The Hall of Awakening hummed with nervous energy as Alex pushed through the ornate doors. Morning sunlight poured through the towering windows, painting golden stripes across the marble floor. His white hair caught the light, and he noticed how people's eyes lingered on him—some curious, others wary.
His father, Duke Ashford, held court near the front with a cluster of high-ranking nobles. Their silk robes and practiced smiles screamed money and influence. Alex's enhanced vision kicked in automatically as he got closer, information flooding his mind without effort.
[Duke Ashford]
[Rank: A]
[Primary Ability: Fire Manipulation]
The other nobles around his father ranged from B to A rank—impressive by most standards, but nothing that made Alex's pulse quicken. What did catch his attention was the group near the ceremonial platform: three figures who looked like they'd seen real combat, not just sparring matches in fancy training halls.
[Wilder Aldrich]
[Rank: S]
[Ability: Lightning Manipulation]
[Rollo Hestian ]
[Rank: S]
[Ability: Earth Manipulation]
The third figure among the group made Alex's skin crawl with unease. A towering man with coal-black hair and fiery eyes, wearing weathered traveling clothes that somehow appeared more costly than any noble's finest garments. Alex's Adept Eyes glitched when he attempted to analyze him:
*[Lucian Valorian]*
*[Rank: ???????]*
*[Ability: ??????]*
'Well, that's not ominous at all,' Alex thought, filing the information away as he approached his father.
Duke Ashford's face lit up the moment he spotted his son. "Kael!" he called out, his voice thick with relief and pride. "I'm so proud of you for getting through this whole ordeal."
The moment his father's hand landed on his shoulder, Alex felt that familiar electric tingle.
[Physical Contact Detected]
[Mimicry Activated]
[Analyzing Target: Duke Ashford]
[Available Ability: Fire Manipulation - Rank A]
[Copy Ability? Y/N]
Alex quickly thought 'Y' while maintaining his conversation.
[Progress:]
[1%]
[5%]
[25%]
[Integration Complete]
[Mimicked Ability: Fire Manipulation Acquired]
[Ability has been Amplified to match host current level]
Alex kept his face neutral as warmth flowed through his veins, settling into his core like a comfortable weight. 'Another ability in the collection. This is becoming a habit.'
"Thank you, father," Alex replied, letting genuine gratitude color his voice. "Having your support... it means everything to me."
One of the other dukes—a round man with eyes like a merchant calculating profit—stepped forward with a practiced smile. "Young Lord Ashford, we're all quite eager to see what classification you receive today. The circumstances of your initial awakening have been... well, let's just say they've sparked considerable discussion in certain circles."
'I bet they have,' Alex thought, but kept his expression diplomatic. "I'm sure they have, Your Grace. I hope today's ceremony will give everyone the answers they're looking for."
The mysterious black-haired man's gaze felt like a physical weight on Alex's shoulders. Even without his enhanced vision providing information, Alex could sense something ancient and dangerous about the man's presence. 'He's watching me like a hawk studies a mouse. Question is, does he know I'm not actually a mouse?'
"Due to the... complications... from the previous ceremony," the Examiner announced, her voice carrying easily across the hall, "we will address the students whose classifications were affected by the incident first."
Alex felt a small surge of satisfaction. 'So my dramatic awakening really did mess with their precious stone. Good to know I can still cause chaos even when I'm trying to be subtle.'
Five students clustered near the front of the hall, all looking like they'd rather be anywhere else. The first four were unremarkable—a B-rank earth manipulator who made the stone glow brown, a C-rank enhancement type who barely got a flicker, an A-rank wind wielder whose classification made the air in the hall stir briefly, and a B-rank who could manipulate plants and made small flowers bloom in the stone's surface.
Respectable abilities, but nothing that would shift the balance of power in the kingdom.
Then came the fifth student.
"Sarah Millbrook," the examiner called.
Alex's attention sharpened as a girl with simple brown hair and nervous eyes stepped forward. Her clothes marked her as a commoner—well-made but clearly not from noble stock. She approached the classification stone like it might bite her.
"I... I'm not sure this is right," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe there's been a mistake?"
"No mistake, dear," the examiner said gently. "Please place your hand on the stone."
Sarah's hand trembled as she reached out. The stone began to glow—first a soft blue, then silver, then something that made Alex's breath catch in his throat. Deep, swirling purple shot through with threads of gold. The light pulsed with a rhythm that seemed to slow time itself, making the air shimmer like heat waves.
The examiner's voice was barely audible. "Time manipulation. SS-rank."
The hall exploded into chaos. Nobles turned to whisper frantically to each other, guild masters straightened like hunting dogs catching a scent, and Alex watched Sarah's face go pale as she realized her life had just changed forever.
'Time manipulation,' Alex thought, studying the girl who suddenly looked very small and very vulnerable. 'She just became the most valuable person in the kingdom. Whether she wants to be or not.'
---
The hall fell silent as Alex approached the Classification Stone. It looked exactly as he remembered from Kael's memories—a massive crystal formation that pulsed with inner light, surrounded by intricate sigils carved deep into the marble platform.
"Kael Ashford," the examiner announced formally. "Please place your hand on the stone."
Alex took a deep breath, his mind racing through possibilities. 'I need to appear strong enough to avoid suspicion, but not so powerful that I become a target. The copied fire ability should provide a reasonable baseline.'
"I hope this works," he said aloud, letting a hint of nervousness creep into his voice. 'That should give them something to explain away any unusual readings.'
Alex placed his hand on the crystal.
It began to glow.
First a soft ember-orange, like coals in a dying fire. Then the color deepened, rising into a roaring red. Flames danced inside the crystal's core, rising and swirling like a miniature tornado. The sigils on the stone flared to life, one by one, each rune blazing with increasing intensity.
The examiner leaned forward, her experienced eyes studying the stone's reaction. Her expression shifted from professional interest to barely concealed amazement as the flames within the crystal continued to intensify.
'This is... remarkable,' she thought, her pulse quickening. 'The classification isn't just indicating fire manipulation—the power reading is... this is registering as SSS-rank potential.' She blinked hard, double-checking the glowing sigils. 'But that can't be right. The stone must still be miscalibrated from the incident. Nothing exceeds SS-rank. This has to be a strong SS-rank reading.'
"Fire manipulation," she announced to the hall, her voice carrying easily across the space. "SS-rank classification."
The crowd erupted in excited murmurs and gasps.
"SS-rank! At his age!"
"I told you the Ashford bloodline runs strong!"
"He was just a late bloomer after all," someone said with obvious relief.
But then... a pulse.
Thump.
Alex's fingers twitched involuntarily. The Essence in his veins surged—not from the copied fire ability, but from something deeper. Something that belonged to him alone. His anomalous core flared, and suddenly the stone's energy felt different. Hungry.
[Warning: Essence Reaction Detected]
[External artifact attempting reverse Essence Sync]
[System Response: Auto-defensive Drain Initiated]
'Oh, shit,' Alex thought, yanking his hand away just as a single crack—barely visible but definitely there—appeared at the crystal's edge.
[Essence Drain Successful]
[Essence Gained: +487,320]
[Core Saturation: 18,543,902 Essence]
Alex stepped back from the stone, his face showing concern. "That felt... intense," he said, shaking his hand slightly as if it had been burned. "Is that normal for SS-rank classifications?"
The examiner nodded approvingly. "Very wise instinct, Lord Ashford. Strong awakened often experience feedback during classification. The SS-rank reading is clear—congratulations. Your classification is now officially SS-rank Fire Manipulation."
The hall erupted in celebration. Duke Ashford's face beamed with pride, other nobles offered congratulations and began speculating about Alex's future prospects, and guild representatives started calculating his potential value.
But only one person noticed the crack.
Lucian Valorian, watching from the upper balcony, his burning eyes fixed on the hairline fracture in the Classification Stone. His expression was unreadable, but his hand had moved instinctively to rest on the pommel of his sword.
The legendary dual-ability user had seen something that no one else had caught—and Alex had the distinct feeling that his carefully constructed facade had just developed its first dangerous flaw.
'Well,' Alex thought, meeting those burning eyes for just a moment before looking away, 'this is about to get interesting.'