Raelith stood in one smooth motion, gave a nod to Seren, then followed the guard out of the dining room.
Their footsteps echoed as they made their way down the same path they'd taken in another life.
They kept walking, going down several steps and passing different contingents of guards, before they arrived at the basement of the castle. The guard pushed the double door open, then stepped back. This was where his task ended.
Raelith gave the man a nod before continuing onward on his own, the door closing behind him.
The torches along the path were already lit, the flames illuminating the way. He followed them, before reaching another double door.
This set of doors was different. It was made of solid metal and incredibly thick, meant to defend what was beyond it.
Raelith placed both hands on the doors and pushed it open, straining a little. He lifted his gaze to see the same sight he'd seen once before.
The chamber wasn't particularly large, but had a high ceiling, with large braziers burning at each corner of the room, providing light.
And standing in the middle waiting for him, was his father, Darius Veynar. The man was tall, with his dark hair in a ponytail, and shrewd golden eyes staring at Raelith.
Raelith could tell what the man was thinking. To him, Raelith had been a mistake. The product of a little bit of fun with one of the maids. But more importantly, Raelith was a thorn. A thorn in the succession of his trueborn son, Seren.
Even though only Raelith and Darius stood in the room, they both knew the entire castle was waiting with bated breath for the result of their visit here today.
Would Raelith awaken, and confirm the fears of Lady Veynar, becoming a competitor for her son, Seren, for the Barony? Or would he remain an unawakened human, and live the rest of his life out of sight and out of mind?
Raelith's gaze slid to the pedestal at the center of the room, which held one of House Veynar's most valuable treasures. An awakening stone.
The priceless stone sat with a soft glow, waiting for him. Raelith knew how valuable the stone was. Those families without one had to pay exorbitant prices for a single person to touch one. And there was no guarantee that the person would even awaken.
"Raelith." His father finally spoke. "Come."
Raelith walked to stand beside the man, and before the awakening stone.
"You have finally come of age, Raelith." Darius stared down at his son, keeping his expression blank. "You are now sixteen, which means your body is finally able to handle the First Tribulation."
"Whatever result you get today will determine the course of your life." The man paused. "Don't disappoint me."
Anyone else who didn't know the relationship between father and son would think Darius was telling his son to awaken a blessing, but Raelith knew the truth. His father was telling him to stay human.
Darius gestured at the stone. "You may place your hand upon it."
Raelith took a single step forward, showing none of the nerves he'd felt when he'd first been here, and placed his hand on the stone.
Immediately, his consciousness was transported away.
Raelith blinked, finding himself standing in the same familiar hall in which everyone saw in their First Tribulation. The place where their fate would be decided.
The hall looked the same, incredibly vast, with a ceiling so high, nobody had ever seen it, and darkness shrouding everywhere except the dais before him.
Seated upon the throne at the top of the dias was a giant entity known as the Administrator. Just like his previous life, he felt as the Administrator's attention descended upon him, making him feel like an ant being examined by a scientist.
Raelith felt his emotions being suppressed, the awe and fear usually felt during this time muted. It felt like looking through a fog stained glass. He could tell what was on the other side, but it wasn't a clear image.
The Administrator leaned forward, scrutinizing him down to his very soul. Then it did something no one else had ever seen.
"A second life?" The Administrator spoke, his voice rumbling through the hall. "Interesting."
Raelith's eyes widened in shock, before the emotion was smothered. There has never been any instance of the Administrator speaking in history. He simply judged whoever stood before him, and bestowed Blessings upon those worthy.
"A soul that managed to swim through the rivers of life and death? What shall I do with you?"
Fear gripped Raelith, before it was smothered once more. Was he about to be erased from existence?
"To become unrivaled, huh? It would be a shame to not get to see that." The Administrator rumbled before leaning back on his throne.
"Here." He stretched his hand towards Noah, sending golden energy flying into him. "A gift for you. Let us see what you can do with doubles."
Raelith's consciousness slammed back into his body with a gasp.
His eyes fluttered open, just in time to see the notification appear before him.
[Congratulations, Awakener! You have been found worthy.]
[You have received the Blessing: Purifying Flames.]
Raelith stared at it with wide eyes. He'd received the same Blessing as his previous life. But that was not the message that filled him with shock. It was the one below it.
[You have received the Blessing: Ice.]
Raelith looked down at his hands to see the familiar white fire of his Purifying Flames burning in his right hand, and the unfamiliar Ice blooming in his left hand. He'd awakened two Blessings!
That in itself wasn't out of the ordinary. While getting one Blessing was the norm among awakeners, there were others with two Blessings, and a rare few with three Blessings.
The anomaly in this situation was what he could feel within himself. He had two cores!
This was something that had never happened before! All awakeners had a single core, but Raelith had two! This was the gift the Administrator had given to him!
He gasped softly as he felt the mana blazing in his cores.
'This...! This is too much!'
Simply by having two cores, he was twice as powerful as any average Awakener within his Tier. With this power, he would even be able to fight against Awakeners above his Tier!
Thankfully, no one could sense the core of another Awakener, or he'd have a lot of trouble trying to hide this new development.
He looked up to see his father's gaze firmly on his hands, where his fire and ice crackled. In his last life, after seeing his fire, his father's eyes had been filled with disappointment, but now, they were full of a new emotion.
Greed.
If he could hold on to Raelith, he'd have a powerful Awakener with two Blessings. That alone was enough to raise House Veynar's standing. But then, he thought of the consequences. Would his wife stand for it? Would he be able to guarantee Realith's safety as he grew?
Raelith dismissed the fire and ice, bringing his father out of his thoughts.
"Congratulations." Darius said, clearing his throat and hiding the conflicting feelings within him. "You have awakened two... powerful Blessings. You are indeed my son."
"Thank you, father." Raelith said, keeping his expression blank. He wasn't naive enough to think Darius was speaking out of fatherly love. The man wouldn't hesitate to throw him away if it meant bringing more power to House Veynar.
"Follow me." Darius said, and began walking, making his way out of the room.
Raelith followed after the man, taking the steps out of the basement. As they walked through the halls of the castle, the awakened guards stared at him with wide eyes, all of them sensing the mana within him. Though they could not tell what his Blessing was until he used it.
And so the news began spreading through the castle like wildfire. The bastard son of Veynar had awakened.
Raelith followed his father to the man's study, standing at attention as the man sat behind his desk, steepling his fingers.
"Now," he leaned forward, "let's talk about your future, Raelith."