A paper bag slipped from the trembling hands of a small boy near the door.
Three fresh, golden loaves of bread tumbled out, scattering across the dirty, dust-covered floor of the bus.
“My breakfast…” the little boy whimpered, his eyes instantly brimming with fat tears.
Several passengers glanced over, took note of his faded clothes, and immediately looked back at their phones or out the windows.
No one moved.
No one wanted to get dirt on their pristine ceremony outfits.
Lyra didn’t hesitate.
She slid out of her seat and knelt onto the floor, her dark hair falling over her shoulders.
“Hey, it’s alright,” she said softly, her voice a calm contrast to the noisy bus.
She carefully gathered the loaves, gently brushing the gray road dust off the crusts before placing them back into the crinkling paper bag.
She folded the top tightly and handed it over with a warm smile.
“There you go. Good as new.”
The little boy gripped the bag with both hands, his tears vanishing instantly.
“Thank you, big sister!”
“You’re very welcome.”
Lyra returned to her seat, her mood lifting just a bit.
But the peace didn’t last.
A group of girls from a wealthier district had noticed her move, their eyes scanning her faded denim jacket.
“Hey,” one of them called out, leaning over the back of her seat.
“What about you? What beast soul are you aiming for?”
Lyra turned her amber eyes toward them.
“Me? I haven’t really thought about a specific one.”
The girls exchanged amused, condescending glances.
“Seriously? Everyone has a dream beast. Unless… you already know your spiritual talent is too low to handle anything decent?”
“I’d honestly rather awaken a common rabbit than something useless, at least rabbits are cute, if am lucky enough, it may even be mutated rabbit,” another whispered, not bothering to hide her smirk.
Lyra didn’t argue.
She simply turned her face back toward the glass, watching the shadow of the bus glide across the concrete.
Whether it was a wolf, a bird, or something the rest of Aetheria deemed utterly worthless… she just hoped that whatever soul was waiting for her inside the crystal would find her worthy.
Twenty minutes later, the bus finally pulled up to a structure that looked like it belonged to the gods.
The Grand Awakening Hall was an immense, sprawling palace of pristine white marble.
Crystal pillars that refracted the morning sun into brilliant rainbows stretched high into the sky, while tens of thousands of applicants filled the massive plaza outside.
The air was thick with tension, hope, and raw anxiety.
Teachers shouted over the din, trying to organize their classes, while parents held tight to their weeping or hyperventilating children.
“Lyra!”
Lyra turned, her face instantly brightening as she saw a familiar figure hurrying through the sea of uniforms.
“Mom! You actually made it through the crowds.”
Her mother caught her breath, a warm, radiant smile gracing her face despite the exhaustion clear in her eyes.
She reached out, gently straightening the collar of Lyra’s jacket.
“Of course I did. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
“Mom, it’s just a standard outfit,” Lyra mumbled, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“It doesn’t matter,” her mother said, her tone suddenly shifting into something deeply serious.
She placed both hands firmly on Lyra’s shoulders, forcing her to look into her eyes.
“Listen to me, Lyra. No matter what happens on that stage today… common grade, rare grade, or anything else… I am already incredibly proud of you. Don’t let their numbers define who you are.”
The heavy knot of anxiety that had been twisting in Lyra’s stomach since she woke up finally began to unravel.
She nodded, giving a genuine smile.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll do my best.”
Suddenly, a terrifying, blood-curdling scream shattered the plaza’s atmosphere.
“Look out! It’s loose! Get back!”
The crowd erupted into immediate chaos.
A massive Ironhorn Bull, standing over two meters tall at the shoulder with a hide like hammered metal, had broken completely free from its noble handler’s restraints.
Red-eyed and furious from the suffocating crowd, the heavy combat beast charged blindly through the plaza, its iron-tipped horns splintering stone benches into gravel.
People ran in every direction, trampling over banners and each other.
Security guards drew their batons, but they were too far away.
Right in the direct path of the stampeding monster, a little girl froze.
She had fallen, her tiny hands scraped against the stone, staring wide-eyed at the mountain of muscle and iron barreling toward her.
She couldn’t even scream.
The Ironhorn lowered its massive head.
It was less than five meters away.
Lyra didn’t think.
Her body moved before her mind could even process the danger.
She sprinted across the stone, threw herself forward, and shoved the little girl with everything she had.
The child rolled safely out of the trajectory, tumbling into the arms of a terrified bystander.
But Lyra couldn’t recover her balance in time.
She stumbled, her boots slipping on the slick marble.
By the time she looked up, the world was entirely filled with the black, hairy chest of the monster and the terrifying glint of iron.
*Bang.*
The massive horn clipped her left shoulder.
The sheer kinetic force of the impact exploded through her body like a sledgehammer strike.
Lyra was launched through the air, spinning twice before crashing violently against the hard stone pavement.
The breath was completely knocked from her lungs.
A blinding, searing heat radiated from her shoulder, and her vision swam with fractured colors.
She tried to push herself up, but her limbs felt like lead, refusing to obey.
A group of high-tier beast masters finally converged on the beast, their summoned lions and stone apes effortlessly pinning the rogue Ironhorn to the ground within seconds.
The entire incident had lasted less than fifteen seconds, but to Lyra, it had felt like an eternity.
A healer rushed over, her hands glowing with a soft, green light as she pressed them against Lyra’s injured shoulder.
The blinding pain slowly dulling into a throbbing ache.