"You look different," she said.
"You are just imagining things." He denied it, shaking his head. "I was always this handsome."
"Hmph, whatever." She turned her head and walked away. He followed a few paces behind. "Since you are already of age, it's time for your first awakening."
He nodded. Dravin followed closely behind his sister Loraine. Today was the day that his father decided that he was finally ready. This had required him to face a warrior in combat, but with his enhanced strength and skills developed over the years, he had defeated him with ease.
"I am sure you already know this, but I will just give you a brief rundown."
Dravin nodded his head and listened.
"The path to becoming an EVO is not easy." Loraine began. "We use the origin crystal from a nascent beast for our first awakening. For that, we use the one's inherent ability to awaken both the ability slot and the path."
Although he was already aware of the process, he still paid attention to her words. The duo soon reached the largest dwelling in the middle of the tribe. They stopped outside and waited.
Karth Snowfire walked out and glanced at his son, then his daughter. "You are really close to breaking through to the second star."
She nodded her head, and a small, imperceptible trace traced her lips. The difference in talent in this world was rather apparent. But thankfully, Karth was a rather talented individual, and so were his children.
However, among his daughters, Alice had always been the one with the most talent. At Loraine's age of 26, she was already two stars in Novice. Now at 42, she was rather close to 3 stars and, by Karth's estimation, would cross the boundary in a year or two.
He nodded his head and turned to his son. He had rather high expectations for him, as Dravin had proven from a young age that he was more intelligent, strong, and wise than his peers. Among his children, he might have the highest talent. Or none at all, which was entirely possible.
"Let's go." He said so, and the two followed. They moved to another tall building. It was constructed of wood and stone. It was painted blue, and a red door stood at the front.
This was the main hall of the tribe, where all the elders convened. It was also where the treasures of the tribe, like the Origin Crystals, were stored. Also where EVO's would undergo their first awakening.
A small group of people were gathered inside. Alice and Cornelia sat on the wood-crafted chair, donned with blue animal fur. They smiled as they saw them walk inside.
Karth pointed to the middle and looked at Darvin. "See that circle there; go stand within."
Dravin nodded and stood within the circle. He saw a man carrying a box from a metal locker and handing it to his father. Karth opened the box and took out an oval-shaped black crystal. In the middle was a small white dot that looked hazed and seemed to shift in color with each motion.
His father carried the crystal over and stood before him. "Take off your shirt."
As he was already familiar with the process, he quickly stripped off his shirt and stood straight. A woman at the far front lit a match and burned an incense. The people gathered all stood up and gathered around the pair in a circle.
A hazy blue shimmer covered his father's hand. He took a deep breath and pressed the crystal against his chest, right where his heart should be. "Now, feel."
Dravin heard the last of the words before the world dropped away. Like a blanket had been pulled from reality, revealing the secrets of the Cosmos to him. He stared at the inky black Cosmos covered in white-dotted stars. An ethereal current seemed to flow beside him.
Dravin closed his eyes and felt. It was a sensation that he found hard to grasp—always near but never within his reach. He followed this feeling—this itch that he couldn't get rid of—and finally found himself near the source of all existence.
The Celestial Axis!
He woke up. Dravin looked down at his hands, finding them clenched with sweat dripping from his forehead. He looked at the people gathered around him and found them smiling.
"Congratulations." His father stated it with a smile. The rest followed after him. His mother hugged him, his sister Alice kissed him hard, and even Loraine gave him a tight hug. He could feel their joy and happiness.
He smiled.
[Origin Awakening was successful. Path of EVO unlocked.]
[Trait [Snowfire] gained.]
[Snowfire: Nascent]
Cold that burns like fire.
You have gained the ability to burn your origins with cold fire. Using this ability, you can control a white fire known for its extreme coldness.
A new trait. No, it would be more accurate to say that this was his first real trait.
When Karth Snowfire first became an EVO, it was thanks to the Origin Crystal harvested from a Snowfire fox. Since then, he had taken on the surname of his own trait and made it into a sort of legacy. This section of the Rainbow Mountains housed many Snowfire foxes, and over the years, the tribe had accumulated quite a number of Origin Crystal abilities.
Dravin was already aware of all this, so once he had unlocked his path, the walking was up to him. He would have to nurture his own traits and grow his strength. Thankfully, he had a system, so he didn't have to spend centuries to advance from minor realms. He wasn't afraid of the time spent, but with his status, he was just a small fry in a vast world.
To him, this expansive world was a chance for adventure. To grow and meet all sorts of individuals. Who knew how many races lived on this planet, and who knew what it was like to stand at the pinnacle of it all? He smiled.
He soon retired from the gathering where the tribe had thrown the celebration and made his way back home. After his bloodline awakening and his origin awakening, he was somewhat fatigued. Thankfully, he had taken extra precautions after awakening his bloodline. He had spent a few days behind the closed door, to hide the changes. Now that his origin was brimming with essence, he could simply attribute all the changes to it.
Once home, he changed his clothes, took a shower, and rested in his bed. Tomorrow, he would go hunting and finally take his first step on the path of evolution.