Silence~
For a long mont, neither of them spoke.
Victor's mother sat there, blinking in stunned disbelief.
Victor felt like his ears were playing tricks on him.
Pregnant?
His mother?
"What?" Mrs. Revenant finally whispered.
The doctor nodded. "Congratulations."
Victor's mind spun.
Three months.
That ant—
That ant…
His father left behind one final gift.
A new life.
His sibling.
His mother touched her stomach as tears welled in her eyes.
"H-He always wanted another child…" she whispered.
Victor's chest tightened.
This was… good news.
This was amazing news.
But at the sa ti—
'How can I leave her now?'
He had just barely convinced himself to apply for the second Awakened Academy screening.
He had finally been considering moving forward.
But now…
Now his mother was going to be alone, carrying a child.
Would she be okay without him?
Could he really just leave?
Victor gritted his teeth while fighting against the mixture of emotions bubbling inside him.
His mother turned to him and noticed his troubled expression.
"Victor… don't let this stop you."
Victor's eyes snapped up to hers.
"Mum, I—"
"I know what you're thinking." She gave a small, tearful smile. "You're worried about ."
Victor remained silent.
"But I can take care of myself. And now, I have another reason to be strong." Her voice trembled as she touched her stomach."We both have to move forward."
Victor exhaled sharply.
He wanted to believe that.
He really did.
But sothing inside him still scread that leaving now would be selfish.
Victor helped his mother stand, steadying her as they left the dical facility.
As they walked ho, his mother gently nudged his shoulder.
"You should still go, Victor."
Victor let out a dry chuckle.
"Mum… I don't know if I can."
She gave him a knowing look.
"If your father were here… what do you think he'd say?"
Victor stopped walking and recalled the proud look on his father's face when he held his own against the Drakenar leader.
He already knew the answer.
His father would have pushed him forward.
His father would have told him to beco sothing great.
His father would have—
"Shit," Victor muttered. "I hate to admit it but you're right."
His mother laughed softly.
"Then go make us proud, son."
■■■
■■■
The Awakened Screening Facility was absolutely packed.
Up to a hundred late awakeners and those who had missed the first screening for various reasons stood inside, waiting for their turn.
It was a massive indoor stadium-like structure, divided into multiple sections, each designed for specific class-based tests.
There were digital holographic banners suspended high above, displaying:
> "AWAKENED ACADEMY SCREENING – LATE PARTICIPANTS"
The participants were a eexcited, nervous, and overconfident young awakeners, each eager to prove themselves to the governnt officials present.
Rows of seating areas lined the sides where governnt evaluators sat, watching over the event.
The hundreds of participants were separated into seven main classes based on their awakenings:
Warriors – lee combat specialists.
Berserkers – Strength-based brawlers.
Mages – Spellcasters with various elental abilities.
Assassins – Speed-based fighters specializing in stealth and reflexes.
Summoners – Those capable of summoning creatures for battle.
Healers – Support awakeners who could regenerate health and remove ailnts.
Necromancers – The rarest, capable of summoning undead creatures.
Each class would undergo specialized tests tailored to their unique skill set.
However, so tests—like the aptitude test—were universal, since all awakeners possessed a system interface only visible to them.
The system provided:
✔ Level progression
✔ Class-based abilities
✔ Tasks & missions
✔ Skill upgrades & unlocks
And today's screening would determine the ranking of each individual based on a point system, awarding better benefits to the strongest.
The head official was a man dressed in all white with green hair nad Gareth Vale.
He stood at the center while raising a system-activated clipboard that automatically called out nas, projecting the nas onto a holographic screen.
> "Lance Erwin!"
A tall muscular teen stepped forward.
> "Class?"
> "Berserker!"
> "Proceed to Section C!"
Lance ran off to where the Berserkers were being assembled.
> "Alicia Fenwick!"
> "Mage!"
> "Proceed to Section D!"
One by one, nas were called and youngsters stepped forward, declaring their classes before getting sent to their respective testing areas.
The na calling went on for several minutes—
Until—
> "Victor Revenant!"
The room fell silent.
Nobody stepped forward.
The officials glanced at each other.
Gareth sighed and called the na again:
> "Victor Revenant?!"
Still no response.
After a brief awkward pause, Gareth shook his head.
> "Moving on."
They continued down the list.
After all the nas had been called, the first tests officially began.
---
anwhile –
Outside the massive facility, Victor sprinted towards the entrance completely out of breath.
"Damn it… I'm late."
He was still processing everything—his mother's pregnancy, the pressure of leaving her, and his mixed emotions about this entire screening.
As soon as he reached the facility entrance, two security guards in dark navy uniforms stepped in front of him.
"Halt. State your business."
Victor stopped in his tracks while panting. "I'm here for the screening. "
"Screening is already in progress."
"I… I know. But I... I'm on the list... My na's Victor Revenant."
One of the guards checked a holographic tablet.
After a brief scan, the guard narrowed his eyes.
"Your na was called nearly fifteen minutes ago. You failed to respond."
Victor gritted his teeth.
"I had… a family ergency."
The second guard who happened to be taller and stockier, crossed his arms.
"Look, kid, I don't know what your excuse is, but the rules are the rules."
Victor glanced past them at the open testing areas inside.
The first batch of awakeners were already going through their tests.
If he didn't get in now, he wouldn't be able to compete for ranking.
He clenched his fists.
"I can't miss this."
"Then you should have been on ti."
Victor exhaled sharply while trying to keep his composure.
Should he force his way in? He wondered...
But that wouldn't help his case.
He had to think fast.
Then––
All of a sudden, a voice interrupted.
"Did you say your na was Victor Revenant?"
The two guards turned sharply to check out the newly arrived figure and their eyes imdiately widened in disbelief.
#############
Author's Note:
You guys should check out this link if you want to view the video edit I uploaded of Victor /ZMB1Ve2y6/
It also contains art works for "I Can Only Cultivate In A Ga". Enjoy 🫡
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