Kyle returned to Thorn Dojo before sunset.
His face was unusually pale.
The moment Elias saw him, he knew something had happened.
"You found something."
Kyle nodded.
"I did."
Elias motioned for him to sit.
For the next several minutes, Kyle recounted everything he had seen inside the headquarters of the Void Serpents.
The training grounds.
The dozens of Awakeners.
The researchers.
The heavily guarded building.
The gigantic white crystal.
The Artificial Awakening Machine.
Finally...
He spoke about the mysterious man dressed in black.
When Kyle finished, silence filled the dojo.
Elias' expression had become unusually grave.
"So..."
"It really exists..."
Kyle frowned.
"You know about it?"
Elias slowly shook his head.
"No."
"But I've heard whispers."
He stood and walked toward the window.
"I underestimated them."
"I thought the Void Serpents were nothing more than criminals feeding on the weak."
"It appears I was wrong."
He turned toward Kyle.
"They're only a branch."
"Someone far more powerful stands behind them."
Kyle lowered his head.
"I wanted to do something."
"I wanted to save those people."
Elias smiled bitterly.
"And die?"
Kyle remained silent.
Elias sighed.
"Listen carefully."
"What you've discovered..."
"...is no longer something you can solve."
"If you chase this now..."
"You'll only throw your life away."
Kyle clenched his fists.
"But—"
"No."
Elias' voice was firm.
"For now..."
"Forget everything you saw."
"Become stronger."
"The truth isn't going anywhere."
"When you're strong enough..."
"You can uncover it."
"But until then..."
"Live."
Kyle slowly nodded.
"I understand."
...
The remaining days before the Awakening Ceremony passed in relentless training.
Every morning began before sunrise.
Combat training.
Aura training.
Endurance.
Strength.
Speed.
Elias pushed Kyle harder than ever before.
The invisible pressure of Aura became stronger with each passing day.
Kyle's muscles screamed.
His bones groaned.
His lungs burned with every breath.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Whenever he collapsed...
Elias simply said,
"Stand."
Kyle stood.
Whenever he fell...
"Again."
Kyle fought.
Day after day.
His body changed.
His punches became heavier.
His movements became sharper.
His reactions became quicker.
Even Elias couldn't help but smile occasionally.
"You've grown."
"Far faster than I expected."
Kyle bowed.
"It's because of your guidance, Master."
Elias chuckled.
"No."
"It's because of your discipline."
He looked directly into Kyle's eyes.
"Talent opens the door."
"But discipline decides how far you walk."
Kyle silently engraved those words into his heart.
...
Two days before the ceremony...
Kyle finally managed to withstand Elias' Aura for nearly an entire minute without collapsing.
Sweat poured from every inch of his body.
His legs trembled violently.
Yet...
He remained standing.
Elias slowly withdrew his Aura.
A faint smile appeared on the old master's face.
"Excellent."
Kyle breathed heavily.
"Did I..."
"Break through?"
Elias shook his head.
"Not yet."
"But you're standing at the very edge."
"One final step."
"That's all you need."
Kyle smiled.
Rank One Body Cultivator.
He was so close he could almost touch it.
...
The night before the Awakening Ceremony...
Kyle couldn't sleep.
He lay on his bed, staring silently at the wooden ceiling.
Tomorrow...
Everything would change.
If he awakened...
His path toward revenge would truly begin.
If he failed...
Months of suffering...
Months of relentless training...
Would all become meaningless.
He turned onto his side.
Sleep refused to come.
Eventually...
He stood up and quietly walked outside.
The Ash District was silent beneath the moonlight.
Kyle made his way toward the small grave beneath the old tree.
He knelt before it.
"Mom..."
"Tomorrow is finally here."
He smiled weakly.
"I don't know whether I'll succeed."
"But..."
"I gave it everything I had."
"If I awaken..."
"I'll keep my promise."
"I'll become strong enough to make every one of them pay."
A gentle breeze passed through the leaves above him.
Kyle closed his eyes.
For the first time in many weeks...
His heart felt strangely calm.
Tomorrow...
His fate would be decided.
The next morning…
The academy was more crowded than Kyle had ever seen.
Students packed the Awakening Platform, while parents filled the stands with anxious hope.
At the center stood a massive white crystal on a black metal pedestal, glowing faintly.
Kyle’s heartbeat quickened.
“So that’s the Awakening Crystal…”
Beside it stood Instructor Helena Frost, a graceful woman in a white uniform with gold embroidery.
Mrs. Campbell stepped forward.
“Students, today is the most important day of your lives.”
“Some of you will awaken. Some of you won’t.”
“But this is not the end.”
She gestured to Helena.
“This is Instructor Helena Frost. She will oversee today’s ceremony.”
Helena gave a small nod.
“We’ll begin.”
“Alice Norman.”
A girl with long green hair stepped onto the platform. Kyle remembered her from before everything changed.
“Place your hand on the crystal.”
The moment she touched it—
Whooom!
Emerald light burst forth, vines sprouting from the platform.
Instructor Helena smiled.
“Nature Element. Top-grade talent.”
Applause erupted as Alice beamed.
One by one, more names were called.
Some failed.
Some awakened.
Earth. Water. Wind.
Cheers echoed through the academy.
Then—
“Brandon Vale.”
A confident young man stepped up. The girls in the crowd whispered excitedly.
He placed his hand on the crystal.
BOOM!
Violet lightning exploded outward.
Instructor Helena’s eyes widened slightly.
“Lightning Element. High-grade talent.”
The crowd roared as Brandon stepped down proudly.
Soon, the four boys who had bullied Kyle were called.
Earth.
Fire.
Failure.
Wind.
Then Helena looked at the final names.
“Kyle Verion.”
The academy fell quiet.
Kyle walked to the platform, ignoring the whispers.
“The Ash District kid?”
“I heard he trained every day.”
“What a waste.”
He stopped before the crystal.
“Place your hand on the crystal.”
Kyle took a deep breath and touched it.
Nothing.
A second passed.
Then the crystal flashed once, twice, three times, flickering wildly.
Helena frowned. Mrs. Campbell stood.
The crystal kept blinking—bright, dim, bright, dim—without settling on any color.
“…Impossible.”
Helena had never seen anything like it.
Then the light vanished.
Silence filled the academy.
She checked the crystal, then looked at Kyle.
“Kyle Verion…”
“…Awakening failed.”
Laughter exploded.
“I knew it!”
“An Ash District rat thought he could become an Awakener?”
“What a joke!” Ha ha-ha, loser
Kyle said nothing. Tears almost bursting out of his eyes. Months of training, pain, and hope were gone just like that.
Mrs. Campbell kept staring at the crystal.
That wasn’t a normal failure…
Something had happened, but she couldn’t explain it.
Kyle stepped down and walked away as the ceremony continued behind him.
No one stopped him.
He left the academy grounds alone, wondering if fate had already decided he would never become strong enough.
Head lowered, eyes shut tight to stop the tears for spilling out he headed back to Thorn Dojo, each step heavier than the last.