In a small town near the Lam Vân Mountains, there was a simple wooden house beside a field of white flowers.
That was where Trụ was born.
From a very young age, Trụ was different from the other children.
While the village kids loved playing hide-and-seek or running around the fields, she preferred sitting for hours beside the fireplace, listening to her father’s stories.
Her father had once been an adventurer.
He often talked about:
dragon-hunting knights, heroes who saved cities from monsters, people who possessed terrifying elemental powers, and mysterious lands beyond the great sea.
Every time she heard those stories, Trụ’s eyes sparkled brightly.
— What happened next, Dad?
Her father would laugh loudly and pat her head.
— If you want to become a hero, you must be strong and never give up.
From that day on, Trụ truly believed that she was born to become a hero.
She used tree branches as weapons.
She climbed onto giant rocks and shouted:
— I will save the world!
The children in the village often laughed at her.
— Idiot, heroes only exist in stories!
But Trụ never cared.
What she looked forward to the most was the Awakening Ceremony at the age of five.
In this world, every child who turned five would receive a “Primordial Ability.”
It was the moment that decided a person’s future.
If someone awakened a powerful ability, they could become:
a warrior, a mage, an adventurer, or even enter the royal academy.
The strongest among them were called:
“The Chosen of the Gods.”
Because of that, long before her fifth birthday, Trụ asked her parents every single day:
— When will I receive my power?— What kind of power will I get?
Fire?
Ice?
Her mother only smiled gently.
— Wait until you turn five and you’ll know.
Her father joked:
— Maybe your ability will be so strong that you’ll blow up the entire house.
Trụ smiled happily.
From then on, she imagined countless things.
Sometimes she used blankets as a hero’s cape.
Sometimes she stood in front of the mirror and posed dramatically:
— Hero Trụ is here!
She even secretly wrote a “Hero To-Do List”:
defeat monsterssave peoplebecome famousbuy a big house for Mom and Dad
Time passed quickly.
At last, the awakening day arrived.
That morning, Trụ woke up very early.
She could barely sleep because of excitement.
Her mother helped her wear the nicest clothes the family had.
Her father smiled proudly.
— Today you really look like an adventurer.
Trụ was so happy that she almost skipped while walking.
The Awakening Center was located in the middle of town.
The place was already crowded with people.
Many children her age stood in line beside their parents.
Some parents prayed quietly.
Some children trembled nervously.
On the high stage, priests wearing white robes prepared the awakening ritual.
A young boy stepped forward first.
BOOM!
A massive flame burst around him.
The crowd immediately cheered.
— High-level fire ability!— Amazing!— A genius!
Trụ watched with admiration.
— I want to become that strong too…
One after another, children awakened their abilities.
Some controlled water.
Some created wind.
Others possessed extraordinary physical strength.
The atmosphere became more and more excited.
Then finally…
it was Trụ’s turn.
Her heart pounded so hard that she could hear every beat.
She stepped into the center of the magic formation.
One of the priests placed his hand on a crystal orb.
— Stay calm and feel the energy inside you.
Light spread through the awakening formation.
Trụ nervously closed her eyes.
A strange flow of energy ran through her body.
At that moment…
she imagined herself summoning giant lightning storms like the heroes in the stories.
Crackle.
A tiny spark of electricity appeared on the tip of her finger.
It was so weak that it could barely light up the room.
Then…
it disappeared.
The entire place suddenly fell silent.
One priest looked at the result and frowned slightly.
— Lightning ability… extremely low rank.
Another added:
— The output is very weak.
Whispers immediately spread throughout the church.
— That’s all?— A lightning ability that weak is basically useless.— What a disappointment.
Trụ froze in place.
She tried concentrating once again.
Crackle.
The tiny spark appeared again before instantly fading away.
It could not even burn the corner of a nearby piece of paper.
Her eyes slowly turned red.
The dream of becoming a hero that she had carried for years…
seemed to shatter within only a few seconds.
Her father was clearly disappointed.
He stayed silent for a long time.
But eventually, he still walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
— It’s okay.
Her mother hugged her tightly.
— You’re still the most wonderful daughter in the world to me.
Even so…
Trụ could still see the sadness in their eyes.
Meanwhile, the priests began saying familiar words of comfort.
— Power does not decide everything.— You just need to work hard.— Everyone has their own value.
Their words sounded kind.
But their eyes did not feel the same.
Very quickly, they shifted their attention toward another child who had just created a massive pillar of fire reaching near the ceiling.
Cheers erupted once again.
As for Trụ…
she quietly lowered her head and walked out.
Her fists trembled tightly.
For the first time in her life…
she began to doubt whether she could truly become a hero at all.
~ End ~