Awakening Ceremony.

It was one, if not the most important event in the Martial Verse. It showcases a lot, but perhaps only two stood supreme among them; Potential and Talent.

An Awakening Ceremony spells out the talent and potential of a cultivation aspirant…vividly for all to see. Depending on the type of Awakening a cultivator undergoes, they could soar into the skies like a Phoenix or get buried in the storms of the Martial Verse, never to be heard again.

On a peak that overlooked the greatest body of water in not only this Plane, but the whole Dark Edge Realm, a young, teenage boy with shimmering, dark bronze skin, stood.

He looked out towards the horizon, his clear light brown eyes reflecting the oranges and ambers of the setting sun that danced on the pristine surface of water, radiating a picturesque scenery to anyone opportune to view it.

However, it was clear as day from the indifferent expression of the young boy that he had no time to spare to admire such a scene, or simply, he couldn't be bothered to care about such natural beauty.

Most people would have inclined to believe the reason for this was because, although beautiful, the true nature of the body of water was anything but.

It was given a name that vividly contrasted to its outer appearance.

The Infernal Sea.

The Dark Edge Realm has several myths, fables and histories with this sea as the major topic. Although, each had their own alterations, they all boil down to a similar fact - it was one of the gateways leading to the dreaded Infernal Plane.

The Dark Edge Realm is divided into five Planes, each serving as a pillar for it. The destruction of one of the Planes meant its eventual collapse.

Of these Planes, there was the Divine Plane that houses majorly Humans and Mystical Beasts. This was the Plane the young boy currently stood. As for the Infernal Plane, it was one as well and it is home to mostly… Demons.

It mattered little how one wants to sugarcoat the morals of Demons, whenever they were mentioned, people's first impression of them was one that had hit rock bottom. To most, they are a savage and malevolent race of beings.

When things are put this way, it suddenly made sense why the young boy had no apparent reaction to beauty of the sea. However, the truth was, let alone the sea, the boy cared little for the Infernal Plane it led to.

The reason? Simple. He had no idea how he was going to Awaken.

If anyone of the Divine Plane listened to the thoughts of Osric Fahren, one of the respected sons of the Fahren Clan, they would be shocked speechless.

The reason for this wasn't complex.

The entirety of the Divine Plane was made up of three Worlds, namely; the Mortal World, Immortal World and the Divine World. Of the three Worlds, the Mortal World ranked bottom, housing only Mortals. The Immortal World came second, a home for majorly Immortals.

As for the Divine World, it is a world for beings even more powerful than the strongest of Immortals. In this world, Immortals are nothing but ants. In this world, only Divines can hold their heads high.

Coming back to the Fahren Clan, not only are they a power commanding a portion of the Divine Plane for themselves, they are also the strongest, standing supreme over all others.

Hence, the reason why most would be shocked listening to his thoughts.

How am I going to awaken? The same question rang in his mind yet again.

Was it the fear of ambush from other organizations of the Divine World? This was a valid answer to his question, after all, there were no shortage of geniuses killed at their Awakening Ceremonies. However, before the might of the Fahren Clan, who would dare harbor such a thought?

Was it lack of resources? Osric was from a Divine Clan for Heaven's sake. How could they ever lack resources to awaken him? Hell, even Mortal Clans have resources to continuously awaken their members for generations, let alone an even more exaggerated Divine Clan.

And yet, the worry never left his heart.

However, what people hadn't known and had little way of knowing was that Osric was never a part of the Fahren Clan to begin with. On the contrary, he was but the son of Immortals, who died in a war between stronger Immortals.

He had been lucky to survive the war then, before his peculiarity was noticed by the wandering Patriarch of the Fahren Family. He was offered refuge in exchange for his undying loyalty to the Fahren Family, and he, who had no home to return to, readily accepted the offer.

From there, his fate took a turn for good. At the Patriarch's decree, he was integrated into the Fahren Clan, laying claim to resources and territories exclusive only to the main members of the Family.

And it would seem his journey into the world of cultivation would be smooth sailing until a month ago. The Fahren Clan dropped a news that suddenly flipped the situation that was in his favor. The Patriarch… died.

The news swept through the Dark Edge Realm with tumultuous waves, shocking all life forms, regardless of their race. One had to know that the Patriarch was a talent never before seen, and it was even safe to state that he was one of the integral reasons the Fahren Clan stood supreme in the whole Realm. Thus, he was unmatched.

But then, how had he died?

Osric was once a commoner, but a fool, he was not. Despite having only lived for fourteen years, he could sense a conspiracy. A conspiracy he had little to no power to expose. Thus, he could only swallow the lump that threatened to sear his throat.

With the death of the Patriarch, Osric's shield vanished, giving those clearly unsatisfied with the preferential treatment he got, the opportunity to bare their fangs.

Abruptly, Osric raised his head to look towards the horizon. While in his thoughts, the sun had finally sunken behind the line that connected the earth and sky.

"It's time, huh?" His soft, childish voice sounded. It contained a hint of biting coldness that threatened to sear ones skin like the heat of roaring flames.

His light brown eyes flashed, shining gold for a split second before disappearing.

Tonight was the Awakening Ceremony of all members of Fahren Family ripe enough for cultivation. Even if he wasn't going to be a part, he was unwilling to miss it. Not when his only true friend was among those partaking in the event.

A sigh escaped Osric's mouth before he turned to leave, the skies darkening steadily.