The air was thick with tension, an electric hum crackling through the night like the sky itself was holding its breath.
Tonight was the Awakening Ceremony — the sacred rite where every young adult turning eighteen would step into the Spirit Hall, and for the first time, reveal the hidden nature of their soul: their Lord Core and the fate-bound Lord Talent bestowed upon them by the will of the world.
For most, it was a moment of anxiety. Would they awaken a common White Core? Would their future hold mediocrity or greatness? A handful, especially those from ancient bloodlines and wealthy houses who spent fortunes on rare elixirs and forbidden rites, might reach Blue, or perhaps — if the heavens smiled upon them — even Purple.
But a Gold Core?
That was a dream. A myth. The kind of thing old generals boasted about having seen once in their youth, the kind of foundation from which kings and world-shaking legends were born.
And tonight… the winds felt different.
⸻
The Spirit Hall itself was a colossus of old stone and ancient runes, its towering arches etched with the names of Lords past, many of whom had long since faded into dust. The air within was heavy with the weight of centuries, the ground humming with anticipation as though the hall itself hungered for new blood.
The Awakening Sigil pulsed in the center — a great glowing seal carved into the marble, shining with an inner light that responded to the approach of each youth.
The ceremony was already well underway, the gathered crowd packed into the towering balconies and rising tiers of the circular chamber. Nobles, soldiers, merchants, and old warriors watched with sharp eyes as the heirs of Aeloria's future stepped forward one by one to meet their fate.
⸻
Lucia Valenhart — tall, proud, and cold-eyed — daughter of the Knight Commander, strode forward like a queen already crowned. Her sword-calloused hand met the sigil.
A burst of brilliant gold light erupted.
[Lord Talent Awakening Detected: Divine Swordmaster.]
[Lord Core Quality: Blue Core.]
[Classification: Combat Mastery — Elite.]
The hall broke into thunderous applause.
"A future commander is born!" the High Priest declared, his staff raised high.
Lucia's lips twitched in the barest of smiles, her father grinning down at her with a warrior's pride.
⸻
Edrik Thorne, the merchant prince — all smug grin and glittering silk — sauntered forward next, slapping his palm onto the sigil as though sealing a business deal.
The floor trembled.
[Lord Talent Awakening Detected: Goldmind.]
[Lord Core Quality: Blue Core.]
[Classification: Economic Dominance — Legendary.]
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Edrik preened beneath the envious gazes, his family's obscene wealth having purchased his place in the world.
⸻
I glanced to my left.
Kaelen, my closest friend since childhood, swallowed hard, sweat beading on his brow.
"You ready?" he muttered.
I nodded slowly, the storm inside me thrumming closer now. "Yeah. I can feel it… something's waking up."
He tried to laugh, though it came out strained. "If anyone's gonna break this hall, it's you."
⸻
Selene Frostheart stepped forward. The cold beauty of Frostpeak House moved with an elegance so sharp it could cut.
Her hand met the sigil.
The air-dropped into biting frost. Ice webbed across the marble.
[Lord Talent Awakening Detected: Frost Warden.]
[Lord Core Quality: Purple Core.]
[Classification: Strategic Terrain Manipulation — Elite.]
A rare Purple Core.
Even the haughty nobles leaned in now. Whispers spread like wildfire.
Selene's pale gaze swept the crowd like falling snow — cool, untouchable — before she turned away without a word.
⸻
The High Priest raised his staff.
"Shin Tempest. Step forward."
The name struck like a drumbeat through the chamber.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
I walked forward, each step deliberate. The weight of a hundred gazes pressed against me, but I didn't flinch.
At the edge of the balcony, my parents watched. My father — Draven Tempest — wore a grin like a drawn blade, and my mother — Seraphina — stood with a hand to her lips, crimson eyes gleaming.
And then — softly, so only I could hear as I passed below her — my mother whispered:
"Observe them, my son. The daughters of this generation… their bloodlines, their talents. One day soon, you'll choose among them. Build a harem not of pretty faces, but of strength, wit, and loyalty. Wield them as you would your spear — and raise our bloodline to the heavens."
A shiver traced my spine.
I reached the sigil. Closed my eyes. Placed my palm upon it.
⸻
For a single, fragile heartbeat — silence.
Then a BOOM like thunder cracked the sky.
Blinding light burst forth.
The marble floor beneath me cracked, and the ancient pillars groaned. The hall's foundations shuddered as invisible pressure crashed down over the entire chamber. Nobles gasped, priests cried out, and the spectators shrank back.
The mechanical voice of the hall's ancient magic rang out, but this time its tone was strained, as though even the system itself struggled to comprehend.
[Lord Talent Awakening Detected.]
[Analyzing Bloodline: Dragon King Variant… Succubus Queen Variant…]
[Abnormal soul resonance confirmed.]
[Divine Blessings detected.]
[Lord Awakening: Mutation Level Achieved.]
The sigil itself splintered under my hand, dissolving into radiant motes of light.
[Congratulations. You have awakened: SSS-Rank Talent — Wrath of the Storm Dragon.]
[Effect: Increases troop Attack and Defense massively. Grants Dragonborn Evolution to loyal subordinates.]
[Classification: Catastrophic Threat Level.]
A hush swept the room.
But the voice wasn't finished.
[Secondary Bloodline detected.]
[Unlocking hidden Lord Talent…]
[Congratulations. You have awakened: SSS-Rank Talent — Lust of Asmodeus.]
[Effect: Enhances fertility and evolution of all within your domain. Gains strength when beloved by others.]
[Classification: Civilization-Shaping Threat Level.]
The light intensified.
Not gold. Not purple. But a radiant, blinding brilliance, searing and divine.
[Lord Core Quality: Gold Core.]
[Warning: Natural Gold Core detected. This phenomenon occurs once every five hundred years.]
⸻
Silence.
Not a sound.
Hundreds stared at me, frozen, mouths slack.
A natural Gold Core.
Without artifacts. Without elixirs. A miracle born of blood, will, and destiny.
High above, my father's savage grin gleamed like a predator's. My mother wiped away a single tear, her laughter light and wild.
"Our son," she whispered, eyes glinting, "our storm."
And then two more voices reached me — not with sound, but through the marrow of my soul.
["You are ours, Shin,"] came Lilith's silken whisper, thick with molten pride. ["When you reach the World of All Races, we will grant you your true gifts."]
["And when you stand upon that world,"] rumbled Tiamat, ancient and unstoppable, ["you shall awaken not as a boy… but as a god."]
⸻
As the motes of golden light faded, Kaelen stumbled to my side, face pale.
"Shin," he breathed, voice low and shaking, "what the hell just happened? Two SSS talents? A Gold Core? That's… that's impossible."
I exhaled, feeling the storm still crackling beneath my skin, raw power coiling like a living thing.
"It's rare," I admitted. "Almost unheard of. Most people… they awaken White. Maybe Blue, if they're lucky."
Kaelen shook his head. "Yeah, but Gold? I thought you could only buy those… like, with ancient relics."
"You can," I said quietly. "They call them Core Evolution Relics. They force a Core to evolve, but it's unstable. Bought power is… hollow."
Kaelen frowned. "Unstable how?"
"An artificial core can't match a natural one," I told him. "It might look impressive, but in battle, when it counts — when it's kingdom against kingdom, world against world — it'll shatter."
Kaelen let out a low whistle, eyes wide. "And you… you didn't just rise to Gold. You were born Gold."
I met his gaze.
"I didn't just wake up stronger," I said, my voice steady as the storm itself. "I woke up inevitably."
And somewhere above, Lilith, Tiamat, and the storm itself smiled.
The world would never be the same.