Chapter Twelve: Preparations
Twilight immediately recognized his surroundings. The sacred ground — where he had just come from — was beyond these massive gates.
Every academy in the world had a sacred ground used to awaken the potential of wielders of the Sovereign System, and Starlight Academy was the closest to his home. Naturally, he had chosen to awaken here.
Now that the mandatory awakening was complete, Twilight knew his next course of action — entering the Astral Realm.
"What are you waiting for? Follow me," Lillian said, gesturing for him to keep up. As she walked, she waved her right hand, making a small bottle appear in her palm.
Twilight inspected the bottle and was shocked to see a toy car inside. His brows furrowed. What was she planning to do with a toy in this situation?
Right now, escaping should be their top priority. The other representatives wouldn't take this lying down — especially after the Flame Empress had forcibly taken him. Yet here Lillian was, taking out a toy?
Twilight was utterly flabbergasted.
Without paying attention to his confused stare, Lillian uncorked the bottle, a sharp pop echoing in the air as white smoke drifted outward.
Then, she walked onto a quiet street, away from the academy's compound, and dropped the bottle onto the ground.
A loud shatter followed, sending glass shards flying everywhere.
"Damn it! I knew I should have gotten the latest gem version," Lillian grumbled, dodging the flying shards with ease.
Twilight, however, didn't hear her complaints. His jaw had dropped in shock.
Not because she had intentionally broken the bottle, but because the toy car inside had transformed into a real vehicle.
A second ago, it had been nothing more than a miniature object. But the moment the bottle shattered, it expanded into a full-sized car.
Twilight's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The sight was truly inconceivable.
"I have a lot to learn about the magical world…" he sighed inwardly, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips.
"What are you standing there for? Get in!" Lillian called, opening the driver's seat and slipping inside.
Twilight quickly followed, settling into the passenger seat.
As soon as he sank into the soft cushions, he felt dazed. The sheer comfort of the seat was surreal.
It had been years since he had felt anything close to luxury.
After his parents' disappearance, his uncles had stolen their wealth, leaving him and his sister to fend for themselves in the outskirts.
From that day on, he had known nothing but struggle — fighting for scrapes, enduring hunger.
And when his sister had been taken away when she was chosen by the Sovereign System at the age of eight, Twilight had truly lost everything.
Family. Comfort. Happiness.
The low hum of the engine brought him back to reality as the car sped through the streets, heading deeper into the city's inner circle — a place Twilight hadn't set foot in for a long time.
---
The journey was brief, mostly due to Lillian's reckless driving that knew no bounds.
By the time they arrived, Twilight was fighting the bile rising in his throat. He shot a resentful glare at Lillian, who simply grinned in response.
Shaking off his discomfort, he followed her into the massive mansion before them.
Even though he had just awakened his vital core, Twilight could already sense the abundant spiritual energy in the air. It refreshed him, sharpening his mental clarity to a great degree.
Then, realization dawned on him.
"I've awakened my potential and formed my vital core, yet my soul mark hasn't appeared. Is there a reason for that?" Twilight asked as he scanned his arms thoroughly, seeing no mark whatsoever.
Lillian shrugged as she walked ahead.
"It doesn't appear immediately, you know. Give it a few more minutes, and the mark will form. Why are you so impatient to enter the Astral Realm?"
Twilight pondered on her words. Normally, after awakening their potential and vital core, individuals would receive a soul mark on their hand — a key that allowed all Sovereign System wielders to enter the Astral Realm.
It had been some time since his awakening, and his mark had yet to appear, which made him anxious.
But it seemed he just needed to wait.
---
As they walked through the corridors, they passed several people who sent curious glances their way.
"Isn't that Lady Lillian?"
"Who's that with her? I don't recognize him."
"Yeah… he seems new."
"Don't tell me Prime Disciple Lillian has a boyfriend!"
"Him? I don't think so. He's probably just a new recruit."
"Makes sense."
"But still… to be personally escorted by a top 10 prime disciple, he's surely in luck."
…
Twilight ignored the whispers as they finally stepped into a large hall lined with Astral Pods — sleek, futuristic capsules where individuals lay in deep slumber.
He already understood what was happening.
Once a person received their soul mark, they could enter the Astral Realm. However, their physical body would be taken into a mystical space while their soul ventured into the Astral Realm.
Years of research had revealed the dangers of this process. The longer a body remained in the mystical space, the more it deteriorated.
Thus, humanity created a solution: the Astral Pod.
By linking their soul mark with the pod, a person's soul could directly enter the Astral Realm while their body remained safely stored, preventing deterioration.
Most of the individuals in the pods were likely in the Astral Realm at this very moment — exploring, training, or fighting for survival.
"This is the age of the Astral Realm," Twilight muttered to himself.
Lillian turned to him, arms crossed.
"As you can see, all these people are in the Astral Realm. They're either in our sect on the other side, facing their entry phase, or growing stronger."
Her sharp gaze studied him before she added:
"But you are still too weak to survive the entry phase."
Twilight frowned at her words.
"From my investigation," Lillian continued, completely ignoring Twilight's expression, "you grew up in the outskirts and never received proper training. That makes you severely disadvantaged. You'll most likely die."
She sighed in frustration.
'Why are the heavens so unfair?' she thought bitterly.
For years, warriors trained their bodies rigorously, only to awaken D or C-grade potential. Even the rarest of geniuses barely reached B-grade.
Yet he, a scrawny, untrained youth, had awakened an M-grade potential.
It was simply absurd.
Twilight let out a bitter chuckle. He couldn't argue, for Lillian had been right. He had spent his entire life scavenging for food. Training was a luxury he never had the time for.
"Then how do I get stronger quickly?" he asked, his expression serious.
He knew the entry phase of the Astral Realm was brutal.
Upon entering, awakened were thrown into random locations. Their first task was to find a checkpoint and bind to it—only then could they unlock the ability to log out.
If they failed to reach a checkpoint? They would never be able to return to the real world.
And there was no guarantee they wouldn't land in the middle of a deadly battlefield or in front of a powerful creature the moment they arrived, so training was necessary.
Lillian tapped her chin, considering.
"That… depends entirely on your learning speed." She then gave him a scanning look. "After receiving your soul mark, you have seven days to enter the Astral Realm. If you don't, the system will forcefully send you in without warning."
She paused, watching his reaction before smiling slyly.
"Of course, as the Flame Empress said: accept her as your sponsor, and you'll receive all the training you need to pass your entry phase. I can't promise you'll survive, but I assure you that within seven days, you'll be a changed person."
She nodded with utmost confidence.
Twilight fell into deep thought.
After a moment, determination flashed in his eyes.
"If that's the case, I'll take your word for it."
Summoning the red system screen, he scrolled through his notifications until he found the one he was looking for.
[Flame Empress from the Fiery Phoenix Sect has chosen to sponsor you. Do you accept?]
Without hesitation, Twilight selected [Yes.]
[Congratulations! You have chosen the Flame Empress as your sponsor. Enter the Astral Realm to receive the sponsor package.]
Glancing at Lillian, he gave a subtle nod.
Seeing his acceptance, a radiant smile spread across her face.
"Good choice! You won't regret it."
Then, her smile twisted into something far more sinister that sent chills down his spines.
"Now that everything's settled… welcome to hell."