Chapter 1
The LAST AWAKENING CEREMONY
The atmosphere within the Hall of the Federation's Central Awakening Academy was overwhelming from the weight of a thousand dreams of students that are about to manifest . Students were on their sit, with fear written all over their faces. Some shaking with their school uniforms, fingers trembling against their uniforms. Others looked ahead, eyes focused over as if they accepted their fate already.
Michael Norman,or rather, the soul that now lives in Michael Norman's body—sat at the hall, his heart pumping against his rib like a trapped bird. The memories of the previous owner were still flowing, pieces of a life lived in poverty and hopelessness flowing through his sub-consciousness.
So this is it, he thought, seeing the awakening orb pulse with bright light at the front of the big chamber. My second chance at life, and it all comes down to this moment.
The hall itself was filled with beautiful structure, pillars that were made from runes that channeled energy from it, the walls were created from materials that were brought from the Gods Domain itself, and a ceiling so high you could barely see it . Holographic displays were above the stage, cycling through numbers that only meant to increase everyone's anxiety: success rates, class distributions, survival probabilities. Cold, clinical numbers that lowered human potential to just percentages.
*Sit down!" A loud voice echoed through the noise moving across the hall.
Instructor Kane—a veteran with a scar on his face, stood before them . His muscular body was enclosed in the blue uniform of the Federation's Awakener Corps, and the badge on the right side of his chest marked him as a Level 47 Berserker. The man emitting a lot of aura, the kind that made normal people to step back without thinking twice.
"Today is your final chance," Kane began, his voice echoing easily across the cave without the need for a sound amplifier. "For students who are eighteen, this will be your last awakening ceremony this is your last chance to join the ranks of Espers and grow beyond the levels of an ordinary human."
Michael felt his throat squeeze. Eighteen. The original Michael Norman just turned eighteen two months ago, and enrolled in this school with other children in Mega City No 3090 who was within the awakening age range. It was compulsory. It was law. And it was the only hope he had to escape from a life of mediocrity,or even worse.
"I won't keep your hopes high," Kane continued, pacing before the stage with counted steps. "Most of you will fail. The statistics don't lie. Out of every hundred candidates, three to five will successfully awaken a class. The rest..." He stopped, letting the silence speak louder. "The rest will return to their ordinary lives. Manual labor in the mega cities. Maybe, if you're dedicated enough, you might follow the path of a Genetic Awakener, but that requires resources that are very expensive for your families and decades of difficult cultivation to acquire even normal competence."
A girl in the front began to cry quietly. Others shifted uncomfortably, the sad reality settling on them like a funeral atmosphere.
"However," Kane's expression became a little bit soft . "for those who do awaken, your lives will change drastically . You will gain access to the Gods Domain. You will receive Federation support, training, materials , and privileges beyond anything a normal citizen can acquire . You will become humanity's protectors against the threats that still affect our world. You will become a high asset"
Michael's hands tightened into fists on his lap. High assets. That word carried the weight of everything the original Michael Norman had hoped for. No more living in the lower districts. No more seeing his guardian, Mia, over work herself just to bring food on the table. No more thinking of how they'd make rent each month.
"We will now begin," Kane said, moving toward the awakening orb. "When I call your name, come forward. Put your hands on the orb and concentrate on your mind. The procedure takes thirty seconds. If you have the potential to awaken, the orb will react. Your class, grade, and initial stats will instantly be registered with the Federation database and the Espers Association."
The instructor brought out a tablet, its bright light reflecting across his face. "First candidate: Lilian Stone."
A petite girl with short black hair from the front row stood on staggering legs. With determination in her eyes despite the fear present in every bone of her body. The hall fell into silence as she approached the podium , every eye watching every step she took.
Lilian placed both hands on the surface of the orb, and Michael ,who was holding his breath along with everyone else.
Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen.
The silence went on like a punishment.
Twenty seconds.
Someone silently said a prayer.
Twenty-five seconds.
She's going to fail, Michael thought, his heart falling apart for a stranger name he'd just learned.
Then, at the twenty-eight-second, the orb reacted with brilliant golden light.
A sound of relief echoed all through the hall as combat auras radiated around Lilian's body—cracking energy that made the air shake with power. Her stance straightened up, her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief, and for a moment, pure joy transfigured her body .
"Lilian Stone," Kane announced, his voice with a sound of clear approval. "Martial Artist class. Grade: Uncommon. Congratulations, Awakener."
The entire student stood up in applause, relief, and excitement. If she did it, others can too. Maybe they weren't all fated to failure.
But Michael soon learned, that hope was a cruel thing.
"Marcus Chen."
Failure.
"Elara Rodriguez."
Failure.
"Thomas Wright."
Failure.
One after another, names were called. One after another, students approached the orb with hope and walked away with shattered dreams. Some came to terms with their fate with dignity. Others broke down instantly, with tears flowing down the faces of students too young to bear such disappointment. The guards around the hall—hardened -faced men and women in Federation armor—saw everything, ready to act if anyone went out of control
Michael tracked the numbers with growing anxiety . Twenty candidates. Thirty. Forty. Fifty.
Only Lilian had succeeded.
The atmosphere in the hall had changed from anxious hope to something reaching despair. The air felt heavier now, filled with the weight of crushed expectations and shattered futures. Michael could literally taste the bitterness, could feel it sinking into his own bones despite him trying to remain calm.
This isn't like other novels I used to read, he thought. This is reality . These are real children whose entire lives are being decided within the space of thirty-seconds. And I'm one of them.
His reincarnation had been sudden—consciousness cracking into this body during the wait for the ceremony. The original Michael Norman's memories were there, accessible but somehow far apart, like seeing someone else's life through a glass. He knew the basics: orphaned young, raised by Mia who'd taken him out of kindness (though their relationship was far closer than simple guardianship), poverty that meant skipping meals occasionally, hopes of becoming an Awakener as the only viable path to a better life.
"Candidate seventy-three: Jessica Moore."
Michael saw another girl approach with shaky steps. She can't be more than sixteen, one of the younger candidates with enough time for future ceremonies. But that didn't put a stop to the tears that were already forming in her eyes, the premature approval of failure written across her face.
Thirty seconds passed.
Nothing.
She walked away, shoulders trembling with silent cries, and Michael felt something cold rest on his chest.
What if I fail too? The thought was paralyzing. I've been given a second chance at life, reincarnated into a world with game-like systems and supernatural powers, and I might throw it away, all because of bad luck at awakening?
No. He couldn't think that way. Wouldn't think that way.
The ceremony continued its brutal procedure. More names. More failures. Occasionally, someone would awaken—a Warrior here, a Scout there, even a Mage that caused thrilling whispers .But the successes were so scarce they only seemed to see the cruel part of it all.
Michael lost track of time, lost in the sound of names called and dreams crushed . His mind ran through the little knowledge he'd acquired : the apocalypse over two thousand years ago, the space rifts, the transformation of Earth into something called the Aurora Realm, the rise of Espers and Genetic Awakeners, the Federation's iron grip over humanity's surviving mega cities.
This world was brutal. Unforgiving. And he was about to see whether he had any place in it beyond being another faceless worker in the endless search of survival.
"Candidate one hundred forty-seven: Michael Norman."
His heart paused.
The voice sounded like it came from very far away, even though Instructor Kane stood only meters distant. Michael's legs moved immediately, taking him toward the podium through a part that felt miles long. Every eye in the hall was set on him—some curious, most simply numb from experiencing so much failure.
The awakening orb emerged, its surface radiating with light. Up close, he could feel it oozing with energy that made his skin vibrate and his teeth ache.
This is it, Michael thought, lifting his hands toward the orb. Everything changes here. One way or another.
His palms made contact with the surface.
And his thirty seconds began.