Chapter 8: Awakening
Five days had passed since Jack began his academic life. He hadn't made a single friend, but that was fine—he simply preferred being alone.
He was currently in the training field, situated on the west side of the academy, sitting under the shade of the Elder Tree. Jack wasn't there for training; he was wrestling with a very serious issue: He had already used up all his scholarship funds for the week, primarily on cream buns bought from the campus shops.
'What am I going to do?' he lamented. 'I hadn't had a single bun before I came here. I only wanted a few as a treat, but in these five days, it's become an uncontrollable habit.'
Jack sighed, his face creased in a frown as he compulsively took a bite of yet another cream bun.
The Ceremony
Later that evening, Jack had returned to his class just as the lunch break ended. Most of his introductory classes were now over. Of course, he hadn't learned any actual sorcery yet, but that was about to change. For the past five days, new students had only learned about history and famous sorcerers. Now, it was finally time for the students' awakening ceremony.
(Ding… Ding… Ding…)
The bell rang. No one needed to be told where to go; as soon as the sound faded, students began running toward the Central Plaza. Jack was the last of his classmates to leave. He was definitely excited, but also a little skeptical about the whole ritual.
During the past few days, the students had learned about Noble Beasts, spell types, affinities, and the mana core. The mana core was what allowed humans to control and use sorcery by channeling the energy known as mana and altering its forms to achieve various results.
Forming a mana core was both straightforward and hard. To do it, one had to absorb mana crystals, which were obtained by killing Noble Beasts. For a normal human, that was a death wish. However, the academy students didn't need to risk anything; the crystals were provided by the academy itself.
As Jack reached the Central Plaza, he was met by a crowd similar to the one on his first day, though this time it was much smaller.
He spotted a familiar face standing apart from the main group: a young girl with silver hair and ruby eyes—Alice. Jack chose to feign ignorance. He didn't want to admit it, but he was pretty embarrassed to show his face after their prior encounter. It was only after he got home that night that he realized how weird and creepy he must have looked that day.
Dissolving the unnecessary thoughts, Jack looked toward the five lines that had started forming. Students were queuing up to receive their mana crystals, five at a time. Five Sages watched over the students, including Girrafe, who was sitting alone on a bench facing the crowd. As always, he looked annoyed, but Jack also noticed a hint of caution in his eyes.
This caution was necessary. Once a soul core completes its formation, a person is able to control mana and use sorcery. However, the process could also lead to one losing control and accidentally using dangerous spells on others—something the Sages were determined to prevent.
Jack watched as the students received the crystal and crushed it in their hands, sometimes even with their feet. They looked like kids finally getting a chance to play outside after a full day of studying. Their fatigue was washed away by the health benefits received immediately after the core's awakening.
It was eventually Jack's turn.
"Okay! Let's do it," he muttered.
Jack received his crystal and shattered it in his hands. He had expected it to hurt, but surprisingly, it didn't. It wasn't sharp at all; rather, as he broke it, it felt like it directly melted into his hands.
Jack felt a sudden rush of happiness, then sadness, then sheer madness. He tried to cover his head. He tried to scream with agony, but no sound escaped his mouth. He was paralyzed, left standing with a tremendous, excruciating pain.
But he endured. Oh, he endured.
Suddenly, he felt his hands move again. His body was fine; the pain was gone. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
'What the hell was that?! Nobody told me the awakening felt like hell! Are those guys crazy? Why do they look so happy?'
Jack calmed himself. 'No, wait. I know this... THAT WAS A BLESSING!'
Jack suddenly remembered something he had learned in class on his third day. He mentally repeated the words:
"Awakening involves raising one's nature from that of a mundane creature to a more divine being, which other divine beings can also sense. They normally ignore such things, but when they notice potential or just feel like it, they can give a tiny fragment of their divinity, blessing the awakening being with certain attributes, affinities, or even insights into advanced spells."
What Jack had just experienced wasn't physical pain; it was the mental burden of absorbing a speck of divinity from a divine being.
"Oh damnation... oh divine damnation..."
Jack fell to his knees, excited beyond human limits.