Kaden found the lively atmosphere odd and unseemly. After all, this place had been a funeral ground just a few moments ago.
It was as though the crowd had completely forgotten the deaths of the two aspirants they had previously been mourning for.
"Perhaps their deaths were just that meaningless." Kaden mumbled as the platform's layout began to change.
A crew had climbed up the elevated platform to facilitate those changes.
Weapon racks were placed to the side, displaying a wide variety of armaments. A wooden podium was also added in the middle of the stage. Behind it, the red curtains closed, the previous background disappearing into obscurity.
While the others worked on completing those arrangements, one of the crew members, a man in formal attire distinct from the rest, descended the stone platform to inform the group that they would soon be called onto the stage, among other details.
As they listened, all eight young Awakened immediately became restless.
None of them felt like standing on a stage in front of a crowd.
Even the young woman in a purple dress suddenly appeared quite shy.
The man did not care, however, and simply asked them for their names, starting with Sofia, the girl Vincent had previously introduced.
Soon, his turn came.
Kaden reluctantly answered.
The man raised an eyebrow upon hearing his words, but a brief nod from the others quickly dispelled the questioning look the man threw at him.
After writing all the names down on a piece of yellow parchment, the man returned to the stage.
In the meantime, Kaden and the others were busy culling their nervousness as they stared at the stone platform.
The Awakening Rite is an annual event, and so, they have naturally witnessed many precedents. The nobles' speeches and the introduction of every new Awakened is a recurring scene.
They had already seen this coming.
It's just that their initial concern had been whether they could become an Awakened or not. The possibility of success had been so low that none of them had really thought or prepared to face what came afterwards.
Only about ten percent of those who enter the Sanctum usually come out with the ignited soul of an Awakened, after all, sometimes even none.
That being said, their batch was indeed quite exceptional among the Awakened, at least in terms of quantity.
Perhaps that is the reason behind the unusual number of Nobles attending this year's ordinance.
From what he had gathered from the previous conversation, an Awakened can also join into the noble clans. So perhaps that was what they were here for, to recruit the new seedlings into their folds.
Kaden was not really interested though.
He didn't have much of a good opinion of them.
Many of the cripples in the slums were once servants of the noble clans.
That was enough reason for his aversion.
He didn't want to one day end up back in the slums in an even worse shape than before.
While he sank into contemplation, engrossed in his own little world, Kaden belatedly realized that someone had already been called up to the stage.
It was the boy who had close to no presence in their group, the exact opposite of him who easily stood out amidst a bunch of Awakened with his sheer stench.
Eventually, more names were called up to the stage. Vincent, Sofia, and another Awakened named Henry stepped onto the podium one after the other.
Kaden waited for his moment.
"Anise Loughty, come forward!"
Another name was called, and as he turned towards the others in curiosity, the young woman in purple dress stepped forward and ascended the stage.
Moments later, his name rang above the raised platform.
"...Kaden, come forward!"
Kaden flinched.
Then, he sighed.
'...It'll be fine.' Kaden convinced himself as he, too, ascended the stage.
Soon, he came face to face with the feared and exalted overlords of the city.
The Nobles.
Kaden's gaze trembled as he glimpsed upon those lofty figures.
On one hand, the Nobles were indeed different. They had an unmistakable presence, an aura charged with immense power that sets them apart from the rest.
…On the other hand, only one of the three Nobles possesses an inner fire. The other two, meanwhile, were hollow—their souls devoid of light and warmth.
'Dammit…'
The Nobles seem human; they act normal; they look fine, and yet they are still creeping him out.
Kaden tried not to show it on his face, but the Nobles still saw the sudden spike in fear and nervousness within his eyes.
However, the Nobles didn't think too deeply about that shift. It was only normal to be nervous and fearful in their presence. Anything otherwise would be arrogance.
The Nobles remained silent to give the young man a moment to recover his wits.
After a couple seconds of relative silence, the Noble in ceremonial attire opened his mouth and spoke.
"State your valor." The Noble commanded.
Kaden took a deep breath and glanced at the weapon racks in the distance.
He knew exactly what those words meant.
For now, he pushed the dreadful concerns about these soulless humans to the back of his mind and focused on the present.
Kaden had only two weapons in mind.
A mace or a spear.
In the end, he chose the spear.
"A spear, my lord." Kaden declared after a short delay.
A mace is extremely deadly and easy to use; however, a spear isn't too difficult to wield either, and its long reach offers the means to combat opponents at a relatively safe distance, which sits well with Kaden. If he were going to kill something or someone, he didn't want the process to be too personal.
The Noble did not answer, but a hand still reached out towards the array of weapons on a nearby wooden rack and took out one of the spears resting on it. Kaden extended his hands, and the Noble, in turn, placed the fine spear on his open palm.
Receiving the gift, Kaden recalled the past ceremonies he had watched among the crowd and quickly bowed in gratitude.
The Noble simply nodded and gestured to the side, where the others, who had received their own weapons, could be seen, standing in a row at the corner of the stage.
Kaden walked over, joining the rest in the silent wait.
Shortly after, the last two Awakened climbed up the stage in succession, both receiving their own weapon from the other two Nobles along with that intangible thing called honor.
A few more words flew through the air as the sky slowly darkened.
Then they were all told to leave the stage.