บท 18: Awakening

There was an awkward silence. The elder looked at the crowd with a confused expression, unsure of what to do. Usually, when someone took an awakening stone, their aperture would start to form by absorbing the surrounding aether. However, this time, nothing happened.

"What's going on? Why isn't anything happening?" Raymond asked, his voice filled with anxiety and confusion.

"I'm not sure…" the elder began, his mind racing for an explanation. "Did you already awaken beforehand? If so, that could explain why nothing is happening. But you must know it is forbidden to awaken without the clan's permission," he added, his voice steady but firm.

"No, I haven't. I swear, elder. I don't know what's happening!" Raymond replied, his voice trembling slightly.

The elder nodded and glanced at Liandor, who appeared equally bewildered. "Maybe it's a mistake? Let's try again…" he suggested, handing Raymond a second awakening stone.

"Yes, elder," Raymond responded, his voice brimming with hope and determination.

Once again, he swallowed the stone, and once again, nothing happened.

"I don't understand. Why isn't it working?" the elder muttered, a hint of worry creeping into his voice. "Are you sure you aren't already awakened?"

"I swear, elder. I'm not. I would never break the rules," Raymond insisted, frustration evident in his tone.

"I believe you, Raymond. How about this: we will use the Mask of Hope on you and see if there's anything. Sometimes, our clan is blessed with geniuses who can awaken by themselves. Perhaps you are one of those?" the elder suggested.

Hearing this, the experienced elders in the crowd exchanged grim looks. They were no fools. No matter how high one's talent, it was impossible for a human to awaken on their own.

Those "geniuses" were often the children of high-ranking clan members who had been given an awakening stone before the ceremony—a practice forbidden without the clan patriarch's special permission.

If this were the case, it would mean that Liandor had used an awakening stone before the ceremony, a serious crime with severe punishment.

"Yes, elder! I will put on the mask!" Raymond exclaimed, his voice filled with determination.

"Good. Then we will use the mask on you," the elder said, handing the mask to Raymond.

Raymond quickly placed the mask over his face and waited with bated breath. Yet after a long, tense moment... nothing happened.

The crowd was shocked. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Elder, what's going on? Why isn't the mask changing colors?" a young man asked, his voice filled with horror and disbelief.

The elder was silent for a long moment before finally answering with a sigh, "I'm sorry Raymond."

"W-What?" the young man stuttered, his voice trembling slightly.

"Unranked potential." the elder announced, his voice filled with sorrow and regret.

Hearing this everyone in the crowd gasped. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. A descendant of Xianwen family, one of the few major family in White River Town was actually talentless!

In the corner of the room, Elias sat with his eyes closed and steady breath. His focus was entirely on his aperture.

Looking closely, one would notice that Elias's aperture was barely held together. His rune was gradually growing stronger and was on the verge of activation. The cracks in his aperture were becoming more evident, teetering on the edge of shattering. Yet, Elias knew he needed just one final push.

With a sigh, he slowly opened his eyes, his expression cold and detached. "Raymond is probably awakening at this moment. I should hurry and quickly awaken my rune," he thought.

Elias did not know how Liandor would react after learning that his only grandson would be crippled. He might become enraged and investigate, risking Elias' discovery. Perhaps he would be heartbroken and do nothing, or he might not care, considering he could still have more grandsons since his son had just married his mother.

Despite spending a year with Liandor, Elias couldn't fully grasp the man's personality so he wasn't sure either. Liandor was doting towards his son and grandson, yet he could remain calm and collected even in extreme situations, at least on the surface.

'I should quickly awaken my rune before they come back,' Elias resolved.

Rising from the bed, he left the bright and quiet room. He walked down the corridor, carefully avoiding the servants, and headed towards Yui and Ray's bedroom.

Since their marriage six months ago, the couple has shared the same room. However, they are attending the awakening ceremony, leaving Elias some time.

Opening the door to their room, he stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind him.

Elias observed the spacious and luxurious room. The large bed dominated one side, a dresser stood tall against the wall, and a desk was neatly arranged in the corner. The walls were adorned with exquisite paintings, and the floor was covered with a thick, plush rug that muffled his footsteps.

Without wasting any time, Elias approached the dresser. He opened it and pulled out several pieces of clothing, each seemingly expensive and finely crafted.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he laid the clothes across his lap. From his pocket, he took out a small, sharp dagger.

He sliced through the garments with a firm and decisive grip, methodically turning the luxurious fabric into tattered rags.

Once satisfied with his work, Elias did something peculiar...

He voraciously ate the shredded clothes, tearing at the fabric with his teeth. He devoured the silk without a second thought, indifferent to the taste or texture.

Elias' actions, though strange, were driven by a simple reason. These clothes were not ordinary but made from rank 1 soft weaver spider silk.

When he first learned that some of his family's clothes were crafted from this high-quality material, an idea had formed in his mind. Since those were ranked material, couldn't he use them to decrease his talent?

For practical reasons, Elias decided to eat clothes as a last resort. He did not care if it was edible or not. He only needed ranked material to destroy his talent.

Unfortunately, despite his pleas, Elias had never been given such high-quality clothes, so he had to steal them. His brother Raymond, unlike him, had many of them, but that was another story.

Once Elias finished eating the clothes, he stood up and returned to his room. He sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and concentrated on his aperture.

...And finally, there was a loud crack as Elias' aperture finally couldn't hold the pressure and shattered. The rune of the End had finally awoken.