The Awakening Coliseum could contain a little over two hundred thousand persons. One could imagine how large and rowdy it would be when filled to capacity. And yet, in mere seconds, not a single individual could be found.
It… was as silent as a graveyard.
Osric stood from the lotus position he had taken. He heaved an especially hot breath, before examining his surrounding. Everything within a hundred meters radius had been reduced to absolute shambles. The clouds that had formed in the skies were still as golden as ever.
Their light stretched across the whole Coliseum, giving Osric the ability to see each and everyone of the seats that lined the seating area. No, it wasn't only the clouds, the added advantage of the presence of cultivation in him made his vision especially intricate.
He abruptly shifted his head towards the sky and spotted the wide-eyed Fahren Clan Ancestor, with an equally stunned Seina. Even with him possessing never before seen Talents, it shouldn't have been possible to sense such an existence. However, the current state of the Ancestor's mind made it possible.
He was so shocked even the current Osric could pick out his location with ease. However, it could actually be said Osric was just an anomaly. He had even been able to sense even his protector as a Mortal with no cultivation. So, what about as a cultivator? The answer was obvious.
With nothing to do anymore, Osric began to walk away from the Coliseum, however, he had barely taken three steps before he suddenly halted, his eyes containing a faint trace of recollection.
When Elder Adrian met with him hours ago, he had remembered him demanding he publicly abdicate his position as a member of the Fahren Clan should he ever choose this path. Although, the second choice, which was undergoing the Assimilation Rites, was fraught with danger, it still had its own advantages, namely: he would possess the Bloodline of the Fahren Clan.
And yet, he hadn't hesitated to abandon it.
A slight chuckle escaped Osric's mouth. Had he chosen to undergo the Assimilation Rites, wouldn't he be missing out on these sets of Talents? This was one of the reasons he hadn't chosen to. The other being a voice. No, more appropriately, an impulse, a mysterious one, that had kept pushing him to pick the first choice.
Since he had awakened, he saw no reason to keep leeching off the Fahren Clan, and besides, this was what they had always wanted. He looked up towards the golden clouds, where the presence of the Heavens was still at its peak.
'This is a perfect time to take the Oath.'
Osric placed his hand on his chest, before opening his mouth to speak.
"With the Heavens as my witness, I hereby relinquish my position as a member…"
His voice had become slightly deeper and commanding like that of an Emperor. Even his gait and grace was akin to that of a Sovereign addressing his subjects.
To those listening to his words, their reaction was palpable. The Ancestor already wide eyes became wider, a frown etched on the beautiful face of Seina and several powers lingering outside the Awakening Coliseum became shocked.
The Ancestor moved to stop Osric.
"Wait!" he said, but, it was already late.
"...of the Fahren Clan."
The moment Osric's voice vanished, the already silent skies became agitated again. An especially ominous crimson lightning flashed across the golden clouds, their voice thundering a second later. It appeared the Heavens had attested to the Oath.
Almost immediately, Osric felt a pressure on his Soul. It was subtle, but he still felt it. He had little doubt that the reason he had been able to feel it was because of his Soul Talent. Had he awaken a different Talent, there was no way someone at his cultivation level would feel such an enigmatic concept.
Oath, was a concept created to invoke Heavens' Will to attest to a vow a cultivator took. The truth is, it could be taken by both Mortals and cultivators, but, the punishment for breaking it was more glaring for cultivators.
The Ancestor, on the other hand, had a grim expression on his face.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! How is this possible?! How had the Heavens seen right through us?! This should have been impossible!'
As a Divine, he was most sensitive to Oaths. As a result, he immediately felt the pressure that descended on the whole Fahren Clan just from that Oath. Something that should have been impossible if the layers upon layers of defenses of their Clan were taken into account.
Normally, due to the secrets of their Clan, there should have been a loophole that could be taken should Osric ended up being a great genius. However, it appeared those Talents had been the main reason this loophole vanished with the air.
He suddenly sighed, before his gaze penetrated space and time to land on a fairly large group of oldies in an inconspicuous location. These were the Ancestors of the Fahren Clan!
"Did any of you feel that? The Oath Shackles just binded us!" He asked, nearly thundering.
"Indeed,"
"But that should have been impossible, no?"
"But, isn't the truth right before our eyes? It binded us!" a female Ancestor said.
There was a momentary silence before the voice of Seina's Ancestor sounded again.
"Even a little impendency can slug our journey to that Realm. And that is something I certainly do not tolerate. Although, the little lad is a genius amongst geniuses, since he had chosen to be an obstruction, I do not mind obliterating his existence."
In response to the Ancestor's statements, a strange silence ensued. They all might have been Ancestors, indeed, however, it couldn't be denied that, even amongst their ranks, there were those still a notch stronger. And Seina's Ancestor was the chief among even those.
Hence, there was nothing they could do to stop him, even though they knew he was just being excessive. A collective sigh echoed from them before they all looked at each other. Upon confirming their decisions, they voiced out again.
"We won't stop you. But remember, the lad is just a kid."
"Indeed,"
"Like he said, we won't. But remember, I'm not a part of this."
"Speak for yourselves. I'm highly disappointed. To think that the Ancestors of our great Fahren Clan actually dared to be scared of weeding out an obstacle?" the voice of the earlier female Ancestor sounded again, this time, contemptuous.
"A pity, Silvera. A pity."
"I told several times not to treat me like a kid. What is there that I wouldn't understand?" Her voice was cold and piercing, and to this, one of the Ancestors would had been silent could only sigh before speaking.
"Alright old lady. Let me refresh your memory. When was the last time you heard about a Talent calling forth an Awakening greater than a Perfect Awakening?"
To this, the female Ancestor was strangely silent. Although, she had been quite baffled about what she saw and felt, and hadn't want to admit what she had been thinking, it appeared her confusion was unfounded. She had been spot-on. Even then, she didn't remember if she had heard about such a thing.
"It seems even for you, you have no recollection of such. Now, a more important question, have you ever witnessed an Awakening that evokes golden Auspicious Clouds?"
The moment the Ancestor's question dropped, it was like a bomb. It bombarded the female Ancestor with an apprehension rarely seen.
"Don't tell me…" Seina's Ancestor's voice suddenly introduced itself again, the dread in them particularly glaring.
"Ha! It seems even Ancestor Kabir have forgotten. A pity indeed."