The Awakening Formation was already carved into the courtyard of the Church of Diana.
White stone.
Circular.
Lines intersecting in patterns too precise to be random.
At its center—
One Awakening Stone.
Clear. Faceted. Ancient.
Beside it, placed on a smaller pedestal—
One Elemental Affinity Stone.
Dark and dormant.
The priestess spoke calmly.
"Each child will step into the formation. Remain still. Do not interfere."
Only one stone.
One chance at a time.
No replacements.
No retries.
Eighteen children stood in line.
Adrian stood ninth.
He studied the formation as the first child stepped forward.
The Intermediate Auror Warrior placed his palm against the Awakening Stone.
Auror flowed from him into the carved lines.
The formation ignited faintly.
The child stood within the inner ring.
Nothing happened.
The stone remained dull.
The formation dimmed.
Failure.
Second child.
Failure.
Third.
Failure.
The silence grew heavier.
Adrian watched the angles of the lines.
The placement of the stone at the center node.
The way Auror fed into specific intersections.
Something stirred in his memory.
Not from this life.
From the novel.
Long ago—
Before empires.
Before churches.
Before nobles.
Ancient Humans had been prey.
Only Natural Awakeners cultivated.
One in ten thousand among the awakened.
Born with overwhelming resonance.
Destined for greatness.
The rest were food.
Then one man fell into a ruin.
There he stumbled upon a stone and touched it and ended up Awakened without being natural.
It was first instance about a person awakening without being natural or eating a heavenly treasure during ancient times.
He,along with his friends studied the stone.
The awakening stone,wasn't really rare,it was found in almost every mine.The real deal was the natural formation around it.
They Replicated the structure artificially and tested it.
That was the origin of the Awakening formation.
Not divine blessing.
Ancient engineering.
But here—
No one knows that.
The priests called it sacred.
The scholars called it inherited wisdom.
No one knew the truth.
Adrian swallowed quietly.
The fifth child stepped forward.
Nothing.
Then—
The sixth child.
A thin boy with clenched fists.
The Auror Warrior fed power into the formation.
The lines glowed.
The Awakening Stone flickered—
Then flared.
Barely Bright.
Dim light burst outward.
Gasps rippled across the courtyard.
The stone flickered.
Awakened.
The boy's knees buckled as heat radiated outward.
The priestess nodded once.
"Resonance confirmed."
They brought the Elemental Affinity Stone forward.
The awakened boy placed his palm upon it.
The dark crystal ignited crimson.
Bright.
Dim,but lit up.
"Low level Auror and low level Fire Affinity," the priestess declared.
Murmurs spread.
Fire was direct.
Aggressive.
Valuable.
The boy stepped out, trembling but smiling.
One awakened.
Twelve remained.
Adrian's heartbeat quickened.
The statistics were merciless.
One in ten among commoners.
Maybe two today.
Maybe only one.
The seventh child.
Nothing.
Eighth.
Nothing.
Now—
Him.
He stepped into the circle.
The stone beneath his feet felt cold.
Older than the church.
Older than Osmanthus.
The Intermediate Warrior's gaze rested on him briefly.
"Stand still."
Auror flowed into the formation.
The carved lines illuminated
For a breath—
Nothing.
His mind tightened.
If he failed—
He remained mortal.
Mortal in a world where Auror Warriors were ten times stronger.
Mortal in a world ruled by bloodline.
He had survived one year by intelligence.
He would not survive a lifetime without power.
Then—
The Awakening Stone shimmered.
Soft at first.
Then steadier.
Ocean-blue light expanded outward in controlled waves.
Not brilliant.
Not explosive.
But real.
Resonance
The priestess' voice was clear.
"Awakened."
Relief did not come dramatically.
It settled quietly.
They brought forward the Elemental Affinity Stone.
One stone.
Every element revealed through it.
He placed his palm upon the dark crystal.
For a heartbeat
Silence.
Then—
Ocean-blue light spread across its surface.
Clear.
Medium brightness.
Not dazzling.
Not weak.
Moderate.
"Low level Auror affinity and Water affinity,Medium grade."
He exhaled slowly.
Mediocre talent.
But enough
Enough to cultivate.
Enough to step beyond prey.
The remaining children continued.
None awakened.
Eighteen attempted.
Two succeeded.
The statistic held.
The fire boy.
And him.
Adrian stepped out of the formation.
For the first time—
He felt Auror.
Faint.
Like cool mist beneath skin.
Subtle currents drifting through muscle and bone.
Not power.
Potential.
Inside his mind—
The panel flashed brightly.
He did not look toward it.
Not yet.
Today was not just probability.
It was about Destiny.
He had crossed it.
He was no longer locked outside the system of power.
He was on the path of Extraordinary .
Eligible.
In a world where nobles hoarded resources .
Where Auror bloodlines strengthened with each generation.
Where commoners paid fortunes for a chance that might fail.
Osmanthus' City Lord allowed this ceremony freely.
Because he had once stood where they stood.
Because he refused to sell hope.
Adrian looked once more at the Awakening Stone resting silently in the center.
The reason humanity survived.
And he—
Had just joined the stream it created.
The extraordinary always did not begin with brilliance.
It began with mediocrity.
And he had entered