The Test Result
Two days after the test, a crisp envelope lay conspicuously at Mara's doorstep. As she returned from buying groceries, Mara noticed it, its seal bearing the proud emblem of the Awakened Academy. With a flutter of anxious excitement, she snatched it up and hurried into the house. Inside, her hands trembled as she passed the envelope to Solace.
He stood in the dim light of their shared living space, his eyes fixed on the envelope for a long, silent moment before he carefully broke the seal and unfolded the letter. His pulse quickened as he read:
> Awakened Academy
Dear Solace,
Congratulations! You've been accepted into Awakened Academy. All costs are covered—report to [Association Headquarters] by [tomorrow at noon] for further instructions.
Welcome to your new path.
[Williams]
Head Administrator
A surge of joy exploded between them. Mara's eyes shimmered as she enveloped Solace in a fierce, nearly suffocating hug, her relief and pride overwhelming her. Solace couldn't help but smile broadly; the acceptance letter was a dream made real—a lifeline out of the relentless hardship of the outskirts.
After the joyous reunion, Solace set about preparing for the next phase of his journey. He gathered all his essential belongings, carefully packing what he deemed necessary for his impending life at the academy. As he counted his money—a modest sum that now totaled 15,000 stellar—he frowned. He needed a proper weapon, something more than his repurposed shadow, and his funds were far from enough. With a heavy heart but steely determination, he resolved to hunt for lower-ranked beasts to earn extra income.
Donning his worn gear once more, Solace ventured into the wastelands. His recent success in the academy test had bolstered his confidence, but he knew that to forge his future, he would have to supplement his funds. His plan was simple: hunt low-rank beasts, collect their crystals and other valuable parts, and sell them at the guild.
The wastelands were unforgiving. Solace stalked silently through the arid terrain until he encountered two Rank 1 beasts—creatures of meager power, yet still dangerous to the unprepared. With precision honed by countless hours of training, he dispatched both with a series of swift, calculated moves. The satisfaction of a clean kill warmed him even as the sun began its descent toward the horizon.
But as fate would have it, his luck was about to run thin. In a desolate stretch of land, Solace stumbled upon a beast unlike the others—a Rank 2 creature. It was massive, reminiscent of a gorilla with a hardened, almost impenetrable body. Its eyes burned with predatory focus as it locked onto Solace. In that instant, the true scale of his limitations became painfully clear. Though his shadow abilities had grown, he remained a Rank 1 human in raw strength and combat skill.
The beast lunged. Solace reacted by summoning his shadow into two distinct forms—a sword and a shield. The beast's charge slammed into his makeshift shield, sending him flying backwards. The impact shattered the fragile barrier of darkness, and Solace found himself sprawled on the hard ground, the taste of blood sharp in his mouth.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he rolled away from the beast's next onslaught. Desperation and determination mingled as he struggled to rise. His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one a battle against the encroaching numbness. With painstaking effort, he summoned his shadow once more, molding it into a rudimentary shield while simultaneously fashioning a sword. The beast roared and charged again, its massive arm swinging with brutal force.
In a desperate bid for survival, Solace sidestepped a crushing blow that threatened to end him. As he rolled to the side, his sword—formed entirely of his dark power—came up in a swift arc, catching the beast on its right hand. The cut was shallow; the creature's flesh was as tough as stone, and it barely flinched. Another attack came; this time, Solace took a glancing blow to his side that forced him to retreat momentarily, pain radiating through his body like wildfire.
Cursing under his breath for his lack of martial finesse, Solace's eyes scanned the beast in a moment of brief respite. The creature appeared unscathed overall, its hide impenetrable, until his gaze fixed on the subtle openings at its joints. A spark of insight flared—this was its weak point.
"Give me a break—I have an appointment tomorrow," he muttered to himself, his voice laced with both exasperation and determination. "So, can you just die for me, pretty please?"
With renewed focus, Solace lunged forward. He targeted the vulnerable joints, his shadow-sword slicing repeatedly with relentless precision. Each strike piled up the damage, slowly wearing the beast down. The creature staggered, its movements growing sluggish even as Solace absorbed blows that left him gasping and bleeding.
Finally, in a desperate, final effort, he sidestepped a slower, clumsy attack and drove his sword deep beneath the beast's jaw. There was a moment of stunned silence before the creature collapsed, its life extinguished in an instant. Solace slumped to the ground, utterly spent. For what felt like half a day, he lay there, overwhelmed by the relentless toll of battle and the weight of his own exhaustion.
---
Mara's Perspective
At home, as dusk crept over the outskirts, Mara grew increasingly anxious. The fading light deepened her worry—Solace was late, and the silence of his absence was filled with dread. Each passing minute seemed to stretch into eternity as she paced the narrow corridors of her home, her heart heavy with foreboding.
---
Solace's Perspective
After what felt like an eternity on the barren wasteland, Solace finally managed to pull himself to his feet. Darkness had begun to blanket the land, forcing him to hasten his steps back toward the relative safety of the outskirts. He knew Mara would be terrified if he did not return soon. With trembling hands, he carefully carved out the elemental crystal from the fallen beast and harvested the tough, armor-like shell from its hide.
Word of his exploits had already begun to spread among the people of the outskirts—a mix of awe and fear painted their expressions as he passed. They knew him as one of the Awakened, a rare breed among their ranks, and his newfound abilities had instilled both hope and trepidation.
Upon reaching the outskirts, Solace made his way to the local guild where the trade in beast parts and crystals was common. He sold the harvested items—two lower-ranked crystals and one from the more formidable Rank 2 beast—earning a total of 200,000 stellar. However, due to the 10% fee imposed on those not affiliated with a guild, his net gain was reduced to 180,000 stellar.
With the transaction complete, Solace finally returned home. The sight that greeted him was one of mixed emotions: the wary, fearful eyes of the townspeople, who revered and dreaded the Awakened in equal measure, and the familiar, loving concern in Mara's gaze.
Inside, Mara scolded him gently, her voice trembling with worry. "Solace, where have you been? I was so scared something might have happened to you out there." Her eyes widened as she took in the fresh wounds and the unmistakable aura of exhaustion clinging to him.
Before he could offer an explanation, Mara swept him into a tight embrace, her hands trembling as she quickly gathered bandages and tended to his injuries. Despite the pain and fatigue etched into every line of his body, Solace managed a small smile as he pulled out the stellar he had earned. He placed 130,000 stellar into her waiting hands, leaving the remaining 50,000 for himself.
Mara's eyes filled with tears as she clutched the money. "You must take care of yourself," she chided softly, her voice breaking with concern. "I can't bear the thought of losing you. Please, promise me you'll never risk your life so recklessly."
Solace reached out, gently wiping a tear from her cheek. "I promise, Mara," he murmured, his tone laced with both resolve and regret. "I do this for us, for a future where we don't have to live in fear. I'll be careful—I have to be."
In that tender, bittersweet moment, as Mara's soft sobs mingled with the quiet resolve in his voice, Solace understood that every step he took on his perilous journey was driven not only by his ambition but by the love and sacrifice that had been his saving grace all along. The acceptance into Awakened Academy was only the beginning—a beacon of hope amidst a turbulent world. And as he held her gaze, he vowed silently that he would rise, no matter the cost, so that both their lives might someday be bathed in the light of a better future."