He made his way towards the Golden Monolith with a proud face as it was already time for the next batch.
He entered the enclosed by a fence so that no one "unknowingly" crosses into the marked area and uses the Golden Monolith.
"Your ten minutes starts now," One of the guards informed before minding his own business.
Everyone hurriedly pressed their hands against the Golden Monolith at the same time while there were even many spectators watching them.
Some of them were watching to pass their time while others were friends or relatives of the ones using the Golden Monolith.
Mei was also one of the spectators, looking at Arion with expectant eyes.
Arion closed his eyes and eagerly pressed his hands onto the Golden Monolith.
One second...ten seconds...a minute passed…
'Nothing! Why?!' Arion shouted inwardly with furrowed brows. The subtle smile on his face had long disappeared and instead had a frowning expression.
He furrowed his brows as he again tried with maximum concentration but…
'Why can't I feel prana??' Arion was beginning to feel disappointed and confused. Just yesterday, he was able to form a connection with prana and even completed the purification stage.
But now, he couldn't even do an elementary thing such as forming a connection with prana even when the Golden Monolith was before him.
In fact, according to what he knew, once someone forms a connection with prana, there has never been a case where they lost connection with it again.
Once somebody connects with prana, it means they would forever be able to connect with it.
'This has to be a joke…' Arion was feeling devastated, and his sweaty palms were heavily pressing onto the Golden Monolith.
"God, come on, please don't make another cruel joke on me…" Arion bitterly prayed, but still, he felt nothing.
Five minutes passed, but he still wasn't able to enter the 'Pranic State', which was the state one would be in once they connect with prana. They would feel as if their senses were disappearing, and not even the awareness of time can be maintained.
This state was what Arion experienced yesterday, but now he was not able to enter that state, let alone feel any tingling sensation around his body.
However, unbeknownst to Arion, the veins on his heart began to subtly glow with a strange light.
By this time, most noticed Arion's expression, but they found it natural since it was the same expression he always had whenever he used to use the Golden Monolith.
Only this time, he seemed even more frustrated and disappointed. Those in the queue looked at him contemptuously for wasting their time and slot again while others shook their heads, wondering why he was even trying so hard.
At least, if he silently stayed home as a cripple, he wouldn't have to fight the dreadful creatures known as Dreadlings or get involved in dangerous missions.
Anyone who had the potential to become a Defier would instantly be scouted out and be nurtured by their own village heads or even someone with more authority, depending on how much potential these budding Defiers have.
Since everyone was threatened by the dangers of Dreadlings attacking and killing them, it was compulsory for every Defier to join various organizations that help maintain the safety of the island against these Dreadlings.
Of course, they can choose to refuse. But if they do, other than receiving looks of scorn and disdain, they wouldn't be allowed to get hired by anyone for a common job.
In other words, they would be treated as an outcast and wouldn't be allowed to stay in any village. They are thus termed as Rogue Defiers who would be left to fend for themselves.
The very few of them were powerful in their own right, so they might have nothing to worry about. But the others would die out without any support and most probably would still end up dead in the hands of the Dreadlings.
That was why Rogue Defiers were seen as fools since obviously, joining an organization for nurturing Dreadslayers was a way better option than dying all alone.
They felt that these Rogue Defiers were too eccentric or crazy and looked down on them, considering them as dead people.
This was why there were some rare desperate ones who loved their lives too much and even crippled themselves so that they wouldn't have to fight any Dreadlings.
They can lead a normal life while not having to fight. That was why some felt that Arion was lucky to be a cripple. At least he wouldn't have to risk his life and simply enjoy Mei's care and protection.
Mei obviously noticed Arion's frowning expression as well, and this was the first time she saw him being so disappointed.
Her shapely eyebrows pulled together, feeling worried if something was wrong. She wanted to go and check on him but decided to wait and see if he would be able to come out of this with success.
She hoped that it was nothing more than him trying his best to bind the prana to his body and not anything bad.
"You can do it, Ari…" Mei mumbled while the supervisor who was appreciating her curves came out of his daze when he heard her mumble.
He inwardly scoffed as he took a good look at Arion and saw how hopeless the situation was.
Finally, ten minutes passed, and Arion still had his hands on the Golden Monolith while the other four already left.
"Boy, time's up. Please come out so others can have their chance," The supervisor said in a mild yet loud tone.
The only reason he was even remotely polite with Arion was that Mei was present. Otherwise, he would have thrown out Arion himself since this behavior was too annoying for him.
"Hey, move it, we need our chance!" Some of the people waiting in the queue already started shouting, and their expressions were only becoming angrier by the second.
The only reason they stifled their expressions was that they didn't want to create a bad impression on Mei.
Mei saw that things were getting heated, and she sighed as she entered the enclosed area and held Arion's wrist gently, "Ari, it's time. Don't worry...we can always try next time."
Arion could only bitterly give up since he knew he can't stay here forever.
Mei got worried when Arion finally opened his eyes to see that his eyes were reddened and his hands were trembling.