Officer Bart finally snapped out of his daze as the blazing light receded and the Awakening Center slowly returned to normal. The crystal dimmed, the oppressive heat fading like a receding tide.
He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself.
"C-Congratulations, Miss Sarah Ardent," he said, his voice noticeably firmer than his trembling hands betrayed. "For awakening the highest-rank talent."
The words felt unreal even as he spoke them.
"Please wait at the designated area for a moment," Bart continued quickly, slipping back into his professional rhythm. "I'll immediately inform the Beast Tamer Agency so your identification and registration can be processed without delay."
He didn't wait for a response.
Turning on his heel, Bart practically hurried away, already pulling out his communicator. An S-Rank couldn't be kept waiting—and couldn't be handled casually either.
Sarah stood there.
Still.
Her hand had long since left the crystal, but her body hadn't caught up with reality yet. The world felt distant, muffled, like she was underwater.
An S-Rank?
'Me?'
Her thoughts refused to line up.
Finally, instinct kicked in.
She turned her head—and her eyes met Kael's.
He was smiling.
Not shocked.
Not stunned.
Just… calm. Warm. As if this outcome had never been in doubt.
That single expression shattered what little composure she had left.
Before anyone could react, Sarah rushed down the steps, nearly tripping over herself, and threw her arms around Kael.
He caught her automatically.
"There, there," Kael said gently, steadying her as her body trembled. "It's okay. It's okay."
He rested a hand on her head, patting it softly.
That was all it took.
"I was really scared…" Sarah sobbed, her voice cracking as she buried her face against his chest. "I—I thought… what if it wasn't good… what if I disappointed everyone…"
"It's alright," Kael murmured, rubbing her back in slow, calming motions. "You did great. Really."
Internally, he sighed.
'She really is a hyper-reactive child.'
Around them, the Awakening Center had finally recovered from the shock.
And now—
No one knew how to react.
The same girl who had just awakened an S-Rank talent—a once-in-years miracle—was crying openly in the arms of a boy her age, while he comforted her like a seasoned adult.
Some girls stared with softened expressions.
"He's so gentle…"
"They're kind of cute, actually…"
Some boys clenched their fists.
"Who does he think he is?"
"Touching her like that…"
"That should've been me—!"
And just like that, without ceremony or consent, a new label had been silently placed upon Sarah.
Not just an S-Rank.
Not just a beast tamer.
But something more troublesome.
A goddess.
She had risen—from a loud, reckless tomboy to an untouchable symbol—
all in a single awakening.
And Kael?
He stood at the center of it all, calmly holding the crying miracle, unaware—or perhaps simply unconcerned—about the storm of envy, awe, and misunderstanding quietly forming around him.
----
It didn't take long for the Head Officer of the Beast Tamer Agency to arrive personally.
Her presence alone shifted the atmosphere. With quiet authority, she escorted Sarah away—along with Mara and the two boys who had awakened beast-affinity talents. Procedures were spoken of in hushed tones; priority channels were opened without hesitation.
Sarah resisted for a moment.
She looked back over her shoulder, eyes finding Kael in the crowd. "Come quickly," she said, reluctant to leave him behind.
Kael simply nodded, letting out a small sigh.
"I will."
Only after they disappeared from the Awakening Center did the lingering tension finally loosen—though it did not disappear.
Officer Bart stepped forward, cleared his throat, and forced his voice back into its official cadence.
"Ahem. Alright," he said. "Let's begin again."
The ceremony resumed.
This time, the first name called was Kael's.
For reasons no one needed explained, every eye in the Awakening Center turned toward him.
Kael inhaled slowly and stepped out of line. He wasn't fond of attention, never had been—but at least this wasn't a stage performance. No speeches. No expectations beyond a single touch.
He climbed the stairs at an even pace, neither hurried nor hesitant.
When he reached the platform, the crystal sphere waited for him—smooth, quiet, faintly glowing, no different from before.
He placed his hand against it.
And waited.
'Let's see if my luck has really changed,' he thought calmly.
The Awakening Center fell silent.
Then—
Something was wrong.
A chill crept up spines across the hall, sudden and invasive, like cold fingers brushing against exposed nerves. Breath caught in throats. Hearts skipped.
Officer Bart stiffened instantly.
It wasn't fear born of anticipation.
It was the sensation of being observed.
Not watched by people—but by something else.
Something vast.
Something that did not see them as individuals.
Only as prey.
The same realization struck everyone present. Students froze mid-breath, palms slick with sweat. Some felt their legs weaken. Others felt a primal urge to flee, though no one moved.
And yet—
Kael felt nothing.
From the crystal, an unseen force began to rise. An invisible black presence spread outward—not darkness of color, but darkness of absence. Light seemed to dull. Sound felt distant. The Awakening Center was drenched in a hue that could not be seen, only endured.
It pressed against the mind.
Against the heart.
Fear—raw, instinctive fear—tightened around every soul in the room.
Except one.
Kael simply stood there, waiting.
Then—
The holographic panels appeared.
And just like that, everything snapped back to normal.
The pressure vanished.
The suffocating presence receded.
Air rushed back into lungs.
People staggered subtly in place, clothes clinging with sweat, hearts hammering violently as if they had narrowly escaped death itself.
[ Congratulations ]
[ You have awakened an F-Rank Talent ]
[ Talent: Grave Compatibility ]
[ Affinity: Beast / Self ]
Kael stared at the panel for a moment.
'F-rank…?'
Disappointment flickered across Kael's face—not dramatic, just quiet.
At the same time, something felt… off.
Information settled into his mind, clear yet unsettling. The weight of it didn't align with what he expected. The feeling of it was wrong.
'Why does this feel heavier than it should?' he wondered.
The rank displayed didn't seem to match what his instincts were telling him.
He didn't have deep knowledge of every talent classification, so after a brief pause, he accepted it at face value.
'Maybe it really is that low,' he thought. Not everyone could be lucky like Sarah, after all.
He pushed the thought aside.
Around him, Officer Bart and the others remained silent.
Too silent.
A strange shock rippled through the room—not loud, not dramatic, but sharp enough to make the air feel brittle. Bart's expression was stiff, his gaze fixed on Kael as if he were looking at something he didn't quite recognize.
Kael noticed.
He glanced around at the surrounding faces—pale, tense, eyes flickering with something unreadable. At first, he assumed it was disappointment on his behalf.
'Guess an F-rank really is that bad,' he thought wryly.
He shook his head lightly and smiled, a crooked, self-deprecating expression tugging at his lips. Then he looked back at Officer Bart, who still hadn't moved.
"…So," Kael said calmly after a moment, breaking the silence, "do I get a Beast Tamer ID, or a normal one? Since my rank is this low."
The question snapped Bart out of his trance.
"Y-Yes—yes," Bart replied quickly, forcing himself to straighten. His heart was still pounding violently, each beat echoing in his ears. "Please wait at the side. You'll be taken to the Beast Tamer Agency later."
Kael let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay."
He stepped down from the platform and moved to where Mara and the others were waiting, posture relaxed, expression unreadable.
Bart swallowed hard, his heart still racing, and turned back to the remaining students. He forced the ceremony to continue—his voice steady, his movements professional.
But everything after that felt rushed.
The remaining candidates came and went quickly, as if the room itself wanted the ceremony to end. No one lingered on the platform longer than necessary.
And all the while, Kael felt eyes on him.
Dozens of them.
He sighed quietly.
'Looks like I'm going to mess up Sarah's reputation now,' he thought.
What Kael didn't realize was that those gazes weren't filled with scorn.
Nor pity.
They were filled with fear.
Fear of the presence they had felt.
Fear of the thing they couldn't explain.
Fear of the monster they suspected had stood among them—
and might still be there.
----
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