Joseph stood in silence before the trait evaluation device, his features evidently stiffer than usual. Even though elemental traits did not provide any beneficial insight into the future of Rune Artists, as a member of the Gravekin Family, he prayed for an offensive element that could aid with future assassination projects.
He pressed his hand onto the spherical node at the bottom of the device, feeling a strong sense of suction instantly. Joseph kept his hand firm and steady as a warm surge of energy conducted from his body into the node.
Just like every other student who went before him, Joseph noticed several colorless lines ascending to the top through the maze-like main instrument. After reaching the top, the node displayed a vibrant blue color that revealed his elemental trait to the audience.
"Joseph Gravekin, Water," Clara Marshall solemnly announced.
Joseph took a deep breath. Though not the best outcome, water Rune Arts were considered the most flexible among all elements; he knew he could leverage that to his advantage.
He turned around, and the first thing he caught was the friendly, encouraging smile on Nathan's face. The representative students' awakening ceremony was intentionally placed after the ordinary students to magnify their significance and make their experience more memorable.
Rune Arts from each element require Artists of their type to hold profound understandings of their specific core principles. It didn't truly matter who possessed which element; it was about who was lucky enough to be able to connect to their assigned trait.
"Jay Short, Elemental Duality, Earth and Wind." When it was Jay's turn, the top node displayed two distinct colors: green and brown.
The crowd erupted into energetic chatter and cheers for the first awakening of a trait mutation. Clara Marshall and the rest of the school staff nodded in acknowledgment. Possessing multiple elemental traits meant a greater range of flexibility and uniqueness, making it more likely for possessors to create their personalized Rune Arts, a new type of Rune Art yet to be discovered by others. This was especially significant in the eyes of the Imperial Academy; creating a personalized Rune Art meant immediate graduation approval, as well as an honorable record in the academy's history books.
Jay smiled at the attention he received, though he knew that possessing multiple elemental traits meant that the path in front of him would be exceedingly more difficult than for his companions.
The rest of the ordinary students completed their awakenings quickly. Daniel Whitedawn, who awakened the darkness element, turned out to have the same elemental trait as Nathan.
Finally, it was the awakening of the seven representative students; most of them tightened their fists in anticipation.
"Leo Blanc, Lightning."
Leo shrugged. Elemental traits carried little, if any, weight for someone in the Blanc Clan.
However, when Charlotte Clayfield approached the device, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The Trait Evaluation Device radiated a blinding light, and the pressure in the room felt almost tangible, pushing everyone back into their seats.
The lines on the main instrument multiplied, revealing four distinct yet faint colors converging at the top node—blurry yet unmistakable.
"Charlotte Clayfield…" Clara Marshall recited with a trembling voice, "Elemental Quadriality, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Light."
Unlike their reaction to Jay's elemental duality, the crowd, along with the academy professors, stayed completely silent, rubbing their eyes to ensure it wasn't a dream.
Witnessing the awakening of a four-element Rune Artist was something that happened less than once per lifetime; the number of times they had appeared in the kingdom's history would not exceed fifty. No matter which academy they were in during their awakening, they would be directly transported to the Imperial Academy for their uniqueness alone. Even V, the first seat of the Rune Arts Federation, was one of these students—someone who did not belong to the academy at first but was recognized for her elemental trait.
A great fortune for the Clayfield family. Nathan faintly heard comments like these.
The other representative students all seemed thoughtful. The Clayfield family was one of the few neutral clans in the Schwarz-Blanc dispute, so this outcome was neither beneficial nor harmful to anyone.
Several professors left the assembly in a hurry, heading in different directions as the ceremony continued for the rest of the representative students.
"David Edmonds, Light."
David smiled innocently as always, willing to accept any outcome.
"Monica Gladius, Fire."
Monica celebrated silently in her heart. It was the same element as her father, Commander Alexander Gladius.
"Jennifer Lumendra, Wind."
Jennifer's gaze darkened. When she turned around, Nathan could sense a dangerous feeling of envy toward Charlotte Clayfield, who was still astonished at her awakening.
Finally, it was Nathan's turn.
Nathan pressed his hand on the spherical device without much thought, his body radiating boredom and relaxation. After all, he already knew his elemental trait. However, in Nathan's heart, he hoped that he could undergo a mutation as well.
Just like before, Nathan felt a hollow, uncertain texture of energy flowing through his veins, but before arriving at the device, another warm, hopeful spirit seemed to have bonded to it.
Observing the lines ascend into the device, Nathan noticed them change colors dynamically. Two distinct shades, black and white, blended seamlessly at the spherical orb. There seemed to be a direct line that separated the two colors—this was a phenomenon that had never occurred before.
"Completely Harmonized Elemental Duality," Henry Nox whispered to himself with an amused smile. "Their son turned out to be something special after all… Is this destiny or coincidence? Can't tell, don't know…"
Clara Marshall announced as always, though there was a sense of disappointment and grief in her tone.
"Nathan Modernson, Elemental Duality, Light, Darkness."
Nathan stared at the outcome uncomfortably. To the untrained eye, this was an extremely horrible combination of elemental traits, the worst outcome possible
Not only did light and darkness directly contradict each other's actions, but they were also two elements that only provided supportive and general usage. Nathan Modernson was destined to be locked out from extensive studies on Rune Arts, with both the Combat and Construction types completely out of his reach.
What most people forgot was that Mirror, the second seat of the Rune Arts Federation, experienced the same disappointment when he awakened his trait. As the second-strongest Rune Artist of the generation, Mirror proved to the world that even the combination of these two elements could generate impact with enough effort and talent.
Nathan turned around, his face cringing and distorting uncontrollably.
"Come on!" he shouted out loud. "This must be a joke, right? I appeal for a re-examination! There is no way I got the worst elemental trait possible!"
The entire hall stared at Nathan in disbelief, embarrassment washing over them. Perhaps this mysterious boy was merely spoiled, possibly even unintelligent, lacking any substantial impact of his own. Many began to consider how easily he could be manipulated for their own purposes; controlling this foolish, arrogant boy wouldn't be a challenge at all.
Nathan was still throwing a tantrum as the staff on stage attempted to calm him down. From the corner of his eye, he witnessed the expressions of others with amusement.
None of them ever thought that Nathan was putting up an act on purpose. After all, which aristocrat, especially one of his position, would publicly embarrass themselves for no reason?