"Lucien Nox."
His name carried no weight at all in the hall.
Lucien stood up when he was called, not drawing any attention from the students or faculty, he was just another regular person here but he didn't mind. He stepped out from his row in the middle and began walking toward the altar, his gaze stayed forward. He wasn't focused on the crystal or the crowd, he wasn't really focused on anything in particular.
Each footstep echoed against the floor, the sound was louder now that the hall had gone silent. Lucien didn't feel any nervousness when he entered, but as it became his time to reveal his awakening, he could feel a slight unease resting in his stomach. His mind lingered at the fact that no one in House Nox had awakened a great skill since his great grandfather, so naturally he wasn't expecting much but the feeling was still there.
He continued walking, his posture remained straight and his face still calm despite the feeling of tension growing in his stomach.
The crystal waited as he arrived at the altar. Unlike the other awakenings, it did not seem to react as he approached. There was no light shifting in anticipation, it remained suspended mid-air above the altar indifferent to his presence almost as if it didn't even realise he was there.
He stopped before it and placed his hand on the crystal.
For a moment, nothing happened. There was no flare, no glow bloomed across its surface. No colours spread and no warmth answered his touch like it did for the others. The crystal remained exactly as it was. The audience looked genuinely disappointed, they were expecting at least something to happen, everyone else had a reaction when they touched the crystal, even if it was just a subtle flare or colour change yet Lucien had none of this.
At the front of the hall, the examiner did not speak yet. His eyes remained fixed on the crystal, narrowing as if he was waiting for something to change. One of the assistants leaned forward slightly, their quill hovering above the ledger waiting impatiently.
Seconds passed.
The examiner glanced down at the tablet in his hand, Then back up at the crystal, his eyes lingered a second longer than necessary, his fingers tightening slightly around the tablet.
"Skill identified." He said at last, his words making the room focus again after waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the announcement.
"Verbal influence."
The words settled into the hall, there was no applause, the name of the skill didn't warrant one. A few students exchanged brief looks with each other. Someone in the front frowned faintly, then looked away dismissively while another giggled.
"That's it?" someone whispered.
"Verbal… influence?" one said confused. "Is that like persuasion?"
A quiet scoff came from somewhere at the front but it was quickly silenced as the examiner raised a hand to stop the whispers.
The examiner waited a few seconds, seemingly in thought as if he was unsure before announcing the classification.
"Utility classification," he said. "Use of this skill may be limited."
The assistant's quill moved across the paper, writing down the examiner's words as he spoke.
"Further observation will be required."
Lucien didn't react as his skill got announced, he wasn't disappointed. He didn't want a combat skill anyways, he disliked being in the limelight and he disliked fighting even more.
Near the altar, one of the assistants leaned closer to another.
"That skill isn't listed under any standard utility variants."
The other didn't respond straight away, their eyes remained focused on Lucien before responding back.
"Record it as stated."
That was all, no further emphasis followed. The examiner didn't speak his thoughts or give any concern out loud.
Lucien lowered his hand and for the first time since stepping forward, he looked around. No one met his gaze, most sat motionless with their expressions unreadable as if unsure whether anything noteworthy had occurred at all.
The ceremony continued and another name was called. Another student stepped forward, the crystal flared and skill was announced with reactions following. The same pattern that had been consistent for the last few hours.
By the time the final student stepped away from the crystal, the once tense hall had shifted into fatigue. Assistants closed their ledgers, faculty exchanged brief words before dispersing. Students got up from their seats in small groups, already speaking about their new dorm assignments and future classes.
Only one record remained unfinished.
At the front of the hall, the examiner adjusted the stack of records and straightened his sleeves. His quill hovered for a moment, then moved adding a short note beside a single name before the book was shut and set aside.
*Lucien Nox... Keep under supervision*