Tom’s eye slowly fluttered open, the first thing he noticed was the unfamiliar ceiling and then he felt it. Someone’s gaze on him, slowly turning his head he was met by a breath-taking sight. A beautiful pale skinned young woman his age with Raven black hair tied into a messy bun and her ebony colored eyes that he could see clearly through her glasses sat by his side while holding a book in hand.
"What are you staring?" she asked.
Even her voice was beautiful though it was slightly raspy, hearing her words he blushed and hurriedly looked away.
"What happened to me?" he finally asked after calming himself done and taking note that he was in the academy’s infirmary.
"Beats me, it was my first time seeing someone pass out from their awakening." she shrugged "To my knowledge the process is not even painful, so would you care to explain what happened?"
Tom recalled the event that took place during his awakening, he recalled Neher’s words; "I know you want answers but you are still to weak to carry the burden of such knowledge, we will meet again when you grow stronger."
His instinct told him that telling anyone the details of what he had experienced would put his life in grave danger, so he chose the less dangerous path. The path of the fool. He shrugged and slowly shook his head.
"I don’t know, all I know was that I was very nervous about the results. I must have passed out from the stress." he lied.
She raised a brow and continued to stare at him intensely, he knew she did not buy his explanation. But there was nothing he could do.
"I see, well Thomas you have been out for a week. You missed orientation and dorm assignment, plus you are a week behind your fellow classmates." she said placing the book down "Lucky for you I had one of your classmates record every single class you missed on the their memory artifact, no need to thank me."
Tom stopped listening the moment he heard "You missed orientation,", orientation was for people who had received good Talents ranging from grade D upwards. It had to have been because of his fruitful encounter with Neher, otherwise how could he explain this.
"Are you even listening to me Thomas?" she asked snapping him back to reality.
"Ah, yes... Orientation." he said nodding.
"Exactly. Orientation," she repeated, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "Which means you aren’t just a regular lesser-blood anymore, Thomas. You missed the grand welcoming speech about our glorious home."
Tom knew the history well enough, but hearing her mention it brought the weight of his reality crashing back. They lived in the Kingdom of Samra, a massive, iron-fisted empire that had stood for exactly 2,000 years. It was originally founded by the legendary First King, a man who conquered the lands and established the brutal social hierarchy that still governed every breath they took today. In Samra, your bloodline and your awakened Talent determined whether you were a king or a slave.
"The Headmaster gave a whole lecture on the First King’s legacy like he always does," She continued, her tone carrying a hint of practiced cynicism. "the usual how Blackspear Academy is the forge meant to create elite weapons for the crown.
From her words Tom had deduced the fact that they were not in the same year, she was hi senior. But then one thing kept bothering him and that was the question as to why was a senior he had never met before doing all of this for him?
"I have a question, I am pretty sure you are my senior and I know for a fact that I have never met you prior to today." he said, trying to maintain eye contact but failing. "My question is why are you doing all of this for me?"
She looked at him with a blank expression for a long while that it began to make him feel uncomfortable and he cursed himself for asking the question. But then realization visibly dawned on her and she made a face.
"Huh, what... Shit, I see how it looks." she said, massaging her temple. "how do I say this, uhm I use you as an excuse to skip classes."
Tom’s jaw almost fell to the floor hearing her reason. This breathtakingly beautiful young lady was using his comatose body as a convenient excuse to skip her own classes. And she had been doing it for an entire week. Just who the hell was she?
"Who are you really?" he asked after calming himself down.
She closed her book with a soft, decisive snap and stood up, smoothing down her uniform. "Well, my time is up anyway," she said, looking down at him with a faint, amused smirk. "It looks like you have fully recovered, so I will take my leave. As for my identity? You don’t need to worry about that. Not right now, anyway."
She slipped the book under her arm and turned on her heel, walking toward the heavy wooden door of the infirmary with slow, confident strides. Tom could only watch her go, completely baffled by her chaotic energy.
Just as her hand gripped the iron doorknob, she paused. She didn’t turn around completely, only glancing over her shoulder, the light catching the edge of her glasses.
"Oh, by the way," she said carelessly, as if remembering a minor piece of gossip. "You awakened a Grade A utility talent."
With that bombshell dropped, she pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway, leaving Tom completely frozen in his hospital bed as the door clicked shut behind her.
A Grade A talent. For a lesser-blood, an elite rank. But a utility talent meant it wasn’t a combat-focused power, which explained why the academy officials were not swarming around him.
Before he could even process the shock, a sharp, digital chime echoed directly inside his mind, and a translucent screen flashed to life before his eyes reminding of the horror he witnessed the first time he passed out.
[ SYSTEM CALIBRATION COMPLETE ]
[ SOUL CAPACITY STABILIZED ]
[ SUCCESSOR INTERFACE INITIALIZED ]
Host Name: Thomas
Age: 15 Years
Awakened Talent: Endless Adaption
[ ACTIVE PROTOCOL: SHIELDING & DECEPTION ]
* Status: True power signature successfully suppressed.
* Action: System has fed false data to the awakening crystal.
* Result: External evaluation forced to display [Grade A Utility Talent].
[ WARNING: Do not reveal true status to citizens of Samra. ]
[ Would you like to view your actual unlocked attributes? Y/N ]
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