In order for a Human to awaken their talent, they would have to come into contact with Hatred Fae.
That, was the reason why Human's considered the
The first story was about how a Human awakens their talent. And how the first Man awakened his own talent.
Since time immemorial, this is how the entirety of Humanity has awakened their talents to become Fae Masters. Hatred Fae has a long history with humanity, and an even longer one if the entirety of the
By teaching Humans what hatred truly is, this Fae allowed Humanity to flourish, and awaken their dormant connection between the Heavens and the Earth. This hidden connection was by no means as strong as those Races who had already had such a connection since birth, however, was not limited by their Race.
Such a thing was mentioned later in the
Arthur sighed placing the copy of the
He had felt nothing but nostalgia since he had been rebirthed. Awaiting the results of the talent awakening ceremony with a lax expression on his face. Glancing around, the names and faces of the other fifteen years olds around him started bubbling up from the depths of his mind.
They all shared the same last name "Kovacs", yet most of them were distantly related.
Probably third or fourth cousins, with some even being completely unrelated to each other.
Yet all of them, without question, had the same excited, and hopeful expressions on their faces as Arthur once had.
Entering the main aperture of the Awakening Cave, the group of fifteen year olds stood silently in front of the Clan Leader and Clan Elders. All of them had a slightly regretful expression on their faces, while some had hopeful. Obviously the latter group probably had descendents present who were undergoing the ceremony.
Arthur gave his Father a glance, before turning his head and gazing around the Cave.
If he wasn't mistaken, there should be a young man awakening a first-tier talent this year. Along with a handful of second-tier talents, and a plethora of third-tier talents.
Arthur himself was a third-tier talent. In this life, and his last one, his talent was a limited factor in his cultivation.
In a small isolated Clan like the Kovacs Clan, a third-tier talent meant he only had the capacity to become a Rank 1 Fae Master, perhaps a Rank 2 if he used some special resources or medicines from the Clans Inventory.
Someone with a second-tier talent would be able to become a Rank 2 Fae Master, and perhaps a Rank 3.
Someone with a first-tier talent would be able to become a Rank 3 Fae Master, and perhaps a Rank 4 in their lifetime.
The highest level of cultivation someone had ever reached in the Kovacs Clan was Rank 5. That was the First Clan Head, the one who founded the Kovacs Clan, as well as the third and seventh Clan Heads.
A total of three Rank 5 Fae Masters had been born in the Kovacs Clan. A symbol of pride and strength throughout the ages.
At any rate, the Kovacs Clan was the hegemon power in Winter Rain Mountain. The other Clans here were either foreigners who settled here after them, or descendents of the native tribes who travelled, never settling in one spot for too long.
A burst of flame appeared over the hand of the Clan Leader, attracting the attention of all young fifteen year olds.
Arthur eyed his Father's Fae, slowly remembering everything that he had once told him.
"Today is your day. The day you become adults, and the day some of you become Fae Masters. The details of the talent awakening ceremony is something that everyone keeps to the themselves, seeing as what happens during the ceremony is usually an extremely private matter. However, today we will tell you what will happen".
The Clan Leader gestured to the huge metal gate behind him. It was covered in various seals and scripts, and looked as though it had been here for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
"Behind this door is something that will awaken the talents of Fae Masters. Does anyone here know how Fae Masters awaken their talents?".
Most shook their heads.
The Clan Leader sighed.
"Good. Fae Masters awaken their talents the same way as the first Man did in the
Most of the crowd gasped, while some of the girls covered his mouths, shocked at the sudden reveal.
That was probably why Mother and Father never told me, most of them thought.
Hatred Fae is a Fae that can take in the ambient hatred around itself, and assimilates it, growing stronger the more it takes in. Most Hatred Fae eventually run out of Hatred and become other Fae after a while, so Hatred Fae are technically one-time use Fae.
The only way to regenerate hatred..... is to breed more hatred.
That was why, unknown to these children, the Clan Prison was located directly beside the Awakening Cave. As time passed and those who committed crimes were either punished or sometimes tortured, their hatred spilled over into the Awakening Cave, allowing for a perpetual fuelling of the Hatred Fae.
It was inhumane..... yet without question, all Clans and Sects, major or minor, possessed some sort of hatred farm.
"You each, one by one will be exposed to Hatred Fae. In doing so, your talents will awaken, and your Origin Fae will form. Your Origin Fae is unlike the wild Fae formed in the vast expanses of the Heaven and the Earth. It is permanently linked to you. It will die with you, and cannot be killed until you are. Although, having your Origin Fae damaged will damage some portion of your Mind, Body or Soul, so be careful".
All the young talents nodded vigorously at the Clan Heads words. Heading them carefully.
The Clan Head turned towards the Elders behind him and nodded, gesturing for them to open the sealed gate.
"When I call your name, please step forward".
"Andrea Kovacs".
Arthur knew his turn would be up soon, and would be forced to endure the stares of everyone else present.
Yet, his mind remained still.
He already knew what was going to happen. All he had to do now, was wait.
Looking at the young girl whose name was "Andrea", everyone watched on silently as the thick, metal gate slowly crept open, to the point where a tiny, black coloured firefly slipped through the cracks.
Its aura was powerful, despite being a Rank 1 Fae, and it slowly floated in the air around the cave before landing on Andrea's forehead, instantly seeping into the depths of her Mind, Body and Soul.
Hatred filled her entire being, giving rise to countless malicious and treacherous thoughts.
Her eyes turned black and her fingernails grew many times the size.
Veins started protruding out, being filled with a black-ominous power.
Thoughts about tearing off the limbs of that old lady from down the street.
Of tearing off the clothes of that boy she had a crush on.
Of taking everything she ever wanted, away from anything that tried to stop her.
So much power coursed through her body. Twisting her logic and mind to the point where she just couldn't take it any-.
She collapsed, falling the ground as her clothes were soaked in sweat.
On the stone cold floor beneath her, a small, dead firefly could be seen, slowly dissipating into tiny little motes of light.
The words of the Clan Leader snapped her out of her current expression.
"Andrea Kovacs.... third-tier talent. Origin Fae...?".
She raised her hands, clutching a small green coloured bird in her hands.
"Ah? Is that a Woodpecker Fae? Pretty nice. Your mother awakened the same one when she first underwent the ceremony".
Andrea peered down at the small green coloured bird in her hands, smiling slightly when the bird tilted its head and hopped onto her shoulder.
The earlier emotions she felt when exposed to the Hatred Fae completely vanished, only being filled with thoughts of the small creature beside her.
Retreating back to the side, many of her friends looked on at Andrea and her Origin Fae, eager to undergo the same process as she just did.
It was scary, and obviously something extremely painful from the looks of things, but seeing the small Woodpecker Fae sitting on her shoulder beside her, all of the fifteen year olds present showed a look of envy.
All except one of course.
".... Woodpecker Fae. Rank 1 Fae. It's sole ability to to gather the origin essence within the body and focus it on a single point. The point can either be the Fae itself, or the fingers. It can pierce the flesh and pass straight through an organ once she becomes familiar with it".
An excellent first Fae.
"Arthur Kovacs".
The words that came out of the Clan Leaders mouth, caused the entirety of the people present to focus their attention on Arthur. All of them knew his status, as the third-born son of the Clan Leader, so most of them expected something better of him, in comparison to everyone else.
Unfortunately, Arthur already knew the outcome.