~DING~DING!~

The dinging of an early morning alarm echoed as the sun was creeping into the sky, a warm breeze flowing through the tall arched windows of a house located in a quiet neighborhood in Pantheon, the sprawling Capital City of the Human Empire.

~DING~DING!~

“Ugh… just five more minutes…” came the groggy voice of a young man buried beneath layers of woolen blankets.

“Absolutely not!” a bright, stern voice snapped back, “Get up, you overgrown sloth! Today’s the day you awaken your Mana!”

The blankets were yanked away and Albedo shot up in bed, squinting groggily into the morning light. His platinum blond hair was disheveled and his sharp sky-blue eyes blinked away the remnants of sleep.

Standing at the foot of his bed, hands on her hips, was Gwen.

Now ten years old, Gwen had inherited the silver hair of her father, with the emerald eyes of her mother, those eyes sparkled with intelligence and mischief.

Her soft features carried the elegance of someone born to nobility, though they were anything but, being commoners who happened to have wealth.

“Come on, Brother. You can’t possibly sleep through your own Awakening Day,” she huffed, crossing her arms, Albedo groaned and rubbed his face. “Alright, alright, I’m up…”

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched, his joints cracking in protest.

Though he was only sixteen, he was tall, around 6’3 already, his physique was lean, yet his muscles were noticeable.

His features were sharper than they had been ten years ago, yet instead of the childlike glimmer in his eyes, they instead held an expression of indifference, as if nothing in the world could bother him.

As Gwen left the room to prepare breakfast, Albedo sat in silence for a moment, staring at his own hands. A strange feeling pulsed through his chest, excitement, nervousness, and a heavy, quiet grief that had never quite left.

Ten years.

It had been ten years since that night.

The screams. The flames. The dark aura. His parents’ final stand. The searing pain. The crimson flame that had saved his life.

And then… darkness.

When he woke up, he was in the middle of nowhere, with Gwen in his arms.

His wounds were all healed, and there was a floating line of text in front of him.

[ System partially awakened to save Host from death. Features such as Status and Inventory will be opened. Full System operation will commence upon Host’s Mana Awakening. ]

That’s right, he had awakened his system.

When it happened, Albedo was shocked and excited. He had his cheat, and all he could think about after that point was getting stronger.

He had accessed the legacy his parents left for him.

The necklace was a special storage artifact which contained a bank card that was filled with money that was prepared for Albedo and Gwen for when they ‘left the nest’ and began living on their own, alongside another card holding his parent’s savings.

They were Hunters back in their prime who were decently successful, so they had a sufficient stash.

The necklace also held detailed pre-awakening training manuals, weapons and basically anything else that would help in preparing Albedo for his Mana Awakening.

It also held the location for a house his parents had owned in the Capital, the one they’re living in right now.

With all that information, Albedo had brought Gwen and begun living here, enrolling her in the best Academy he could pay for.

Whilst she couldn’t go to one filled with Nobles, he paid for the next best thing.

As for himself, he remained homeschooled.

Anything he would learn in an Academy for non-awakened, he already knew from the Novel, or from browsing the internet.

Instead, he spent his time training.

He pushed his body and mind to the limit, sometimes passing out and needing Gwen to help him recover. Day by day, week by week and so on, he spent almost every hour preparing himself to awaken.

He never stopped, because he never forgot.

Every time he slept, the dream returned, the smell of burning flesh, the sight of villagers dying, the helplessness of being a child again. The last look in his father’s eyes. The feel of his mother’s arms around him.

“I’ll live,” he murmured, finishing his stretch, “For you both. And for Gwen.”

By the time he came downstairs, the scent of roasted mana-shrooms, monster eggs, and vegetables filled the kitchen.

Gwen hummed as she flipped the pan with practiced ease, “Good morning, sleepyhead. Food’s almost done. Eat quickly. You need to drop me off at the Academy before your awakening.”

“So…..are you excited?” she asked.

Albedo raised an eyebrow, mouth still full with roasted mana-shrooms.

Gwen answered her own question before he could speak.

“Of course you are,” she laughed, “It’s your Awakening Day. You’ve trained like a lunatic for it since I was still losing baby teeth. What kind of Gift do you think you’ll get?”

Albedo swallowed, his eyes thoughtful for a moment.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly, “But I’m confident it’ll be something strong. Something useful.”

“You better not awaken something lame like Enhanced Taste,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

“I’d use it to become the greatest chef in the Empire,” Albedo deadpanned.

Gwen snorted into her cup of tea, “Sure you would.”

They shared a short laugh before silence returned, but it wasn’t awkward, it was warm, like family should be.

Albedo glanced at his sister. Even after ten years, it was hard to believe she’d grown this much. He still remembered the way her tiny hands had clutched his robe the night they escaped, her muffled sobs, and the weight of her in his arms.

He never let go of that memory. Never would.

“You’ll be okay at the Academy today, right?” he asked, his voice quiet.

Gwen raised an eyebrow, “Of course. I go to Sorenka, not some underfunded alley school. We even learned how the basics of Survival when in the wild last week.”

Albedo smiled faintly, “Just making sure.”

Once they finished eating, Gwen ran upstairs to quickly shower and put on her uniform, while Albedo went to his own personal bathroom to do the same, but instead of a uniform, just some normal clothing.

Once they were both ready, Albedo slung his long brown coat over his shoulders. It was trimmed with faint rune-stitching, part enchantment, part symbolism.

Underneath, his black tunic and pants were reinforced with flexible mana-resistant fibers. He didn’t expect danger today, but Albedo was always prepared.

Always.

They stepped out into the busy streets of Pantheon.

The Capital City was absolutely humungous. Compared to the biggest City back on Earth, it was at least 4x the size.

There was at least dozens of districts, and Albedo himself still hadn’t even seen half the City in his over 10 years living here, there was just no reason to explore certain parts.

They walked and quickly arrived at a Mana Train, paying their fee and entering. Once seated, Gwen quickly began to ramble about her classes.

She spoke about her Rune Theory lesson, about the boy who got zapped trying to impress a girl with a lightning rune and how her homeroom teacher, a Amethyst rank Hunter, used illusions to teach.

Albedo only half-listened, not surprised that an Amethyst rank was a teacher, the pay for private schools were intense, and it would allow them to continue their research.

The main Mana Rank were: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Amethyst, Diamond, Star, Holy, God!

Each Mana Rank was divided into four stages: Low – Mid – High and Peak!

Still, his mind was mostly on his upcoming awakening ceremony.

For most races, Elves, Demons, Dwarves, and Beastkin, mana flowed through their bodies from birth. It matured alongside them, granting them spells and strength as they grew.

But Humans were different.

Humans could not awaken mana until the age of sixteen. Their bodies simply weren’t capable of withstanding it before then.

This is because Mana circulates through the body using Mana Veins, and is pumped evenly through the body and collected at the Heart, but the Mana Veins and hearts of Humans aren’t mature enough until age 16 to withstand Mana.

It was a quirk of evolution, or perhaps divine design.

As compensation, the Gods had gifted Humanity something special.

Gifts.

Mysterious abilities unlocked at the moment of Mana Awakening. Each Human received one, and only one, in their entire lifetime.

Some gifts were simple, like just having heightened reflexes, but other gifts were so powerful they completely warped the way persons approached battles.

Teleportation. Anti-Magic Zones. Elemental Immunity. Psychic Nullification and more.

No one knew how the Gifts were chosen, some said fate, others said the soul. Some even claimed it was a reflection of one’s desires at the moment of Awakening.

All Albedo knew was that he had trained harder than anyone to be ready for it.

He had sacrificed his childhood, honed every inch of his body, drilled every combat scenario in his mind. He studied magic theory, formation mechanics, and battle strategy.

He had already lived one childhood on Earth, he didn’t need a 2nd, he needed power, power to get revenge on those who ruined his family.

And now the moment had come.

“Hey.”

Gwen’s voice cut through his thoughts.

He looked down and saw her staring up at him with a small smile, “You’ll get something amazing. I just know it.”

Albedo paused, then smiled faintly. “I better. I’d hate to disappoint my number one fan.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

They reached the front gates of Sorenka Academy, a grand structure with silver spires and magically-reinforced glass windows. A crest bearing a silver quill wrapped in ivy sat above the archway.

Children in various uniforms filed in, some chattering excitedly, others dragging their feet. A few instructors in enchanted robes stood by, monitoring the flow of students.

“Go,” she said, pushing him lightly. “Go get your Gift, big brother.”

He nodded. “I’ll be back to pick you up after.”

“You better be glowing with power by then or you’ll be sleeping on the streets.” Gwen said and hurriedly ran off into the Academy.

Albedo stood there for a moment longer, then turned on his heel and began walking toward the Awakening Hall, located within the Imperial District.

With the threat of the Abyss, every major City had an awakening Hall, and the Capital was no different.

Today, his journey truly began.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep