Chapter 5 Gust

Sola slowly made her way to the Awakening Stone. Its pulsating glow made it seem like it was alive, telling her to come closer. It wanted to show her something. A part of her didn’t want to know, but people were curious beings. The Awakener grabbed her hand to guide her and to make sure she didn't fall after the procedure. The onlookers started getting excited when they saw who the last two to be awakened were. They were well aware of their origins, that they were orphans and children of prostitutes. The Concept that they end up with could be something that the village had never seen before. One mother abandoned her child, and the other died while working. Both children ended up the same, alone in a world where it was impossible to get by without being a Leveler. Adopted by a carpenter, they built homes for other people, homes that they couldn’t imagine themselves living in. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her hand hovered over the stone. The Awakener that powered the stone shifted their feet impatiently, she was taking too long. The person guiding her hand applied downward pressure to her hand, but it didn’t budge. “What’s the matter, child?” a layer of annoyance in the Awakener’s voice. “Wait, give me a sec,” she pleaded. They ignored her request and added more pressure to the hand. Still, it didn’t touch. “Ah!” Sola exclaimed as if she had just realized something critical. A strong gust of wind blew all of the Awakeners away from her. No flash of light came from the stone, she never touched it. The wind reached everyone in the tent; the closer they were to her, the stronger it was. She couldn’t control it, she needed to direct it somewhere that it wouldn’t hurt anyone else. Raising her hand and pointing it to the sky, she released the power she felt. It was strong enough to blow another hole through the expensive tent. The harsh winds stopped, and no one was harmed. Everyone was stunned, and some of the villagers to the sides cheered on. She wasn’t fazed by the sudden power, however. Whether or not they would fine her for the damages worried her more. “Amazing, such power. I didn’t think there would be anyone with a great base Concept coming from this village. Didn’t even need the stone, hah,” said one of the Awakeners. Sola didn’t mind what they said. She still had the sad face she had before. Summoning her Levelcard, she checked to confirm something. She looked at the front and back. Sola Groza Level: 3 Race: Human (Earth) Credit: 200G Skills -Gust One of the Awakeners also checked her level, peering through their card. “Wow, already level 3. We have a prodigy, it seems.” “Be proud, girl, there’s only a handful of people who have skipped Levels after awakening their Concepts. If you can reach level 10 before the age of 17, then you might be able to get a spot at Whelm’s Military Academy. Only if you work hard and want it enough that is,” the head Awakener patted her on the back. “Maybe,” she smiled weakly and walked towards Acero. “Your turn, bud. Looks like my theory didn’t apply to me.” “Next! Last one. Does this one have any surprises for us as well?” The Awakener joked. “Hopefully none, never liked surprises,” Acero said. The look on Sola’s face still bugged him. He had only seen her make that face one time, it was when they first met. He walked up to the stone. Unlike Sola, he wasn’t nervous about anything. There wasn’t much going through his mind at all at that moment. While Sola had her outburst a few moments ago, he tried to remember what his mother’s Concept was. Though he quickly gave up because there wasn’t much memory to go through. Most of his memories when he was younger were all foggy until Sola showed up and joined them at the workshop. They took his hand, and he didn’t resist. It slowly descended from above, and his fingertips touched the stone. A bright flash of light engulfed the entire tent. He let go of the stone and looked around, but nothing happened. “Uh, did it work?” He asked. One of them pulled out their Level Card and checked. “Yup, it says you're level 1,” they said. “Weird, I don’t feel any different. Does this usually happen?” “Try thinking about using your powers,” they suggested. “Oh, check the back of your Level Card. Skills are shown there. You’ll get an idea of what type of Concept you received,” the other suggested. Acero tried the first suggestion. He clenched his fists and his cheeks, pushing and flexing his entire body. Nothing happened except for passing a bit of gas. The tent was dead silent, which made the sound of someone’s cough all the more audible. He gave up on it and checked the back of his card. Skills -Big Fucking Sword The head Awakener peered over his shoulder. “A Summoning-type Concept?” They wondered out loud. Acero imagined and willed the skill to work. He extended his arm out as if he were holding a sword. Then, he tried holding the imaginary sword with two hands. They all waited for a few seconds. Nothing happened. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be experts on this?” He asked the Awakeners. “Well, from what I’ve seen on your card. It says that you have a binding contract with something called ‘Big Fucking Sword’. So, this means that you’re a summoner,” they explained. “I don’t remember making a contract with anything,” he said. “There have been cases like this before. Where a family member makes a contract on behalf of the child, or they pass down their summons to them. It takes effect when they die. Sort of like an inheritance. Have your parents ever mentioned this to you before?” One of the Awakeners walked up to their leader and whispered to them. “He’s one of the two orphans.” “Ah, shame. This may make the first few steps of your Leveling journey a bit difficult. You’d have to put in more effort to learn and level your Concept, exploring your limits and capabilities. Perhaps this may even be a chance for you to get closer to the truth about your parents,” they placed a hand on his shoulder. Acero rolled his eyes. “Heh, what a stupid name, ‘Big Fucking Sword’,” he scoffed. “Watch out!” Sola suddenly screamed from behind. He turned around only to get hit in the face with an object larger than a man, knocking him unconscious.