Chapter 29: The Awakening Outing Draws Near

The Awakening Outing was an important event in Valecrest Collegiate Grounds. It was like a culture, and it happened every year. This event’s main purpose was to give the unawakened students who couldn’t afford an awakening catalyst to experience the natural way of awakening by experiencing a rift. The school had a Yellow Rift secured for the event. Rifts were categorized from Yellow to Black. Yellow rifts were the most common type of rifts, with inhabitants ranking from F-Rank to at most D-Rank. Green came next, followed by blue, then red, then violet, and finally, the dreaded black rift. Violet and black rifts were the rarest of the rare because they only appeared at the start of the apocalypse and disappeared. They appeared for only 30 minutes, and the world ended up like it is now.

Once a violet or black rift appears, that would be the start of the real apocalypse. No one knew how powerful those rifts were, but they didn’t want to find out. Anyway, the Awakening Outing was for the unawakened, and Silas would have been part of it if he weren’t awakened.

This also begged the question. Why hadn’t he awakened if the academy held such an important event?

The answer was simple. Turns. Well, Silas’s own wasn’t that simple, but that was the general reason. A yellow rift could only accept a certain number of people, so every year, the academy sent in thirty unawakened and ten awakened, including four instructors to oversee the outing.

It had yet to reach Silas’s turn, but everyone could already figure it out. It will never reach his turn, and the administrative board didn’t care in any way. As for why the awakened were sent, it was to help the unawakened in moments when they experienced an awakening, and for protection. The awakened could also farm experience, and if lucky, gain allies. The instructors, as mentioned earlier, were just there for supervision. They would only act when they sensed a threat beyond the capabilities of the students.

Now, why would they send instructors when there would possibly be A-Ranks and B-Ranks among the awakened? It was simple. The rank of an awakened didn’t always determine full strength. An A-Rank without experience was no less than a lower-ranked person. Only S-Ranks were exempted from that. Yes, a B-Rank could not defeat an A-Rank easily, but defeating an inexperienced A-Rank as a B-Rank was a lot easier.

And the event was drawing nearer and nearer. The names of the unawakened students had already been selected. It was now left with the awakened. And it didn’t actually matter the type of rift one awakens from. The rift is just a trigger.

***

The Teachers’ Common Room was unusually lively that afternoon. Dozens of teachers occupied the spacious lounge-like area, some grading assignments, others discussing lesson plans, while a few just enjoyed the free coffee provided by the academy.

At the center of the room sat a large circular table. Gathered around it were the instructors responsible for this year’s Awakening Outing. Several holographic screens floated above the table, showing names, ranks, classes, academic records, and disciplinary records. Everything necessary for the selection process.

"Let’s finalize the unawakened list first," said Mrs. Elaine Carter, one of the instructors overseeing the outing. The teachers nodded. This was always the easier part. The academy had already screened the candidates, so now it was simply a matter of confirming the final thirty. Names began disappearing from the waiting list and moving into the approved roster one after another, until a familiar name appeared.

[Chloe Montreal.]

[Grade: 11]

[Status: Unawakened]

[Academic Performance: Excellent]

[Behavior Record: Excellent]

[Recommendation Level: High]

"Approved."

"Approved."

"Approved."

The votes were unanimous. It was no surprise there. Chloe was one of the academy’s brightest students. Even among the staff, she was well-liked. A shy, polite, and hardworking girl. The complete opposite of certain troublesome individuals. The final name was entered into the roster. The thirty unawakened candidates had been selected.

A few teachers clapped lightly. One part completed: one more to go.

"Now for the awakened students."

The atmosphere shifted. This selection was more important. The awakened students would serve as the outing’s backbone. They would protect the newcomers, assist during awakenings, handle emergencies, and gain field experience.

Names began appearing.

B-Rank.

Approved.

C-Rank.

Approved.

B-Rank.

Approved.

A-Rank.

Approved.

The selections progressed smoothly. Until every instructor’s tablet vibrated simultaneously, hinting at a priority notification. The room turned quiet. Priority notifications from administration were rare, but priority notifications from the Vice Principal herself were even rarer.

Mrs. Carter opened the message and froze.

"Huh?"

Several teachers looked up.

"What happened?"

She didn’t answer. Instead, she reread the message and slowly pushed her tablet toward the others.

[VICE PRINCIPAL DIRECTIVE:]

[Add Student Silas Ashard to the Awakening Outing roster.]

[Mandatory Participation.]

"What?"

The first voice came from Mr. Ryan Fatars. The coffee he was drinking nearly went down the wrong pipe.

"Silas?"

"Why?"

"He’s already awakened!"

"Since when does administration interfere with roster selections?" Another teacher frowned.

"Isn’t this unnecessary?" A third teacher spoke.

The room quickly filled with confused murmurs when another notification appeared.

[STUDENT PROFILE UPDATED!]

Everyone instinctively opened it, and the moment they did, the room became silent again.

[Name: Silas Ashard]

[Ability: Thread Manipulation]

[Classification: Conceptual Ability]

[Rank: S-Rank]

[Status: Verified]

[Verification Authority: City A Awakening Evaluation Board]

Nobody spoke, moved, or even breathed. Mr. Ryan Fatars blinked in disbelief. Surely he was hallucinating.

"S..." His throat felt dry. "S-Rank?"

The words sounded absurd. Several teachers immediately opened the profile again, hoping to find some mistake, a typo, or maybe an administrative error. Anything. There was none.

One teacher’s hand started trembling, while another slowly removed her glasses. One even stared blankly at the screen. The shock was too powerful. Many people in that room knew something. Something they suddenly wished they didn’t.

They remembered the bullying, the rumors, and the complaints. They remembered looking away, and they remembered Silas. That very same Silas was an S-Rank. Mr. Fatars felt cold sweat appear on his back. For years, he had used Physical Education as an excuse to make the boy’s life difficult. What was his reason again? He realized that he was just bullying the boy for bullying’s sake, no reason attached. The realization struck him like a truck. An S-Rank. The kind of individual entire cities competed to recruit. The kind of individual governments protected. The kind of individual who could someday stand among humanity’s strongest. He had spent years antagonizing one.

M. Hermod suddenly laughed nervously.

"This..." he swallowed. "...This is a joke, right?"

Nobody answered. The Vice Principal would never joke about something like this, nor would the Evaluation Board. Mrs. Carter finally broke the silence: her voice sounded strange.

"Well..." She cleared her throat. "...I suppose Mr. Ashard has been selected."

Nobody argued. Not a single person, because the thought of explaining to an S-Rank why he wasn’t selected suddenly seemed like a terrible idea. A very terrible idea.

This year’s Awakening Outing was about to become the most memorable one in Valecrest’s history.