CHAPTER 25: AWAKENING

The Eastern courtyard was open from the rooftop, with four giant obsidian walls protecting it from outside threats.

Aside from a small puddle of silver water at the center, the whole courtyard was empty and paved with pristine white marble that gleamed faintly under the sunlight.

Aegon didn’t know why it was built like this, but he knew it was incredibly durable and had countless Rune Formations engraved into the walls and buried underground.

He had rarely come here in the past because there wasn’t much that interested him aside from the obsidian walls themselves.

But today was different.

The courtyard wasn’t empty anymore. A couple of people were already present, including his family, his friend, and their mothers, Aurelia and Sansa.

Their fathers were obviously too busy with their duties to attend his Awakening, but at least they had come, and that mattered.

It was a big day for him, after all.

He had also visited the Royal Palace when Xavier’s Awakening took place, wanting to give his friend mental support. In the end, Xavier had awakened as a Mage with a High-Grade Affinity of the Light Element. That had been an incredible moment.

Now it was his turn.

He smiled at everyone as they gave him encouraging looks, their gazes warm and expectant. Then, he walked toward Arnold, who patted his head gently and said, "Go and sit in that Awakening Liquid. We will do the rest."

Aegon nodded in understanding and went to the center where he found the small puddle of shimmering silver liquid. Without overthinking it, he stepped into it and sat down.

Surprisingly, the liquid wasn’t shallow at all. It reached up to his knees when he stood in it, so when he sat, half of his small body was submerged in the silvery substance.

He took a deep breath to calm his nervous heart and thought, ’Sign-in!’

[Ding! Signing-in in the Awakening Liquid!]

[Ding! Ten Litres of Awakening Liquid acquired.]

’That is probably the same as what I’m in right now. Or maybe not...’

[Ding! 10x Rewards Bonus Applied!]

[Ding! Hundred Litres of Awakening Liquid acquired!]

Aegon was speechless.

’The hell! It gave me quantity this time? What am I supposed to do with a hundred litres of Awakening Liquid?’

He quickly pushed the thought to the back of his head and closed his eyes. His mind soon turned extremely relaxed as he waited for the stimulation Xiu had spoken of.

He heard footsteps nearing him and the low murmurs of his grandpa’s voice close by. Still, he didn’t open his eyes, considering it part of the ritual.

Xiu had told him that the only thing he needed to focus on was keeping a calm, relaxed mind at the start.

And that’s exactly what he did.

Soon, the liquid around him began to boil, yet he felt little heat from it. It transformed around him and, before he even realized it, the silvery liquid began climbing up his limbs, crawling across his body until it covered him completely.

But he kept calm as the liquid seeped into his body through the tiny pores of his skin. He didn’t know what was happening afterward, but he felt something writhing inside him, followed by a soothing warmth that spread through every part of his body.

There was pain, mild, sharp bursts that stabbed at his insides but each pang was quickly soothed away by the warmth. And even if it wasn’t, Aegon had once acquired [Pain Resistance] in one of his sign-ins, so he would have endured it regardless.

The process continued for several minutes as the liquid inside him traveled through his body, searching for something. Wherever it passed, Aegon felt cracks, like blocked tunnels bursting open.

But instead of agony, he felt refreshed, lighter somehow and with each wave, he gained a strange sensation that he could control those parts of his body better now.

Soon, the liquid gathered near his chest from all directions, and Aegon felt a muffled explosion that shook his very heart.

Yet the liquid didn’t linger there. It left behind a vacant space at the core of his chest, which quickly began to fill with air seeping in through the same pores the liquid had entered from.

Aegon knew this wasn’t ordinary air. This was the world’s truest essence, the Mana itself, filling his newly opened Mana Core, unlocked by the Awakening Liquid.

’Phew! At least I’ll become a Mage. As for Affinity, I’ll have to find out later. Wait! Where’s this liquid going now?’

More minutes passed, and then the liquid surged upwards, rushing toward his head. Startled for a moment, he quickly remembered Xiu’s instructions and forced himself to remain calm.

All the liquid gathered inside his head and then vanished, leaving him utterly confused. The Awakening Liquid was supposed to exit the body once the ritual was complete.

’Is it trying to do something else?’ he wondered. ’I have more liquid, so let’s test it out.’

He could feel the puddle around him shrinking as all the Awakening Liquid was devoured into his head. That was why he guessed the liquid had been insufficient for whatever his body demanded.

He gave the system a command to send the Awakening Liquid directly into his body, and soon, he felt an enormous flood of it being swallowed into his mind.

At first, nothing seemed different, but slowly his thoughts began to churn faster. The world around him grew clearer, even though his eyes were still closed.

It was as if he suddenly understood himself, and the world, better than before.

’What is happening? Is my Soul Sea awakening? Both Mage and Soul Cultivator at once?’ Aegon was dumbfounded, but he quickly focused on the changes inside him.

In the very next second, his senses warped, and he realized the world had shifted. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see.

But the sight before him wasn’t the Eastern courtyard. Nor did he see the familiar faces of his family and friends.

Instead, he found himself standing in a completely different realm beneath a vast, starlit sky. Two enormous crimson moons loomed above, almost as if they were hugging each other in an eternal embrace.

All around him stretched a boundless ocean of clear blue water. The air itself was damp and clung to his skin, as though the world was alive and pressing against him.

’Is this... my Soul Sea?’ Aegon thought as he looked around in awe.

Just as he turned, he spotted a giant island not far from him, though a thick mist blurred its outline. Even as he walked across the surface of the water, no matter how many steps he took, the distance between them never seemed to lessen.

’Is it because I’m too weak right now?’

Aegon raised his hand, staring at it, and thought, ’But then why am I getting this feeling that I can do anything here? As if I’m invincible.’