Julian fought desperately against the rising Abyssal creatures, but he had reached his limit. Exhaustion weighed on him, and for the first time, he felt the sting of true desperation. If he fell here, it would all be over. His body began to heat up, an unfamiliar sensation that jolted a memory from the imperial study—a momeched into his mind.

  It was an ordinary day at the pace, with the three of them—Ayden, Athena, and Julian—gathered for lessons on mana, runes, and arrays. The stern imperial tutor stood before them, his gaze sharp. “Do any of you know how to tap into your mana?”

  Ayden raised his hand fidently. “When you meditate and trate, you feel your mana. But to use it, another mana user has to iheir mana into you to break the seal.”

  The tutor adjusted his spectacles, nodding. “Correct. But there’s another way. Do you know it?”

  fused gnces passed between them as the tutor tinued, “This method isn’t written in any book because it defies expnation. When your life's on the line, your survival instinct forcefully break the seal. It’s called a mana awakening.”

  Skeptical as always, Ayden asked, “How is that possible?”

  The tutor chuckled. “We believe it’s the sheer will to live. Your body will feel hot, your heart will race, your breath will turn ragged—like you’re on the brink of death.”

  The memory faded, but the reality was here. Back then, Julian had grumbled that the tutor was making it up. Yet now, as his body burned, his heart pounded, and every breath felt like fire, he realized: this was no lie. It was happening to him.

  Julian closed his eyes, brag himself for the disfort of his mana awakening. A surge of energy erupted from his body, sending shockwaves through the academy and alerting everyone. Ba their lessons, the tutor had taught them how to sense mana, but this was different. With his eyes closed, Julian could now feel it—his spiritual ndscape revealed a flowing river, cold yet f, powerful yet gentle like a breeze.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw the world differently. Tiny speana floated around him like glowing fireflies. For a moment, he was frozen, a sihought rag through his mind: Now what?

  In the observation room, the professors could hardly tain their excitement. “Alfred, what skills will he i from his parents?” one asked eagerly.

  Alfred smiled faintly as he replied, “From his father, it will likely be the Storm Ssh. It’s an ied skill, passed down through geions of the Morari family.”

  “What about his mother?” another professor pressed.

  “She was a warrior under Princess Agatha of Are. It could be anything,” Alfred said thoughtfully.

  Meanwhile, Julian stood amidst the chaos, untrained in using mana but guided by faint memories. His father’s words echoed in his mind: ‘Julian, when your mana awakens, you’ll feel a voiside asking, “What ?” Don’t fear it—just let your mind ect the invisible dots.’

  Taking a deep breath, Julian closed his eyes again, allowing the energy to guide him. Time seemed to slow as the gentle flow of mana within him extended outward. He could feel the wind elements in the air ing around his sword, merging with his own mana. fidence surged within him.

  With newfound resolve, he raised his sword, lunging toward his enemies. “Storm Ssh!” he roared.

  A storm erupted from the bde’s tip, wind bdes hidden in its vortex tearing through the fire hounds in his path. In oating move, he annihited the creatures surrounding them.

  After that single move, Julia pale, pletely drained of energy. Ayden, often praised by their tutor for his sharp mind, quickly realized what was happening. He remembered the tutor’s words: “The first time using mana will leave you utterly drained.” Now, Julian was exhausted, and whatever happened depended entirely on him.

  Think, Ayden. Think. What should I do? A mental flict swirled within him. Don’t you want to live? Don’t you want to save your friend? The internal struggle greer, and a sudden, pierg headache made him clutch his head in agony.

  Then, time seemed to stop. The trial ground dissolved into a white void, and Ayden found himself standing in an endless, glowing expanse. Frantically, he sed his surroundings until a figure bathed in radiant light approached him. Though Ayden couldn’t make out their face, he could feel the divinity emanating from them.

  In a soothi anding tohe figure spoke. “Child, it’s o see you again.”

  fused, Ayden stared at the figure, puzzled by their words. The figure chuckled softly. “Don’t be fused. Whe met, you were just a baby. It’s normal you don’t remember me.”

  The figure’s gaze was warm and filled with an indescribable love. “Back then, someoempted to switch your fate with your sister’s. But because of her unique circumstances, you were left on the verge of death.”

  “What?” Ayden whispered, his voice filled with disbelief.

  The figure tinued, “I couldn’t stand idly by as a child suffered because of the Abyss’s darkness, po disrupt my successor’s path. So, I intervened. I saved you both and linked your fates.”

  The figure paused, their voice taking on a serious tone. “Now, my child, I must ask—are you willing to bee an apostle?”

  Ayden raised his hands, as if to halt the versation. “Wait, stop! What are you talking about? Who is this ‘successor’?”

  The figure chuckled again. “You’re sharp. It won’t be hard for you to figure it out.”

  Suddenly, Ayden’s eyes widened as if struck by a startling realization. “You… You mean—?”

  The figure ughed heartily, clearly amused. “Yes, that’s it, my child. Are you willing to bee the apostle of my one and only successor?”

  Ayden’s lips curled into a smile. He bowed deeply, his right hand pced over his heart. “If it’s her, I will follow her with unwavering loyalty.”

  The figure smiled, their expression radiating approval. “Then go, and help her fulfill her life’s missio’s keep it a secret between us. Wheime es, it will reveal itself. Until then, don’t tell anyone about my successor—not even her.”

  With those parting words, the figure vanished, and Ayden was ba the trial ground. He closed his eyes, a smile spreading across his face as he embraced his mana awakening.

  While the professors monitored the trials, they were suddenly taken aback by two massive maions—one from the Delta trials and the other from the Alpha trials. In the Delta trial, Ayden's small, ten-year-old body was now covered in glowing, light green patterns that shimmered like starlight. Radiant energy surrounded him, illuminating the trial ground with an otherworldly brilliance.

  The professors stared at the se in astonishment.

  “Principal,” one of them excimed, “aren’t those patterns exclusive to saints?”

  Sylvester shook his head calmly. “No. Anyone blessed with divinity mahose patterns on their body.”

  Professor Madeleine squi the s, her curiosity piqued. “That’s fasating. But the boy isn’t from the bloodline of saints… So how is this possible?”

  A quiet, steady voice cut through the murmurs. It rofessor Albert, known for his cold, aloof demeanor and for only speaking when absolutely necessary. “I’ve read in the restricted books in the upper levels of the library that anyone gain divine blessings if they pledge their loyalty to a god and bee their apostle.”

  The room fell silent as the professors absorbed the weight of his words.

  “An apostle at such a young age,” one professor murmured, his tone filled with disbelief. “Incredible.”

  Ba the trial ground, Ayde his instincts guide him. He spread his arms wide, and sparkling green butterflies emerged from his glowing patterns, fluttering into the air before darting toward the fire hounds closing in on him and Julian. The boy extended his right hand and uttered a single word:

  “Bst.”

  The butterflies detonated upon tact, erupting into explosions that shredded the fire hounds into pieces. Ayden sed his surroundings, remaining vigint. Then, from the shadows, four hellhounds emerged, drawn by the st of blood and the sounds of battle.

  Ayden attempted to use Bst again, but this time it only slowed the hellhounds’ approach. His sharp mind raced as he looked at Julian, who was still struggling to stand, his exhaustion visible. Julian, now watg Ayden with , seemed to know this move would take everything he had left.

  Fog deeply, Ayden poured his mana and divine blessing into one final effort. Butterflies emerged from his glowing body once more, this time flying toward Julian.

  Julian’s eyes widened in fusion. “Ayden, what are you—?”

  “Brother, don’t worry,” Ayden said, his voice calm but firm. “Once I do this, I’ll colpse. The rest is up to you. These are the st enemies.”

  The butterflies surrounded Julian, their soft gloing around his body. Ayden raised his trembling hands and shouted, “Recover!”

  As the spell activated, Ayden colpsed, his body falling limply to the ground.

  Julian, now fully enveloped in the radiant energy, could feel his body beiored to its peak dition. His exhaustion disappeared, repced by a surge of strength and mana c through him.

  The four hellhounds charged toward him, their dark auras crag with menace. But Julian’s instincts had taken over. He raised his bde, now infused with divine power, and poi toward the advang creatures. His voice rang out clearly:

  “Light of heaven, burn the darkness!”

  A searing beam of light shot from the tip of his sword, engulfing the hellhounds in blinding radiahe creatures howled in agony as they were reduced to ashes, the darkhey carried ed entirely by the holy light.

  Julian panted heavily, his vision swimming. Before the world around him faded to bck, he caught a glimpse of the dark sky above turning bright.

  With a faint smile, he muttered, “Aaaah… We did it.”

  And then, everythi silent.

  At the same moment Ayden awakened his mana, Athena also felt a profound ge in her body. She had been struggling against the hellhounds—not to the point of feeling her life was truly in danger, so why now? The voice she had heard on her jouro Finley spoke again, calm and soothing: “Don’t worry, just embrace it with your heart.”

  The maion that followed was unlike anything else, immense and awe-inspiring, as if it reached the heavens themselves. Golden patterns illuminated her body, and her glowing eyes burned with an intense killing i. Standing amidst the chaos, her ughter rang out, manid urained. "You there, mutts from hell! Care to dah me?"

  She moved with deadly grace, her twin bdes slig through the air as though she were perf an intricate dao a haunting, silent melody. Her swings were fluid, precise, aating. With one swift motion, she decapitated a hellhound on her left, its body crumpling before it even realized it was dead. The more she killed, the brighter her golden patterns shone, and the stronger her bde aura grew.

  By the time all the hellhounds y dead, she stood amidst their mangled corpses, waiting for her prey. It was a chilling sight—this ten-year-old girl, glowing with divine energy, drenched in blood, surrounded by a mound of lifeless bodies.

  She didn’t have to wait long. The wave arrived: orc scouts—massive, green-skinned brutes with grotesque features. While formidable in size and numbers, they cked tactical fi first, they seemed to fall easily to her bdes, but soon they adapted, w together to trap her.

  Surrounded and outnumbered, desperation fueled her creativity. Her mind raced, and an idea sparked. dug mana to the bde in her left hand, she maniputed it into a plex array, one she instinctively formed despite never practig it before. With a sharp thrust, she pluhe bde into the ground.

  A radiant barrier erupted around her, shimmering with an absolute power. The orow in a frenzy, attacked it relentlessly. But this wasn’t just any barrier—it was a refined version of the oill proteg Are. The moment their attacks collided with it, the barrier absorbed the impact, amplifying the force twofold before sending it ba a violent wave. The orcs were knocked back, dazed and disoriented.

  The brief reprieve gave Athena all the space she o resume her relentless age.

  Ohe orc scouts were defeated, the wave arrived—orc warriors, stronger and far more formidable. Yet Athena, in her Dance of Bloody Fury, gave them no ce to retaliate. Right now, she was an unstoppable force, her bdes slig through numerous upper-level creatures with terrifying efficy.

  Whe orc fell, she thought the trial was finally over. But to her shock, an orc far rger and strohan any before emerged from the shadows. One gnce was enough to tell her that this was no ordinary enemy. Clutg her swords tightly, her unwaverierminatiohough a part of her khis oppo would be far from easy.

  The orc’s deep, guttural voice echoed through the battlefield. “You puny little thing. How dare you step into my territory.”

  Uhe others, who only roared and growled, this one spoke—a chilling sign of its intelligehena’s eyes narrowed. This wasn’t just a stronger foe; it was a general-level boss monster.

  Before she could respond, the orc lord, despite his massive size, lu her with astonishing speed. His colossal axe came down with deadly force, but she mao evade by leaping backward just in time. The orc lord attacked relentlessly, his strikes uing and fierce. Athena’s bdes, which had felled tless enemies, failed to even graze his skin.

  When another devastating swing of his axe came her way, she summoned her Absolute Barrier. Though the barrier saved her life, she felt her body weakening uhe strain of rapid mana use. Her ten-year-old frame was nearing its limit. I have to end this soon, she thought, g her jaw.

  The orc lord’s axe collided with her barrier, only for the attack to reflect back at him, doubled in force. The blow ihe orc lord, but instead of retreating, it triggered something far worse—he went berserk.

  Athena’s heart sank. High-level orcs possessed the ability to enter berserk mode when enraged, amplifying their strength and speed to monstrous levels. The orc lord roared, his muscles swelling, his eyes glowing with unbridled fury. Athena gritted her teeth. Her body was nearing colpse, and now she faced a berserk boss monster.

  Her mind raced for a solution, but none came. She could feel the toll her stant mana usage had taken; her body was screaming for rest. Her vision blurred, and her movements slowed. Am I reag my limit? she wondered, a pang of frustration pierg her chest.

  Meanwhile, in the monit room, the professors watched the trial with bated breath. The Delta trial had ended, but in the Alpha room, the sight of a ten-year-old girl fag a berserk boss monster was unpreted.

  Professor Alfred’s sharp eyes reized Athena’s Dance of Bloody Fury immediately. “That’s a mutated form of her mother’s skill, Holy Dancer,” he murmured. He stroked his , deep in thought. “In my opinion, this suits her more than her mother’s inal Holy Dancer.”

  The other professors remained silent, their gazes fixed on the magical s. When Athena, who had so easily dominated her oppos until now, stood still with a troubled expression and unfocused eyes, Alfred’s heart ached.

  He csped his hands together, murmuring a silent prayer. Please… let a miracle happehis child find a way out of her current predit.