"Did he really leave?" Ignoring Amelia's laughing face, Rebecca hid her expressions as she asked the serious question.
"Ohh that. Yeah, he said he wasn't feeling well with all the crowd and noice. So he went back." Amelia said, calming down a little.
"If you ask me, he's probably going to sleep at home. Lazy brother." She said, as she nodded her head like a wise sage.
Rebecca silently nodded her head, but still couldn't get the feeling out that maybe he really did leave cause she shouted at him to leave. 'It's my house. You should be the one to leave.' The words she said to him echoed in her head, again making her feel a little bit more guilty.
She was already wondering why she even fought with him over some guy she didn't even know. He was even telling the truth that she jumped to conclusions without knowing anything.
'Maybe I really am dumb.'
For the first time in her life, she doubted her intelligence a little.
As the thoughts of their fight, and the way the boy she defended, tried to use her to get some gifts from her father, came to her mind. A sudden headache started afflicting her.
"Ahhhhhhh"
She bent down, as she held her down, with a loud scream leaving her mouth. It felt like someone was tearing it apart from the inside.
Her scream catching Amelia off guard, as she hurried and held her, asking what happened worriedly.
Rebecca lay on the ground and started rolling around in pain, tears started trickling down her face, as she felt the worst pain she could imagine.
"What, what's happening?" Amelia asked, worriedly, as her hands started shaking and some tears started leaking from her eyes too.
"Hurts, Amy. It hurts." Rebecca managed to say, before another wave of mind numbing pain hit her.
A light blue hue started surrounding her, as her non-stop trickling tears finally stopped flowing from her eyes, but instead started floating all around her.
Amelia watched as Rebecca's awakening started and the mana engulfed her body and started refining it.
Before Amelia could even understand anything, what was happening. 2 girls appeared out of nowhere and brought Rebecca away in a flash, leaving her flagger biased at what was happening.
Confused with everything that happened in the last few seconds.
-
In the main hall, where king Maximus had just finished announcing about the next business venture with the partnership of Blake family's Genesis, and Raven's guild and Royal family's backing.
"Even though it's still early to announce the details of the product they've prepared, and its effects. I would hereby like to confirm the rumors that have been going around in the Elite circle - This product, this partnership, would indeed change the world for forever.
Someone once said to me, that everyone is their own master of fate. But we all know that, that saying has never been true in our world. But after seeing what Blake family had achieved with their efforts, I would like to say, that soon, very soon, that saying would become truth. As everyone would be able to shape their own destiny, their own path of fate.
Let me announce the arrival of a new era. An era of prosperity and peace."
Maximus announced, as he raised his glass, but the crowd below was too stunned by his bold worlds to say cheers to him.
Instead a wave of murmurs and chatter started going all around every group of people gathered there. All the noble families and elite houses were thrown off guard with this announcement, as the 3 heads of those families simply clinked their glasses and started drinking to themselves.
No one knew what was so revolutionary which could give the king that much confidence.
Even though it had been a while since those rumors regarding Blake's preparing something new have been going around, no one took them seriously enough. Or those who did, failed to find any concrete evidence over what they were working on.
It was all because of Artemis. After knowing the effects of the potion, she only shared the details with only those who were totally loyal to them, or were simply bound to them, with shit tons of contracts and oaths.
Not a single word about the potion was leaked outside. And as for those rumors, well it was simple actually, she spread them herself. By utilizing the information network of her family. She wanted to create enough hype for it, when those noble families would start to beg her to take a part in it.
But due to Rio's early intervention, she decided to agree to the King's demand and release it early.
Everyone in the hall had questions they needed the answers for, doubts that needed clearance, but then suddenly many high ranking people turned to look outside in one direction, with a surprised expression.
"Awakening."
Everyone who could sense the abnormality in the surrounding mana, had only one thought, 'Who is it, that's going through awakening at this time.'
Since awakening could be dangerous, as one might awaken some stupid disastrous power, and they might end up killing everyone near them. So there were certain runes and formations placed to keep a track of surrounding mana. And right now they were all going haywire.
Soon their attention turned towards the inside of the palace, where a similar disturbance of mana was detected.
'Another one' They all thought as it was clear, someone else started their awakening at the same time.
But before anyone could even understand what was happening, the king disappeared from the stage, leaving behind a trail of blue lightning.
Soon after he left, the head of Raven family, Servirous disappeared next second, his figure just turned into a flock of crows and flew away.
Followed by the Duke and Duchess of Blake house and the Queen of Schilla.
Watching everyone leave, some could guess the identity of the one who was probably going through their awakening now.
Some followed the royal family inside, while some other guests started leaving in the opposite direction, to see who was the one who started this whole thing of awakening.
-
On the outside garden, the guards who were beating Leon on the orders of Edward, backed away a little. As a golden light started surrounding him.
They were enjoying their time beating this bastard, nothing too serious, but that slow crushing of the bones, and pulling and twisting of his arms and legs isn't much right. After all, their gods were enjoying the show.
Hell, half of what they did were things requested by some random Gods, who got bored by the filler party and decided to do some fun.
Leon was lying on the ground with his arms bent outward on an unimaginable level, with tears and blood trickling down his eyes.
For the past few minutes he had been hoping, praying, begging -that someone would come to save him. Some random guest from the party, some God who was watching -but no one came.
No one came to help him. He could hear the laughter of those 2 heartless monsters, who didn't hesitate a second to give him this torture. He wanted to scream so loud that everyone in the Haven could hear him, but sadly he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, not a single sound escaped his throat due to what those guys did at the beginning.
When he finally gave up on the hope that those guests would save him, stopped praying that those gods would pity him, and was simply about to give up. A sudden wave of pain hit him, unlike anything he felt before, worse, so much worse than before.
It didn't take a second for him to finally lose all his resolve as he started flailing on the ground, like a fish that had just been brought out of water. It felt like every one of him was being torn and twisted at the same time. Every fiber of his being burning in a fire so hot, that it consumed all his senses.
One second he felt numb to all the pain, next second he experienced suffering inside out so bad that he could never forget.
He didn't understand what was happening, still kept cursing those noble kids and those guards thinking they did something.
But the guards who were standing at the side now, were similarly surprised at this scene.
They were just beating him beautifully, how come this kid suddenly started going through awakening..
There have been cases of awakening at the moment of danger or risk to life, similar to what happened with Noah, when Esme tried to kill him. It's like the body's last defense when everything seems lost.
Though risky and dangerous, it was a method many crazy ones choose to use when they couldn't awaken normally. Jumping into dungeons or thrusting themselves in highly dense mana zones are similar methods too.
All they do is stimulate your body too much, that you feel like you'll die, and that's when the mana kicks in, giving you a chance to survive.
Of course one's survival still depends on himself, if he could bear through that pain, if he could stay conscious through that suffering, if his troubles aren't out of his league, or he won't be interrupted- luck plays a big part in it all.
And today our protagonist had anything but good luck.
And it was just about to get worse from here on out.
###
A/N - I know the written order is a bit up and down. But I want to clarify for those who missed the hint. It was Leon who started his awakening first, and then followed by Rebecca's. You get a point of smarts if you guess their elements.
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