The Awakening
The morning of the Awakening broke with solemn stillness, as if the land itself was holding its breath.
Lucien stood at the edge of the ceremonial grove, dressed in green and gold, the colors of House Valis. The robe felt too fine on his skin, like it didn't belong to him. A woven circlet of oak and silver lay across his brow, the mark of a noble child entering the Rite of Recognition — a ritual held when a child turned ten, to measure their magical alignment, talents, and divine favor.
In the Verdant Empire, and across the divine realms, power was measured through ten progressive stages — or stars — of awakening and ascension:
**Awakened Stage** –
The initial stage, where a connection to mana and the Akashic Records is first formed.
**Intermediate Stage** –
Mana control stabilizes, and basic affinities begin to manifest.
**Master Stage** –
One gains mastery over a primary affinity, and combat application begins.
**Grandmaster Stage** – Refinement of abilities, spiritual awareness increases.
**Ascendant Stage** –
The soul begins to evolve, stepping beyond normal mortal bounds.
**Transcendent Stage** –
The body and spirit start separating from the physical plane.
**Imperium Stage** –
Dominion-level power, with influence over natural law and command over lesser beings.
**Sovereign Stage** –
Near-divine control and political supremacy, few ever reach this.
**Demigod Stage** –
Fragmentary divinity; the body becomes a vessel of divine will.
**God Stage** – Transcendence into full divinity.
Upon reaching the **Awakened Stage**, children formed a connection with the **Akashic Records** — a celestial ledger said to hold the truth of one's being. This record revealed vital statistics to those attuned: physical potential, magical aptitude, elemental affinities, and, in rare cases, divine or bloodline traits.
Aurelia stood among the group of elder children, poised and confident. She had already undergone the Awakening at ten and now stood proudly at the Intermediate Stage — a second-star warrior with affinities for Air and Growth, her control refined beyond her years. Kaelen, too, had awakened the year before and advanced swiftly. His fiery talent and affinity for force magic made him a fearsome presence despite his arrogance.
Theron, though quiet, had awakened two years earlier. Contrary to rumor, he had shown no shadow affinity; his talents lay in Water and Precision magic. He rarely spoke of it, and his progress remained steady if not remarkable.
The twins — Lyra and Eiran — watched with curiosity, whispering between themselves. And Lucien... Lucien stood apart, as he always did.
The ceremonial grove was ancient — older than the Valis estate, older even than the Empire. Four great stones stood at the cardinal points, carved with runes that pulsed faintly with mana. Between them lay a stone dais, veined with green crystal, where the children would step one by one and touch the Heartroot Pillar, an artifact grown from the sacred tree of Gia's first grove. It was said the Heartroot resonated with the divine spark within each soul — and revealed their path.
Lucien's breath fogged slightly in the morning chill. That was wrong. No one else's breath did.
It's colder again, he thought.
A familiar tightness stirred in his chest.
Not now. Not in front of them.
He glanced toward the gathered circle of druids, nobles, and emissaries. Some wore the green of the Verdant Empire, others bore the sun-emblazoned white of Solmira. Their presence added weight to the ritual. The children of Valis were not just heirs — they were future pillars of the Empire. Everyone expected greatness.
Lucien's stomach twisted.
The rites began.
One by one, the remaining children were called.
Lyra's touch sparked laughter in the air — not literal, but musical energy, the manifestation of emotional resonance. "Affinity for Song and Light. Path: Awakened Star, blooming."
Eiran followed. His result was unusual — a faint thrum of energy that echoed but didn't reveal much. The druidess merely said, "Unclear. Mana pathways developing. Awakened Stage."
And then, it was Lucien's turn.
The silence was sudden.
He stepped forward, legs stiff, the cold now sinking into his skin as if the very earth rejected him.
The Heartroot crystal flared briefly at his touch — then dimmed. The runes flickered. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a sound — like a pulse — echoed through the grove.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A heartbeat. But not his own.
Lucien's fingers curled instinctively. A sharp pain shot up his arm, like frost lancing through bone.
He saw again — for a split second — that tower from his dream. Duskspire, wrapped in twilight and shadow. A voice whispered.
"Still sealed... but listening."
Then the vision shattered.
He collapsed.
Gasps rang out. Aurelia stepped forward. Kaelen froze, stunned.
Ysmera knelt beside him, her fingers glowing as she scanned his chest, his spine, his mana veins.
And then, with grave finality, she spoke.
"His pathways are... blocked. As if woven shut. This is no curse. It is a seal."
The crowd broke into whispers. "Impossible…" "But he's just a boy…" "Sealed mana?" "What does it mean?"
Lucien sat up slowly, breath shallow.
He had failed.
No power. No affinity. Only a terrible silence inside — and something... watching.
Despite that, for a fleeting moment, something flickered within his vision. A pane of light, invisible to others, ghosted before his eyes. Letters burned themselves into shape:
**┌─────\[Akashic Record]─────┐**
**Name:** Lucien
**Age:** 10
**Stage:** Unawakened *(Mana Seal Detected)*
**Physical Strength:** 3
**Mana Capacity:** 0 *(Blocked)*
**Mana Affinity:** Unknown
**Speed:** 4
**Soul Resonance:** Incomplete
**Bloodline: \[Light] - Verified**
**Bloodline: \[Earth] - Verified**
**Bloodline: \[Shadow] - Locked ⚠**
**Divine Seal: Active (⚠ Suppression Imposed)**
**Status: Observer Access Only**
**└─────────────────────────┘**
The vision blinked out.
Lord Alaric stood, face carved from stone. "The child is still young. Mana flow may yet awaken fully in time. The seal may loosen as he grows — and when he enters the training camp."
Ysmera hesitated, then bowed her head. "Yes, my lord."
He looked down at Lucien, his voice softer. "Camp is where all of House Valis proves themselves. You'll be there soon — and that will be your chance, Lucien. No expectations, no titles. Just training, survival, and strength. Show them what you're made of."
But Lucien saw it in her eyes: doubt, and something more — fear.
Later that night, Lucien sat alone beneath the stars, replaying the ceremony again and again.
The runes had dimmed.
The Heartroot had resisted.
He wasn't just broken.
He was sealed.
But by what? Or worse — by who?
A memory echoed in his mind, not his own:
A pact made beneath broken skies. Three gods watching. One god screaming. The sealing complete.
And within him, the thing that was not yet awake... stirred.
Lucien lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of his chamber as moonlight filtered through the windows. Just as sleep was about to claim him, a cold wind swept across the room — though no window was open.
A voice, both young and ancient, echoed in the air.
"So... you've finally touched the edge."
Lucien jolted upright. Before him stood a figure cloaked in twilight — neither fully shadow nor light. His eyes glowed with the hues of dusk, and around him swirled broken motes of starlight.
"W-Who are you?" Lucien whispered.
"I am what they sealed within you," the figure replied. "I am the God of Twilight. Neroth."
Lucien's throat tightened. "Why?"
"To stop me. To protect you. To curse you. Perhaps all three," Neroth murmured. "But I am awake now, faintly. The seal is not perfect."
Lucien remained silent, heart pounding.
Neroth stepped closer, gaze piercing. "I offer you a path. Not easy. Not safe. But one that can break the chains upon your soul."
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "What path?"
"A challenge," the god said simply. "My training. Brutal, endless, real. Endure it, and your seal may weaken. Your mana may flow. Refuse... and remain what they made you — a hollow vessel."
The room dimmed further, shadows gathering like breath drawn in.
Lucien looked into the eyes of the sealed god.
And slowly, he nodded.
"I accept."