The silence stretched until it felt unbearable. The air itself seemed heavier, pressing down on their chests like an invisible hand. No one dared to move or even whisper. Every breath sounded too loud, every heartbeat too sharp. It wasn't just tension it was fear, raw and cold, creeping into their bones.
Then Dr. Elen stepped forward. Her expression was unreadable, her tone calm too calm.
"First of all," she began, her voice echoing softly in the hall, "congratulations on your awakening."
The words should have brought pride, maybe even relief. But the tone stripped of warmth froze any hint of celebration before it could take root.
"Don't let this get to your head," she continued, her gaze sweeping over the room. "Don't start believing that power makes you untouchable. If you think you can walk outside these walls and do whatever you please hurt people, act without consequence then you're living in a dream. The laws of this world have changed, yes… but so has the cost of breaking them."
Her voice grew sharper, each word cutting through the air like glass.
"In the old world, humanity nearly destroyed itself with machines and greed. Now? Now, a single person with enough cultivation can burn cities to ash or wipe nations off the map with one breath of energy. Some are so powerful that if they wished, this planet would be nothing more than a drifting pebble in the dark."
Several of the candidates shivered. Tang Yu swallowed hard, his usual grin gone. Kalen's fingers tightened against his leg. They were all fifteen too young to truly grasp what "destroying a planet" meant, but old enough to understand the terror in those words.
Elen's gaze softened not kind, but weighted with something like pity.
"Power changes people. It corrupts easily. Some lose their sense of right and wrong, and when that happens… punishment becomes meaningless. There are people out there whose crimes can't be washed away even if they died a thousand times. The only reason humanity still survives," she said, pausing briefly, "is because a few powerful beings choose to protect it."
Her eyes swept across the rows again, sharp and heavy. "Remember this the Sanctuary exists to preserve humanity. If you harm the innocent within these walls, your punishment will be worse than death. Karma settles all accounts one way or another."
The room was utterly still. No one spoke. Even Tang Yu, who always had something to say, just stared at the floor.
Elen took a slow breath, and when she spoke again, her tone dropped lower.
"Among the fifty who began this examination," she said, "only twenty-seven of you survived the awakening."
A murmur rippled through the hall quickly silenced by the weight of her next words.
"Fifteen are dead. Eight remain unconscious. Their bodies are fighting to adapt, but most… won't wake up. If they're lucky, they'll pass in their sleep a quiet death, without pain."
Someone gasped. Another stifled a sob. Kalen felt his throat tighten. He didn't know the faces of those who'd died but he'd seen them. Shared the same food, stood in the same lines, dreamed the same dream of awakening. And now… they were gone.
For a long time, no one spoke. Only the sound of the wind brushing against the windows filled the hollow quiet.
A long silence lingered after Dr. Elen's words heavy and suffocating. The air was still, but it felt like everyone was holding their breath, too afraid to move. Then Drake stepped forward.
His voice, rough and steady, broke through the quiet.
"So remember this while you all survived… they didn't. Some of them are still fighting for their lives even now."
His gaze swept across the hall, sharp and unforgiving. "Be grateful for the chance you've been given. Don't waste it. Don't lose control over your choices, your temper, or your power. You're young, but not children you can understand what's right and what's wrong."
No one dared look away. His words cut deep not loud, but carrying the weight of something real.
Then, just as the silence was beginning to suffocate again, Drake's tone shifted firm but calmer.
"Now," he said, "let's talk about what comes next."
He stepped aside and tapped the control panel on the table. A soft hum filled the room as a blue hologram flickered to life in the air. "Your bodies are still adapting to the energy," he continued. "That process will take one to two months. During that time, you'll undergo basic combat training weapon handling, monster engagement, and wilderness survival. You'll learn what it truly means to live as an awakened."
The lights dimmed, and the hologram expanded the blurry blue shapes sharpening into a scene of chaos and motion.
A vast plain stretched under a blazing sun. Two figures stood against a creature that looked like it crawled out of a nightmare. It towered above them, its body glistening like black metal, scales reflecting the light like shards of a blade. The creature's mouth split open, rows of jagged teeth gleaming wetly teeth made to tear through armor and bone alike. When it roared, the sound rattled through the hall's speakers, deep enough to make a few flinch.
One of the warriors wore a metallic exosuit, silver veins of energy running along his limbs. He carried a heavy sword that hummed faintly with power. His partner smaller, faster held twin sabers glowing a faint blue. They exchanged a brief nod before charging forward.
The ground cracked beneath their feet. The monster swung its tail, fast and brutal, but the warrior in armor raised his sword, sparks flying as metal met metal. The other darted to the side, slashing at the creature's hind leg. The attack landed a sharp, ringing impact but the blade only left a shallow scar across its scale. No blood. Just the screech of metal grinding against something harder.
Then the monster inhaled a deep, terrifying breath and exhaled a torrent of fire. The flames scorched the ground, turning soil into glowing glass. For a moment, the two warriors vanished behind the wall of heat. Gasps echoed in the hall.
But then, they reappeared their armor blackened, their weapons glowing brighter. The man with the sword roared and charged again, his weapon now wrapped in orange-red energy. The woman followed, her sabers burning with blue light.
This time, they didn't attack randomly. They aimed for the creature's joints the cracks between the metallic plates of its legs and neck. The impact shook the ground. Blue and brown light flared in unison, and for a split second, the entire battlefield went white. When the light faded, the monster's front legs buckled cleanly severed.
It screamed a sound too deep to be animal, too human to ignore before crashing to the ground. The warriors didn't stop. They leapt, energy flaring, and drove their weapons straight into its head. A blinding flash then stillness.
The hologram froze, then slowly faded out, leaving only the quiet hum of the projector.
No one spoke. The silence this time wasn't from fear it was disbelief.
Tang Yu's mouth hung open slightly. "We're supposed to fight that?" he muttered under his breath, voice cracking. His sister, Tang Xia, didn't answer. Her face was pale, her usual calm shaken. Leo's hands were trembling under the table. Michael leaned forward, jaw tight, whispering, "That thing could kill us before we even blink."
Kalen didn't say anything. His heart was pounding too hard. The monster's roar still echoed in his ears, mixing with the faint memory of his own screams during awakening.
The room was quiet again but this time, it wasn't because of fear alone. It was the moment when the weight of their new reality truly began to settle in.