Mass release In honour to the support {20/10}
Artemis stood there, paralyzed, as the words "Affinity to nature" flashed on the crystal. It felt like the world had come crashing down around her. Her lips quivered as her mind raced to understand what had just happened. "No... this can't be right.
No... no, it must be broken..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet every person in the room could hear the disbelief, the fear, and the pain laced in each word. The humiliation was unbearable.
Her chest tightened, and her hands trembled, balling into fists. An affinity for nature? That was the result of her double-awakening? She had been certain that she'd emerge with a powerful, rare ability, something that would define her as a force to be reckoned with. But instead, this? What was she supposed to do with an affinity for nature?
Make trees grow faster? Manipulate flowers? In a world dominated by raw strength and unimaginable power, this talent was as useless as a feather in a hurricane.
The silence in the room was suffocating. It was as if time itself had paused to mock her. Headmaster Marion's face twisted in visible disgust. He barely spared her a glance before waving his hand dismissively. "Go back, will you?" His voice was cold and indifferent, as though she were no more than an insect he had just crushed beneath his boot.
Her heart sank. A wave of dizziness overtook her as she turned to leave, her legs feeling like they were made of lead. The weight of their stares bore down on her, like daggers aimed straight at her soul. She could feel their judgment. She could hear their silent condemnation. She had failed.
Not just herself, but the expectations placed on her. In their eyes, she was nothing. Trash.
Artemis took one shaky step, then another. The room felt colder with each movement, and suddenly, she stumbled. Her body wobbled as she lost her balance, her mind spinning with shame. Just before she hit the ground, she collided with something solid—a person.
"Watch it," she muttered, prepared to be shoved aside or ridiculed again. But instead, a hand gently steadied her. She looked up, her vision blurry from the unshed tears, only to find herself staring into a pair of deep, calm eyes.
Axel Teras.
His smile was surprisingly warm. "Hey," he said softly, his voice like a balm against her fraying nerves. "You're stronger than you think."
The room fell silent once more. Heads turned, eyes widened, and whispers followed. Why was Axel, of all people, talking to her? Artemis blinked, unsure if she'd heard him correctly. "Wh-what?"
"You're not weak," Axel continued, patting her gently on the head as if to assure her. "Don't let this get to you."
Crack!
Another fracture. This time, it stretched further, and a faint glow of dark red light pulsed from within the crystal. The wind inside the room intensified, swirling faster and faster, as if responding to Axel's immense power. The once-solid crystal now looked like it was about to burst at any moment.
"Is... is this normal?" one of the board members asked, his voice trembling.
"No," Commander Asher responded, eyes wide with shock. "This is far from normal."
The crystal began to emit a strange, dark smoke from its cracks, filling the room with an eerie atmosphere. The tension was palpable. No one dared move. No one dared speak. All eyes were on Axel.
Crack!
The final break sent a deafening sound through the room. And then, in an instant, the crystal exploded.
Shards flew in every direction, cutting through the air like bullets. Headmaster Marion, who had been standing closest to the pillar, was hit squarely in the chest by a large fragment, sending him crashing to the ground with a pained grunt. The rest of the audience shielded their faces from the flying debris, but the damage had already been done.
As the smoke cleared, Axel stood in the center of the destruction, unmoved, unscathed. His presence now commanded the room, more godlike than human. The power radiating from him was palpable, and no one dared question it.
"He... he resembles a god," someone whispered, breaking the silence.
Wukong, a veteran hunter, stood frozen, his jaw slack. "I've only seen something like this once before," he muttered to himself. "He's just like... Josh Roark."
At the mention of the legendary SS-rank hunter, the room fell into a deeper silence, everyone too afraid to even breathe.
Axel turned his gaze toward Artemis, who stood trembling at the back of the room. "Remember," he said, his voice steady and calm. "You're stronger than you think."
For a moment, Artemis felt a flicker of hope.