It was the third day of the first winter month. A floral scent lingered in the air after the rainfall in the middle of the night. Droplets of water gathered at the tips of grass and plants, reflecting the morning sunshine.
It was relatively quiet and peaceful this morning. Occasionally, he would hear the sound of a rooster reminding everyone it was sunrise, but for the most part, it was just him and his footsteps.
Blight travelled down the wet cobblestone path towards the southern end of their settlement. Beyond this end was the second wall, towering high into the sky. It spanned from east to west through the different elevations on Nameless Peak and served as the last line of defense.
As he made his way deeper into the heart of the settlement, he saw many clan members. Few would spare him a glance, and when they did, they pretended not to notice him.
Some of them were sending off their of-age children as well. They would bid farewell to their families, leave their homes, and trek the same path as him towards the barracks with a bag on their backs with their items.
Blight also made a carry-on of some belongings. When the envoys came to alert him of the clan leader's intent to have him undergo awakening with everybody else, he was told to bring changes of clothes and his daily necessities like a toothbrush and paste.
For the most part, everything would be provided to him in the barracks facilities, but it would be nice to have items he was familiar with.
He saw street stalls and stores on his way. This early in the morning, they were still setting up, and few were selling anything yet — not that it mattered because he had no buying power. He was well and truly broke!
The Barracks came into view. It was a large structure with high walls built on an elevation. The building was squat and wide and constructed with rough-hewn stone bricks. The surface was covered with dirt and moss, evidently by the years of exposure.
The building sat on the edge of a slope, with outbuildings of similar structure surrounding it, and massive stone stairs leading up to the ground level it sat on. At the foot of the stairs, two sentries stood stiffly at attention. It almost looked like a miniature fortress.
He counted innumerable windows on all sides of the building, assumingly he would inhabit one of these rooms once he underwent his awakening.
It was still early, but outside the barracks, many youths gathered and were scattered around the boulevard. Some of them stood alone, others gathered into groups with those they were familiar with.
Blight recognised many of these youths, at the age of five until eight they underwent basic schooling in the clan academy, however he had not seen many of them in years.
The clan did not think their youth were ready to begin awakening until the age of twelve. Any earlier and it would be detrimental to them.
He also recognised that like him, they must all be feeling apprehensive towards their upcoming awakening ceremony and the changes this would bring to their lives.
At the center of attention was a boy he was familiar with. He was slightly shorter than Blight but looked much sturdier. He had a strong face and clean-cut brown hair, but his green eyes looked slightly distracted. He was Eldrich, the son of an influential elder. He had older sisters, but he was the only son in the family.
Another point of attention was a girl who stood alone. Few would approach her directly and talk with her, and when they did, she had few words, but gazes would constantly flicker and be directed at her momentarily.
She was also slightly shorter than Blight, had long blonde hair with soft facial features and blue eyes. Blight did not know which family she belonged to, but he knew that she was somehow affiliated with the clan leader and would always garner attention where she went. He could honestly not remember her name.
Blight found a corner at the edge of this area slightly away from everybody else and sat down on a small blanket, leaning against the cold stone walls.
As time passed, hundreds more youths arrived, and eventually, the boulevard was crowded. Yet, everybody was sure to keep a minimum distance from him. He felt a few people looking at him with mockery, contempt, and pity. It was just as well, he didn't want to be bothered anyway.
At this point, an armoured man was seen coming down the stairs, and the surroundings began to quiet down.
He was tall, imposing, and his every move appeared calculated and made with forceful grace. His armour had the mark of Red Legion, but its design was not one he was familiar with.
This was no regular awakened.
"Welcome, young warriors. I am Exalted Lucian!"
"Since the construction of the Great Wall, Venerable Riven willed it that every year, our Red Legion holds this awakening ceremony for the upcoming generation who have reached the age of twelve. Today, you will join the higher man and become awakened. individuals who, while not yet fully transformed, are on a path towards self-overcoming."
Blight looked at the children around him. They all bent their backs as straight as humanly possible with pride. They flared their noses or widened their eyes at the mention of this. Some of them clenched their fists and began to tremble.
'What's there to be so proud of?' Blight snickered. 'Most of these idiots aren't related to Riven in the slightest, yet at the slight mention of his name, they felt overwhelmingly empowered.'
They were led up the stairs and entered the main barracks building. The large hall in the center of the building appeared even larger inside. The polished wooden floor seemingly stretched on forever, intermittently interrupted by round pillars that towered up to the ceiling.
Lucian stood on a stage in the front and continued.
"Today, you will unlock the powers of your lineage as well as your unique boon and flaw."
"Once awakened, you will undergo training, learning to utilise the powers you are blessed with. You can imagine a spear. Your lineage is the spear. It can be wielded in many ways, but the best is to point the spearhead at your enemies and keep the shaft near yourself. Your boon is that spearhead, and your flaw is the shaft, the weakest point in the spear you wield.
"Be proud of the powers you gain, flaunt them, tell the entire world, but tell nobody your flaw and keep it close to you, unless it has a visual manifestation, take it with you to your grave."
Blight thought, 'Why would you not reveal your flaw so that you could receive help in managing it? What benefit was there in not revealing it?' They only lived amongst their clan members.
"For the next year, you will live here, eat here, train here, and sleep here. After that, you can officially call yourselves warriors of the Red Legion and wear our mark proudly!"
Loud clamors and cheers erupted. Blight felt their excitement and frenzy. Their blood was boiling.
After Lucian left the stage, a stout man of slightly overweight stature came onto the stage and began to explain how the awakening ceremony would work.
They would each be given a tool that looked like an azure rock, like lapis lazuli. The man held it in his hand. It was the size of an egg but held a crystaline shape.
"This is an Ether Crystal, a product of the gods, capable of unlocking your latent lineage and a unique boon and flaw."
He explained, "Each of you will be given one of these crystals and assigned a room number. This will be the room you reside in for the next year. I don't have to say much because there is not much to it. You will understand. Simply hold this crystal in your hands and try to feel its energy."
"In four hours, everyone is to gather here again. This is more than enough time for you to complete your awakening and become familiar with the changes. You will then reveal your inherited lineage and your boon so that we can create a specialised training regimen for you."
He began to call out names, and they would walk onto the stage, receive the crystal, which was in a small green pouch, and a thick piece of paper. It was eventually Blight's turn, and he was called onto the stage.
The instructor's gaze lingered on him for a little longer than he was expecting, but he eventually handed him his pouch and paper.
Blight took the stairs that were labeled with a range of room numbers that included his and made his way up to the dormitory area.
Author's note: Dear Reader, thank you for reading this far, and I hope you will continue to enjoy my creative writing.