In the quiet, dimly lit room, Orion was deeply engrossed in the system. His eyes were fixated on the screen as he scrolled through his status and talent, eagerly analyzing every detail.
Suddenly, a soft knock on the door interrupted his concentration. "Orion, dinner is ready," his sister Lily called out from the other side.
Orion's stomach growled at the mention of food, and he realized that he had been so absorbed in the system that he had lost track of time.
Orion quickly made his way to the dining area. As he entered the brightly lit room, the warm aroma of Lily's cooking filled his nostrils and made his stomach grumble even louder.
Lily smiled as he sat down at the table, placing a bowl of steaming hot soup in front of him.
"Thanks, Lily," Orion said gratefully, picking up his spoon and beginning to eat.
As he ate, Lily began to make conversation. "So, brother, what kind of talent did you awaken at the ceremony earlier?" she asked curiously.
Before Orion could answer, the system's voice directly appeared in his head, startling him.
[Host, I advise you to hide your talent until you are strong enough, to tell the truth. I advise that you tell other people that your talent is a B-tier talent.]
Orion understood what the system meant. If his talent was known, many people would kill him to avoid future trouble.
"Uh, it's just a B-tier talent," Orion said with a forced smile, trying to sound nonchalant.
Lily looked at him sceptically. "Really? You seemed so excited earlier," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.
Orion nodded, trying to keep up the fa?ade. "Yeah, well, it's still a talent, right? I'll just have to work harder to make it better," he said, attempting to sound optimistic.
Lily seemed to accept his explanation and continued to make small talk throughout the meal. But Orion's mind was elsewhere.
He couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that the system's warning had given him. He knew that he had to be cautious and keep his talent hidden, but it was difficult to do so when everyone around him was boasting about their own talents.
While eating, Orion focused his eyes on Lily, and something suddenly appeared in front of his eyes that made him spit out his food. It was a small, glowing symbol hovering in the air between them.
Lily jumped back in surprise, looking at Orion in confusion. "What was that?" she asked, pointing to the symbol.
Orion quickly regained his composure and tried to play it off. "Uh, nothing, just a little hiccup," he said, forcing a smile.
But inside, Orion was panicking. He had never seen anything like that symbol before. He immediately turned to the system for answers.
"System, what is happening? What is that symbol?" he asked telepathically.
[Host, that symbol is an information symbol. If you focus your eye and mind on it, the information about the person will appear. It is a unique ability that comes with your talent. Use it wisely and discreetly,"]
Orion's mind was racing. He realized that this ability could be incredibly useful but also dangerous if used carelessly. He couldn't let anyone know about it, not even Lily.
"I see," Orion responded telepathically to the system. "Thank you for the information. I'll be careful with it."
Orion took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He focused his eyes on the symbol once again, and this time, he concentrated on Lily.
Suddenly, Lily's status panel appeared in front of him. It contained information about her talent, stats, and abilities. He also realized that Lily didn't seem to see the status panel. It was as if it only appeared in his mind.
---
[Name: Lily]
[Realm: -]
[Talent: -]
[Tier: -]
[Beasts: -]
---
Orion was surprised to see that Lily's status panel was completely blank. No talent, no realm, no tier, and no beasts. It was as if she had no abilities at all.
Orion couldn't believe it. He had known Lily his whole life, and he had never suspected that she was talentless. It was a rare occurrence in their world, where almost everyone had some kind of talent.
He stared at the blank status panel in front of him, trying to make sense of it. It was possible that Lily's talent was simply too weak to be detected by the system. However, he knew that it was unlikely. The system was designed to detect even the slightest hint of talent, no matter how weak.
Orion couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. He had to know more. He focused his attention on the system once again, trying to get answers.
"System, what does it mean when someone's status panel is blank?" he asked.
[Host, the person has not awakened yet, so their status panel is blank.]
Orion felt a wave of relief wash over him at the system's response. Lily was only twelve years old, which meant that she had not yet gone through the Awakening ceremony. Orion had also just awakened in the ceremony earlier at sixteen years old.
Orion's relief was short-lived as Lily's next words brought him back to reality. "Brother, are you sick or what? Why are you acting so weird?" she asked, looking at him with concern.
Orion quickly tried to compose himself, realizing that he had been lost in thought for a while. "No, no, I'm fine. Just thinking about something," he replied.
Orion and Lily finished their meal and cleared the table. Orion picked up his bowl and spoon and headed to the kitchen sink, followed closely by Lily with her own dishes.
As Orion and Lily began to wash their dishes, Lily began to ask Orion, "Brother, what will you do now?"
Orion paused, feeling a sudden weight of uncertainty settling in his stomach. He knew that his future was uncertain, and he had yet to make any concrete decisions about what he wanted to do next.
"I'm not sure yet, Lily," Orion replied, trying to keep his voice calm and collected. "There are a lot of options out there, and I need to take some time to consider my choices."
Lily nodded understandingly, but Orion could see the concern in her eyes. As his younger sister, she had always been fiercely protective of him.
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