I stepped into the magical circle with careful steps. It would take a lot more to damage the circle, but one couldn't be too careful. What if something happened and the one-in-a-million worst-case scenario occurred? I couldn't take that risk. Hell no!
Once inside the magical circle, nervous sweat soaked my skin. The Orb of Power rested on a levitating cushion. How that worked, I had no idea, but it looked impressive.
Discarding the last bit of hesitation, excitement took over. A moment later, my sweaty palm pressed firmly against the orb's surface. The next thing I knew, a blinding light enveloped me.
Then the scenery around me changed, and I stood in the ring of a small colosseum. Empty rows of old, possibly ancient, stone spread far and wide around me–just like it was supposed to be.
That was how it was supposed to be.
How our Power awakened.
We had to fight. Perform in front of the gods. Show them that we deserved a Power.
Usually, a single kill was all the gods required. A weak enemy.
"Is it really that simple?" I wondered, eying the blue mass that materialized before me. It was the size of a watermelon and slithered around like the mindless creature it was. After all, it was no more than a regular blue slime. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was a totally unimpressive creature. Mindless. Weak.
A spear materialized in my hands, following the stories everyone told about their awakening by default.
The Choosing was almost too simple. How were they supposed to judge us and choose a suitable Power from that? I wondered, thrusting the spear into the slime in a straightforward motion. Its liquid body was more viscous than expected, but it failed to protect its core. It was almost like the slime wasn't even trying. Its core shattered, and the monster's body collapsed into a puddle.
Something stirred in response to the slime's death. My chest tightened, and a burning sensation flared where there had been nothing before.
Was that the Core? It had to be!
The corner of my lips curled up, and I was about to call out to the System of the gods when the blinding light returned.
An instant later, I was back in the magical circle, my hand still pressed against the Orb of Power. It looked odd–nothing like the others. My Orb of Power was pitch-black.
It felt warm and smooth, its surface as slick as ice, yet there was no warmth in my heart at the sight of this mess. The Orb of Power stayed the color of night, not even the faintest inkling of light visible.
"What does that mean?" I glanced up from the orb, failing to remember it ever looking this black before. It had been dyed dark red a few times in the past, but black? My head flicked toward the Order's Wizard, who stared at me and the orb with a puzzled look.
Then the men before the Wizard moved. I hadn't even noticed them before, but now their presence pressed in on me, their eyes locked onto me and the orb.
If the plaza had been quiet before, filled with the anticipation of countless young adults, it was now as if silence itself had been cast upon them all. Nobody uttered a word, waiting to hear what the orb's color was supposed to mean.
"What does your Status say, boy?" the Order's Wizard asked harshly, the kindness he had radiated before nowhere to be seen. "What Power do you have?"
Sensing the Wizard's tension, I wasted no time checking my Status.
Xavier Halur
Core: Tier-1 (1%)
Primary Power: Shift
Shift.
That didn't sound like a combat Power. Disappointment gripped my heart, twisting and shaking it. But what exactly was that Power? Shift didn't really explain anything…or did it? I tilted my head, reading the simple lines over and over again.
The sound of fingers snapping broke my concentration. Old, wrinkled fingers waved before my face.
"What Power does it say?" the Wizard's voice cut through the air as he motioned to the men behind him. Armed men.
"Uh… what is going on here?" I trailed off, looking from the Wizard to the armed men.
Everything began moving too fast when I didn't answer right away. But why were these men coming for me? That usually only happened when someone awakened red Powers.
The Wizard's face contorted, and he motioned to a man standing behind him, whispering something into his ear.
Glancing around the plaza, I saw everyone staring at me. Mom's face was streaked with tears. Dad was holding onto her, his expression one of…disappointment? Guilt? Disgust? I couldn't tell.
My sister's face was as white as snow. My brother stood frozen in place.
"What's going on?" I asked, snapping my gaze back to the Wizard, only to look into a face filled with rage and anger. It was as if I had done something unforgivable to this man. As if I'd killed his family or tortured him every day of his life.
Looking at the men behind him, I saw the same expression mirrored on their faces as two of them grabbed my arms.
"Do not resist. If you do, you will be apprehended on the spot," one of the men hissed. "Fight, and your family may die as well."
"Why?" I shouted as the armed men dragged me away. "I did nothing wrong! I–"
The punch to my stomach came without warning. It struck harder than anything I had ever endured. My knees buckled, and the world around me began to blur.
"Put him in the cage. We will deal with him once the others arrive."