Capítulo 17: Mask of Hope

Walking through the bustling streets of White River Town, a group of people moved purposefully toward the town square. At the forefront was a middle-aged man with a stern expression leading them. Following the middle-aged man closely, a child was running around with excitement.

"Come on, everyone! We don't want to be late for the ceremony!" Raymond shouted, his voice full of enthusiasm. "I'm going to awaken my talent today and become the strongest cultivator in the entire clan!"

With a delighted sigh, he replied, "That's the spirit, Raymond. I have no doubt you'll be a great cultivator." Turning his attention to Yui and Ray, he continued, "What a lovely couple. I'm truly blessed to have such a beautiful family."

"Thank you, Father-in-law," Yui responded, her voice warm and respectful, though her eyes held a hint of sadness.

"You're thinking about Elias, aren't you? Don't worry, he'll be fine without you. Kids grow very fast, and you won't be by his side forever, right? ... It's only unfortunate he doesn't get along with his brother." Liandor's voice trailed off, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

"Uh? What do you mean?" Yui asked, confused.

With a heavy sigh, Liandor explained, "I didn't mention it earlier because I wanted to forgive him, but... I heard he stole some of Raymond's toys. That's why Raymond didn't want his brother to come."

"What?! That can't be true! Elias would never do such a thing! He doesn't even like toys to begin with." Yui exclaimed, disbelief etched in her features. She turned to Raymond. "Is this true, Raymond? Did Elias steal your toys?"

"Yes, Mom. He's such a bully when you're not around," Raymond replied, a mix of hurt and anger in his voice.

"I can't believe it... Why would he do such a thing?" Yui asked, her voice trembling with sorrow.

"I don't know, Mom. Maybe he's jealous of me. He always tries to make me look bad in front of you and Dad," Raymond said, frustration evident in his tone.

Ray looked at his son and father with a perplexed face but did not say anything.

"Don't worry, Yui. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, and he'll apologize to Raymond," Liandor said confidently.

"...I will talk to him," Yui replied, her voice tinged with sadness and hesitation.

"Don't mention it anymore. Now, let's focus on Raymond. We're almost at the town square, and I know he's excited to awaken his talent," Liandor said warmly.

The group continued walking in silence. Each member was lost in their thoughts. As they neared the town square, the crowd around them grew larger, the air thick with excitement.

An elderly man stood on a raised platform at the center of the square, preparing for the awakening ceremony. Atop the platform was an oversized silver chair, and beside it, a small table full of star-shaped stones, white robes, pins, and a featureless white mask.

The elder, wearing a long white robe, had silver hair that framed his kind and gentle face. His eyes sparkled with wisdom and warmth. "Welcome, everyone, to the awakening ceremony," he announced, his voice resonating across the square. "Today, we will awaken the talents of our young ones. Let's hope they have a bright future ahead of them."

"Yes! I can't wait to awaken my talent!" Raymond shouted, his voice bubbling with excitement. Hearing this, some people in the crowd chuckled.

"Raymond, you should calm down a bit. You don't want to embarrass yourself before the whole clan," Liandor smiled.

"Sorry, Grandpa. I'm just so excited," Raymond replied, his enthusiasm dimming only slightly.

"It's alright, Raymond. I understand how you feel. I was the same when I was your age," Liandor reassured him, his tone gentle.

The elder continued, "Now, let's begin the awakening ceremony without further ado. As per our tradition, I will call each child individually. Once they are ready and have completed the purification ritual, they will then bow to our ancestral throne to pay respect to our proud clan founder. They will then swallow our aperture awakening stone and finally awaken their aperture."

As the elder finished his speech, the children lined up rapidly, their faces a blend of excitement and anxiety. The first one to pass was a small girl who looked no older than five or six.

"Hello, little one. Please tell me your name," the elder said in a gentle and welcoming voice.

"Vera... Xianrah" the girl replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Alright, Vera, please come up," the elder instructed his tone patient and understanding.

Vera nodded, her hands trembling as she ascended the platform. She knew this moment would decide her fate. High talent would promise a bright future...while low talent meant a life of mediocrity...

As Vera reached the platform, the elder spoke to the crowd, explaining the traditions that preceded the stone swallowing. "Each child, before taking the stone, will don our traditional white robe, symbolizing purity, and a pin representing their family's honor and status. They will bow four times to the ancestral throne and, finally, will be allowed to take an awakening stone."

Vera quickly wore the white ceremonial robe and attached her cloud pin to her chest. She then bowed four times toward the throne as gracefully as her small frame could muster.

The once noisy crowd watched in respectful silence.

"Good. May heavens favor you." the elder said, his voice solemn and reverend.

Vera nodded, her expression serious. She closed her with a steady breathing. Her tiny hands clutched the star-shaped stone tightly. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the stone with a gulp...

...Slowly, a small whirl of aether gathered around Vera's abdomen, sucking the surrounding energy into her body like a whirlpool.

Her eyes widened in shock as she felt the strange, tingling sensation coursing through her. The experience was both exhilarating and frightening, like a current of pure energy going through her body.

Slowly but surely, the aether fused into a sphere in her abdomen... and then slowly transformed into something that would decide her fate—an aperture.

After a moment, the vortex stopped, signaling that her aperture had been successfully created.

However, Vera's expression gradually changed; her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes became unfocused. Her breathing quickened, and her body began to tremble as tears streamed down her cheeks.

The elder sighed, seeing this. Approaching her, he then took the pure white mask from the table and placed it over Vera's crying face.

This mask, known as the Mask of Hope, was smooth and flawless, with no imperfections.

He placed it over Vera's face, and surprisingly, it slowly darkened until ...it was pitch black.

Then... Silence.

The once lively square was now eerily quiet. The only sound was the faint breathing of the still-trembling Vera. After a few moments, the elder removed the mask, revealing a blank expression on Vera's face.

"Rank 0 black potential," the elder said in a cold and distant voice, his earlier warmth nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a woman who seemed to be Vera's mother burst into tears and fell to the ground. "My baby! My poor baby! My baby is talentless!" she cried, her voice filled with anguish as she kept hitting the floor.

A man who was standing by her side tried his best to console her, but she continued to sob uncontrollably.

The elder cleared his throat and addressed the crowd, "We will continue with the awakening ceremony. Next."

Vera slowly walked down the platform, her expression still blank and her movements robotic. With teary eyes, she tried to go to her mother, but the man quickly stopped her with a firm slap.

Seeing her daughter falling to the ground, Vera's mother cried even harder before running away from the square. The man followed her, his face twisted in rage and a few tears running down his cheeks.

Vera stood there, crying and alone. Nobody came to help her and pretended she didn't exist. She tried to look around frantically, looking for a friend or a relative, but everyone avoided her gaze.

She was alone.

The awakening ceremony continued, and the crowd's attention was focused once again on the platform."Next," the elder called.

The next child, a young boy, approached the platform. He was visibly nervous and looked at Vera with a very saddened tone, his hands trembling as he walked up the steps.

"What's your name, young man?" the elder asked, his voice calm and soothing.

"I am...I am, my name is, my name is..." the boy stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Take a deep breath and calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of. If the heavens are not against you, then everything will be alright," he said calmly as he looked at Vera, who was still crying.

"Y-yes, sir," the boy replied, his voice still shaky.

"Now, tell me your name," the elder repeated, his voice gentle and patient.

"My name is Cai Xiapen, elder," the boy responded, his voice more confident this time.

"Very good, Cai. Now, please perform the ritual and awaken your talent," the elder instructed, his voice encouraging.

Cai quickly put on the robe and bowed. He then swallowed the star-shaped stone and waited for the aether to gather.

As expected, the aether slowly swirled around him and gathered into a sphere, forming an aperture. However, unlike Vera, Cai's expression turned from nervousness to joy... His eyes shone with excitement as he gazed inside his aperture.

Before the elder could even put the mask on the boy's face, he yelled, "I am a rank 3 purple potential!"

Hearing this, the crowd erupted into cheers. They were all delighted to have a child with such a high talent.

The elder smiled and congratulated the boy. "Well done, Cai. You have a bright future ahead of you. But I still have to put the mask on you."

Without hesitation, the little boy quickly agreed with a nod. The elder gently placed the mask over the boy's face.

After a few seconds, the mask turned purple.

"Rank 3 purple potential. Congratulations to the Xiapen family; you gave birth to a genius! " the elder announced, his voice filled with pride and joy.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. An old woman sitting in the front row stood up and ran toward the stage with teary eyes."That's my grandson! That's my grandson!" she shouted, her voice filled with excitement, as she tightly hugged the boy.

"Grandma, I did it! I have a high talent!" the boy exclaimed, his voice bubbling joyfully.

"I'm so proud of you, my little genius," the old woman said, her voice thick with emotion as she stroked the boy's head lovingly.

Soon, the crowd gathered around the boy and his grandma, offering their congratulations and well wishes.

"Congratulations, Cai. You're a true genius! How about you come to my mansion? My daughter is..."

"Cai right? How about I invite you to..." said a female voice.

"Cai, I always believed in you! I can't wait to see you grow up and become a powerful cultivator!" another voice said.

The boy was overwhelmed by the attention and the praise. He felt he was on top of the world, and nothing could bring him down. But as the crowd continued to shower the boy with compliments, a single voice cut through the noise.

"Next," the elder called. Suddenly, the crowd fell silent. Everyone turned their attention back to the platform.

Then, each child completed the rituals one by one. Some were welcomed and congratulated as heroes, while others were simply and purely ignored as if they never existed.

Unfortunately, Vera was not the only abandoned child, and it was seemingly very common for parents to leave their children if they had low talent suddenly. It was one of the clan traditions. Useless clan members would be chassed out as fast as possible. And that was even if they were children.

One by one, the children took the awakening stone that would decide their fate. Among the clan's awakening children, the Mask of Hope had become a symbol of hope and despair.

This mask could reveal a young person's true talent. If talented, it would symbolize the start of a new life—a life of cultivation, hope, and a better future.

However, if someone were talentless, this mask would symbolize the end of their current life, despair, and any chance of ever succeeding.

Then, it was finally Raymond's turn. Taking a big breath, he walked to the platform with confidence.

"Oh, hello, Raymond. How is your grandpa?" the elder asked, his voice warm and welcoming.

"He's doing well, elder. Thank you for asking," Raymond replied politely.

"That's good to hear. Now, let's begin the ritual. Please don't be nervous. May the heavens favor you." the elder said as he handed Raymond the white ceremonial robe and the pin.

Raymond quickly put on the robe and attached the pin to his chest. He then bowed four times to the ancestral throne and swallowed the star-shaped stone.

Slowly, a small whirl of aether gathered around Raymond's abdomen, sucking the surrounding energy into his body like a vortex... At least that was what was supposed to happen.