Chapter 6: The Return of the Awakened

In the dark void of the Awakening Realm, Riven hovered quietly. Glowing sigils of divine energy still pulsed faintly from his transformed body. The pain was gone. His bones, once broken and reformed countless times, now felt lighter—stronger. The burden he had carried in his body and soul before the ceremony… had vanished.

A system window appeared before him.

[Awakening Completed]
[Rank Tier: ???]
[Talent Awakened: Path of God]
[Candidate Qualifies to Hold Multiple Talents]
[Initiating Process to Allocate Remaining Talent Slots]

Golden light spiraled around his form, entering his body like a rising tide. But this time, there was no pain—only warmth and clarity. As the energy surged through him, Riven felt… free. His limbs moved without restriction. His mind was sharper than ever before.

Meanwhile, outside in the real world…

The Awakening Ceremony had concluded.

All students had completed their registration and boarded their assigned buses. Noble heirs left in luxurious, rune-powered vehicles, their family emblems gleaming under the night sky. The guilds that had come to scout talent recorded the names of prospective recruits, preparing their offers for the following day. By law, no recruitment could happen immediately after the ceremony.

At the school bus stop, the remaining students gathered, excitedly discussing their talents and ranks. Among them, the five bullies and the haughty girl who had once mocked Riven basked in their newfound status.

• Kael Torin, the group’s leader, had awakened a Low-A Rank talent: Iron Hide.

• Drace Malen, Mira Fenwick, and Zane Velros each awakened Mid-B Rank talents: Flame Grip, Shadow Claw, and Steel Bones, respectively.

• Lena Orwyn, the girl who had taunted Riven, awakened a Low-A Rank talent: Wind Veil.

“Guess who's the highest rank in our school?” Kael bragged loudly. “It’s me and Lena. As expected!”

The others laughed, mocking Riven’s absence.

“He probably fainted before even getting a talent,” Mira sneered.

Their teacher, Professor Elric, stood quietly at the back of the group, troubled by a single missing student.

He pulled out his phone and called Riven’s family.

“Hello?” a voice answered. It was Riven’s father.

“Mr. Virelos? This is Professor Elric from Nova High… I’m calling about your son.” He paused. “I’m sorry. Riven didn’t return from the mirror realm. It’s past an hour now. In most cases… this means the candidate has—”

There was silence on the other end.

“…I understand,” Riven’s father whispered.

The call ended.

He sank onto the sofa, staring blankly. Moments later, Riven’s mother and younger sister walked in, immediately sensing something was wrong.

“What is it?” she asked.

“He… didn’t come back,” the father murmured.

The room fell into a painful silence, broken only by the sound of quiet sobbing.

Back in the Awakening Realm…

Riven stood amidst swirling light. Before him, glowing cards—around twenty in total—materialized from pure energy. Each radiated a different aura, some faint, some blindingly bright.

A system prompt appeared:

[Select Two Talents to Inherit]

He studied them one by one. After several minutes, two cards stood out, glowing more intensely than the rest.

One read:
[The Creator] — a rare and ancient talent linked to divine construction, reality shaping, and soul-crafting.

The other read:
[Bladeheart: Martial Sovereign] — a fusion of Swordmastery and Martial Arts, representing unmatched combat mastery.

Without hesitation, Riven chose both.

The cards disintegrated into glowing energy and surged into his chest.

[Talent Slots Filled]
[The Creator - Acquired]
[Bladeheart: Martial Sovereign - Acquired]
[Final Awakening Process Complete]
[Candidate Will Now Be Returned to the Physical Realm]

Physical World – 1:03 A.M.

The black mirror platform cracked open silently.

A blinding ray of light shot out—and from it, a glowing figure fell onto the awakening circle. It was Riven. His body, still bathed in faint divine light, was completely nude—his previous clothes had been destroyed during the Awakening process.

Steam rose from his body. His breath came slowly, steadily. His long, silver-white hair fluttered in the soft breeze of the night.

He blinked, looking up at the dark sky, the stars scattered across the heavens.

“I… did it,” he whispered.

His body still hummed with dormant power, but before he could process anything, another system notification popped up:

[Due to Insufficient Strength, Power is Being Temporarily Sealed]
[Unlock Conditions: ???]

Before he could read further, a sudden pressure filled the air. Someone powerful was approaching.

Sensing danger, Riven ducked behind a nearby marble pillar on the platform, hiding his glowing form.

Moments later, powerful figures descended onto the awakening grounds.

First came Draven Valtros—the strongest Awakened in the country and #9 on the global leaderboard. His piercing eyes scanned the area with sharp curiosity. Behind him arrived Elias Dorne, the second-ranked Awakened nationally and vice-head of the Awakener’s Association. And then, standing silently atop a tall building, a mysterious veiled woman watched them. Her name was unknown—but her presence was undeniable.

Elias turned to Draven. “You felt it too?”

Draven nodded. “A divine pulse. From here. But… it vanished.”

The veiled woman narrowed her eyes, staring toward the cracked mirror and glowing ground.

“A storm is coming,” she whispered.

Elsewhere…

In the divine realm of the low-tier gods, a strange ripple passed through the heavens. In their private domains, outcast deities turned toward a blinding rune now hovering in their sky.

[A New God Has Been Born]
[Origin: Terra – Unclaimed Planet]

A wave of silence spread through the realms.

Earth—Terra—was never claimed. No deity ruled it. For a god to own it, they had to be born from it… or seize it through might.

And now, a god had emerged.
Not from the heavens.
But from below.

Back at the platform…

Riven crouched behind the pillar, his glow dimming, his breath steadying.

He was no longer the boy who had entered that mirror.

He was something far more.

And the world… didn’t even know it yet.

End of Chapter 6