The sky above Sub-City 4 was a dull shade of gray, the horizon blurred by the ever-present smog that hung over the city. The towering structures, made from a mix of steel and concrete, loomed overhead, their surfaces worn by decades of weathering and neglect. Elric stood silently among the throngs of people walking the city streets, his expression cold and distant. His eyes—one vibrant green, the other clouded and blind—watched the world through a veil of hardened resolve.
The Awakening Ceremony. It was the day when every sixteen-year-old in the city was tested to see if they had any worth. Most of them wouldn't. Most would leave with nothing but shattered hopes and the weight of knowing they would remain stuck at the bottom of society, unawakened and powerless.
Elric had already accepted his place. It wasn't that he didn't want power—he craved it more than anything—but life had taught him early that it was rarely so easily given. The system of the world was brutal, and those who controlled the talent rankings made sure it stayed that way. Most of the powerful families in the capital and the sub-cities were descendants of those with high-ranking talents. It was all rigged from the start.
And yet, there was a small part of him—buried deep beneath layers of cold logic—that still held onto the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, things could be different.
Elric's steps were measured as he made his way through the streets, heading toward the towering edifice at the center of Sub-City 4. The Talent Awakening Hall stood like a fortress, its imposing architecture a testament to the power it represented. It was where the fates of thousands were determined every year, and today, it would be Elric's turn.
As he neared the entrance, the crowd thickened. Students from all corners of the city were gathered, many of them chattering nervously, others fidgeting with excitement. Their voices blended into a cacophony of emotions—anticipation, fear, hope. Elric, however, remained unaffected. His mind was elsewhere, drifting back to memories that had shaped him.
Seven years ago…
The flames had consumed everything. The house, the people, the very air felt like it was burning. Elric had watched from the shadows, helpless as his parents were dragged into the street by the gang members—thugs with grins plastered across their faces. They had been nothing special, just low-tier scum, but in the hierarchy of the world, even the scum held more power than ordinary people.
Elric had wanted to fight, but what could a nine-year-old boy do? He'd tried anyway, launching himself at one of the thugs, only to be kicked aside like a discarded toy. His head hit the ground hard, and darkness had swallowed him whole.
When he woke, the world was different. His parents were dead, their bodies fed to the beasts outside the city walls as a twisted form of entertainment. And he… he had been left with a reminder of his weakness—a scarred, blind eye, courtesy of the gang's leader who decided that Elric should live with the memory of what had happened, forever marked by it.
Elric shook the memory away, his fingers subconsciously brushing against the edge of the scar on his face. His blind eye was a constant reminder of that day. A reminder that weakness could not be tolerated in this world.
He passed through the entrance of the Talent Awakening Hall, the large double doors sliding open with a soft hiss. Inside, the atmosphere was starkly different from the chaos outside. The hall was cold, clinical, its walls lined with intricate technological panels that glowed faintly. The ceiling stretched high above, with drones floating silently, their cameras scanning the crowd for any signs of trouble.
A mechanical voice echoed through the space. "All participants, please proceed to the designated area for the Talent Awakening Ceremony."
The students shuffled forward, guided by the guards standing near the entrance. Elric moved with them, his eyes flicking over his surroundings, taking in every detail. The hall was massive, with rows of seats and observation decks lining the upper levels where representatives from the academy and the city's elite watched the ceremony unfold.
Elric's jaw tightened as he spotted them—students and instructors from the Astraeus Academy, the most prestigious training institution in the sub-city. They were all gathered in a private balcony, seated comfortably as they observed the proceedings with thinly veiled disinterest. Those who entered the academy were the privileged few, the ones born into wealth and power. For the rest, the Awakening Ceremony was little more than a cruel formality.
He reached the center of the hall, where dozens of students had already lined up in front of a series of strange devices—arcane machines that glowed with an otherworldly light. The devices were responsible for measuring a person's soul potential, identifying their talent, and ranking them accordingly. The higher the rank, the greater the chance of being accepted into the academy.
Elric's gaze shifted to the first few students in line. The process was simple. Step up to the device, place your hand on the pad, and let the machine do the rest. A moment of silence, followed by the result—your future, laid bare for all to see.
The first student stepped up, a boy with an air of nervous confidence. His hand trembled slightly as he placed it on the pad, and the device whirred to life. A few seconds later, the machine let out a soft beep, and a holographic screen appeared above him, displaying the result.
Name: Aaron Holt
Talent: Stone Wall (C-Rank)
Passive: Iron Stamina (C-Rank)
The boy let out a relieved breath, a faint smile tugging at his lips as the crowd murmured around him. C-rank. Not bad. Not great, but enough to get by. Aaron stepped down from the platform, his shoulders slightly straighter than before.
Elric's eyes narrowed as he appraised the boy. Stone Wall. Defensive talent, mid-tier. Useful for withstanding attacks but limited in offensive capability. Iron Stamina likely boosts endurance in prolonged battles. He'll do well in the academy, though he'll never be a standout. Elric filed the information away, his mind already working through scenarios and possibilities.
The next few students went through the same process, with varying degrees of success. A few D-ranks, one more C-rank. One unfortunate girl received an F-rank talent—Minor Wind Breeze—and left the platform with tears in her eyes.
Elric's turn was fast approaching, and though his expression remained calm, his thoughts were a whirlwind of calculations. He had no illusions about what was likely to happen. F-rank talents were common in the sub-cities, and Elric had no reason to believe he would be any different. But that wasn't what concerned him.
What concerned him was the system.
For as long as he could remember, Elric had been different. He couldn't quite explain it, but there had always been something lurking beneath the surface, something that separated him from everyone else. It wasn't a talent, not in the traditional sense. It was more… a presence. And today, he would find out what that presence truly was.
The line moved forward again, and Elric found himself standing on the platform, staring at the glowing pad in front of him. His heart beat steadily in his chest, but his mind was anything but calm. He lifted his hand and placed it on the pad.
The machine hummed to life, and for a moment, everything seemed to slow down. Elric's vision blurred, the edges of the room fading into nothingness as the system within him stirred.
[Creator System Activated]
Welcome, Elric. Your soul has been recognized.
Please select your desired function.
The words flashed in his mind, clear and undeniable. The Creator System. It was real. The presence he had always felt, the power that had eluded him for so long—it was all part of this mysterious system.
Select function? Elric's thoughts raced, but he quickly understood what he needed to do.
Appraisal Function: Active
Analyzing soul potential…
The machine on the platform continued its work, oblivious to the storm brewing in Elric's mind. The system was appraising him, calculating his talent and soul potential in real-time. The holographic screen above him flickered, and the result appeared.
Name: Elric Drayven
Talent: Flame Spark (F-Rank)
Passive: Healing Blood (F-Rank)
A murmur ran through the crowd, but Elric barely heard it. His eyes were locked on the result, his expression unreadable. F-rank. Just as he had expected. It was a weak talent, barely useful for anything other than lighting a small fire. To most, it was a death sentence in terms of advancement.
But Elric knew better.
[Creator System Notification]
Soul potential identified. Talent: Flame Spark (F-Rank). Passive Talent: Healing Blood (F-Rank). Ability to upgrade and enhance through soul points available.
The coldness in Elric's heart deepened. He had a system, one that could allow him to bypass the limits of his F-rank talent. It wasn't going to be easy—nothing in this world ever was—but now, he had a chance.
He stepped down from the platform, ignoring the whispers and glances that followed him. He didn't care what the others thought. He didn't care about the label of F-rank or the stigma that came with it. All that mattered was the system.
As the ceremony continued, Elric remained at the back of the hall, silently observing the rest of the students. His mind was no longer focused on the talents being revealed—it was focused on the future, on what he could do with the power he had just unlocked.
The world may have seen him as weak, but they would learn soon enough.
End of Chapter One