Filling up a big bowl of plain white rice, Ryan added some chopped green chilies to it and silently began to eat.
Most of the people in the slums lived in conditions similar to Ryan's, with very little money to spare.
Being part of a gang, Ryan could definitely afford to eat something better than plain white rice. But because he wanted to leave the slums, he had been saving every penny he could, not wasting anything, even cutting down on his food expenses.
Ryan's parents were locals of the slums, born and raised there since childhood.
His father had died when he was four years old, succumbing to a drug overdose. In Ryan's memories, that man was nothing more than a drug-addicted bastard who used to beat him and his mother.
As such, he hadn't felt anything when that man died.
He had even been happy.
Ryan had been raised by his mother with great difficulty. Unfortunately, three years ago, when he was sixteen, disaster struck and she also passed away, leaving him completely alone.
Whenever he recalled what had happened back then, Ryan couldn't help but clench his fists, feeling both angry and helpless.
After finishing his food, Ryan washed his bowl and lay down on the wooden bed that was covered with a simple mattress.
There was no window in the house, only a small hole in the side of the wall for air circulation. In the slums, very few houses had windows, as thieves and other people with ill intentions could easily enter through them.
Ryan lay silently on the bed, staring at the chipped ceiling of the room with deep, thoughtful eyes.
When it was 11:59, just one minute before the end of year 710 and the beginning of year 711, he stood up and opened the door, raising his head to look at the black moon in the sky.
A few seconds later, it was exactly twelve o'clock, and the Dark Moon Month ended, marking the beginning of the first month of the year—The Month of Freedom.
In the sky, the darkness covering the moon began to fade away, and in less than a minute, the dark moon turned milky white, radiating light all over the world.
The previous darkness that had covered everything silently disappeared, and the light of the stars and moon finally reached the earth, illuminating what had once been complete darkness.
Even the air of the slums became less putrid, and Ryan felt his fatigue slowly recede. Even the pain in his swollen arm eased slightly.
"With the end of the Dark Moon Month, the constant conflicts all across the slums will subside a bit, increasing my safety," Ryan muttered to himself.
He stared at the bright moon in the sky for a few minutes before returning to his room. He turned off the light and lay down on the bed to sleep, feeling slightly nervous and expectant.
'I don't desire anything earth-shattering... I just hope I succeed in awakening an Aspect. That will increase my chances of leaving this shitty place.'
Ryan closed his eyes and soon drifted into dreamland.
In his dream, he saw himself awaken a powerful Aspect, becoming incredibly strong.
He was flying in the starry sky, about to swallow the sun. Just as he was about to do so, a loud cry that shattered the starry sky erupted, destroying everything.
Ryan woke up from his dream with a start, and the constant crowing of a rooster reached his ears, making his face darken.
"Damn this bastard rooster!"
It had stopped him from tasting the sun!
He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes to fully wake himself up.
"If it weren't for the fact that this rooster has an owner I can't beat, I would have definitely had chicken soup for breakfast," Ryan muttered in a low voice as he looked at the time.
It was only six in the morning, still some time before the awakening ceremony.
'The awakening ceremony will start at nine. I still have three hours.'
Ryan wondered if he should go back to sleep to see if he could have the same dream again and finally taste the sun.
But in the end, he decided to wake up and head there early, as he was sure he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again.
By the time Ryan freshened up and left his home, it was already seven o'clock. As he walked along the street, he noticed that most of the people he passed seemed more cheerful than before.
If he had to describe it, it was as if the entire world had been in a bad mood before, and now it had finally gotten past that irritating phase.
'Well, the Dark Moon Month really is the most annoying month of the year.'
Ryan bought two plain buns from a stall for breakfast and continued walking while eating.
Around half an hour later, at about 7:30, he reached the central square of the slums where the awakening ceremony would be held.
Although there was still more than an hour left before the ceremony began, many people were already present. Some had come to undergo their awakening, just like Ryan, while others had come simply to watch the event and see if anyone would awaken a powerful Aspect.
Walking through the crowd, Ryan was finally able to see the center of the square. There were several people standing there.
Unlike Ryan and the other slum residents, all of them wore neat clothes and carried an aura that was completely different.
Three of them were working in the middle, drawing something on the ground.
'They must be carving an awakening formation there.' Ryan thought to himself, watching curiously.
He had seen the awakening ceremony a few times before, as it was conducted every year on the first day of the Month of Freedom, so he had some understanding of it.
'From what I know, Primal Energy exists everywhere in the world. But people can only sense it after awakening their Aspect.'
Ryan waited at the side, and soon one and a half hours passed by.
"Everyone, line up!" One of the men who had been setting up the formation earlier shouted.
"Keep the identity token you received when you registered in your hand. Those who haven't registered and are not participating in the awakening ceremony, move back."