The air outside the Human Awakened Academy shimmered with tension—fear, excitement, and pure awe blending into a single thick atmosphere that wrapped around everyone present. Children of all ages moved with their parents toward the open, towering silver gate. The gate alone stood more than four stories high, engraved with ancient symbols that pulsed faintly with mana.
Some parents whispered last-minute encouragement to their trembling kids.
Some children arrived alone, eyes empty but determined.
Others stepped down from private PTVs, chins raised, clothes spotless, their gazes carrying the quiet pride of those born into comfort.
John stood frozen for several seconds, completely overwhelmed.
The structure wasn't just big—it was colossal. Its floating frame stretched so wide that its edges curved into the distant mist, and its highest point rose so far it nearly touched the barrier shielding the Upper Dome.
"M-mum… this place is so big…" John muttered, his voice barely audible. His small hands tightened around his mother's fingers.
Everywhere he looked, something new caught his eyes.
Mana-powered drones floated overhead.
Children practicing small awakened abilities were monitored by instructors.
Guards in dark armor stood like statues, their weapons gleaming faintly.
Then his gaze locked on the statues.
"Mum—see! Look at those statues!" he shouted, excitement bursting out despite the noisy environment.
"T-that's Leviathan! And Queen Basilisk! And the Thunder Drop Bird! They look so cool—so real! Like they'll move!"
He stuttered between words, breathless as he stared up at the massive stone beasts reaching dozens of meters tall, each one carved with such detail that veins, scales, and feathers looked alive.
"Stay calm, John," his mother said softly, squeezing his hand and guiding him through the silver gates before he tripped over his own feet from excitement.
The compound inside the gate was even more overwhelming.
It stretched endlessly, a floating field full of bustling families, instructors, and shimmering mana pathways. John spun in every direction, dragging his mother's attention with him.
"Mum, how is the building floating like that?"
"Mum, look! That boy breathed fire—does he have a dragon gene?"
"Mum, will the Pillars of Humanity come today too?"
His mother chuckled under her breath and replied, "Calm down, John. I can see everything too, you know?" She ruffled his hair. "And no, the Pillars won't be here. They're out fighting aberrants."
John's face fell instantly.
But then she leaned closer and whispered, "Although… someone said the last son of Zei—the Thunder Drop Bird—might appear today."
John froze mid-step.
"R-really??"
"Yes. Really. Now keep moving before they place you in the last batch for awakening."
They hurried toward the massive rectangular portal glowing with green light. Parents and children stepped through one after the other until the portal rhythmically whoomph-ed, releasing bursts of mana with each activation.
When it was their turn, the portal flashed—
Welcome to the Human Awakened Academy. Kindly proceed forward and collect your number for the awakening, little hero.
John stepped into an enormous stadium-like hall. It was circular, with thousands of seats stacked in layers around a broad central stage. The entire hall glowed with warm orange lights, powered by floating crystal lanterns spinning slowly overhead.
Mana here was thick enough to taste.
He heard a father telling his son, "The mana density is at least four times higher than the Outer District. Breathe slowly."
John's heart pounded. His fingers trembled.
"John, go meet the man with the black-trimmed glasses," his mother said, pointing toward a booth where an official stood with a holographic tablet. "He'll take your number. I'll stay with the parents."
"Y-yes, mum," John replied, his voice suddenly small. He left her side and walked toward the queue.
That was when he noticed something odd.
There wasn't one line—there were three.
He looked at the first line—the one he stood in.
The children here looked like him: clean clothes, bright eyes, healthy bodies. They were from the stable, comfortable district of the city.
Then he glanced at the second line.
Children with duller eyes, wearing simpler clothes, stood quietly behind one another. Their expressions were harder… less carefree.
"They must be from the Middle District," John muttered.
One girl with dark-orange hair caught him staring and glared sharply, then turned away with a huff.
"Huh? What did I do…?" John whispered, confused.
He turned to examine the third line— the one for the Elite Tier.
But before he could fully take in the scene—
A deafening voice thundered across the stadium.
"IT CAN'T BE—THE SON OF ZEI IS HERE!?"
The atmosphere exploded.
Parents gasped.
Children froze.
Mana flickered violently in the air.
Every head turned toward the entrance.