11 Chapter 11

"I clearly remember her. She was one of the main female leads of the book. Wait, wasn't she working as a professor?" Acht was trying to wrap his head around this unexpected person.

He knew that he would eventually meet the characters of the book but he never thought it would be this early.

'For now, let's keep my interactions with her as minimal as possible.' He sighed with a thoughtful look.

Acht had no desire to mingle up with one of the main leads and potentially make a massive change in the route of the story. The last thing he wanted was for the butterfly effect to come to bite him in the ass in the future just because of these characters.

With that in mind, he listened attentively to what she was about to say.

After everyone calmed down, Scarlett then spoke loudly while looking at everyone.

"The appraisal for this year won't change much from before. Behind me is the door where each one of you will discover his affinity. Then, you will pass to another room where you will unlock your gift. Take in mind that the chances of you not awakening for any affinity are not slim. Any questions?"

"Yes! What's the best element to have?" A man shouted from the front.

The question didn't seem offending but it made Scarlett angry for some reason. Her expression became even colder and she glared at him.

"Every element has its strong and weak points, it's how you use it that makes the difference. Any other questions?"

No one spoke after that harsh attitude so Scarlett continued, "We will call your name in order. Wait for your turn patiently and refrain from fighting here or you will be automatically disqualified."

After dropping those words she walked away leaving the candidates alone. They were still infatuated with her even with her cold attitude and some were even blushing while looking with listless eyes, they were probably having some wild fantasies.

A few moments later, a loud voice echoed in the room announcing the name of the first candidate. It was a woman in her 30s who looked forgettable.

She walked in with hesitant steps before closing the door. Everyone watches the door attentively.

A few minutes later, the door opened again and the same woman came out with a sad look and a trail of tears in her eyes. Everyone watched her walk straight toward the exit without uttering a word. Everyone knew: she failed.

Then, another name was called, this time it was a young man. His face grew paler when he heard his name but he still walked to the door and entered.

A few minutes later, the same thing happened and the young man returned with a sad look, not daring to look at anyone.

This scene continued for some time, many entered and exited the room with the same hopeless expression that spilled out their thoughts. They had just witnessed their dreams shatter into bits and pieces in front of their eyes.

Acht didn't bother with them and leaned on a wall chewing on a fruit he brought with him. He could see why this test was brutal. Only those who were lucky enough to be awakeners have the right to take the test.

A few hours passed quietly and the number of people in the room became scarce. There were a handful of cases where people didn't come back but that number paled in comparison to the number of failed candidates.

Finally, the voice that was calling names for a long time spoke, "Candidate 654, Acht!"

Acht then stood up and walked leisurely toward the door. The eyes of the people left kept on chasing him until he disappeared inside the room.

There, he found himself in a small and empty room. There were a few people there including Scarlett.

There was also a pedestal in the center of the room with a ball made out of glass in the center.

"Please put your hand on the ball. If the ball shined then you have the capabilities to awaken your soul. If it doesn't, then you are unfortunately incapable of continuing this test." Said Scarlett with a flat tone. She didn't show any reaction when she saw a small kid enter.

"Ok."

Then, Acht approached the ball and put his hand confidently. He already awakened his soul so he wasn't worried about that. He was, however, eager to know what kind of element affinity he had.

The moment his hand touched the ball, a clear white color illuminated the room.

"You're eligible for the awakening, congratulations. Keep your hand on the ball." Spoke Scarlett.

Acht followed her word and after some time another change happened, the white color started disappearing. Then, the white light was replaced with a violet hue.

The violet light kept on getting stronger and stronger until everyone had to squint their eyes from the strong light.

'Is this normal?' Thought the boy with a complicated look. He was worried about what kind of prank Livia did on him to make him suffer.

After a few minutes, the ball finally started dimming before returning to normal completely.

The boy's eyes shifted to look at Scarlett who was weirdly silent through the whole process. Much to his surprise, she had a whole different reaction than he thought.

Her eyes were widened with deep shock as she gazed at Acht. From that look alone Acht knew it. 'This is going to be a huge pain in the ass.'

"A lost element…impossible." He heard her mutter with the same shocked look. She had never seen something like this before.

"Is there a problem?" Asked Acht warily.

His question woke her up from her shock and made her shake her head.

"N-No, ehem, the element you have the most affinity with is…gravity."

"Gravity?"

"Yes, gravity. It's quite rare and strong, be proud." She said with a forceful smile.

'Gravity, huh. It seems from her reaction that this isn't just a 'rare' element. I need to know more.' He thought with a neutral expression.

"You can head straight to the second room."

After he left the room, Scarlett looked at one of the people present and said, " Get me every information you know about him. I don't want anyone to find out about his element."

? "Yes, young miss!" The man shouted before running away. He had no time to waste or his miss would get angry.

'A young kid with an affinity for a lost element. Who is he?' She thought as she looked at the door silently.

This was the moment when Scarlett's interest in this mysterious young man ignited. An interest that will change her future and Acht's future forever.

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Meanwhile, Acht, who was oblivious to what he got himself involved in, found himself in another room that resembles the previous one. This time, however, there was only one single person sitting at a table smoking a cigarette and looking at nothing in particular.

"Oh, welcome. I've been waiting for the arrival of someone for a while now." The man spoke with a small smile the moment he saw Acht.

"Are you the one who is going to unlock my gift?" Acht ignored his words and cut straight to the chase.

"Hahaha, yeah, it's me. Now, come closer." The man laughed it off and kept his small smile plastered on his face.

Acht approached him until he was only a few inches away. Then, the man extended his hand and touched Acht's chest.

"It's going to hurt slightly. Don't resist my powers."

Then, he channeled his soul force to his arm and straight inside Acht's body. He felt a strong wave of energy paralyze his body as if he was electrocuted.

The pain was high but tolerable with Acht's strong will. He just clenched his teeth slightly without showing any apparent change in his expression.

"We're almost done." The man said.

Then, an even stronger energy invaded his body and the pain intensified even more. Yet, Acht kept his stoic face not even allowing a groan of pain to come out of his mouth.

"Aaand that's it. You have unlocked your gift. You can now use it properly, just think of the name of your element and you should be able to activate it." The man said with a smile as he pulled his hand away.

"Ok. Where should I head now?"

"The door is over there. It will lead you back to the reception. They will explain everything else."

Acht looked at his hand briefly before shaking his head and walking away. He wanted to try his gift but he scratched that idea.

'It could end up with a disaster. I will try it when I am alone.'

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