Ashton woke up to silence. Not the peaceful kind but the heavy, unnatural silence that pressed against his ears.
Cold metal pressed against his back as he slowly opened his eyes. A black ceiling stared back at him, partially destroyed and rough.
He lowered his gaze, finding himself lying on a piece of metal. His wounds were covered with bandages making him question.
"Who did this?"
Clueless, Ashton got up as his eyes darted around him. The walls were partially destroyed as well; the floor wasn't damaged, but it was littered with rubble.
And a middle-aged man sitting on the floor with his eyes closed.
It looked like he wasn't alone.
Worse, his sword was beside the middle-aged man. So he was completely defenseless at the moment.
As he was lost on his own, the middle-aged man opened his eyes, staring back at him as the middle-aged man said.
"You are alive huh? For a moment I thought you were dead."
Ashton frowned, confused by his words.
"Who are you?"
The middle-aged man got up, walked towards him as he replied.
"I am Awakened Krylian, the one who saved you from the aliens… But I thought I had failed…"
Ashton's pupils contracted, his expression hardened. His heart beat violently as uncertainty and doubt gnawed at him.
He didn't know if the man had malicious intent and the reputation of the Awakened humans was terrible.
They were known to commit genocidal crimes and face no consequences, shielded by the impunity their power granted.
So first he had to be sure the man meant him no harm.
He cleared his throat and said.
"Can I get my sword before we do anything else?"
Refusal meant danger—if Krylian had no malicious intent, why would he refuse to give back his sword for protection?
Krylian smiled and tossed Ashton's sword toward him. Ashton caught it and gripped it tightly. Then Krylian added.
"It's a fine Ascendant weapon. Where did you get it?"
Ashton ignored it and asked.
"What do you mean by failure?"
According to Krylian, he wanted to save him but he thought he had failed. But why?
Krylian let out a sigh as he replied.
"After I brought you to safety, I treated you as best I could but your heart stopped, your breathing ceased, and your pulse vanished. I thought you were dead… yet your mana network never shut down."
Ashton's frown deepened. If what Krylian said was true, then he should be dead. But he wasn't.
So was Krylian mistaken, as he was a fighter, not a doctor?
He wasn't sure, nor did he have the interest to be sure, as all that mattered was that he was alive and accessing the power that he had Awakened.
So Ashton shot a glance at him and said.
"How do you use the powers that I have awakened? Tell me right now…"
Krylian didn't reply, instead he returned his question with another question.
"Did you hear strange whispers when you were undergoing awakening?"
Ashton frowned but nodded as he said.
"Yeah, do you know anything about it?"
Krylian replied with a smirk.
"The thing that whispered to you is the system. When a human awakens it anchors to one's soul. It's crucial for accessing power that one has Awakened."
Ashton's eyes widened in shock. He asked.
"If it's so important why haven't I heard anything about it?"
Krylian paused for a moment and added.
"It's because its existence is kept hidden from the general population. That's why you know nothing about it."
Ashton grimaced as he said.
"Why even hide its presence?"
Krylian shook his head. He replied.
"You don't need to understand it yet. Understanding comes later if you survive."
Ashton raised one of his eyebrows, studied him for a moment, and said.
"We are safe here so surviving is not an issue right now. You don't want to tell me"
Krylian shook his head and said.
"That isn't the case…"
Krylian paused for a moment and added.
"The safety that you are talking about is just an illusion while we speak. The aliens are looking for us. Although I managed to escape from them, they will find us eventually."
Ashton froze, realizing that meant they couldn't stay here for long...
So his mind raced, thinking about what to do, then Krylian's voice echoed through his ears.
"Wandering alone in this world is very dangerous."
Ashton stared back at him and asked.
"Then what do you suggest?"
Krylian thought for a moment and said.
"Let's stick together, combining our power will drastically boost our chances of survival"
Ashton thought for a moment, realizing his words had merit. But could the man be really trusted? What if Krylian had malicious motives towards him?
After a moment, he decided it was better to boost his chances of survival than waste time on paranoia over a risk that might not even exist.
And if the man turned out to be a threat… he'd deal with him or die trying.
So he nodded his head and replied.
"I agree to this temporary truce…"
Ashton paused for a moment and asked.
"Before we do anything, tell me how I can access my powers?"
Krylian replied.
"Just say 'Summon Status Window' in your mind. That's all."
Nodding, Ashton cleared his throat and said the words. His body shook slightly as an interface with dozens of lines of words, visible only to him, flashed before him.
It read…
(Name: Ashton
Rank: Awakened
Class: Flameblade Engineer
Class Description:
You are a master of fire and invention, the Flameblade Engineer wields both flames and intellect as weapons…
Warning: Class data is incomplete. Full interpretation requires a higher rank.
Skills:
1. Master of Flames Rank: Awakened
Description: Flames obey your command. They won't burn you and will do anything that you command them to do.
2. True Flames Rank: Awakened
Description: You can ignite your mana into flames. The flames will burn anything you deem a target.
3. Peerless Eyes Rank: Grand
Description: You possess the Eyes of a Sage, a symbol of power and wisdom. When activated, the world slows, drastically enhancing your perception. By channeling mana into your eyes, you can grasp even the tiniest details instantly, understanding the structure, properties, and weaknesses of any material you observe.
4. Mark of Dominion. Rank:???
Description: You carry traces of royalty within you, making your mana extremely potent.
Mana essence: 0/1000)
Ashton rubbed his chin, murmuring,
"Interesting…"
From the description, he'd likely gain fire or knowledge-based abilities but the class description was incomplete.
Until his rank increased, there was no telling; it might grant powers unrelated to either.
So he read the skills description below and almost fell over.
And this wasn't even all…
At the very end of the status window, a few words carved in pure gold, slightly shimmering, waiting to be read:
(System Skills:
Innovation
Description: …
Will of the Absolute Kingdom
Description: …
10X Growth
Description: …)
Then, a violent explosion occurred outside, shaking the room violently and throwing them to the ground.