Finally, I stepped into the massive hall.
The air felt thick and stuffy—a gross mix of old paper, cheap fabric, and the sour sweat of teenagers who clearly hadn't showered that morning. Hundreds of chairs stood in neat rows, packed with kids my age—fifteen. Most of them still looked like snot-nosed brats: acne-scarred faces, scrawny builds, hair sticking out in every direction like they'd just discovered combs existed. The faint, earthy smell of kencur clung stubbornly to the crowd.
But the front rows were a different world entirely. A handful of boys and girls sat there looking far too mature for their age. Straight postures, sharp eyes, the faint whiff of expensive perfume drifting through the air. They lounged in plush leather chairs padded with thick foam, dressed in fine silk embroidered with intricate gold thread. Meanwhile, here I was—stuck in the very back row on a rock-hard plastic seat that dug coldly into my hip bones. My orphanage uniform—faded gray cotton washed to death—clung to a body too tall and too muscled for a fifteen-year-old.
Why the hell was the difference so blatant?
The question gnawed at me until a shard of the original body's memory stabbed in like an icy needle.
In this world, there was **awakening**. Supernatural power that only "chosen" people could unlock. Potential could be tested as early as age ten. The elite kids up front? They'd aced that test with perfect scores. Official prospective **awakeners**.
The guy whose body I took had been tested too. Result? Big fat zero. No energy fluctuation, no sign of talent. Just an average kid—hell, below average.
Fuck.
The faint spark of hope that had flickered in my chest snuffed out like a candle in the wind. No matter how much combat experience and killer instincts I'd carried over from my old life on Earth, it all felt worthless here. Awakeners had access to a Core—an internal energy pool they could cultivate into devastating power, healing, political influence, limitless wealth. Without one, I was nothing but dust in this new world.
I even started questioning the whole damn transmigration shtick. What was the point of crossing worlds if I just ended up in a body with no future? Freedom, living wild, no fear—sounded like one cruel fucking joke.
"Attention! Everyone stand and pay respects!"
The chairman's sharp voice shattered the silence. We all rose in unison and bowed deeply. Even I moved on reflex—the muscle memory in this body was already drilled to submit.
The main doors opened slowly.
Three figures entered. Their steps were light, but every one carried weight.
In the center: Lysandra. Long golden hair cascading like a waterfall of sunlight, sapphire eyes soft yet capable of freezing blood in your veins. Her white saintly gown shimmered faintly under the crystal chandeliers.
Flanking her: two women in black haori robes styled like something from the East, silver dragon emblems on their backs that seemed to writhe if you stared too long. Black masks patterned with cherry blossoms covered half their faces, leaving only their eyes and thin red lips visible. Their auras felt like sheathed blades—calm, but ready to kill at any second.
My gaze accidentally locked with the one on Lysandra's left. Amethyst eyes.
Beautiful. Too beautiful. Unreal.
Her faint smile was gentle, but those eyes were bottomless wells. For a split second, filthy thoughts flashed through my mind—things I shouldn't be imagining about a woman like her. She didn't get mad. Instead, the corner of her mouth curved just a fraction higher—a smile that made my skin crawl.
And in that instant, her eyes flashed bright. Just a fraction of a second. But my battle-honed instincts screamed: She saw everything.
Every secret, every dark intention I kept buried—she read it all in one blink.
Shock flickered across her flawless face—barely a moment—before it smoothed back into perfect ice.
Lysandra began to speak, her voice soft like harp strings.
"Congratulations. All of you have reached fifteen—the age when you begin walking the path of adulthood. I won't drag this out with a long speech. I simply want to say: welcome to the start of your own lives."
She smiled warmly, sweeping her gaze across the hall.
"But of course, we won't send you off empty-handed. Since childhood, you've all been trained according to your individual talents."
Her eyes shifted to the front rows.
"For the first wave, we begin with the prospective awakeners."
They stood as one, chests puffed with pride. Their expensive perfume grew stronger.
Lysandra extended a graceful hand toward the two mysterious women.
"Before you stand representatives of the Ryuujin Clan—the biggest sponsor of this orphanage. They will escort you to the training base for final selection as official awakeners under one of the nation's pillars of power."
The hall erupted in awed murmurs. Even the normal kids in the back gaped.
I just stared at the worn wooden floor. No fire left in me.
But then—
"Wait. Only those with potential?"
That velvety voice—smooth as brushed velvet stroking the ear—cut through the noise. The amethyst-eyed woman spoke.
Lysandra nodded politely. "Yes, my lady. They have been comprehensively tested and verified. Their potential was confirmed by standard Core measurement devices."
"Hmm…" She hummed softly, then her gaze snapped straight to me—like an arrow finding its mark.
"Hey, silver-haired boy with crimson eyes. Step forward. Face me directly."
Her soft tone carried undeniable pressure. Refusing felt like suicide.
I was stunned, but what choice did an orphanage kid have?
I walked forward carefully and stood before her, head slightly bowed. My heart hammered—not from fear, but from a bad premonition I couldn't shake.
She studied me from my scuffed shoes to the top of my head. Then nodded, satisfied.
"Besides being unusually handsome and tall for your age… I've found something far rarer."
Her eyes flared bright. Her pupils shifted—deep red, patterned with six artistic, terrifying cherry blossom petals, like a demon's brand.
"No mistake. Your energy pool is vast and solid—like an untouched lake. Your spiritual core is pure and clean, without the slightest blockage. This… is almost impossible to find in someone your age."
I froze. What the hell was she talking about?
"But strange," she continued, frowning slightly. "There's no trace of energy flow at all. You've never been taught basic meditation? Not even simple breathing techniques?"
I shook my head, voice hoarse. "Sorry, my lady… I don't even know how. When I was tested before, the device didn't react at all. Zero."
She gave a small smile—one that jolted my heart.
"Very interesting. Very well." Her eyes narrowed with clear interest. "From now on, I will guide you personally."
Lysandra hesitated. "My lady…"
"Lysandra," she cut in, soft but firm. "I'm taking this boy. Send the other prospective awakeners to the base as planned. I have no intention of harming him. Quite the opposite—I will take very good care of him."
No one dared object.
She reached out and took my hand. Her fingers—smooth, warm, yet cool at the tips—interlaced tightly with mine. The touch hit like static electricity, raising goosebumps and triggering an embarrassingly natural teenage reaction since I'd never been touched by a woman like this.
She smiled playfully and tugged me closer until my shoulder nearly brushed her arm.
"Come on, don't be shy. From now on, big sister will take excellent care of you, little brother."
Behind us, the arrogant guys in the front row could only swallow their jealousy. The talentless trash they'd dismissed… suddenly being led away by the most powerful woman in the room.
Outside in the lobby, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom waited, engine purring low like a sleeping beast.
One of the masked oriental women opened the door with flawless grace.
The amethyst-eyed woman gestured for me to get in first. I slid to the far side, leaving space.
She entered and sat beside me. The door closed softly, cutting off the outside world.
The car glided smoothly out of the orphanage grounds, leaving the old building behind.
I glanced sideways. She watched me with that faint, unreadable smile—equal parts affection and something much darker.
"Ready to begin your new life, little brother?"
My heart pounded hard.
I couldn't tell if this was the start of insane luck… or the entrance to a trap far more dangerous than anything I'd ever faced back on Earth.