Herkid nodded.
"The registration system exists to keep the population safe. Awakening can be dangerous, especially for new awakeners who don't understand their abilities."
"Some people accidentally burn down houses," Mara said.
"Others accidentally poison themselves."
"One famous awakener turned his own chickens into monsters."
Zhu blinked.
"...How?"
"No one knows."
"The chickens killed him before he could explain," Herkid replied seriously.
The silence that followed lasted several seconds.
Finally, Zhu decided not to ask any follow-up questions.
Herkid continued.
"During registration, specialists examine your mana, determine your affinity, verify your identity, and create an official record."
"They also provide basic training and safety information," Mara added.
"Most awakeners register within a few weeks of awakening."
"What happens if they don't?" Zhu asked.
Herkid's expression became slightly more serious.
"That depends on the country."
"In most places you'll receive warnings."
"In stricter regions you can be fined."
"And if an unregistered awakener causes significant damage..." He shrugged. "The authorities tend to become very interested."
Zhu nodded thoughtfully.
That explained why her status window kept recommending registration.
Unfortunately, it also created another problem.
She looked down at her hidden status screen.
Mutation Mana.
SSS Potential.
Twin Blood System.
Three separate things that sounded like they would attract far more attention than she wanted.
A normal awakener could walk into an Awakening Center without worry.
Zhu suspected her visit might trigger several heart attacks.
For once, she completely understood why keeping secrets existed.
Quietly, she made a mental note.
Do not casually show this status screen to anyone.
Not until she understood exactly what she was dealing with.
Preferably not until she was strong enough to survive the consequences.
—--
A scream echoed through the morning air, startling the birds from the trees.
"Mother!"
Jewel threw herself at her mother's feet, clinging to her leg as if it were a lifeline.
"Please don't let them take me!"
She pleaded miserably, tears streaming down her face. In her distress, she looked like the very picture of fragile beauty brought low by despair.
Too bad the people witnessing the scene didn't have a shred of pity in their hearts.
These were Chairman Lee's men. They had come to collect Jewel Wang as repayment for the Wang family's defaulted loans.
The Wangs had sold everything they could. All that remained was a shell of a house and a mountain of debt.
"The marriage agreement never specified which daughter," one of the men said impatiently. "Stop wasting our time and hand her over."
Mrs. Wang pulled her daughter behind her protectively.
"No! You can't take my precious daughter! Over my dead body!"
Mr. Wang watched the spectacle unfold with cold eyes and clenched fists.
He had never endured such humiliation in his life.
In truth, he didn't care about his daughter.
To him, she had always been a tool—a means to secure investments, partnerships, and influence. He had spoiled and indulged her because he could afford to, not because he loved her.
Now that the family had fallen into ruin, he saw no reason to protect her.
He stepped forward and struck his wife across the face.
The sharp crack echoed through the nearly empty house.
"Stop this nonsense."
"Husband!" Mrs. Wang screamed.
Ignoring her cries, he turned to the men in dark suits and harsh expressions.
"Take the girl and leave quickly."
He couldn't bear to watch this any longer.
Jewel screamed as though she were a pig being dragged to slaughter.
"No! Father, please save me! Don't send me to that crooked old man! He's old and disgusting, covered in wrinkles! I hate him! Please, Father!"
A loud slap rang out once more.
This time it was Jewel who was struck.
One of Chairman Lee's men had slapped her across the face so hard that she stumbled sideways.
The blow seemed to drive Mrs. Wang into madness.
With a cry of rage, she charged at the man who had struck her daughter.
Gathering what little strength she possessed, she activated her weak wind element and unleashed a gust toward him.
Unfortunately, the guard was a sturdy D-Earth Elementalist.
The wind barely ruffled his clothing.
He didn't move an inch.
Instead, he retaliated.
With a casual shove empowered by earth mana, he sent Mrs. Wang flying across the room.
Here's a continuation that emphasizes Jewel's terror, Mr. Wang's cowardice and opportunism, the guards' cruelty, and Mrs. Wang's helpless despair without becoming overly graphic:
Mrs. Wang crashed into the far wall and collapsed to the floor.
Pain shot through her body, but she barely noticed it.
Her eyes were fixed on her daughter.
"Jewel!"
The guards seized Jewel by both arms.
"No! Let me go! Let me go!" Jewel screamed, kicking and thrashing wildly.
The more she struggled, the harder they gripped her.
Fear consumed her.
She knew exactly what awaited her in Chairman Lee's household.
The old man was infamous throughout the city.
He collected beautiful young women the same way other nobles collected paintings or rare beasts.
Some became concubines.
Some became servants.
Some simply disappeared behind the walls of his estate and were never spoken of again.
Jewel's imagination filled the unknown with horrors.
She pictured dark rooms.
Locked doors.
A life spent serving a man older than her grandfather.
The thought made her stomach twist with terror.
"Father!"
Her desperate gaze found Mr. Wang.
For the first time in her life, she truly begged him.
"Please save me! I'll do anything! I'll listen! I'll work harder! Please don't let them take me!"
For a brief moment, hope flickered in her eyes.
Surely her father would protect her.
Surely he would do something.
Mr. Wang looked away.
The hope died instantly.
His expression hardened.
"You should consider it an honor."
Jewel stared at him in disbelief.
An honor?
Being sold to repay his debts was an honor?
Mr. Wang straightened his robes and addressed the guards with a forced smile.
"Please forgive the disturbance."
His tone had become almost servile.
"When you return, kindly convey my deepest apologies to Chairman Lee."
The guards smirked.
Everyone could see what he was doing.
Even now, after losing his fortune and reputation, Mr. Wang was still desperately trying to curry favor with a man far more powerful than himself.
If sacrificing his daughter earned him even the smallest scrap of goodwill, he would do it without hesitation.
One of the guards laughed.
"At least you understand your position."
The words struck Jewel harder than any slap.
Her father wasn't powerless.
He wasn't being forced.
He was choosing this.
Choosing Chairman Lee.
Choosing himself.
Over her.
Something inside her shattered.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Wang forced herself back onto her feet.
"Stop!"
Ignoring the pain coursing through her body, she rushed forward once more.
A gust of wind gathered around her trembling hands.
It was weak.
Pathetically weak.
But she threw herself at the guards anyway.
She was a mother.
What else could she do?
One guard sneered.
With a casual backhand, he knocked her aside.
Mrs. Wang hit the floor again.
This time she couldn't rise immediately.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Mother!" Jewel screamed.
The guards simply laughed.
To them, this was nothing unusual.
Debtors cried.
Families begged.
Children screamed.
They had seen it all before.
Compassion had long since been beaten out of them.
They dragged Jewel toward the door.
"No!"
Jewel clawed at the floorboards desperately.
Her fingernails scraped grooves into the wood.
"Mother! Mother!"
Mrs. Wang crawled forward on shaking arms.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Jewel!"
Their fingertips almost touched.
Almost.
Then the guards pulled Jewel beyond her reach.
The young woman's screams echoed through the ruined house.
"Mother!"
"Mother!"
"Mother!"
Each cry grew fainter.
Each plea more distant.
Until finally the sound disappeared altogether.
Silence settled over the house.
Mrs. Wang collapsed where she was.
Her body shook violently.
The space where her daughter had stood only moments before was now empty.
Completely empty.
For years she had endured her husband's arrogance.
She had tolerated his affairs.
She had swallowed every humiliation for the sake of her family.
Yet in the end, none of it mattered.
She couldn't protect her daughter.
She couldn't stop the men.
She couldn't fight fate.
All she could do was stare at the doorway and weep.
And somewhere beyond those walls, her precious child was being taken toward a future that terrified them both.
—-----
Chairman Lee observed the scene from inside his carriage with cold, dead eyes. Every tear, every scream, every desperate plea from the Wang family filled him with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
A faint smile crept across his wrinkled face.
"Hmph."
The Wang family's suffering had only just begun.
Raising his cane, he tapped the roof of the car.
The driver immediately understood and started the car.
Chairman Lee leaned back comfortably against his seat.
He had no interest in watching the rest.
After all, a beautiful new wife was coming for him at home, he needed to prepare well.
As the car disappeared down the road, his sinister laughter lingered in the air, blending with Mrs. Wang's anguished cries and the last echoes of Jewel's despair.