Aiden's temporary party had died, and only he survived. When he woke up after passing out, he recalled his Talent. Confused and in disbelief, he thought about it, and the prompt reappeared.
In the height of his despair, he had awakened. However, it was an undetermined type of Talent. Stealing a Talent? He had never heard of it.
Pondering why such a thing happened, he realized it might be the reason why he hadn't awakened sooner. His Talent might have been difficult to muster, only appearing after a traumatic event.
'There were cases of awakening in dire or traumatic situations. Did I experience the same thing?'
Not thinking much about it for the moment, he remembered he was the lone survivor of the deceased party. He was held at the Solarian Talent Association, which supervises the Solarian people's Talents and those who visit the Nexus through the Solarian teleportation station.
He was asked questions about the exact event. When he told them he was non-Talented, it seemed they already knew the answer.
"Your party was unlucky to meet the Whispering Woods. In reality, the name Whispering Woods comes from the name of the monster itself. They only target Talented people and can easily kill Expert ranks."
Only nodding to their words, Aiden hadn't done much until the bodies were delivered to their families. He didn't connect with them after, as he hadn't felt any attachment to them since it was their first day working together.
Although he felt sorrowful, it was normal. They were just unlucky that day.
Bringing his keeps from the visit, he went straight to the Exchanging Counter at the Solarian Teleportation Station. After the estimations, he had at least earned 5,000 Solarian pesos. The rest of their hunts were sent to the families of the deceased.
Tiredly walking down the path to the train station, he rode and got off at the outskirts of Sunrise City. He mindlessly went home, straight to the slums where their small house was located, and dropped his body onto his hard bed.
He didn't know what to do at that moment. The effects of the traumatic event still lingered, and recalling it without restraint made him fall asleep.
…
Aiden woke up, sitting up abruptly in bed. Although he could still remember the death of his former employers, what made him react in such a way was the awakened Talent.
"I awakened. I awakened. I awakened!"
A mix of emotions, but mostly joy, washed over Aiden as he rolled around. He still couldn't believe it—he had just awakened a Talent he had longed for.
Having a Talent meant his family could escape from this kind of life. He could earn more and provide better, which would bring them a better life.
Ecstatic, Aiden stood up from his bed and summoned the prompt by thinking about it. Before him was a hovering holographic screen—he didn't know if others could see it, but he cared less. His eyes focused on the words "First Talent" on the screen.
'This means I can get a second or third or even nth Talent.'
'Stealing Talent! That is unbelievable!'
Indeed, it was unbelievable that such a Talent existed. It defied logic, something not even taught in the obligatory education.
There were at least five known types of Talents: Elemental, Physical, Nature, Mystical, and Mental. Stealing Talents didn't belong to any of these categories.
His Talent could be the first of its kind or an unknown type. If people discovered it, he would be in grave danger. But that fear was overshadowed by his excitement, immediately replaced by his happy thoughts.
Aiden's eyes were shining, a sudden and unusual burst of emotion from someone who had just witnessed death. But he couldn't care—earning money seemed more important than death.
'I have to check if I really have Lightning Manipulation.'
He closed his eyes, recalling the teachings and basics of controlling Talents, which were taught four years ago.
Obligatory education took four years to complete. At sixteen, when people were still undetermined whether they had a Talent or not, they were taught what to do when they awakened. After eighteen, the education became more practical, focusing on utilizing their Talents.
'Think about lightning.'
Imagining it plenty of times, Aiden succeeded in producing a small thread of lightning. He opened his eyes and flashed it once more, witnessing it firsthand—not just feeling it.
He had really awakened his Talent!
Aiden indulged in his newly awakened Talent, flashing lightning from the tips of his fingers, playing with it.
He was slightly nervous that he might lose control, so the small threads were enough for him.
'If I don't register this, I might become a criminal for hiding my Talent.'
However, there was a problem—what would happen if he was reassessed?
Shaking off the thought for now, he summoned the screen once more and stared at the cooldown.
29 days… Yesterday, it said 30 days. Which meant that after a month, he could steal another Talent and earn it. That would become his second Talent!
'Calm down… calm down.'
Still thrilled, almost like steam rising from his nose, he sat down and controlled his breath. He couldn't let excitement get ahead of him.
'Stealing Talent… This means that the previous owner of the Talent would become powerless.'
But the first thing that came to his mind wasn't stealing from other people—it was stealing from monsters. There was a small pang of guilt as he thought about taking from others.
Not once in his life had he thought about committing crimes. His mother had always taught him to be a law-abiding citizen, especially since Talent and wealth kept people in power. Coming from a poor family, that was all they could do.
'So, I can steal Talents from monsters.'
He had already made up his mind. He could gain more Talents now, but he had to use this ability responsibly. No one could know about his real Talent.
The next step was to get reassessed at the Solarian Talent Association. Luckily, he could at least hide his real ability, as reassessment didn't require an awakening device to detect Talent. Just showing it was enough.
Rushing through preparations, Aiden told his family he would be gone again for a job.
When he arrived for reassessment, he stood in line to fill out a form and joined another line for the actual reassessment. Reassessments were pretty common these days, as many people discovered their full potential later on.
While some cases required devices, Aiden's didn't. Showing his Lightning Manipulation would clearly display his Master-ranked Talent.
When it was his turn, he entered a small, plain room with no windows—just a light and a door.
"Please show your Talent when you're ready," a male voice called out from somewhere Aiden couldn't pinpoint.
Without thinking too much, he displayed threads of lightning from his fingertips.
The agent took a moment before responding. Aiden waited a few minutes after stopping his demonstration.
"So, according to the form, you're a late awakener, correct?"
Aiden nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Alright. Elemental Talent, Lightning Manipulation. We won't need to test your potential rank since it's clear your Talent is Master-level. Your Talent has great potential. Congratulations for not giving up on awakening."
"Please keep in mind, the association doesn't mandate showing your current rank, but you can always apply for reassessment if you want to determine your current level."
Aiden nodded before leaving the room. He went to the counter to receive his association card, which showed his Talent, its rank, and basic details about him. The exact level of his Talent wasn't listed, as a complex device would be needed to measure that.
'For now, this is enough. I'll earn money to learn more about my current rank. This time, I'll focus on progressing, mastering Lightning Manipulation before the cooldown ends.'
A/N: Current Rank and Potential Rank are not alike.