Kings, Queens and the Royal family of the four continents. Nobles and dukes that served the royal family.
The Activation ceremony served as an opportunity to land stable jobs as a knight or bodyguard to established figures, be accepted into the kingdom’s most renowned armies, or even the greatest factions in all four continents, the 12 Orders!
The Activation ceremony served as an evaluation and assessment for future Evolvers who wished to join any of the 12 orders in the kingdom.
"The Activation ceremony will now commence, first up, the Princesses of the kingdoms of Midgard and Camelot."
The princesses of Midgard and Camelot stepped out from the special section reserved for the royals. They walked down the stairs toward the room with confident steps, their heads held high and their expressions calm.
Neither of them looked nervous, neither seemed worried about failing to activate a high grade Origin.
After all, they were royalty.
Royal blood was said to be the most compatible with high-grade Origins, and both princesses had been born with it flowing through their veins.
When they entered the room, they approached the two stone tablets resting on the table.
The princess of Midgard stepped toward the first tablet, while the princess of Camelot moved toward the second.
They stood before the ancient stones for a moment before each princess raised her dominant hand and placed it against the surface of her respective tablet.
The moment their hands touched the stones, the inscriptions carved into them began to glow.
A faint light appeared at first, then it grew brighter, and within seconds, a blinding light erupted from both tablets, spreading across the entire room, it even went further to illuminate through the gap in the door and spill its brilliance into the hall.
Instinctively, everyone in the hall shielded their eyes with their arms from the pulsating light.
As the blinding light slowly faded, the hall gradually returned to normal, then a shimmering insignia suddenly rose from the first stone.
It took the shape of a magnificent flaming phoenix, its body covered in bright flames as it soared into the air. The symbol hovered above the head of the princess of Midgard, illuminating her face with a warm glow.
For a few moments, the phoenix remained suspended above her.
Then, like smoke carried away by the wind, the insignia slowly faded and disappeared.
At the same time, a shimmering insignia, this one shaped like a beautiful blue mermaid escaped the stone. It hovered above the head of the princess of Camelot, surrounded by faint ripples of blue light.
Then it vanished too.
"Princess Lyla of Midgard — The Second Origin, Blazing Phoenix. Princess Lea of Camelot — The Second Origin, Blue Mermaid." The person in charge of measuring the energy output said, and the two princesses walked out of the room, pleased.
The moment the princesses walked out of the room, and the insignia of their Origin finally faded in their presence, the entire hall erupted into thunderous applause.
Parents clapped enthusiastically, some of them smiling proudly as they watched the princesses on the stage. Nobles nodded their heads in acknowledgment, clearly impressed by what they had accomplished to grow the royal family’s reputation.
Even the kings and queens of the four continents joined in, applauding their achievements from the royal section above.
"As expected from their royal highnesses." The principal said as he congratulated them. "Next, Eve and Scott of the South Harvard academy."
Eve and Scott stepped forward and walked into the room, just as the two princesses had done before them.
Scott took a deep breath, nervous but ready. With a slight gulp, they approached the table and stood before the two stone tablets.
One after the other, they placed their dominant hands on the tablets.
Once again, the inscriptions began to glow, and a light spread across the hall.
However, this time, the light was noticeably weaker.
It was nowhere near as bright or powerful as the light produced when the princesses activated their origins.
The glow faded after a few moments, leaving the two of them standing before the stone tablets as the crowd waited for them to emerge and see what Origins they had activated.
A faint glow appeared on the surface of the first stone tablet, moments later, a shimmering insignia emerged from it and rose into the air.
It took the form of a silver knight clad in shining armor, holding a sword at its side. The insignia floated above Scott’s head, casting a gentle silver light around him before fading away.
Soon after, another insignia emerged from the second stone tablet, this one taking the shape of a bright red cross.
The symbol rose slowly into the air and hovered above Eve’s head, radiating a soft crimson light.
After a few moments, the Red Cross insignia also faded away, disappearing into countless particles of light.
"Scott of South Harvard — The Second Origin, Knight’s Will. Eve of South Harvard — Third Origin, Support Healer."
The activation ceremony went on and on, and after 70 minutes of students activating the second and third Origin.
"Michael of South Harvard and Raphael Lance."
Michael’s heart sank a bit the moment he heard his name.
Beside him, Raphael, who remained calm and collected throughout the entire ceremony, finally felt a small sense of nervousness beginning to brew within him.
Unlike Michael, this was his first attempt to activate.
"Raphael, Michael." Both boys turned their heads to Raphael’s mother, and instead of the encouragement other parents and guardians gave to their kids, she shot Michael a cold and threatening look.
"The kids of Sylvia all activated the third Origin, do not fail me Raphael, and Michael... The only reason I took you in was because of my best friend, your mother’s pleas, do not fail her." In the end, it all came down to competition.
"Whatever." Michael said as he left his seat. For a moment, he thought she had high hopes and expectations for him, but he didn’t care anymore, not about what she thought, or about his mother who abandoned him to this woman.
Both boys entered the room, not knowing what to expect.
Michael and Raph slowly approached the table, once they reached, they stood before the tablets and placed their dominant hands against the two tablets.
The moment Michael touched the stone tablet, a powerful gust of wind tore through the entire room. Papers flew violently as the sudden force swept it away from the examiners table, followed by a wave of darkness that engulfed the entire hall.
For a brief moment, everything disappeared beneath the swirling darkness.
Then, in the very next second, the storm vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared. The darkness died down, the wind ceased, and the hall was left in complete silence.
"What was that!?" The person in charge of measuring the energy output stood up from their seat.
The violent torrent of wind even blew the doors wide open, and the faint dark energy that disappeared released into the hall.
"Which of them did it come from!?"
Raphael’s mother blinked with anticipation, and the hall waited immediately for what seemed like the birth of a genius.
But after a while, nothing happened. The inscriptions remained completely still as it was.
They waited, a few more seconds passed, but still, nothing happened.
According to the academy’s rules, every student was given a limited time of one minute to activate their Origin. If the stone failed to respond within that time, the activation was considered unsuccessful.
The seconds continued to pass. Thirty seconds. Forty. Fifty.
Then, finally, one minute passed, and the inscription in the second tablet finally glowed a bright emerald green, although it wasn’t as bright compared to the others who activated their origins.
Then the insignia of a transparent green shield enclosed in a circle appeared above Raph’s head, and he tightened his fists in joy.
"Yes!"
"Raphael Lance of the South Harvard academy— The Third Origin, Guardian Knight."
As he came out of the room, everyone clapped enthusiastically. It wasn’t as powerful as others, but the guardian origin was as well as important as others.
But when Michael came out, nothing happened.
There was no insignia floating above him, and knowing him as a regular candidate for the past two years here, most of the people who’d been present in the previous years fell silent, with their hands over their mouth.
Ralph’s mother widened her eyes in disbelief, then put her hands over her mouth.
Whispers immediately spread through the crowd, and the entire hallway became restless.
The principal’s eyes shot open in shock, on his third and final attempt, he failed to activate an Origin again.
It was practically impossible not to activate an Origin. Origin in this world was like the air we breathe, so being unable to activate one meant only one thing.
"Michael of-" The principal’s breath hitched for a moment, then he stole a quick glance up before clearing his throat as he said. "Michael — Null."
"Null!?" One of the academy’s professors shot up to his feet immediately.
"Impossible!" Another one of the students shouted.
Nulls was the term that described a human unable to activate an Origin, in the history of mankind in the abyss, it was rare.
"I—I don’t understand..." Nobody was more baffled than Raphael, while Michael just stood there staring at the crowd with an expressionless face.
In a century only 0.001% of the human population awakened as a Null, and now Michael became that 0.01%.
As the two boys went back to his seat, all eyes stared at Michael, some with pity, and most with disgust.
After all, he was an anomaly.
"And that concludes the Activation ceremony." After roughly five hours or more, the last two students activated their Origins and concluded the ceremony.
"Now that you have all seen your fates, you have a decision of whether to join humanity in the fight against the beasts of the abyss, or lead a normal life. Whatever choice you make will decide your future, so choose wisely."
As the principal announced, he climbed down the stage and headed straight for the royal chamber in the hall.
Each student dispersed, conversing and celebrating with one another about their awakening success.
Then Ralph’s mom whose expression changed and grew grim the moment she discovered Micheal was a Null, stood up from her seat.
"Let’s go Ralph." She said, grabbing Raphael’s hand quickly.
"Mom?" He raised a brow.
"I said let’s go."
"Alright alright." He turned to Michael. "You coming?"
Michael raised his two shoulders with a nonchalant sigh, but before he could step forward, he was stopped by Ralph’s mother with a hand to his chest. "No, you’re not going anywhere. I don’t want to see you anywhere near me or my son again!"
"Huh?" Raphael took his hand out of his mother’s grasp. "What are you talking about mom? You’re going to abandon him like his mother just because he couldn’t activate an Origin? That’s bullshit!"
"Raphael, I do not have time for this, we are leaving, now."
"No mom." Raphael took a step back. "I’m not going anywhere without Michael." He said firmly.
Raphael’s mother grew restless. She glanced around twice before looking back at her son, tears slowly forming at the corners of her eyes. "Raphael please, we have to leave now!"
"Not without Michael."
His mother finally broke down, sniffing as she hugged her son with teary eyes. "I’m sorry. I’m truly, truly sorry." She cried before turning away and quickly leaving the hall.
"Mom?"
Michael’s eyes narrowed as he instantly sensed something strange, and he immediately grabbed Raphael’s arm and forcefully dragged him through the crowded hall. People quickly moved aside as they pushed their way through the crowd, and he refused to slow down.
Having spent practically all of his previous life in captivity, and always attempted to escape on several occasions, he had grown accustomed to sensing danger.
He picked up the pace as they neared the exit, pulling Raphael along with him until they finally stepped out of the building.
"What’s going on!?" Raphael asked as he forcefully dragged his hand away from Michael’s grasp. He couldn’t deal with the sudden rush of emotions he felt as he saw his mother cry because of him, and this at the same time.
"We were being followed." Michael said bluntly. "And we can’t stop now."
He went on full alert the moment a hand touched his shoulder. His body tensed, and he immediately turned around, ready for whatever was behind him.
But the moment he saw who it was, his expression changed. It was the principal of the South Harvard academy.
"Michael, Raphael, you boys follow me, quickly." He turned around without saying another word, and as Raph turned to look at the exit of the building, he saw three men clad in white armor heading towards them.
With a single nod to Michael, both boys followed the principal towards a white, streamlined car parked just across the streets from the building.
In the car, two men sat inside, patiently waiting for the boys.
They wore a well-fitted black suit with a clean white long sleeved shirt underneath, along with well polished black shoes and a simple wristwatch.
"Boys, this is Theron and Alister, the newly appointed bus drivers provided to the academy by the royal family themselves, get in, quickly."
Seeing as the suspicious men were closing in, the two boys entered the car and Theron drove away immediately.
..
Several minutes after the car left, the principal returned to the building.
He made his way through the quiet corridors and eventually reached the royal chamber where the princes, princesses, kings, and queens had watched the reawakening ceremony from.
But the chamber was now completely empty.
Almost.
Only one person remained inside, seated quietly in the royal section.
The principal stepped into the chamber and immediately lowered himself to his knees. He bowed his head respectfully before the mysterious figure, remaining silent as he awaited their command.
"I have done as you asked your majesty, our drivers have taken them away."
"Your assistance is appreciated as always." The prince said calmly.
Prince Lucious was the first son of King Dreyar, the crowned prince of the kingdom of Midgard, and the heir to the throne. Not only was he the heir to the throne, but he was also an Evolver that activated the Grade 5 Second Origin, and the captain of the 5th order.
"No, your efforts are to be appreciated, not mine. You anticipated that his majesty, the child of Queen Vanessa, prince Michael would come, and be sought for after failing to activate his origin the third time. I still can’t believe such a thing can be possible. Does he truly not possess any Origin? I didn’t feel any natural energy from him at all despite the violent storm of wind, I can’t help but feel sorry for his majesty."
"Almost, any human without the inability to activate their Origin is what we call a Null. Nulls are nothing but the defects of society, the parasite that will eventually cause the destruction and extinction of the human race, especially within the abyss. He must be expunged."
Prince Lucious spoke with a straight face, but the disgust and hatred he had tried to conceal after discovering that his younger brother had a Null finally surfaced.
"My prince, I don’t understand." The principal raised his head, confused the instant Prince Lucious’s tone changed.
"Aren’t you taking the young prince to safety? Where exactly are you taking them to?"
"My stepmother, hmph." He scoffed, resting his chin on his hand. "It’s still absurd that my father haven’t gotten rid of that woman after she gave birth to an aberrant that shamed our family. To prevent my father from killing her only child, she sent him far away from the kingdom but I have finally found that reject. Do you think I’ll allow him to live after all the years I spent trying to find him? No, I sent him to the only place defects of society deserves to be, the only place where the irregularities of the world can be fixed. I sent him into the Abyss."
The Abyss was an unforgiving realm that disregarded life itself. It did not matter whether you were a High Elf or a lowly human as other races described it, it treated all races equally.
It was a revolting realm that seemed to defy the very laws of life, it was not a place anyone could enter freely. Those who wished to step within had to first prove their worth through its merciless trials.
But even with all the bad omen associated with this realm, the Abyss served a greater purpose.
It was the bridge between countless realms, the only path connecting races such as elves and dragons to the world of man.
Despite its cruelty, the Abyss was also a shield. By controlling passage between realms, it prevented one world from invading and destroying another.
Its trials were unforgiving, but without them, countless realms might have already fallen.
"Prince Lucious!" The principal’s eyes shot open as he shouted in disbelief, but Prince Lucious immediately raised a finger to his lips, signaling for him to be quiet.
"My apologies." The principal cleared his throat, then whispered. "But why go that far? He may not have been able to activate an Origin, but Queen Vanessa is still your stepmother."
"Hm?" Prince Lucious turned to the principal with a disturbed look in his eyes, as if his words were nothing short of treason against their kingdom. "Don’t be absurd, she knew the consequences and that’s why she sent him away into hiding. Furthermore."
He stood up.
"Do not insult the royal bloodline, there is a natural order in this world, and anything that defies that order is an aberration, defects that should be rid of before they pollute our world, am I understood?"
"Y—Yes, your highness." The principal lowered his head and bowed deeply in respect to his prince. He remained that way for a moment before slowly straightening himself.
Then he turned around and stepped out of the chambers and gently closed the door behind him.
The moment the door shut, the composure he had been forcing himself to maintain finally shattered.
His legs gave out beneath him, and he dropped to his knees. He immediately clutched his head with both hands, his fingers trembling as his eyes quivered with fear.
His breathing became uneven.
"What have I done..." He tried to remain calm in front of the prince, but now that he was alone, he could no longer hide how shaken he truly was.
Unlike the prince, he cherished Queen Vanessa, that was why he allowed Michael to enroll into South Harvard academy in Midgard, but now, he became the one who offered Michael’s life to the prince.
He remained on his knees in the empty corridor, struggling to calm himself as an overwhelming sense of fear settled over him.
"What have I done...