Awakening

The next morning, the students gathered in Section 14 of the base which was divided into 25 colossal sections, each with a specific purpose.

Section 14 was a colossal chamber with walls covered in intricate engravings that glowed faintly, pulsating with energy from the Nytherite-powered coolers. Inside, the air was cold and the atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation and nervous chatter.

Rows of seats surrounded a central platform where seven large sets of 10 transparent awakening pods were arranged.

The students from the various Arcs were gathered in different sections of the chamber in accordance with their class, with Pures in the front, the Ascendants in the middle, and the Outcasts at the back.

Adam stood among the recruits, his heart beating loudly in his chest from excitement. The moment had arrived, the defining step in his journey.

Around him, the Ascendants exuded confidence, looking forward to their awakening, while the Outcasts whispered in hushed tones, their fear and hope mingling in equal measure, with fear and anticipation visible in their facial expressions.

Eve stood at a distance from where Adam was, her calm demeanour masking the tension Adam knew she felt. She was a master when it came to hiding her feelings and putting up a poker face.

Commander Darius strode onto the platform, he was dressed in the military's dark blue training uniform, a fit that exposed his shredded and fit build which highlighted his imposing figure which commanded silence in the chamber. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd.

"Recruits," he began, "today marks the beginning of your true enrolment into the military as cadets. The awakening serum will unlock your genetic capabilities. Prepare your minds and make sure you are in top mental condition, evidence over the years has shown us that your mental state at the time of awakening is a big determinant of the kind of power you will get."

"The awakening will happen in stages. You will be called by your class. The Pures, as the foundation of our society, will go first, followed by the Ascendants, and finally the Outcasts." He added.

Murmurs rippled through the room. Adam clenched his fists. Despite the system's influence on his growth, he knew society's prejudice still ran deep. He exchanged a glance with Eve, who nodded subtly.

A few moments later, the nurses standing at the edge of the middle platform started calling out names 10 at a time for each of the student factions arranged in long queues according to their Arcs.

One by one, the Pures stepped forward, their silver hair and blue eyes gleaming under the chamber's light. For Arc Inferna, where not a single pure student was available, ten Pures from the section of the students from Arc Eden were sent to pods, this was to make the process faster for the Pures who constitute only five percent of the total number of students in the chamber.

Each of them was wearing the same special uniform that was made available to be worn for the awakening. With an air of practised elegance, Each of the Pures sat in the transparent awakening pod. When the pod doors close with a hissing sound, a robotic arm injected each of them with a vial of the awakening serum. A dark viscous liquid.

The process was swift, as they are injected with the serum in their arms, their bodies started glowing briefly before stopping. Above each of the awakening pods was a large screen that displayed the information of the student that is inside.

One of the pods that Adam could see from where he stood had a name: Seraphina Kennedy.

A few minutes after, the pulsing light at the base of the Pods changed from blue to green, with a buzzing sound to indicate the success of the awakening.

The Large TV now displayed her Ability and its grade.

Name: Seraphina Kennedy.

Ability: Elemental Manipulation, Pyrokinesis.

Rank: S, Sub, grade 8.

As the pod doors opened, the air around each of them had completely changed, each of their eyes was glowing slightly blue. They stepped down with quiet confidence and were escorted to the next segment of the chamber for further testing.

In twenty minutes, all of the Pures in the crowd have finished their awakening.

Then came the Ascendants. The atmosphere shifted to one of competitive determination. Ascendants walked up in groups, some smirking at their classmates, others steeling themselves for what lay ahead.

When Marcus's name was called, he shot Adam a smug grin before striding forward. Adam ignored him. After the vial was injected, he awakened a B-ranked Strengthening ability. His smirk was even more sinister when he passed Adam and head for the evaluation section.

Finally, it was time for the Outcasts. A heavy silence fell over the room as their names were called. Eve's name was called out in the first batch of 10 students.

She stepped forward with the same grace and determination that had carried her through every challenge. Adam felt a surge of pride as his sister sat in the pod without hesitation.

The reaction was immediate and dramatic.

Eve's body was enveloped in a radiant blue light that intensified until the room seemed bathed in it. The ground glass beneath her feet inside the pod cracked slightly, the sheer force of her awakening sending a ripple of energy through the chamber. Gasps filled the air as students and officers alike shielded their eyes.

The large screen above her pod displayed her awakening information.

Name: Eve Reed

Ability classification: Elemental Manipulation, Cryokinesis.

Rank: D1

The light faded and the door of the pods hissed and opened, Eve was standing tall, her hair shimmering with streaks of silver.

Frost was spreading from her feet in delicate patterns, and her eyes glowed soft ethereal blue. With each step she took, a small patch of ice formed in an intricate pattern of the snowflake.

The entire chamber became even more colder.

Commander Darius stepped forward, his expression unreadable.

"Impressive," he said, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.

"A D1 ability is rare among Outcasts. You stand a chance of breaking through to Rank C if you train well. Impressive Recruit Reed." He added.

Eve nodded, her calm exterior unbroken, but Adam saw the faint smile tugging at her lips. She had done it, she has broken through the limitations imposed on them.

As Eve joins the group on the other segment of the chamber, Adam notices Marcus glaring at her, his jealousy barely concealed. Adam knew immediately that they would face more challenges, but for now, they are taking a significant step forward.

Adam's name came after a few others. He stepped forward, his strides steady, his gaze fixed ahead. He felt the weight of countless eyes, some filled with disdain, others with curiosity.

He proceeded inside the awakening pod and sat as instructed. The robotic arm inside the pod injected him with the vial of the awakening serum on his arm. The serum flowed into his veins like liquid fire. His vision blurred, and his body felt as though it were being pulled apart and rebuilt simultaneously.

His pod began vibrating and shaking rigorously, pulsing white light before becoming engulfed in a brilliant golden light.

Inside the pod, Adam's system had flared a large window colored red in his vision, with numerous smaller notification windows popping all over the place.

The system has detected foreign genetic substances in the host body.

Calculating possible outcomes.

Fusing effects.

On the outside, everyone's attention had shifted to Adam's pod, the other nine students who entered their pods alongside him had already awakened normally and stepped down.

Commander Darius pushed the students aside and stood in front.

Soldiers in dark metallic armor ran forward, each of them carrying a large shield embedded with a distinct red crystal. They each placed their shields in front and ducked behind it, creating a wall of shields between the students and the pod that was continuously glowing brighter and brighter in brilliant golden color.

"Poor Lad, his pod must have malfunctioned. We need to contain it before it explodes. The temperature inside is over 200 degrees, the boy inside can't possibly be alive." He commented.

"Get me a B-ranked phaser or above right now! " he shouted to the soldiers standing by the door to the exit.

Inside the pod, Adam's system finally displayed a green window.

Congratulations.

Fusion complete.

Ability: Primordial Light.

Rank: Unknown.

Adam's heart raced as his body adjusted to the changes. The overbearing brilliant light about to blow up the pod instantly subsided, leaving large cracks on the glass.

The Large display monitor above the pod had a crack on the screen as well, but when everyone looked at it, confusion suddenly enveloped the chamber.

At this point, Commander Daruis had dismissed the soldiers and walked closer to the platform, inspecting Adam with a curious gaze.

"Just what are you? How is it possible that you survived such a malfunction?" He asked.

"And just what is up with this ability you awoken?" Darius murmurs to himself as the screen showed.

Name: Adam Reed.

Ability classification: Primordial Light.

Ability Rank: Unknown.

 When Adan stepped out of the half-destroyed pod, his eyes were gleaming yellow light, his skin paler than ever and the patch of white hair on his head was now covering one-third of his hair.

Students were asking questions among themselves and chattering voices enveloped the room as Adam walks over to the testing side.

As the session concluded, Commander Darius addressed the recruits. "You have all taken your first step toward greatness. Your abilities, whatever they may be, will define your future roles in protecting humanity. Prepare yourselves; the real trials will begin tomorrow"

Adam glanced at Eve, who stood beside him, her presence had a cold air around her and Alec was clearly shivering standing next to her.

Somewhere at the corner of the room, a slender old man in a red military uniform decorated with a single golden star on each shoulder, he had deep blue eyes and long white hair running down alongside his white beard.

While stroking his beard, he nodded his head and stood from his chair.

As soon as he stood from where he was seated, three men and two women in the same red uniform ran to him, each of them is silver-grade commander with three silver stars on their shoulders.

One of the women walked closer and kissed the ring in his hand.

"The young master has successfully awakened an S-Ranked strengthening ability." She said.

With an approving nod, the man said.

"I do not expect nothing less of him."

They turned and started walking outside the chamber when he turned and took one more look at Adam.

"That young man has awakened a troublesome ability, I have to report this to the family head." The man said softly while laughing pridefully as they exit the chamber of section 14.