“Oh!
What is there not to be happy about?” His smile widened.
“Your sister has become an Aspirant.” Upon hearing those words, I froze.
“…What?” “What do you mean, ‘what’?
Didn’t you hear me?” “No, I…
uh…
what did you just say?” Elder Nam let out a weary sigh.
He looked as though he were resisting the urge to bury his face in his palm before speaking again, his tone noticeably calmer.
“Your sister is in the process of awakening her Ability Core.
She has become an Aspirant.
Do you understand now?” I…
“Huh?!” My gaze drifted back to Steph’s unconscious body.
Slowly, I reached out and placed a hand against the right side of her chest…
Wait…
Left side, you f*cking dingus.
Ahem…
The moment I touched her, an unfamiliar sensation coursed through me.
Her body radiated a strange warmth…or was it cold?
Furrowing my brows, I closed my eyes and tried to make sense of the impossible feeling.
Yet no matter how hard I focused, I simply couldn’t.
It was as though her body was practically burning with fever while simultaneously freezing to the touch.
How the f*ck does that even work?
Behind me, the cottage buzzed with hushed whispers and astonished gasps.
Some of the Ruined celebrated with unrestrained joy, while others stood in stunned silence.
Many simply looked confused, having no idea what an Aspirant was, let alone an Ability Core.
Ignoring the discordant chorus of voices behind me, I turned my attention to Elder Nam who flashed me a smile before smacking me on the back.
Ow…
Nam was one of the few elders left in our district, perhaps even one of the last in the entire Ruins.
Among the Ruined, elders were held in the highest regard.
They belonged to the generation that had lived before the hierarchical order known as the The Supreme Ascendancy was established nearly 53 years ago.
They had witnessed a world that people like me could only imagine.
Murphy was an elder aswell…
well, used to be, at least…
My eyes widened as the full weight of Elder Nam’s words finally sank in.
A Ruined…
A Ruined becoming an Aspirant.
That had never happened before.
Not once.
The Ruined didn’t believe in miracles.
Miracles belonged to the rich.
To the renowned.
To the powerful.
But this…
This wasn’t just a miracle.
It was something far greater.
An Aspirant was someone whose body had begun forming an Ability Core, the first step toward becoming a Superhuman.
Those chosen few stood at the very foundation of humanity’s survival.
They were the reason mankind had endured the horrors that emerged from the Rifts four centuries ago.
Without them, civilization would’ve long since been wiped from existence.
And now…
Steph had the chance of becoming one of them.
My mind went blank.
An Aspirant…
Even after all these centuries, Aspirants remained among the most valuable people in human society.
Once an Ability Core began to form, the higher echelons of the Hierarchy would take notice.
If everything went well, they would be admitted into one of the Superhuman Academies, where they would learn to fully awaken their power.
That meant…
They would leave the Ruins, residing in Nexis.
Their citizenship would be elevated, making them one of the people.
Their lives would change forever.
My life would change forever.
I looked at Steph’s sleeping face, my heart pounding so hard it could burst.
Miracle my ass.
This was salvation.
A long silence settled over the cottage as no one knew what to say.
Then, as though a spell had been broken, whispers rippled through the room.
“An Aspirant…” “A Ruined becoming an Aspirant..?” “Is that even…
possible?” “I thought only the upper classes…” The voices overlapped until they became an indistinct murmur.
Some smiled, unable to hide their joy.
Others stood frozen, still struggling to process what they had just heard.
A few of the younger ones simply looked around in confusion, clearly having no idea why everyone was making such a fuss.
And then there were those whose smiles never came.
Their eyes lingered on Steph’s sleeping figure before quietly drifting away.
Envy.
It was only natural.
Everyone dreamed of escaping the Ruins.
Everyone wanted a chance at a better life.
Stephanie had just been handed one.
Elder Nam slowly rose to his feet and cleared his throat.
“Enough.” The room fell silent once more.
A warm smile spread across the old man’s face as he looked around at everyone gathered inside.
“For the first time in our history, one of our own has been chosen.” His gaze shifted toward Stephanie.
“This is not only a blessing for the siblings.
It is hope for every soul living in these godforsaken ruins.” He clapped his hands together once.
“So wipe those long faces off, because tonight…” He paused for a moment.
With a loud chuckle, he declared, “We celebrate!” *** “Pass the tomatoes.” “Here.” “The meat.” “Got it.” “And, uh…
the real dou-” “Will you shut it already?!
I get it!
It’s real!” Lev snapped, only making me grin wider.
The amusement didn’t last.
As I looked at him, my smile gradually faded.
He still wore that same strange expression on his bony, angular face.
His eyes seemed distant, lost in thought, while a faint frown remained etched across his features.
Just what the hell was going on with him?
I let out a quiet sigh.
We were helping prepare food for everyone in the district.
After much discussion, Elder Nam had decided that an occasion like this deserved a proper celebration.
A gathering was being held in the massive ruined hall at the center of the district, and everyone who wished to attend was expected to contribute something.
So…
Here we were.
As I went to place the wood in the oven, Lev suddenly spoke, “I got it from here.
You should probably check on Stephanie.
Who knows when she’ll wake up.” I would’ve smiled if his tone wasn’t so grim.
Oh well…
“Sure.” Leaving the job to him temporarily, I approached the door to Steph’s room.
As it slowly creaked open, I let myself in.
Stopping just beside her bed, I knelt down and gently placed her hand between my palms.
“Hey.” There was no answer…
I chuckled.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve caused?
Those bastards…
they’re throwing a whole damn party for you, not that I know what exactly that is…” After a moment of silence, I continued, “And guess what…
they actually believed me about the real dough in the end.
You should’ve seen the look on their faces.” I laughed…
or at least tried to.
Goddammit…
since when did silence start to feel this loud.
It made no sense.
A quiet sigh escaped my lips as I gently squeezed her hand.
The strange sensation of hot and cold could still be felt.
It was surpringly soothing.
“Just…
wake up, alright?” With that, I placed her hand back on the bed and stood up to leave.
Just as I did however, her lips began to tremble…
“W-w…whe…” My eyes widened.
Stephanie’s eyelids twitched several times before slowly starting to open.
Disoriented, she slowly lifted her hand to her chest which lingered there for a good while before moving to her face.
Tiredly rubbing her eyes, she glanced around the room until her gaze fell on my kneeling figure.
I watched her sit up, her gaze fixed on me.
She blinked several times before a look of confusion appeared on her face.
I stared back, not moving.
I wanted to say something, anything, but I found myself being unable to.
What the hell was I supposed to say?
Steph’s lips trembled.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Finally, she said, “W-what are you staring at?” A shiver ran down my spine, and before I knew it, my body had already lunged forward and wrapped her in a tight embrace.
I…
I was so relieved.