In response to the man's gesture towards the women tasked with recording our details in the awakening ceremony, the body nodded his head. As the boy walked towards them, the man bellowed, "Next!" with a loud voice that echoed around the surroundings.
The next person to approach the black crystal was a girl. She confidently stretched her right hand towards the crystal and repeated the same process the boy had done earlier. As the bright, milky light slowly faded away, the girl retracted her hand. After a minute of intense scrutiny, the man finally spoke up, "One star!" in a regretful tone. The girl hung her head, and the man gestured for her to move towards the women.
"Next!" The man's loud voice echoed once more, beckoning for the next person to come forward. Unsurprisingly, it was the village chief messenger's daughter.
With confidence, Thak's daughter stepped forward and stretched her hand towards the black crystal. Following the same ritual as the others before her, she retracted her hand and waited calmly for the man's judgement. As he peered at the crystal, his expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in a booming voice, "Four stars!".
At that moment, I realized that the number of stars determined the strength of one's inner power. Confirming my suspicion, the man continued in a quieter voice that still reached everyone's ears, "Congratulations! You have the potential of awakening your inner strength." With a wide smile and a nod, he gestured for her to join the women who were tasked with recording our details.
With a brisk "Next!" he gestured for the next person to step forward, a sense of anticipation filling the air.
"Two stars!"
"Next!"
"One star!"
"Next!"
"Two stars!"
As the process continued, my understanding deepened, and I began to comprehend why no one in our village held any hopes or thoughts of awakening their inner strength. Even Sura, who had gone before us, possessed only a one-star potential, indicating that she had no means of unlocking her inner strength.
Suddenly, a loud announcement from the man interrupted my thoughts, and I watched as he beamed at the young boy standing in front of him. The same way he had looked at Thak's daughter earlier. "Three stars!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement. "Congratulations, young man. You have the potential of awakening your inner strength." The boy's face lit up with joy as he was ushered towards the three women in charge of recording our details.
Internally, I nodded my head in acknowledgement of this new information - those with a three-star potential and above held the key to unlocking their inner strength.
The line of hopefuls kept getting shorter and shorter until there were only five people left. The man's voice rang out once again, "Next," and Gorg stepped forward. As one of the few people I knew in this unfamiliar world, I silently wished him luck.
As the milky light that surrounded Gorg began to fade away, he removed his hand and waited for the man's verdict. And then, with a burst of excitement, the man announced, "Three stars!" The elation on Gorg's face was discernible as the man continued, "Congratulations, young man. You have the potential of awakening your inner strength." With a nod, he gestured for Gorg to move to the side and for the next person to step forward.
"Next!"
"One star!"
"Next!"
As Ursa stepped forward, I couldn't help but watch with bated breath. I observed her as she stretched her hand towards the black crystal, and just as quickly withdrew it. But upon closer inspection, I noticed something - faint wisps of light flickering within the crystal, before settling in the centre, forming three bright, miniature crystal stars.
The man's announcement broke my reverie, "Three stars!" he exclaimed in a surprised tone, glancing around as if to confirm his observation. He appeared defeated, as if realizing that more people had the potential to unlock their inner strength than he had anticipated. Turning towards Ursa, his expression transformed into one of amazement, "It seems that Naka has blessed us with more warriors this year." He then turned towards the village chief, seeking his agreement.
My eyes instinctively darted towards the village chief, curious to see his reaction. To my surprise, he was grinning widely and nodding his head in agreement with the man's words. "Yes, yes, you are right!" he bellowed with laughter. "It seems that Naka has decided to bless us this year with four more warriors. Truly splendid!"
I turned my attention towards the others around me and observed the sheer joy on their faces. Even Fiona, who has been wearing a stoic expression throughout the day, seemed to be in high spirits, indicating that this was a rare and joyful occasion.
As Ursa was directed towards the women, I stepped forward without hesitation. Wordlessly, I stretched out my hand and gently placed it on the smooth surface of the black crystal globe. Within seconds, a soothing and refreshing energy surged through my body, like a tingling current that made every hair on my body stand on end. I was entranced, not wanting to miss a single moment, so I kept my eyes wide open, watching in wonder as the black crystal globe shone with the same intensity as before, until the light began to compress within it, dimming the radiance that had once spilt out.
Soon, the light within the globe scattered into tiny particles, which then transformed into small crystallized stars with a milky hue. As I scanned through the stars, my brows furrowed in confusion as I began to recount. "Six stars!" I muttered, taking my time to count them again.
Just as I began counting, the man's exclamation shattered the silence, "SIX STARS!" His voice boomed, louder than any of the previous evaluations, catching everyone's attention.
It took me only a moment to realize that I hadn't been mistaken, as my potential for awakening my inner strength had clearly displayed six stars. A wry smile spread across my face as I recalled how the others had received only four or three stars in comparison. I had surpassed them by a significant margin, shocking the village chief and causing him to bolt towards our direction.
