Inside the grand hall, hundreds of children — none older than sixteen — were gathered in organized rows.Each one carried themselves with the natural pride and aura of nobility. Silken robes, engraved family emblems, and refined postures filled the vast chamber with a sense of grandeur befitting the future pillars of Novacter.
At the center of the hall stood a colossal stone, pulsing with radiance.Its surface shimmered with shifting colors — sometimes gold, sometimes violet — and streaks of ethereal light ran across it like veins.
The Awakening Stone.
The artifact that determined every child's destiny.A single touch was enough to reveal their affinity, talent, and future potential.
Nervous whispers rippled through the crowd.Even though most heirs held confident expressions, none could hide the tension brewing beneath their calm façades. Today wasn't just a ceremony — it was a dividing line between greatness and mediocrity.
Yet among the sea of noble-born geniuses, two figures shone brighter than the rest.
Aldric Crestban.
A boy with hair so black it seemed to absorb the light around him — like a fragment of the void resting atop his head. His golden eyes glimmered with a maturity and sharpened intelligence that could put veteran scholars to shame.Every movement he made exuded confidence and quiet dominance.
The crowd whispered:
"He'll definitely awaken an SSS–rank talent…""Aldric Crestban… the pride of the Human Domain."
He was the undisputed star of the day.
Beside him stood a young man who seemed carved from a different realm entirely.
Snow–white hair, soft yet radiant like untouched winter snow.Ruby–red eyes, glowing like crystallized embers.A presence that felt gentle yet impossibly deep.
An anomaly.A boy who shouldn't exist.A boy who possessed knowledge of a future catastrophe.
Aldric glanced sideways, smirking slightly.
"Nervous?"
Arthur exhaled softly. "A little."
Aldric chuckled. He understood.Today wasn't easy for anyone — even for prodigies and monsters.
The hall's atmosphere continued to thicken as anticipation grew.
RUMBLE—
The ground shook.
BOOM—!!
The massive double doors slammed open with earth–shattering force.
A wave of overwhelming aura rolled through the hall like a storm.Children trembled. Some nearly collapsed under the pressure.
A man walked in.
Tall, mid-thirties, platinum hair gleaming under the chandeliers.Sharp, defined features.Cold brown eyes blazing with suppressed power.
His mere presence forced dozens to bow instinctively.
King Gareth Thornhelm.
The ruler of the Human Domain.The man who commanded all of humanity's armies.The one who stood at the summit of mortal power.
And beside him…
A girl whose beauty froze the hall.
Moonlit platinum hair cascaded down her back, shimmering like strands of silver.A delicate diadem rested on her head.Eyes dark blue and deep enough to drown in — like the endless ocean.
Her gown shimmered with silver threads, giving her an ethereal glow.
She was elegance.She was nobility.She was danger.
Anastasia Thornhelm — the Crown Princess.
The beloved of the ocean.The future lover of humanity's strongest hero.
And today, she too would awaken her talent alongside the other heirs.
The hall instantly fell quiet.Not a whisper remained.
The king's gaze swept across the crowd with razor-sharp precision.
When his eyes landed on Aldric, the boy felt it — a suffocating weight, as though his soul was laid bare.It lasted only two seconds, but for Aldric… it felt like an eternity.
Then, without warning, the king lifted into the air — effortlessly levitating several meters above the hall.His eyes narrowed at a point in the distant sky, far beyond the hall's ceiling.
His expression tightened.
He murmured something to Anastasia — quiet and urgent —
And in the next instant…
He vanished.
No magic circle.No ripple.Just gone.
Instant teleportation.Effortless.Terrifying.
A demonstration of true power.
The princess released a soft sigh, visibly used to such abrupt departures.
Then she turned slowly…
…and walked directly toward two boys standing in the far corner.
Aldric and Arthur.
Both wearing identical mischievous smiles as she approached — as if they had been waiting for this moment all along.