.
"People of Aravell," she said. The entire chamber leaned in instinctively, as if she held the hinge to truth. "We have borne witness to an awakening that will be inscribed in the Elemental Church's highest annals. Let it be recorded: Crown Prince Arcanis Vael Aravell has synchronized with the Orb."
Her tone trembled—not with fear, but awe.
King Alistair did not reveal panic; instead the quiet intensity of a father facing the moment he'd always known would come. Queen Elara's fingers tightened subtly at her sleeve, not out of concern, but reverence. Princess Aria's excitement nearly burst from her tiny frame, her bright eyes barely containing their joy.
The priestess raised a hand toward the pillars.
"Let it be known that three pillars responded to the prince's mana resonance."
A hush fell deeper over the hall.
"Water. Ice. Gravity."
Each word landed like a gem dropped onto crystal.
A ripple spread through the audience—not tension, but collective wonder. Water and Ice together were already rare; to have Gravity, one of the slow, ancient elements, join them… that was something the kingdom had no record of.
"Universal Resonance…" someone whispered.
The priestess inclined her head. "Yes. His synchronization reveals an affinity capable of aligning with multiple elemental paths. The Orb has recorded this phenomenon—something we will study for generations."
The official Church scribe dipped his pen into ink. Every stroke he wrote felt ceremonial, the kind of ink that would outlive its writer.
From where he stood, Captain Serion felt a low tremor pass through him. The boy has trained, he thought. But this is beyond training.
Captain Vareth straightened almost imperceptibly, as if steadying himself against a shifting earth.
Seraphine watched with the quiet delight of a scholar discovering a new forbidden chapter.
Rheon observed with predator's composure—eyes narrowing, reading strength as though committing it to instinct.
The High Priestess's voice softened.
"And now," she said, inhaling as if steadying her heart, "for the Orb's final projection."
Her eyes lowered to the glowing script floating above the orb.
"His potential…"
A breath caught in half the room.
"…is SSS★ — Limitless."
The words struck like a holy bell.
The chamber did not erupt. It folded—a soundscape of quiet gasps, sudden inhales, a dropped staff clattering against stone. It was not chaos; it was the human body reacting to an impossibility.
SSS★.
Limitless.
Potential with no ceiling. A summit without boundary.
A louder gasp came from the nobles' side as the meaning sank in.
King Alistair's usually-steady pupils narrowed. For a moment he was not the king—he was a father witnessing the world rearrange around his child.
Queen Elara's breath quickened; her spirit-sense quivered under the resonance, overwhelmed not by fear but by the sheer depth of the harmony she felt.
Princess Aria, unable to hold back, clapped her hands over her mouth as her eyes sparkled like tiny stars.
The hall was suspended in breathlessness.
And then—
A phenomenon, soft yet impossible.
A thin circle of gold traced itself around Arcanis's feet—delicate as breath on frost. The runes in the marble stirred, rising like whisper-thin pages lifting from an invisible book.
The Codex awakened.
Not with thunder—
Not with spectacle—
But with a silent bloom of presence that pulled time into a deeper rhythm.
A great, ethereal book unfurled behind him, its pages turning without wind. The glyphs gleamed like molten scripture, ancient and incomprehensible, yet perfectly understood by the mind they sought.
Only Arcanis could see it clearly.
The world remained muted to the miracle.
Inside his thoughts, words etched themselves with impossible clarity:
[ANCIENT IMPERIAL CODEX — SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
[Bearer: Arcanis Vael Aravell]
[Level: 1]
[Elements: Water / Ice / Gravity]
[Affinity: Universal Resonance]
[Potential: SSS★ — LIMITLESS]
[Unique Skill Unlocked: ARCANE INSIGHT (EX)]
[Codex Access: ROOT]
—Several entries locked—
The phrase Arcane Insight didn't feel like words.
It felt like a doorway unlocking inside his perception.
Instinctively, he tested it.
A glance—quiet as breath—toward Captain Serion.
A faint overlay appeared at the edge of vision. Runes flickered, arranging themselves, and then disappeared
He was confused but didn't think much of it
A single command of thought, and the Codex withdrew the overlay as if bowing politely.
No one else noticed a thing.
A few had sensed the slight warping of time, the shimmer of gold, but nothing more. The Codex existed only in outline to the world—yet was fully alive within him.
The High Priestess, reading only the visible miracle, raised her voice again.
"Let these events be preserved," she declared. "Crown Prince Arcanis Vael Aravell: Water, Ice, Gravity. Universal Resonance. Potential—SSS★. The Church bears witness."
The hall hummed with respect. Not greed. Not fear.
Aravell had no vipers among its nobles—only people humbled by history unfolding before their eyes.
King Alistair placed a firm hand on Arcanis's shoulder, grounding the moment.
"My son," he said quietly, "Aravell stands with you. Always."
For a heartbeat, the hall felt full of warmth and vow.
Outside, waves brushed against the cliffs. The city continued its morning rituals, unaware that its future had just shifted. History would later say this was the day a boy awakened.
But those within the hall knew better—
This was the day a kingdom decided to rise.
Arcanis offered a small bow, regal and composed. The golden Codex folded itself behind him, fading like the last page of a divine manuscript.
And the Awakening Ceremony moved from miracle—
To purpose.
The glow of the Codex faded into the stillness of the Awakening Hall, leaving only faint ripples of mana in its wake—soft vibrations lingering like echoes against ancient stone.
But the ceremony was not yet finished.
The High Priestess stepped closer to Arcanis, her robes trailing like moonlit water. Even now, she had not fully regained her composure. "Your Highness," she said softly, "the Orb's resonance was… unlike anything in recorded history. The harmonics of your elements—Water, Ice, Gravity—did not simply ignite. They interlocked, forming a tri-path framework."
She paused, searching for the correct language.
"It should not be possible for Gravity to synchronize so fluently with flowing elements… yet it did."
Behind her, several priests nodded with shaken awe.
One murmured: "A convergence like this has not been theorized in any Church archive…"
Another breathed, "The last time Gravity responded this strongly was centuries ago—and even then, it did not pair with complementary elements…"
"But here," the High Priestess continued, "it resonated as if crafted for him."
Her gaze lowered to Arcanis with reverence—not as though she stood before royalty, but as though she stood before prophecy itself.
"With your permission, Your Highness," she said, "I will inscribe today's event into the Twelvefold Chronicle. This is no ordinary awakening. This is an omen of change."
Arcanis listened silently, absorbing her words with calm composure. There was no arrogance in his eyes—only the same still depth that the hall had felt when he walked in. He inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.
"I understand," he said quietly.
The High Priestess almost smiled.
He didn't flaunt his power. He didn't boast. He didn't revel.
He accepted.
With the poised steadiness of someone who carried far more than people could see.
---
A moment rippled through the hall—subtle, unnoticed by most.
The Codex stirred again within Arcanis's perception, a faint whisper of gold threading through his thoughts.
[ARCANE INSIGHT — PASSIVE MODE ACTIVE]
He tried again to use the skill on others to inspect them
His gaze flickered—not outwardly, but inwardly—as a new understanding washed over him.
My Insight ability… it reacts on its own when I focus on people.
He cast a quiet glance toward the nobles gathered around the pillars.
Immediately, faint silhouettes brushed the edge of his vision—outlines formed of gentle runes and minimal information, barely-there impressions: elemental type, potential grade, emotional state.
But when his gaze passed beyond them—
Toward those stronger than him—
The runes blurred into soft static, dissolving before forming fully.
I can't see those stronger than me. Only their affinities…
He filed the information away neatly.
And withdrew the ability.
The Codex dimmed obediently.
No one noticed.
---
Reactions Across the Hall
Whispers had finally regained courage to surface.
"Tri-elemental… and a rare one among them…"
"Water and Ice are complimentary, but Gravity—Gravity is a force element!"
"SSS★… limitless? Is that even a valid projection?"
"Only ancient heroes were said to possess such ceilings…"
"The Church will rewrite records…"
"I never expected to witness something like this in my lifetime…"
The nobles did not envy. They admired. They feared for him. They hoped for him.
Aravell was too united, too earnest, too small to nurture political vipers. What existed instead was a genuine, collective awe—a shared prayer that this child would lift the kingdom higher than any had dared hope.
The captains held their silence differently.
Serion watched Arcanis with a firm gaze. There was no fear in his eyes—only the resolute acceptance of a man who had sworn his sword long before today.
Vareth inhaled deeply, his chest rising with the quiet resolve of someone preparing for a storm decades in the making.
Lyris looked as though the sea itself had whispered a new current into her thoughts.
Seraphine—calm, unreadable—was already calculating what texts she would need to reopen in the arcane archives.
Rheon simply adjusted the glove on his left hand, expression unchanged, but eyes sharper than ever.
---
⭐ The Royal Family's Response
King Alistair approached his son.
Each step carried the weight of a man who once dreamed of exploring the world but had surrendered that dream to the throne. There was pride in his eyes—quiet, grounded, deep as a forge-fire—and something far more tender.
He placed a hand on Arcanis's shoulder.
"Son," he murmured, voice steady even as it trembled in places the world could not hear, "you have done well."
It wasn't the praise of a king.
It was the pride of a father who had watched his child grow from a quiet boy into a young man who now stood on the edge of history.
Queen Elara stepped to Arcanis's other side.
Her Spirit aura shimmered softly around her fingertips as she touched his wrist, grounding him with that gentle, stabilizing warmth only she possessed.
"We are proud of you," she said, her voice low and velvety with emotion. "Whatever path unfolds… remember you do not walk it alone."
Arcanis bowed his head slightly.
"Mother. Father."
His tone held the same calm depth as always—but something softer threaded beneath it, a warmth reserved only for family.
And then—
A small weight collided gently into his leg.
Princess Aria hugged him with all the strength her tiny arms could gather.
"Brother!" she squeaked. "You're amazing! I told everyone you would be amazing!"
Her delight was so pure it softened even the sharpest hearts in the room.
Several nobles smiled. Captains hid grins behind their hands. A few priests chuckled quietly.
Even the High Priestess allowed a rare expression of fondness.
Arcanis placed a hand lightly atop Aria's head, steadying her excited bouncing. His expression barely shifted, but his eyes softened by a fraction.
"Aria," he murmured, "breathe."
She froze. Breathed. Then nodded rapidly.
"Okay!"
---
As the hall settled, the High Priestess regained the floor.
She raised her staff, and the crystalline orb responded with a faint, exhausted glow.
"With this," she proclaimed, "the awakening of Crown Prince Arcanis Vael Aravell is complete."
The pillars faded to their dormant state. The runes dimmed. The echo of the Codex faded into memory.
But the reverence in the air remained.
A kingdom had just witnessed the birth of its future.
The ceremonial glow faded gently from the pillars and orb, yet the Awakening Hall remained suspended in something deeper than silence—something reverent, almost sacred. The nobles stood straighter, some breathless, others humbled; the captains wore expressions carved from iron resolve. Every pair of eyes rested upon the young prince at the center of it all.
But the ceremony was not truly complete.
Not yet.
The High Priestess stepped forward again, her posture regal, her presence serene.
"With the awakening concluded," she said, "the Church must now inscribe this moment into the annals. The prince's resonance—Water, Ice, Gravity—will be studied carefully, and the knowledge shared with the kingdom. And his potential…" her voice dipped, reverent, "…will be safeguarded as a sacred truth."
The scribe beside her sealed the parchment with sacred wax, marking the first official record of Arcanis's existence as a wielder of power.
All across the hall, people bowed their heads in silent acknowledgment.
But then— Another ripple stirred the future.
The Codex awakened again.
Not visibly. Not loudly. Not even for a full breath.
Just a whisper—
a quiet shift—
a second pulse in Arcanis's mind—
as if to say:
This is only the beginning.
A subtle line of text flickered across his inner vision:
[ARCANE INSIGHT — RANGE EXTENDED UPON AWAKENING]
[NOTE: Higher-level targets cannot be fully analyzed]
Arcanis let the information sink gently, mentally filing it away.
So that is why I could not read the captains completely…
It made sense.
Power respected power.
And Insight respected hierarchy.
The Codex dimmed again.
⭐ The Captains' Vows
As the High Priestess stepped back, the five captains instinctively stepped forward—not by arrangement, but by the silent understanding shared among warriors who had watched the prince since childhood.
Captain Serion bowed first.
His voice, usually firm as tempered steel, lowered with respect.
"Your Highness," he said, "you have shown the mark of a leader. Should you choose any path—conquest, discovery, peace—I will carve that path beside you."
His eyes were sharp, fierce, loyal.
Next, Vareth placed a fist across his heart.
"Your Highness," he rumbled, "should mountains rise against you, my shield will break them. Should storms gather, I will stand before them."
Lyris bowed with a warm smile—not playful, but earnest, steady as the tides she commanded.
"It will be an honor to serve under a prince the elements themselves admire."
Seraphine dipped her head slightly.
"Your talent… will reshape our records," she said, voice soft, mind already spinning with theories. "I look forward to witnessing the paths you carve."
Rheon stepped forward last.
He said nothing at first—only held Arcanis's gaze, sharp and assessing, as if recognizing the emergence of something that even shadows would bow to.
Finally, he inclined his head.
"As long as you walk forward, Your Highness," he murmured, "you will never walk alone."
Their words settled over the hall like a vow etched into stone.
⭐ The Royal Family's Moment
King Alistair and Queen Elara approached him again—not as rulers, but as parents.
"Arcanis," the king said, his voice firm yet warm, "today marks the first step of your true life. Whatever the world demands of you… you will meet it with strength."
Queen Elara brushed her fingertips lightly against the back of his hand, grounding him with a gesture soft enough to be nearly invisible, yet full of unspoken love.
"You do not need to carry the weight of destiny alone," she whispered. "Our family stands with you."
Aria still clung to his leg like a small vine clinging to a pillar.
"Brother is the best!" she declared, cheeks puffed gleefully.
Arcanis rested a gentle hand atop her head.
The hall softened once more.
A kingdom's heart beat with warmth.
Even the High Priestess allowed herself a quiet exhale of relief.
This child—
this boy—
was capable of awakening both awe and tenderness in the same breath.
A rare balance.
A future king's balance.
The High Priestess raised her staff one final time, signaling the end of the awakening.
The orb dimmed fully. The runes faded. The resonance dissolved.
And yet the hall felt changed—its very air charged with the residue of something historic.
"Crown Prince Arcanis," she said, bowing deeply, "your awakening is complete."
A soft wave of motion rippled across the hall as everyone else bowed as well—nobles, priests, guards, captains—paying respect not to power alone, but to possibility.
Arcanis returned a dignified bow, calm and composed.
He felt the subtle hum of the Codex settle into stillness within him like a closed tome awaiting the next chapter.
This was the moment where awe ended…
…and purpose began
As the hall slowly rose from their bows, a gentle wind slipped in through the high windows, carrying the scent of the sea and the distant echo of waves brushing the cliffs of Vaelhold.
Outside, life continued: Fishermen cast nets, Merchants called to early customers, Children chased each other through narrow alleys.
The world would only learn later
that a storm had awakened in the heart of their kingdom—
a storm not of destruction,
but of change.
And as Arcanis stood before pillars that had bowed to him moments before, his expression remained as serene and unshaken as still water—
Cradling the quiet certainty of someone destined to rise far beyond the reach of history.