Silence.
Absolute silence.
The Awakening Hall had never been this quiet.
Hundreds of students stared at Kelvin.
The shattered pieces of the Awakening Crystal lay scattered across the platform.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Even the instructors seemed frozen.
Kelvin looked at the translucent System window floating before his eyes.
[SYSTEM ERROR.]
[Awakening cannot be classified.]
[Analyzing...]
[ERROR.]
[UNKNOWN AUTHORITY DETECTED.]
[SOUL AUTHORITY AWAKENED.]
Kelvin swallowed.
"Soul... authority?"
The words disappeared.
A new window appeared.
[HOST COMPATIBILITY: 100%.]
[INITIALIZING SOUL SYSTEM.]
[WARNING.]
[CURRENT WORLD RECORDS DO NOT CONTAIN THIS POWER.]
Kelvin's eyes widened.
"What?"
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his head.
He grabbed it.
Images flashed through his mind.
A gigantic black door.
Thousands of glowing souls.
A battlefield beneath a crimson sky.
Figures wearing crowns of light.
A massive creature kneeling before something invisible.
Then—
A voice.
Ancient.
Cold.
Powerful.
"The Soul has returned."
Kelvin's eyes snapped open.
The visions disappeared.
He staggered.
"Kelvin!"
Sofia rushed toward him.
But before she could reach the platform, an instructor raised his hand.
"Stop."
Sofia froze.
The instructor's eyes remained fixed on Kelvin.
"Nobody approach him."
John frowned.
"Why?"
"Because we don't know what he is."
Those words spread through the hall.
"What he is?"
"Is that even an affinity?"
"Soul?"
"I've never heard of it."
"Could it be a mutation?"
"Maybe he's dangerous."
Kelvin heard every whisper.
His hands tightened.
Dangerous.
The word reminded him of the Beast Tide.
Of his father.
Of his mother.
Of the creature that had destroyed his childhood.
He looked at his hands.
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
His voice was quiet.
Headmaster Adrian finally stepped forward.
His expression was unusually serious.
"Kelvin."
Kelvin looked up.
"Yes, sir?"
"Show me your System."
Kelvin hesitated.
He remembered the strange warning.
CURRENT WORLD RECORDS DO NOT CONTAIN THIS POWER.
If he revealed everything...
What would happen?
Would they fear him?
Would they lock him away?
Would they treat him like a monster?
Kelvin lowered his eyes.
"I can't."
The Headmaster frowned.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Adrian studied him.
Then he turned toward the instructors.
"Seal the hall."
Several instructors immediately moved.
Massive magical barriers appeared around the walls.
BOOM!
A transparent dome surrounded the Awakening Hall.
The students began panicking.
"What is happening?"
"Why are they sealing us inside?"
"Are we in danger?"
The Headmaster raised his voice.
"Remain calm."
The crowd slowly quieted.
He looked at Kelvin again.
"The Awakening Crystal has existed for more than three hundred years."
Everyone listened.
"It has measured millions of awakenings."
"Every known affinity has a recognizable energy signature."
"Fire produces heat."
"Ice produces cold."
"Light produces radiance."
"Darkness produces shadow."
"Even rare mutations have been recorded."
He pointed toward the shattered crystal.
"But this..."
He paused.
"This did not produce an affinity signature."
Michael's expression became serious.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian looked at him.
"It means we don't know what Kelvin awakened."
The hall became silent again.
Kelvin's heart pounded.
The Headmaster continued.
"However, there is something more concerning."
He walked toward the shattered crystal.
One of the instructors examined a fragment.
His face suddenly changed.
"Headmaster."
"What?"
"There is no magical residue."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
The instructor held the crystal fragment up.
"When someone awakens, the crystal normally absorbs part of their energy. Even after the ceremony, traces remain."
He looked at Kelvin.
"But there is nothing here."
The Headmaster slowly turned toward Kelvin.
"You didn't awaken by using the crystal."
Kelvin's heart skipped.
"What?"
"You awakened by breaking it."
Nobody spoke.
Then a voice came from the crowd.
"Maybe he destroyed it because he has too much power!"
Another student shouted:
"Impossible! He's only Level 1!"
Someone else whispered:
"Maybe he's a monster."
Kelvin's expression changed.
He stepped backward.
"No."
His voice trembled.
"I'm not a monster."
Sofia stepped forward.
"He's not!"
John stood beside her.
"Kelvin is our friend."
Michael's shadow stretched across the floor.
"If anyone wants to call him a monster, they can say it to my face."
Lydia moved beside Kelvin.
"He has never harmed anyone."
Kelvin looked at them.
For the first time since the ceremony began, he felt less afraid.
He wasn't alone.
Headmaster Adrian watched the four friends.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
He turned toward Kelvin.
"You have good friends."
Kelvin nodded.
"They're my family."
The word escaped his mouth naturally.
Family.
He had lost his parents.
But over the years, Sofia, John, Michael, and Lydia had become the closest thing he had to one.
Adrian's expression softened.
Then—
A System window suddenly appeared before Kelvin.
Only he could see it.
[Hidden Mission Activated.]
MISSION: HIDE THE SOUL
Objective: Conceal the true nature of your awakened power.
Reason: Soul Magic has been classified as forbidden.
Reward: Unknown.
Failure: Unknown.
Kelvin's eyes widened.
Forbidden?
Before he could think further, another message appeared.
[New Skill Acquired.]
Soul Perception
Rank: F
Description: Allows the user to perceive the spiritual presence of living beings.
Kelvin blinked.
Suddenly, the world changed.
Everyone around him began glowing.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
He could see faint shapes inside their bodies.
Sofia's soul appeared like a brilliant golden flame.
John's was pale blue.
Michael's was almost completely black.
Lydia's glowed soft green.
The instructors possessed stronger and denser souls.
But Headmaster Adrian...
Kelvin stared.
His soul was enormous.
It looked like a blazing star.
Kelvin immediately stopped using the ability.
His vision returned to normal.
He took a deep breath.
He couldn't let anyone know.
Not yet.
Headmaster Adrian walked closer.
"Kelvin."
"Yes?"
"For now, your awakening will remain confidential."
Kelvin looked surprised.
"Why?"
"Because I don't know what you've awakened."
Adrian lowered his voice.
"And until I know, neither should the rest of Aurora."
Kelvin nodded.
"Thank you."
The Headmaster turned toward the instructors.
"The ceremony is suspended."
The students erupted.
"But what about the remaining candidates?"
"They'll continue tomorrow."
The barriers disappeared.
The students began leaving the hall.
Kelvin's friends surrounded him.
John grinned.
"So..."
Kelvin looked at him.
"You're hiding something."
Kelvin's heart jumped.
Michael narrowed his eyes.
"I noticed it too."
Sofia crossed her arms.
"You're terrible at hiding things."
Lydia smiled.
"Are you okay?"
Kelvin looked at all four of them.
He almost told them.
Almost.
But the System warning returned to his mind.
SOUL MAGIC HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS FORBIDDEN.
Kelvin forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
John stared at him.
"You're lying."
Before Kelvin could respond—
BOOM!
A distant explosion shook the entire Academy.
Everyone stopped.
A second explosion followed.
BOOOOOOM!
Students screamed.
The Academy's emergency alarm began ringing.
WEEEEEEEEEE!
Headmaster Adrian's expression changed instantly.
"Everyone remain inside!"
An instructor rushed into the hall.
"Headmaster!"
"What happened?"
The instructor was breathing heavily.
"A magical beast has appeared outside the city."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"What rank?"
The instructor hesitated.
Then he whispered:
"Unknown."
The hall fell silent.
Unknown.
That word had terrified the instructor more than any rank could.
Adrian immediately summoned his weapon.
A long silver staff appeared in his hand.
"Evacuate the students."
Then he looked toward Kelvin.
For the briefest moment, something unreadable appeared in his eyes.
Fear.
Not fear of the beast.
Fear of what Kelvin might be.
Far beyond the Academy walls, a roar shook the sky.
ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!
Kelvin felt something inside his soul respond.
His chest became hot.
The black mark on his palm appeared again.
And this time...
a voice whispered directly into his mind.
"Find me."
Kelvin's eyes widened.
He looked toward the distant sky.
Something was coming.
Something connected to him.
And somewhere beyond the walls of Valoria...
a pair of ancient eyes opened.
The creature smiled.
"After five thousand years..."
"The Soul Heir has finally awakened."
TO BE CONTINUED...