THE GIFTING 02

Thereafter the students were split into five different groups and headed to the different gifting centers they were assigned to.

Christian group was the second group and was assigned to the gifting center in the Eastern wing of the school.

In the large hall, towards its end, a large dark tent has been set up. The students couldn't see through the materials the tent was made of, but they could feel a dangerous and intimidating aura emanating from the tent, and it made the hair on the back of their necks stood up as if to answer Creator's call.

But there was no way for them to know what laid in there which only increased the nervousness of the students and frightened them further. They began conversing within themselves to see if anyone has any idea as to what is inside the tent and that made the calm and peaceful atmosphere in the hall long gone only to be replaced by the shivering and chattering of the students.

"Arrange yourselves according to the numbers you were assigned and stay five in a row immediately" another loud voice belonging to a middle-aged man sounded in the large hall

"what's it with all the teachers yelling so loud today" a student grumbled before quickly standing at attention behind the other student ahead of him.

The once-bustling atmosphere once again became eerie quiet to the extent that the students could hear their haggard breaths within themselves.

Most were scared, others nervous, while the most pretty confident ones of the group were anxiously waiting for the event to begin.

Once they finished lining up, the same teacher spoke again with a much louder and authoritative voice

"once your number has been called you're to go inside the tents and you'll be attended to there. As for the rest of you, that'll remain out here regardless of what you happen to hear or see you are to stay absolutely quiet, no opinions voiced and no questions asked understood?" the teacher roared once more

"Sir, yes sir!" the students answered once more despite their overwhelming emotions

"good, number 21 you are up".

"sir" he salutes then willingly advanced until he stepped inside the tent.

The rest of us began waiting in anticipation with cold sweat dripping down a few faces, and the other's legs were visibly shaking due to the extreme pressure emanating from the tent.

A few minutes later and as if to further put us in despair:

it was then

"kwiaaah"

A terrifyingly loud voice cried out. It was so loud, filled with vigor and so in pain that we were forced to move our hands and hold it over our ears to refrain ourselves from hearing the continuous cry of pain that threatened to make our ears bleed.

Others were now visibly shaking to the extent that some weak-minded ones dropped to the floor in total despair.

Seconds later the yelling stopped

"uhn? Is… is he d...dead" a boy on the verge of crying asked while stuttering

Not long after student number 21 named Ken walked out of the tent.

He was emanating this warm and gentle glow around his body that made him seem very welcoming and trustworthy.

To say we were shocked was an understatement, to say the least.

Aside from the sudden power of air we could feel around him, his stature seemed to have improved also quite visibly, as well as his shape, as his body was now more muscular than before also.

It was a spectacular, yet terrifying experience. Especially the part of the pain one had to go through, and the strange aura still coming from the tent that still has everyone terrified.

But judging from the aftermath of everything the results seem worth it in the end at least from Christian's point of view, because hesitation can still be seen in some of the students' eyes.

They were afraid of having to experience such extreme pain. Besides, not everyone will be lucky enough to achieve a high rank just after the process, others might be granted with low rank before they will have to train harder before being able to achieve a higher rank. But still, that is not guaranteed, as for some individuals the rank they obtain after the gifting might be the highest rank they could ever attain in their lives because their body can no longer absorb more dust particles from the surroundings due to the body having contained the maximum amount of dust particles it can hold.

And that's the exact reason that's making the weakest of the students hesitate because dust improves the overall capabilities of an individual when going through the gifting event which is to say, the stronger one was before going through the process determines the rank one was likely to have thereafter.

But the weak students were still afraid of having to go through such a painful process and still come out in the end with a low rank and a 50-50 chance of being able to further progress from there or not.

But there was nothing they could do about it as it is deemed as a law to go through the gifting event at the age of sixteen and they were sixteen already so they had no choice but to partake in the situation at hand now.

*****

Half an hour later...

"number 30 please come forward" the guide announced once more,

however...

Badump, badump, badump...

Christian's heartbeat was so fast and hard that it hurts inside his chest as he salutes

"sir"

Before walking towards the tent. once he entered the first thing he saw was a machine that has a cylinder-like shaped glass at the front covering the inside of the machine that is currently filled with steam preventing him from seeing what was inside

He was taken aback and brought out of his daze when a heard a calm soft voice call out to him.

"Number 30, please confirm if your names are Christian Major Alfred"

Christian shifted his eyes to his side to see the owner of the voice and was stunned!

She was indeed a beauty with an average frame and exquisite small face and cute wide eyes that were waiting in anticipation of his answer

"hmm"

He did that out of shock and fear when he saw the rank displayed on her communicator

'gulp'

Christian gulped hard while staring intently at the huge 'A' that was glaring back at him for 'staring too much and that's when she asked again

"number 30 please confirm if your full names are Christian Major Alfred!"

"aha"

Christian then realized that he hasn't replied to her question, and out of fear, shock, and respect he salutes then confirmed saying

"yes ma'am"

She smiled at Christian before nodding then commented

"that's more like it" she giggled before instructing him further to go 'under a shower? am not sure! but it does look like one and head to the machine afterward.

He nodded before he walked over and stood under it.

'1... 2... 3' seconds later a bone piercing chilled water rained down on him. Later when he regained himself he found out that the water had stopped raining down on him.

'phew, thank God that's over' Christian said while walking over to stand in front of the machine as instructed.

But once again:

'badump' 'badump'

His heart start beating like crazy again -- because the aura that was overwhelming to them outside seemed to have been coming from the machine itself and it seems to be even more magnified now that he was standing before it.

Immediately he stood face to face with the machine the glass door covering the inside moved away thereby releasing the steam trapped inside.

"Take off all forms of clothing from your upper body and step inside"

'what' Chris said internally before taking off his shirt, exposing his frail and weak frame laid underneath

'now I understand why the male guide always steps out when it's a female turn to be gifted'

Christian kept on thinking while he settled down inside the machine with his face in a tint of red showing that he was embarrassed about having to expose his frail body in the presence of such a pretty lady.

Immediately he settled down the restraining belt in the machine quickly wrapped around his wrists and then his legs also keeping him in a standstill position, and the glass suddenly closed shut.

Trying to calm himself down Christian kept on mumbling to himself

"am here already there's no turning back, no turning back"

he kept on saying this repeatedly until warm bright lights turned on inside the machine along the edge by his sides. They kept on getting warmer and warmer and when it got hot enough he could see steams evaporating from his body and starting to fill the space around clouding his vision.

Afterward, he could see golden specks of light that were small like little grain of sands floating about amid the steam. And like how magnets attract iron, he could feel his body calling out to the 'Dust particles' as they all rushed towards him.

He could feel that they were attaching themselves to his skin, they felt rough and irregular like little grains of sands and were mixing with his sweat. And the strangest part was that after the appearance of the clouds of dust he could no longer feel his sweat getting evaporated from his body neither were they rolling off and falling to the floor, they were just there remaining stagnant on his skin.....

A few seconds later he suddenly felt a burning sensation on his skin. At first, it was like an itch, then it became hotter and more unbearable as he could hear his skin sizzling, and he was trying to hold the pain in and refrain from screaming.

It was then

"aggh"

He yelled out like all the students before he did when the second phase started. He could feel his body fluids that were mixed with the countless number of dust prying their way back into his body through every pore found on his skin and were making their way into his system.

He could feel it, he could feel his body being reinforced and magnified, he could feel his bones become sturdier, his weak muscles were now brimming and bustling with strength, his perception and senses were fairly sharper and more sensitive than they used to be. Including his body build, that were gradually been improved generally.

In short, he had become an entirely different person.

The machine released cool vaporized steam that calmed the scorching heat on his skin that he has been subdued to for what felt like an eternity to him but merely lasted for minutes.

Finally been able to relax, he focused on his breathing and managed to calm down his wildly beating heart, took in one more deep breath, composed himself, before the restraining belt all loosened up and the glass opened up. He then stepped out.