Yi Tan, Tim, Ana, and Mei stood with the others as the gates to the building in front of them opened up. Through the gates, a stage that was on wheels was rolled out and upon that was an old man with white hair and beard in a white lab coat. He stood in front of the mic and looked over the crowd. "Today is the day where you will either become someone who begins their path as a legend in helping humanity reclaim what was once theirs, or you will turn into a monster and be killed on the spot.
"I will not dumb things down, nor will I sweeten things. I will speak facts, and those facts are once you awaken, you will understand that this academy is not for the weak. Once you entered through that gate, you have lost any ability to turn back around. You should all be ready for what is to come. Your life is now based not on nobility but on whether or not you can become strong. Only the strong stand at the top.
"If you awaken with some trash ability, I will apologize now. Even if your family is the royal family of our Valant city, it does not matter. Your treatment will be the same. Valant City Royal Academy has its own laws and rules. This is why there are tall walls surrounding the massive area it resides on. Some of you may die even after awakening. But you can only blame that on your bad luck.
"I will not say anything more. As the dean of this academy, I felt I should give you and all new students in the future a bit of a warning." The dean looked at the pale faced kids and smiled. He got the reaction he wanted. "Alright, I need everyone to line up into four lines. There are four awakening chambers, and each person will take a different amount of time to awaken."
After saying these words, the dean turned around and walked off the stage. The stage itself was pushed to the side to allow four massive lines to form. Yi Tan lined up with Ana and Mei. Tim was going to follow, but since they were in the back, one of the staff moved him to another line. "Brother, I will see you after the awakening!"
"Mm… If you fail, we are no longer brothers!" Yi Tan laughed out loud, seeing Tim's expression.
"Brother, you have been quite mean this morning! But I will toss those same words back at you. Good luck, brother!" Tim waved and turned around, following after the staff member.
"Good luck!" Yi Tan yelled back.
"You don't seem that nervous." Mei said softly.
"Well, I came here because I had no other choice. It's either be stuck in the slums or come here and risk my life to make something of myself." Yi Tan explained. "I mean, the worst that can happen is that I die, right?"
Yi Tan knew what it was like to go hungry. He knew what it was like to live in a harsh environment. To him, without his family around and no way of searching for them, there would be no reason to stay living if he was still stuck in the slums. He, of course, would not take his own life. He would never dream of it, but he would probably end up working day and night until he finally collapsed. That was just how it was in the slums.
Mei looked at Yi Tan, her eyes showing a hint of worry. She subconsciously reached out and held onto Yi Tan's shirt. Yi Tan didn't say anything. He knew that Mei was very worried about the awakening. She may seem cold and quiet, but she had a warm heart. This much he could tell from the short time he has known her. Ana looked behind her and saw Mei holding on to Yi Tan's shirt and felt a complex of emotions. She sneakily walked over and held onto the other side of Yi Tan's shirt. Yi Tan chuckled inwardly but looked straight ahead. If it would comfort the two girls, then he would just let them do as they pleased.
Hours passed, and many people went into the building. The screams and roars as people turned into monsters could be heard perfectly clear outside. By this time, the two girls were clinging to Yi Tan's arms. When they got near the front of the line, a gasp was heard as people looked up at the monitors. Yi Tan did not realize it until he actually stepped into the building that the academy had set up monitors that showed what was happening inside the chambers. He did not know if this was to show those who had yet to undergo the awakening what to expect or to harden them into understanding that they were in for. He looked at the four monitors, but only one drew his attention. Tim was inside one chamber and was currently undergoing his awakening.
The light on Tim's body was a fiery orange color that was growing brighter and brighter. You could see Tim gritting his teeth as time went on. After almost an hour, the light began to dim, meaning the process was just about to finish. The numbers displayed on the screen read 3,000. This meant that Tim's ability was very powerful and seemed to be a fire element. "Seems to fit him perfectly." Yi Tan muttered.
Seconds later, there was a scream in the crowd. On another screen, a person began to turn into a grotesque monster. This was a sign of failure. The elimination system quickly turned on, and few rays or red light swept through the room, piercing the young man or woman who had just turned into a monster in the head. Instantly killing it. Not long after, a clean up team went into the room and washed everything down after taking the body out.
Mei and Ana had buried their faces into Yi Tan's chest, not wanting to look at the scene. But this only lasted a few seconds with a stern voice yelled out: "Next!"
Yi Tan looked at the two girls and sighed: "Would you like me to go first, or do you two want to go first?"
"I-I will go.." Mei said. She was shaking like a leaf, knowing what may happen. But she had no choice. Biting her bottom lip, she leaned over and kissed Yi Tan's cheek before running away, leaving Yi Tan stunned.
Ana did not even react. She was too worried about Mei to care. Yi Tan, on the other hand, shook his head and watched the room Mei had entered. He could only hope things worked out for her. As long as he made it through his awakening, he would teach that girl she can't just kiss and run away like that.
"Tan, will she make it through this?" Ana's weak, trembling voice entered his ear. He looked down at Ana, who was looking back at him with watery eyes filled with worry and sighed inwardly. He pulled the girl closer to him and gave her a light hug. "We can only have hope and believe that she will make it through."
Ana nodded her head. Her cheeks were red from the sudden hug but she did not push away. Right now Yi Tan's warmth was calming her nerves. Instead she stayed in his embrace and stared at the screen nervously.