The grand hall of awakening shimmered beneath the morning sun.
Tall glass arches caught the light and fractured it into countless colors that danced across the polished obsidian floor. The entire city seemed to hold its breath as the ceremony began — a moment that would decide the worth of every young soul gathered there.
Hundreds of teenagers stood in neat rows, each marked by anticipation and fear. Families and mentors filled the upper galleries, watching in tense silence.
At the center stood the Obelisk of Resonance — a colossal crystal pillar etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
Each candidate would step forward, touch the stone, and let destiny decide their fate.
---
The voice of High Elder Kael, the ceremony master, echoed through the hall.
"Today, you stand before the heart of the elements. The stone sees not your birth or name — only the truth within your soul. Step forth… and awaken."
The first to move was a tall boy with sharp eyes and quiet confidence — Rayan Bose, son of a well-known elemental captain.
He placed his hand on the Obelisk.
A moment later, the crystal flared red — swirling embers dancing in the air.
The crowd erupted in applause.
"Fire Element — Adept Tier!"
Kael's voice boomed.
Rayan grinned, bowing with pride as flames coiled around his fists like loyal serpents.
---
Next came a slender girl draped in sky-blue fabric — Amora shaikh. Her eyes were bright, her expression calm.
When her fingers touched the Obelisk, a cool wind surged through the hall, carrying petals from the garlands hanging above. The crowd gasped as the entire air shimmered with mist.
"Water Element — Refined Tier!"
Her smile was soft, serene — like the ripples of a quiet lake.
Someone whispered from the crowd, "The Shaikh bloodline hasn't failed in generations."
---
Then came Kael's own nephew, Orry Kael, a boy rumored to have inherited his uncle's strength.
He touched the crystal — and it exploded in a swirl of silver sparks. The runes around the hall responded, glowing brighter.
"Lightning Element — Superior Tier!"
Electric arcs danced across his arms as he stepped back, his smirk gleaming with pride.
---
Dozens followed — each awakening a unique connection to nature's raw power.
A shy girl from the lower districts awakened Earth, the ground trembling beneath her feet.
A confident boy with mismatched eyes called forth Wind, his hair lifting as if the sky itself recognized him.
One by one, the elements awakened — fire, water, air, earth — the familiar symphony of power that filled the hall every year.
Until her.
---
The next candidate walked forward slowly — Ramona Aram, wrapped in black robes trimmed with violet silk.
Her presence silenced the crowd. She was known — daughter of a family long believed to be cursed.
When her hand met the Obelisk, everything dimmed. The crystal's light died out — the room plunged into a heavy, breathless darkness.
A whisper cut through the silence.
Not a voice — a feeling. Cold. Vast. Endless.
Then — black light erupted.
A ring of shadows spread from her feet, swallowing the torches nearby.
"Darkness Element — Mythic Tier!"
The crowd gasped. Some stepped back instinctively. The Elders exchanged uneasy looks.
Selene's eyes opened slowly — glowing faint violet as if the night itself breathed through her.
She smiled — but it wasn't out of joy. It was the smile of someone who already knew the world would never see her the same again.
---
After her, only a few remained.
Vihaan went next — confident, sharp, fearless.
He stepped forward, touched the Obelisk, and a surge of golden-green light filled the hall.
"Earth Element — Refined Tier!"
Mandira sigh of relief echoed softly from the viewing balcony.
The hall still shimmered with the fading glow of Orry's lightning and Ramona's darkness mist. The Obelisk's runes pulsed rhythmically — like the world itself breathing between awakenings.
High Elder Kael raised his staff again.
> "Next!"
The next figure stepped forward — tall, lean, eyes the color of stormclouds. Asher Juyal—Known for his silence, his calmness — the kind of boy people forgot until he looked at them.
He touched the Obelisk.
For a heartbeat, it flickered blue. Then red. Then both.
The colors didn't blend — they clashed, sparking violently before settling into a deep violet blaze.
Gasps filled the hall.
"Dual Element — Fire and Water," Kael announced, disbelief lacing his tone.
"Subclass: Steam Element."
Asher opened his eyes — a swirl of red and blue — and smiled faintly as steam coiled gently from his hands.
Dual awakenings were extremely rare. The hall erupted in whispers.
---
Then came Mira Kupar, a girl dressed in black and silver, her hair tied with crystal threads. Her eyes were strange — almost reflecting light like glass.
She approached with silent confidence.
When her hand touched the Obelisk, no color appeared. Instead, the sound of the crystal changed — it hummed.
A low, resonant vibration filled the entire chamber.
The air rippled. Every glass surface trembled.
> "Unusual resonance detected…" murmured one of the Elders.
Then — light burst outward in concentric rings that shimmered like sound waves.
"Element identified — Sound Element."
"Rank: Mythic Tier!"
The sound faded, leaving a stunned silence in its wake.
Mira bowed gracefully, her voice calm.
"Every sound is a story. I'll make the world listen to mine."
---
The next to step forward was Aram Kaor, a pale boy whose veins faintly glowed crimson. The Obelisk flared — not with light, but with colorless energy, and a drop of blood from his palm was drawn into the crystal itself.
The air thickened. People shifted uneasily.
"Blood Element — Forbidden Tier."
Even the Elders fell silent. Blood elementalists were both revered and feared — tied to ancient warrior clans that once ruled by sacrifice.
Riven merely smiled, whispering,
"Power is power. The world will bleed either way."
---
The following awakenings were calmer — until Eamily Dissuza stepped forward. She was small, quiet, with silvery-white hair and eyes that seemed older than her years.
As her palm met the Obelisk, time itself seemed to slow. The flames in the torches froze mid-flicker. Dust motes hung still in the air.
When the world resumed, a faint golden hourglass symbol glowed on her forehead.
"Temporal Element — Time Manipulation!"
The Elder's voice shook.
"Unrecorded Tier."
Eamily blinked as if waking from a dream.
"Did I… stop time?"
No one answered — they were too stunned to speak.
---
Then came Kian Arora, whose lineage was unknown. When he touched the Obelisk, it turned pure white — no color, no sound — and for a moment, everyone felt… weightless.
Their bodies loosened from gravity; their feet lifted an inch above the ground.
"Light element — Superior tier"
A hush fell. Even the Elders stepped back.
Elements like this were said to exist only in the first era — before the separation of realms.
Kian smiled faintly. "Feels… empty," he murmured, as the light returned.
---
The ceremony continued, each awakening more breathtaking than the last.
One boy awakened Glass, his body shimmering like crystal.
A girl from the desert tribes awakened Sandstorm, her eyes swirling with grains of gold.
Another pair of twins awakened Moonlight and Sunfire, their hands glowing in harmony — light and warmth intertwined.
The hall was now alive with awe.
Never before had so many rare awakenings been witnessed in a single generation.
The Elders exchanged wary glances. Something in the world was changing — the balance of elements was shifting.
And then… Jaswant's turn came.
Will Jaswant be able to surpass those with such rare awakenings — and achieve one of the rarest awakenings himself?
Or will he, like Vihaan and the other candidates, remain bound within the Refined or Adept tier?