Ira was in shock from what the supposed Oracle had just stated.
'Die..!? In six years? What a load of-!' Suddenly, her train of thought was cut off by the Oracle:
"The world as you know it, is on the brink of collapse. Purge Beasts spill blood every single day—corpses are burned to prevent contamination, leaving families an empty casket to bury. You may believe that none of this affects you, Ira—but it has, and it will continue until your last breath is drawn from your body, and your corpse is burned with the piles of the dead as many like you have before."
The Oracle sighed, taking in a deep breath the next moment. Ira was tense and paranoid by this point, unable to keep her hands from shaking.
"I am here to give you a chance at survival. It is up to you to decide whether or not you are willing to take it—but know this: billions will die without you."
The silver-haired girl was left in shock, her mind was clashing against her instincts at every waking moment of her existence. Her mind was telling her that this was some sick joke from a scammer—her instincts, however, subconsciously told her that the Oracle's words held no deceit.
A voice that seemed to cut the world resounded out—it was the Oracle; awakening crystal in hand, she outstretched her palm towards Ira, beckoning the silver-haired girl to take it.
"Heed my call child of hope—no, Champion Of Hope, and undergo my trial!"
Ira had only heard of trials from the awakened. From what she knew, trials were the obstacles preventing a person from becoming a Divine, each one having its own requirements to complete. There were a total of seven trials for each rank.
The ranks were something Resonance used to determine how far along someone was in becoming a god. There were the Dormant, those who had consumed an awakening crystal, causing them to awaken. The Awakened, people who managed to kill their benighted self, which was created upon achieving the Dormant rank. The Crested—the strongest of humanity; those who had overcome The Reverberant, an insidious voice that attempted to consume an awakened mind. If conquered, a person would become a Crested.
There were also the Crowned, Sage, Celestial, and Divine ranks, which no human had ever achieved.
There were also the classes, a categorized group of titles used to determine how powerful a being is compared to creatures of the same rank.
Beast, Monster, Fiend, Demon, Tyrant, Terror, and Leviathan; beings of the Leviathan class were especially powerful, possessing a frightening human-like intelligence. Beings of the Tyrant class were capable of murdering those a rank above them, as long as they weren't of the Fiend class or higher.
Both human and beast were capable of climbing the tiers of classes.
'I wonder what rank she is to be able to give out trials.. I thought only Resonance could do that? Maybe she is a Celestial... or a Divine..?"
With a shaky breath, Ira made her decision.
"If I am truly going to die within the next six years.. I would rather know what I am dying to than die an unknown death."
Ira grimaced at her situation; her body felt weak and her mind was foggy, but she did not want to die. The silver-haired girl took the awakening crystal of an unknown tier and crushed it with her hand.
It had been surprisingly easy, crumbling away the moment Ira applied the slightest amount of pressure.
'Is that it.. I don't feel any different?'
Suddenly, a surge of heat spread throughout the silver-haired girl's body, before collapsing into a single point. Waves of heat spread through Ira's entire being as the spherical mass of heat pulsated, mapping out her body, mind, and soul.
The silver-haired girl fell to her knees, clutching her chest as the intensity of the flame grew. Her soul was emptied completely, depriving her of any emotions temporarily; in the next moment, the spherical mass of spiritual flame began to fill her soul with a passionate array of emotions, alongside what seemed to be her gift—her echo ability.
The blazing sphere of heat began to settle inside of Ira's soul; the flame burning inside her finally became bearable for her to withstand.
◇
A mechanical voice resounded through Ira's head:
[You Have Successfully Completed The Trial Of The Soul Bestowed Upon You by the Shadow Of -Unknown-, Achieving The Dormant Rank.]
Ira felt pristine, her broken rib now fully healed. This was the effect awakening had on someone; but no physical difference was made to her body. People of the Dormant rank were still physically human, excluding the fact that they possessed an Echo.
"Now then, Champion of Hope. After you complete my trial, you must join the 'Gate Incursion Response Specialists.' From there, the path you tread is your own."
The "Gate Incursion Response Specialists," abbreviated to GIRS, are responsible for containing gate outbreaks. The fort that governs GIRS is titled Fort Bravo Assault Division. Many awakened choose GIRS due to its low requirements and high pay. There were a few other jobs an awakened—and only an awakened could do, but many of those required people of a certain class to join.
For the first time in two years, Ira felt uncertain after making a decision. She did not want to end up like her parents; mauled to death by Purge Beasts. But her hand was forced; at least this way she would certainly know what type of death awaited her, instead of leaving it up to the cruel, twisted fate that demanded her life within the next six years.
At least now she had a fighting chance—a chance to shatter fate and reclaim her life as her own.
"Now then, Champion of Hope. I wish you the best of luck in your mission to slay the beast. Goodbye, Ira."
Before Ira could let out a word, her vision went dark, her mind tranquil; she was free from stress and paranoia.
Suddenly, her mind was disturbed, instantly becoming a raging sea of self-doubt, paranoia, and anxiety—everythingshe had lacked a moment prior, nearly sending her into a state of shock. The struggles she dealt with all came crashing down, her mind heavy, and the sun blazing down onto her filled the young girl with a sense of nausea...
...
The sun?
'Where the hell am I!?'
All around her, sand dunes were visible, seemingly stretching on endlessly. Not only that, but her attire had completely changed.
Now, she was wearing a long scarf that covered the top of her head and wrapped around her neck, long baggy jeans, leather boots, and a simple tunic.
'A desert? Just my luck..!'
Her luck had always been horrible, but at least it never cost her own life. She was unsure if she would survive this, but the silver-haired girl would not die begging for mercy—she would fight until her last breath, no matter what.