Awakened Test •3

The Awakened Bridge tested an Awakened Player's Affinity for Divinity/Divinity Sustainability in a unique style. The Bridge was only as strong as the amount of Divinity stored presently and also the amount that could be gained in the future.

If one's Bridge was weak, it meant their Affinity and presence of Divinity wasn't high. Their Bridges would collapse because of this and they would fall into the chasm below, ending the Test.

Of course they wouldn't really fall. They would only reappear right before the Priest.

Aeric stared at the Bridge as his heart pounded hard within his chest. He himself didn't know at all what the goal of this Test was for, but he stepped forward, head held high and ready to do whatever it took the get to the other side.

As his foot touched the Bridge, it didn't waver. He placed another foot, and then another, and the bridge remained steady. No creaks, no cracks.

Step by step, Aeric walked across the ethereal span, his body moving confidently even though his mind was racing.

'So far, so good...' he thought. 'I'm nearing the end now.'

'That is unbelievable...' the Divine Priest thought as he watched him carefully, his eyes narrowing in contemplation. Aeric could tell that he was weighing that gaze, but he kept moving. When he reached the other side, the Bridge still stood strong, unyielding.

"I did it, didn't I?" he turned to the Priest. "I won the test."

"Hmm," the Priest murmured, an acknowledgment that spoke volumes. When the Bridge vanished, Aeric exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He had passed the first test, but not in the manner that he thought.

Normally, the Bridges were supposed to make a little creak along the line for most Awakened Players. But for Aeric's to make no creak at all, just perfectly letting him cross. How powerful would he have to be to accomplish that?

Curiouser and curiouser.

But there was more to come.

The Divine Priest stepped forward and placed his hand on the ground. With a gesture, a large mirror rose from the floor, its surface rippling like water until it stilled. "Now, the Mirror of Revelation," the Priest intoned.

The Mirror didn't look exceptional at all. It just resembled a conventional mirror, only that it did not have wooden edges.

'I guess that's what's going to... x-ray my body.'

"Face the mirror," the Priest ordered. "Stand in attention."

Aeric obeyed. He turned fully and stood before the mirror, dreading what would come next, but also a bit curious.

The moment his gaze captured his reflection on the mirror, it did not seem like his reflection at all. Perhaps it had shifted, but before his eyes, the image that was there appeared like the a human shaped energy form.

In the mirror, his body was vibrantly glowing. It was a swirling mix of colors, mostly purple, green, blue, and pink. They were dancing beneath his skin, moving like rivers of energy, flowing through his veins.

The Priest's eyes widened and he brought his face closer to the reflection to get a better look. "Well, isn't that interesting."

One of Aeric's brow raised in curiosity. "Interesting? What is interesting?"

The Divine Priest looked at him, almost like he was worried, curious, scared and uncertain at the same time. "Your Divinity... it is overflowing."

Aeric frowned, glancing at his own reflection, his thoughts spiraling.

'Overflowing? What does that mean?'

"Normally, the Divine Body reflects the flow of Divinity, like blood in the veins," the Priest explained, his voice slightly tinged with awe. "It moves in a controlled rhythm, filling the body as needed. But in your case... it seems to be pouring out in excess. It's... unnaturally powerful."

Aeric's heart raced, though outwardly he remained calm. The colors surged in his reflection, and he felt a pang of fear. 'Is he saying that I have an excessive amount of Divinity stored inside of me?'

"You have an excessive amount of Divinity stored inside of you," the Priest declared.

Aeric frowned. 'Yeah. That's exactly what he's saying.'

"This has never happened before in this world. Your pattern, your Divine energy streams, they're pumping the Divinity through your body in an accelerated pace, your whole body is being advanced by the Divine energy."

The Priest traced his hand through his reflection. "Its strengthening your lungs, which will give you stronger breathing, your muscles which will give you strength and resilience, your heart which will give you stamina and defiance, your brain which will make you smarter and quicker to absorb information, and surprisingly even your manhood, which will make you perform better in the act of romance. You have been blessed with the peak body of man."

Aeric wanted to gasp or punch the hair in excitement, but standing naked there, the only thing he truly wanted was to put his clothes back on.

Nevertheless, what a splendid news!

The Priest sighed and went ahead to document his discoveries in a large tome he used as a journal. "Go on now. Put your clothes back on."

With gratitude, Aeric hurriedly wore his clothes while the Priest documented.

"I have reached a conclusion based on the tests," the Priest announced once he was done.

"Okay," Aeric said, buckling his shirt. "What's your verdict?"

"You are Awakened. In fact, you are even more Awakened than everyone else in this Institution."

Aeric nodded. "That's a relief to hear. So can I go now?"

"Which is where the problem lies," the Priest said, seemingly not finished earlier.

Aeric's eyes narrowed with some worry and his heart sunk a bit. "What problem?"

"You have questioned the order of things in this realm more than once. No one has ever been Classless or Skill-less after their Awakening. And no one has ever amassed as much Divinity as you have in your Divine Body. Your Affinity is so high that if it had shone inside that hallway, you would have ended up blinding the entire Daughters and teachers."

Aeric wasn't sure whether he was exaggerating.

"So you have left me no choice but to put you in my list for Suspicious Tampering of the Magical Order!" The Divine Priest declared, causing Aeric to recoil back in fear.

'What?'

"I could put you straight away into the list of certainty, you'd no longer be a suspect but a full culprit who has somehow found a way to tamper with the magical system of our world. A Hacker!"

Dum!

Aeric snapped backwards in fear once again. 'What! He thinks I'm... hacking the game?!!!'

"I will assume for your father and mother's sake that this is only a small misunderstanding and perhaps your Class is taking a bit of a time to allow itself for Declaration. So I'll give you the days of seven for it to reveal itself! Once seven days pass and there is still no Class to be Declared to the world, you'll leave the Suspect list and become a Felon! An enemy of the Divinity!"

Aeric was still shock, his eyes staring at the Priest who stared back with his cold, stern ones. "Am I understood, boy?!"

He nodded his head slowly. "Yes, Divine Priest."

"You have seven days, Aeric of Starlight!" the Priest warned. "Seven days!"