Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Clark! Wake up! You're going to be late for school!"
Clark groaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow. Awakening Day. The most important day of his life… and somehow he was oversleeping.
His eyes snapped open.
He grabbed his phone.
7:42.
"Crap!"
He shot out of bed, nearly tripping over his blanket. He barely felt the cold tile under his feet as he rushed to the bathroom. The fastest shower of his life. Half-brushed hair. Uniform thrown on in record time.
Downstairs, his mom stood with crossed arms and a plate of eggs and toast waiting.
"You're cutting it close," she said.
"Love you!" he called, grabbing the plate and shoveling in two bites before bolting out the door.
Sarah was waiting for him at the end of the driveway, sunlight catching in her long brown hair. She tapped her foot impatiently, though the small smile on her face gave her away.
"I can't believe you're almost late on Awakening Day," she said.
"My alarm didn't go off," Clark defended. "You always have an excuse."said sarah. Clark gave her a blank look.
"…Anyway," he said quickly, changing the subject. "I wonder what ability I'll awaken. My parents are both S-rank adventurers. I should get something strong… right?"
He tried to sound confident. Sarah nodded. "They say ability rank is usually tied to bloodline. Since your parents are S-rank, you'll probably awaken something amazing."
He glanced at her. "I wish you could awaken too." The smile faded from her face.
Sarah's parents had chosen not to awaken when they were younger. And when a parent doesn't awaken, the gene weakens. If it isn't activated by age twenty, it goes dormant forever.
If both parents remain unawakened, the odds of their child awakening are nearly one in a million.
Most kids like Sarah don't even try.
She forced a smile. "It's fine. I'll just cheer you on." But Clark saw the disappointment in her eyes and it made his chest tighten.
They reached the school just as the morning bell rang.
The auditorium buzzed with nervous energy. Students whispered, laughed too loudly, or stood silently staring at the awakening booths lined along the stage.
The principal stepped forward.
"Students, the Awakening Ceremony will begin shortly. Each of you has been assigned a number. When your number appears above a booth, you have five minutes to enter. If you fail to do so, we move on. Pay attention."
Clark checked his card... 126.
He groaned. "Of course I'm near the end."
Sarah laughed. "More time to build suspense."
The ceremony began.
One by one, students entered the booths.
Each booth concealed the ability itself — that remained private — but a colored light burst from the top indicating rank.
Red — Unable to awaken.
White — Common.
Green — Uncommon.
Blue — Rare.
Purple — Epic.
Yellow — Legendary.
Rainbow — Mythical.
White lights flashed repeatedly.
A few greens.
Some reds.
The teachers stood off to the side, whispering.
"This year's weak. If this keeps up, we'll drop in the rankings."... Suddenly.
A brilliant purple light erupted from one booth. Gasps filled the auditorium.
Moments later, another purple burst beside it.
The Moorth twins.
Children of famous A-rank adventurers.
The teachers nearly sighed in relief.
"Finally," one muttered. "Some real talent."
The twins stepped out to applause.
Clark swallowed "Epic already"...
His palms were starting to sweat. More students went. Then another purple.
This time from a boy with only one awakened parent.
The crowd erupted in shock. "That's impossible. His mom never awakened!"
Even the teachers looked stunned.
Clark's heart pounded.
And then...
The principle calls out "126."
His number...
Sarah grabbed his hand briefly. "You've got this."Her touch lingered a second too long.
Clark nodded and stepped into the booth.
The door sealed behind him.
He placed his hand on the cold crystal pedestal. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then...
"Beginning awakening sequence…"
The crystal beneath his palm burned with light. Pain shot up his arm.
"Awakening…"
The booth exploded with color.
Not red...
Not purple...
Not yellow...
But Rainbow!
Blinding...Radiant...Overwhelming!
The entire auditorium went silent. The teachers even the principal were speechless.
Clark couldn't see anything but light. Then a voice echoed directly inside his mind ancient and Powerful.
"Congratulations. You have awakened the Mythical Ability: First Immortal Cultivator's Chosen Descendant."
Clark's breath caught…Immortal?
Outside the booth, chaos erupted.