tick – tock – tick – tock…
The steady sound of the old clock filled Will's dimly lit room, echoing softly against the wooden walls.
It was already past midnight and the silence was unnervingly dense, almost as if the world itself was holding its breath.
His awakening could begin at any moment now within minutes or within hours yet every passing second made the anticipation heavier.
Will sat on the small couch, back straight, all windows shut and curtains drawn tight. The doors were locked as well; he didn't want anyone, not even by accident, witnessing what was about to happen.
In his hand rested a small vial filled with a sharp red liquid that glowed faintly under the lantern light. An SSS-rank Awakening Assistance Potion.
Something so rare that even major nobles houses could not obtain it unless they bled their wealth dry or bartered away decades of loyalty.
He had obtained it only because the Sword Saint had given Ethan an S-rank potion in the novel, and Will with his 100X system had gotten a SSS ranked one.
The potion's utility in the story was clear it reduced the pain of awakening, strengthened the body to endure the first contact with mana, and stabilized the mana pathways before they formed.
It was most useful for individuals awakening high-ranked talents, since their bodies often couldn't withstand the intensity of mana entering their system.
Will remembered the chapter vividly. Even with a potion's help, Ethan had suffered unimaginably due to the rank of his talent being higher than the potion's rank.
The pain was described as if his soul was being split sideways; blood had flowed from Ethan's eyes, ears, and nose like crimson tears.
Will exhaled in relief. "I will at most awaken a C-rank talent and affinity. With this potion, the pain won't even register."
He was certain he did not belong to any noble bloodline or carry anything remotely extraordinary. If he did, the novel would have mentioned it.
His origins in this world were obscure and insignificant at least, that's what he believed.
"Should I even use it?" he asked, staring into the swirling liquid.
The system responded instantly.
[System advises Host to consume it. Selling it is impossible without risking instant execution. Carrying an SSS-rank potion as a powerless boy is equivalent to courting death. Also, you will get more of these as others bound to you acquire these potions]
"The way you call me a powerless boy stings, you know," Will sighed with a faint smile. Over the last two years, his initial coldness toward the system had softened. The system still annoyed him, but its presence was familiar like a reliable shadow.
He pulled the cork off and chugged the potion in a single gulp. The liquid slid down his throat like fire wrapped in silk.
A moment later, a wave of soothing warmth spread from his chest to every part of his body.
His muscles loosened. The exhaustion of the entire day dissipated instantly. His mind cleared as though a fog had been blown away.
He leaned back against the couch, breathing slowly, patiently waiting for the first sign of awakening.
hours passed....
The lantern flickered, the moon outside shifted.
Then suddenly..
His fingers twitched violently.
A sharp tremor shot up his arm, followed by another, and another. His legs jolted uncontrollably.
"What… what the f*****ck…!" Will's voice broke as he tried to grab the edge of the couch, but his hands were shaking too violently to maintain a grip.
His breathing quickened.
"Sys—tem…" he gasped as a sharp, tearing pain erupted inside his nerves, shredding through him like molten metal.
[Congratulations Host, turns out the bloodline this body possesses is… not normal.]
But Will couldn't listen.
His consciousness was already slipping as agony surged through him.
"AaaAarrrGhhhhh—!" His scream tore out as blood burst from his nose, ears, eyes and every orifice.
His bones cracked in multiple places, breaking under a mysterious force that seemed determined to dismantle him from the inside out. His muscles tore apart in chunks, shredded by a rampaging energy that refused to be contained.
He collapsed halfway off the couch, twitching violently as if thousands of tiny blades were slicing him apart.
"Am… I dying…?" he whispered faintly, eyes barely open as they stared at the ceiling.
Then darkness swallowed him whole as he lost consciousness.
The moment he fainted, something indescribable unfolded in the room.
Bright orange sprites, like tiny fragments of burning starlight appeared around his mutilated body. They swirled slowly at first, then faster, until Will was lifted from the couch, suspended midair as if the universe itself had reached down to cradle him.
Outside, the imperial capital the sky that was covered in midnight darkness, suddenly lit up.
A blinding light burst across the sky, the moon vanished.
And the sun appeared.
A real, blazing, impossible sun shining with such intensity that night turned into a scorching summer afternoon in the span of a heartbeat.
The residents of the capital stumbled out of their homes in confusion and terror. No one had ever witnessed such a phenomenon. People whispered prayers, some screamed, others stared at the sky as if expecting gods to descend.
Several Seers tried to divine the meaning of these phenomena, but their attempts got blinded by the brightness of the sun, in their visions they only found themselves being too close to the sun as it's blinding white light shielded everything.
Meanwhile, inside Will's room, the process intensified.
His disassembled flesh and bone began repairing at an unnatural rate. The mushy mixture of torn muscle and twisted bone straightened and re-formed.New mana pathways, wider and sturdier than any normal human should possess, carved themselves through his body. His blood thickened, condensed, and purified until it glowed faintly gold.
His heart beat once.
Then again.
Stronger & Steadier.
Finally, the transformation subsided.The orange sprites scattered and the mana storm dissipated.
Will's limp body dropped onto the floor with a heavy thud over a pool of blood which splashed everywhere as he dropped on it.
At the same instant, the sun in the sky blinked out, plunging the world back into a frozen winter night.
A shocked empire stared upward, murmuring in fear and confusion, unaware that the epicenter of the anomaly was a small shop in the poorest district of the capital.
Meanwhile, deep within the imperial palace, Emperor Dalton stood in the throne hall, face calm but clearly masking confusion and worry. He had already summoned his core ministers, generals, and secret operatives for an emergency meeting.
A masked man kneeling before him spoke first, his presence was cold like a shadow assassin.
"Your Majesty, our spies report that the emergence of the sun was visible across the entire continent and not just here."
his words left the people in the hall even more confused.
Emperor Dalton scanned the hall, his gaze weighing the expressions of everyone present.
"What do you all think?" he demanded.
An old general with a battle-worn face, answered with a grim tone.
"Your Majesty, this could be related to the Abyss and the demons. With the increasing number of recent incidents, I fear they are preparing for something far worse than the bloody tears incident."
The hall remained silent. No one else dared to add anything. Their confusion was as deep as the emperor's.
Dalton exhaled, rubbing his temple.
"Call the Divine Seer."