Chapter 4: Chapter 4- Awakening Ceremony (Part 1)
Chapter 4- Awakening Ceremony (Part 1)
’I need to plan this carefully and not move rashly. There has to be a middle-point, somewhere where I can make changes but not completely tear apart the future.’ He squinted his eyes sharply as countless ideas started forming in his head.
There was just so much he wanted to do as quickly as possible that he essentially was worried the next 3 years wouldn’t be enough time for him to get as strong as he needed to be. But, that wasn’t something he wanted to worry about too much.
’I will just do it all right. If it takes longer than three years, so be i-’ Before his thought could even finish, he sensed the atmosphere inside the gymnasium shift again as all the people around him turned their heads back.
"Oh, she’s here..."
"My god... She looks so gorgeous..."
Purely from their reactions, Zen already knew who they were talking about, and his heart started racing rapidly. Everything around him slowed to a halt as he realized that the person he had been looking for this entire time was right behind him.
All the memories of the past rushed back to him in a moment. Everything he experienced with her, it all appeared in his mind like an endless movie. Zen tried to suck a deep breath and calm himself down.
’Get your shit together, Zen. She doesn’t know you anymore.’ He thought to himself. ’You can’t ruin it all again.’
With clenched teeth, he slowly turned his head around, just in time for him to see her walk by. A girl so beautiful, he was certain he had never met and would never meet someone prettier than her.
Her golden, shiny hair swept by like a waterfall. Her smooth, soft skin almost reflected the light around her, her hypnotizing green eyes that appeared like two emeralds. That was her... His wife.
He had no doubt about it. That was his person.
Cipha Heavensoul.
Everything around him froze for a moment as his eyes widened. Countless emotions flashed before his eyes. He never thought that he would ever see her again... After that day, after he saw her blood streaming down the soil, being soaked up quickly.
After her warm smile that faded before his eyes, he watched hopelessly. After she uttered those words that tore his soul apart.
For a second, before Zen could even control himself, a tear rolled down his cheek. It was a silent one, filled with meanings only he knew in that world.
Then, as if by sheer coincidence, Cipha suddenly shifted her gaze and looked directly at him. Of all the people in that gymnasium, and of all the admiring eyes that stared at her every single day, for some reason, her eyes looked at him, and she saw it... The world within his eyes.
Cipha was confused. Why was he crying? Something about his eyes... didn’t seem right.
But, eventually, she turned her head around. There was not much to tell from a single glance except a fleeting moment of curiosity.
At the same time, Zen realized what had happened and quickly wiped his eyes. ’What... the hell am I crying for? I’ve promised myself not to shed a tear after that moment. This is such a cruel joke.’
Staring up ahead, Zen tried not to look at his wife again, or he knew he wouldn’t control himself from walking up to her and talking to her.
"You wouldn’t really want to see what I became, Cipha." He muttered with a dry laugh. ’But... Seeing her again... Alive and well...’
He couldn’t contain his happiness. His wife was alive again. Even if it’s the past and she doesn’t know him anymore, the fact that she was breathing... It brought him a feeling of excitement he had never experienced before.
’I won’t let it all happen again, Cipha. I won’t...’ He thought to himself as he clenched his fists. ’I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. I will rip them all to shreds.’
***
For the next 10 minutes, more and more students gathered in the gymnasium and took their seats. The atmosphere was very nervous and silent. Nobody knew what to expect, and most wanted to simply be left alone with their thoughts.
Eventually, all the seats were filled up, and the gymnasium doors were closed. Anyone who arrived late could not enter the gymnasium as the ceremony was about to begin.
Then, as everyone was waiting, suddenly, they heard someone walking up the stairs and finally appeared before them on stage. The moment he did, everyone felt a chill run down their spine. It was as if the temperature of the entire place dropped by a few degrees as invisible pressure fell on their shoulders.
’Hm.’ Zen squinted his eyes as he eyed the man. He looked no older than 40 years of age, with a rather casual attire and slicked back greyish-black hair. He looked like an average middle-aged man.
’Judging from his aura... C-Rank Hunter?’ He thought to himself. ’I remember his face.’
People around him weren’t aware of what the man was doing. But, Zen knew that he was simply making everyone focus on him and creating a sense of superiority in their minds.
"Good morning, everyone." The man began. "And welcome to your Awakening Ceremony. A Ceremony that will determine your future."
"... *Gulp*."
"I’m having chills..."
"What is going on?"
Many were confused, but no one dared to speak out loud.
"My name is Jack White. I am an Association-certified Field Hunter with 20 years of experience, and I am going to be the host of today’s ceremony. Questions shall be left to after the ceremony is done."
"..."
"Woah... A certified Hunter..."
"That’s so cool..."
"Certified means he works for the Hunter Association, right?"
"Yeah, I heard it’s extremely hard to get certified there."
The reactions were naturally that of admiration. A Hunter was a Hunter, no matter their rank. They were heroes, and everyone admired them.
"Now, before we begin, I shall explain what will happen. As you all know, Awakening is the instance where your body accepts the Hunter’s Soul grace and unlocks your ability to manipulate and sense Soul Essence. The moment you do, your powers shall be unlocked. To do that, your body will be stimulated through..."
*Snap*
The moment he snapped his fingers, a man walked up the stage holding what seemed to be a gun in his hands. Then, he handed the gun to Jack.
"This is a Soul Essence gun. It is charged with Soul Essence, and its purpose is to stimulate your core in hopes of awakening you. It is, as you all know, not guaranteed."
The atmosphere grew even tenser when he mentioned that. But nobody moved.
"I will be calling your name, and you will stand up and come here. I will aim the gun at your chest. All you need to do is close your eyes and relax. It won’t hurt, and you won’t feel anything unless you awaken. Understood?"
After explaining that, Jack looked around, searching for any confused students. When he noticed none, he nodded his head and then pulled the list out.
"We shall begin immediately."
