Elias Noor awoke from his unconscious state, still dizzy, his mind swirling with strange memories that had flooded him unexpectedly. These memories were bizarre and incoherent, as if they didn't belong to him. He tried to collect his scattered thoughts. "What are these memories? How did they get to me? Did they transfer?!! How could this happen? Was it the quantum gateway that caused this?" he wondered, trying to make sense of what had happened in this new world.
Before he could dive deeper into his thoughts, a sharp, commanding voice echoed from a distance: "Hima!" The voice belonged to an elderly man, as if he were breaking the silence to announce something important, making the very earth seem to pause, waiting for what would come next.
Moments passed before Elias could regain his focus. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I only wanted to return to the past. Why am I here?" Questions piled up in his mind, but no answers seemed to come.
At that moment, something strange caught his attention. Hima, the small girl, was approaching a peculiar circle drawn on the ground, filled with unknown symbols and engravings. She stepped forward, sat in the center, and closed her eyes. Then, Elias heard the old man's voice again: "Start." A response followed from another: "Okay."
Suddenly, the circle lit up with a brilliant white light, causing the place to shine so brightly that it became almost unbearable. In that instant, a small white creature appeared, resembling a cat but incredibly tiny, no larger than a finger.
The sound of discussions began to scatter around him.
"What are these Akara?" someone asked sharply.
The clan leader, the elderly man, responded, "Ah, they are rare Akara."
Another elder said, "Yes, I know them. I've read about them. They are Akara... the frozen cat."
Yet another elder added, "I've seen them with some of my acquaintances. They grant their users the ability to freeze whatever they touch. It can freeze the ground for up to two meters."
The clan leader raised his head and spoke firmly: "Alright, next."
Another elder replied decisively: "Alright." Then, in a calm tone, he added: "Albert."
"Are these the Akara of this world?" Elias wondered within himself.
Based on the memories flooding into his mind, he realized he was in a village called "Xia." In this place, when a person turns fifteen, they must enter a summoning circle during what is called the "Summoning Ceremony" to call forth their original Akara. Akara are magical beings with strange and unique powers, such as controlling fire, ice, or even flying.
Elias shifted his attention to Albert, a thin boy with black hair and worn-out clothes. Albert stepped into the circle and sat cross-legged in the middle. The elderly man's voice came again: "Start." Another voice responded: "Ready." And the circle lit up once more.
But this time, after some time passed, nothing appeared. There was no cat, nor anything else.
Finally, Elias heard the elderly man's voice once again: "No talent." Elias saw Albert leaving the circle, crying as if the entire world had collapsed around him.
At that moment, the elder broke the silence with a calm voice: "Now, it's the next boy's turn."
Shortly after, another boy named Timothy was called. Unfortunately, he was also unable to summon his Akara. He exited the circle with eyes filled with disappointment.
Next came Alan, another boy who appeared nervous, but he entered the circle with confidence. Yet, he too failed, returning to his place with clear sadness on his face.
Failures continued, until the turn came for a boy named Alex, who walked confidently toward the circle. He entered it, his eyes fixed on the sky, trying to summon his Akara. However, as with the others, nothing appeared. Alex stood still, stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened, his eyes filled with shock.
An elder said in a tone of disdain: "Alex, step out. Your turn is over." Alex felt even more disappointed and pained, as though all his hopes had shattered in that moment.
Failures continued, with five more boys unable to summon their Akara. But failure had become an inseparable part of this world, and everyone had grown accustomed to it.
Finally, it was Liu's turn. He was a quiet boy, yet he had a strong determination. He walked steadily toward the circle, and despite the pressure, he entered with confidence. He sat cross-legged in the middle of the circle, and then, unexpectedly, the light around him intensified. An Akara appeared before him: it was a small green silkworm. One of the elders said: "It's the Green Healing Silkworm Akara, a common Akara."
"Success!" Liu whispered to himself as he watched his Akara. That was the beginning of a new chapter for him, a turning point in his life.
While everyone's attention was focused on Liu, the voice came again: "Elias." Despite his nervousness, Elias confidently stepped toward the summoning circle. Everyone was watching. The elder who was overseeing the ceremony raised his hand and said: "Start."
Elias entered the circle with intense nervousness. A strange light began to gather around him, and as the circle illuminated, he felt something unusual happening. Suddenly, the device emitted a powerful light, and he felt connected to a strange world or place, but this connection lasted only a few seconds.
Then, before everyone's eyes, an Akara appeared. It was a transparent, balloon-like fish floating in the air, with blue liquid inside. Elias let out a small gasp of surprise: "What is this Akara?"
The clan leader responded with keen interest: "Oh, interesting. This is a rare Akara called 'Bubble Fish.' What makes it rare isn't its strength or its powerful skills, but because it possesses two abilities, which is more than most Akara. These two abilities are the creation and manipulation of water."
He added: "These abilities aren't terribly rare, but usually, we need to use two Akara to duplicate this power."
When Elias heard this, he thought sarcastically: "Wow, Bubble Fish, what an inventive name!"
The clan leader then said: "Let's continue." And with that, the ceremony ended.
Five more succeeded in summoning their Akara, including two of the elder's sons.
One of the elders remarked: "The Summoning Ceremony has only gotten worse with time."
Another elder replied: "Well, that's natural. The blood of the Akara masters has become thinner in our clan as we've
drifted further from the era of our ancestors in the Xia Village."