"Many years ago, meteors crashed onto this planet from outer space. At first, humans weren't really concerned about it, aside from a group of people known as researchers. But as time progressed, absurdly powerful creatures began emerging from a gateway formed when these star fragments condensed together, called Star Gates."
"Thankfully, there were a few other star fragments which were the key to unlocking the potential of our souls and forming bonds with Celestial Dragons, like mine."
As Vela explained gently, Amon stared with wide eyes as she told him the same story she had told him countless times over the years.
Still, he wasn't bored in the slightest.
The history of this world fascinated him greatly, and he felt a burning passion to explore the starry skies whenever he heard the story.
Vela noticed his eyes filled with curiosity and smiled, pointing gently at Alger, who was coiled softly around Amon, her warmth spreading toward the little boy.
Unlike the first time Amon met Alger, his mother's Celestial Dragon, over the years he had gotten close to the unique creature, and it made him wonder what kind of Celestial Dragon he would awaken.
Vela gently continued,
"When you form a bond with a Celestial Dragon, you awaken an ability from the Celestial Dragon. In awakening an ability, you also step onto the Divine Path and gain access to your Status Screen."
"Mother, I've asked you countless times, what is your ability?" Amon interrupted with a slight frown.
Vela gently placed her hand over her lips, hushing Amon.
"That's not something you should be curious about. It's best to leave one's ability a secret…"
Amon fell silent, then opened his mouth to speak after a few seconds of consideration.
"The Status Screen you mentioned, what kind of information does it display?"
This was the first time they were delving this deep into the conversation, and Amon could tell it was because she wanted to lessen the pressure he felt toward his Celestial Awakening.
"There's different information."
Amon noticed Vela seemed to be looking at a screen in front of her which he couldn't see.
"There's 'Name,' 'Age,' 'Divine Path,' 'Celestial Gift,' and a few others…"
Vela's sweet voice echoed.
Amon furrowed his brows slightly.
'I thought what I had was my own specific system, but… it seems not. Rather, it's a common thing for everyone.'
Amon clenched his fist tightly. 'At least when I trample over everyone and ascend to the peak of the world, I won't do so while cheating. Rather, it'll be because I obtained the strength all on my own!'
The thought pleased Amon. He never liked having an unfair advantage anyway; that would just make his growth less fun.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
A thunderous bell echoed, snapping Amon's thoughts back into focus. Vela also looked at him, her face showing a faint trace of worry.
She offered a comforting, reassuring smile. "Well then, son. Let's see what kind of Celestial Dragon you obtain…"
Amon nodded, unclenching his fist and standing calmly, an air of superiority surfacing around him.
Noticing this, Vela chuckled and waved her hand, causing her Celestial Dragon to gently nudge Amon's head against its rough, scaly back as though wishing him good luck before it flew up, turning into an illusory form and entering Vela's Celestial Core.
Amon followed calmly behind his mother, his facial expression betraying the nervousness he felt.
It was finally time.
This moment would decide his future.
Would he remain stuck at the bottom, or would his path to greatness begin?
…
After walking for roughly thirty minutes, Amon and Vela finally reached the location of a large hall.
Just like everything within the house, the hall was adorned with gold, and Amon could see diamonds along with a few other rare jewels lining its exterior.
There were also a few glistening stones that reflected the sunlight, making the building look exceedingly bright and almost surreal.
They entered the hall, and the moment he did, his gaze fell on thirty childrens who stood nervously, their hesitant eyes wandering around.
Amon noticed their varying expressions.
Some looked completely filled with nervousness, while others seemed to have lost all hope.
This was particularly true for a youth who looked taller than the others; his eyes were full of unease, and as he glanced around, Amon could sense the tension in his expression.
'His last chance…' Amon understood.
Judging his age, Amon guessed he was likely eight years old, and this was his last chance to form a bond with a Celestial Dragon.
Failure meant he would be stuck at the bottom, while success would open a new world to him.
Amon glanced at the other three who wore similar expressions and noticed they looked slightly younger than the boy.
Their fate was the same nevertheless.
After briefly glancing over them, he shook his head and walked to the side.
There were roughly thirty people gathered in the hall, including his father and his mother.
His mother looked at him with expectation, while his father looked at him with hope. He knew, no, he was certain, that as long as Amon possessed the Adam's bloodline, nothing less than a high-grade Celestial Dragon was expected of him.
Amon gave them a warm, reassuring smile.
Finally, the elder in charge, upon noticing that Amon, the remaining person, had arrived, opened his mouth to speak.
"Everyone can only spend thirty minutes inside the Celestial Gate searching for and forming a bond with a Celestial Dragon. Any more than that, and your soul will begin corroding due to the uniqueness of the Celestial Realm. Do you all understand?"
Everyone nodded affirmatively.
Seeing that no one had complaints, the elder gestured toward the oldest boy among the crowd to commence the Celestial Awakening for the group.
The boy looked stunned, his nervousness increasing, but then he steeled his resolve, walking into the shimmering, starlight portal-like structure on the ground.
He sat cross-legged and began radiating his divine energy.
A faint glow surfaced on his body as starlight poured from the surroundings, taking his consciousness and soul into the Celestial Realm.
His eyes shut tightly as the countdown began.
Tick! Tick! Tick!
Amon and the group of children stared nervously as ten minutes went by.
The glow of the starlight grew brighter and brighter on the boy's body as time passed.
Gradually, it became so intense that his figure was obscured from the crowd, becoming completely white.
"Thirty minutes have gone by…" the elder called out, then calmly began tapping his hand on his robe.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
After ten more minutes passed, the elder flung his sleeve, causing a gust of wind to burst out and push the boy violently out of the Star Gate.
The Celestial Star Gate dimmed slightly, and the pouring starlight receded.
Off to the side, a violent cough echoed as the boy spat blood, his face extremely pale.
"You have failed the Celestial Awakening," the elder announced coldly, causing the boy's face to grow even paler.
He gestured toward a few others nearby.
"Take him to the healer."
After giving the order, he turned his attention back to the remaining thirty children.
Although Amon tried to keep himself calm, his palms had already grown sweaty. After all, he had seen how the boy spent forty minutes in there, only to almost get himself killed.
His nervousness was greater than ever.
What if he failed to form a bond with a Celestial Dragon???