Mental Palace

The awakening room was even more impressive than the building's exterior. It was a mix of advanced technology with ancient elements, as if frozen in time.

The oval hall was completely devoid of furniture or any objects, except for a small stage in the center of the room, designed to accommodate a person sitting with crossed legs.

In front of the stage, a girl imitated the same position, standing out among the rows of young people sitting behind her, all in a similar position.

A small group was located behind the girl, also in the same position. On the stage was an elderly man in a white tunic, who watched everyone present closely.

From the arrangement of the young people in the room, I deduced that the girl sitting in front was the third daughter of the Mercer family, whose awakening was happening today. The young people sitting in rows behind her must be the children of other important people in the family.

I was in the last row, which made it clear that I had no important role in that family. Whether that was a good or bad thing, only time would tell.

"Damn, what should I do!?" Even after researching the subject, it seemed that each awakening was unique. So, still confused, I followed the other young people and sat down, copying the same position.

After a few minutes, when the young people finally stopped entering the hall and the door closed, the old man began to look at us.

I felt my head ache when his eyes met mine, as if he could see through me.

As I looked at the young people, the old man stepped down from the small stage and began to walk around the limited space.

"Very well," he said, running his hand through his long white beard. "Before the ceremony begins, we need to analyze your Nexum type." He waved his hand in the air and several servants appeared carrying silver trays with small yellow cloths on top, placing one in front of each young person present. Then, the servants retreated without saying a word.

The servants' irises were almost as white as the background of their eyes, and their skins were so pale that you could see the blood circulating inside their bodies. They walked in a strange, almost inhuman way, and the uniform they wore covered their hands, adding even more to their mysterious appearance.

As I watched the servants retreat, a feeling of apprehension took hold of me. "It seems like a family of villains," I thought, looking around the hall. The unique architecture and tense atmosphere only reinforced this impression.

I realized that the other young people were also restless, looking around with worried expressions. Maybe it wasn't just my imagination. Was there something wrong with this ceremony? Were we in danger? My hands began to sweat as I waited for the next step.

Although I was apprehensive, my curiosity was insatiable. Nexum was a unique form of energy, and I admit that in terms of originality, the world around me surpassed everything I had ever written.

"There are three types of Nexum: Strengthening, Emission, and Creation," the old man explained with a voice that echoed throughout the oval hall. "Testing is quite simple, just touch the EnerTex fabric and it will react accordingly."

Anxiously, I picked up the soft fabric in my hands and immediately a small part disappeared while the rest began to glow intensely.

I stared at that magical wonder for a while. The extremely soft fabric emanated a comforting warmth.

That was magic. Real magic, or rather, Nexum.

I want to learn this! Explore the possibilities of what I could do!

In RPGs, I always chose to be a mage because of the fantasy of using mana and magic, and now anything was possible!

My body trembled and I felt like I had just won the best prize of my life. All my fear and apprehension disappeared with the idea of being a mage. I was filled with energy and couldn't wait to use all kinds of crazy abilities!

Taking a deep breath, I tried to wipe the silly grin off my face, which wasn't difficult thanks to the servant staring at me as if he wanted to kill me.

He leaned towards me with the tray where I had placed the EnerTex and then, with a strange voice, said, "Congratulations, you are an emitter." And left the hall following his companions.

My eyes widened in surprise and admiration. Apparently, I had the power to emit something. My mind began to wander, imagining all the possibilities that this type of Nexum could offer.

"EnerTex reacts according to your type of Nexum." The old man, seeing the obvious confusion on the young ones' faces, spoke as he walked calmly towards the stage. "If you're of the Strengthening type, the cloth would harden, if you're an emitter, it will emit light or energy, and if you're of the creation type, it will change shape according to your imagination."

My heart raced with excitement. I had to learn everything I could about emission and discover what I was capable of.

He waved his hand again, and three of the cloths the servants were carrying floated up to him, hovering in the air. One was a slightly darker shade and looked slightly different from the others.

"Please." He handed the different cloth to the nearest young man. "Try tearing it."

The young man took the cloth and began pulling on both ends, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't tear it.

"This is of the Strengthening type." The old man smiled, then took the shiny one and handed it to the young man, who this time managed to tear it with little effort.

"This is of the Emission type." He pointed to the torn shiny cloth and turned to the last one floating in the air, compressed into the shape of a small apple. "I don't think I need to explain which one this is, right?"

Beside me, a student caught the old man's attention with a shout. "Sir!" He seemed nervous about the amount of attention he was receiving.

The old man turned to the student and asked, "Yes, young man?"

"And when the cloth disappears?" the student asked, visibly worried.

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Did that happen to yours?"

The young man nodded in confirmation.

"What's your name, young man?" asked the old man.

"Alexander," the student replied.

The old man walked up to Alexander and placed his hand on his back, gently pushing him towards the center of the hall. "Alexander, if your EnerTex has disappeared, you will be officially recognized as a member of our family. Additionally, you gain the right to sit with the legitimate children of the family," declared the old man, pointing to the small group behind the girl in the center.

He then asked anyone whose EnerTex had completely disappeared to come forward, but after a few minutes, no one did. "If your cloth has disappeared, that means your Nexum is a transmitter type, a very rare type that few are born with," he explained.

I was right, I have no influence in this family.

"I will not argue about this matter, as those who bear abilities should be the only ones to understand their gifts." He resumed his walk towards the stage. "The Nexum is conscious. Do not believe what you have heard so far, as your ability was determined at the moment you were born. It may be hereditary or something entirely new, but even if it is weak, train it and do not waste your potential and future."

He looked at the nearest girl, making her swallow hard. "The family has high expectations of you all." The old man raised his hands as she began to glow in an incredibly bright white. "Good luck."

Magical.

If I had to describe the place with one word, it would be magical. It was a completely white plain. The ground under my feet felt like the cleanest marble I had ever seen, and the sky looked covered in clouds, so dense that I couldn't see the blue.

"So, this is the Mental Palace?" I murmured as small black particles began to float in the 'air' out of nowhere.

They came together to form a kind of card with the symbol of an open hand and something coming out of it. As soon as the card formed, another blue energy began to emerge out of nowhere and enveloped the card in a bubble, as if it were a protection.

I felt a connection with what was inside that protection, something calling out to me. I raised my arms towards the bubble.

Puff!

With a muffled sound, the bubble burst as soon as my hand made contact, and immediately a screen similar to a system appeared in front of the card.

[Ability: Absolute Non-Existence.]

[Type: Emission] [Nexo Energy: Vacuum]

[Exclusive ability of the Mysterious Character: 'Kian Valkenhorst'.]

"Valkenhorst!? Does that mean this Kian isn't part of the Mercer family!? I swallowed hard with the lack of information. 'I have to research this surname later.'

I stared at the system screen with some confusion. I had the name, type, and element of my ability, but no description!? How the hell do I use this!?

I stared at the small ability screen with a certain anguish, when it suddenly disappeared. The card began to float towards me and I swallowed hard when it passed through my chest and entered inside me.

"What the fuck-"

Suddenly, the white world around me began to tremble. The white light that illuminated the place began to falter and, in a matter of seconds, everything became completely dark. A shiver ran down my spine as I realized that the darkness was not emptiness, but an infiltration of black ink.

The darkness spread quickly over the floor, walls, and ceiling, as if devouring the entire environment. I could hear the sound of ink drops dripping, echoing through the place. I couldn't see anything in front of me, even when stretching my hands and trying to touch the walls or the floor.

My mind began to race, trying to understand what was happening and how to get out of there. Was this a thing from my ability? Or had I been transported to a completely different place? My breathing became shallow as I realized that I was completely lost in the darkness and didn't know what to do next.

[Exclusive Talent of the new character: 'NextageGG'.]

White letters began to appear out of nowhere.

[Choice governed by the supreme being 'Nexum'.]

The word Nexum exuded a brighter glow than anything I had ever seen in my life.

[Choice sponsored by 'DançarinoWei'.]

I widened my eyes when I recognized the familiar name of the bastard who brought me here.

[Choose your talent!]

A new interface opened in front of me, full of unique abilities.

"Wait... This isn't..." I murmured in shock when I clicked on an option and its description opened.

I recognized that talent because I had created it.

I exited its description and clicked on another, and then another, and another...

They were all talents that I had created.

And they all belonged to a character.

Adrien Silva, the protagonist of my web novel.

"So that's it," I said. Thinking about the letter he had left for me, something started to make sense. "This is the gift you left me, I understand now."

I closed the description of the talent I had opened and paused to think.

Original Adrien Silva was a young master with incredibly broken skills, like [Light Authority], but he would never be able to surpass the protagonist of his world. Despite the wide range of choices available to the protagonist, Adrien still struggled to compete with him.

That was when I decided that Adrien would steal something from the protagonist - the only thing he wouldn't miss, because he didn't even know he possessed it. It was the only talent worth having among all of Adrien Silva's talents.

Without hesitation, I clicked on my choice when the interface opened up.

[You have chosen the Talent 'Auto-Suggestion'!]

As soon as I made my choice, the darkness lifted as a new interface opened up.

[What did you think of the gift? I hope you liked it. It was difficult to take your talent system and put it in this world, so I had to make some changes. Enjoy!]

"Hey... what's your ability?"

"My ability is common."

"Mine, I've never seen before."

As my vision returned to the real world, the atmosphere inside the hall had completely changed. As soon as I could see clearly, I could see people in different moods, some happy and some sad.

Looking towards the stage, I could see the old man standing again, and by his side was the third daughter of the Mercer family.

"She's quite beautiful," I murmured, seeing her for the first time face-to-face.

Her white hair flowed freely around her face, with thin and shiny strands delicately falling over her shoulders. Her slightly dark skin had a radiant and healthy tone, enhancing her impressive facial features. Her eyes were large, with irises of a dark and intense color that seemed capable of penetrating the soul of anyone who looked at them. Her nose was delicate and thin, and her lips were soft and delicate, almost untouchable. Her face was a perfect blend of elegant and soft features that made her seem mysterious and charming at the same time. Everything about her seemed purposeful, a unique and singular creation of indescribable beauty.

She is definitely a main character.

"Hey you," a voice pulled me out of my reverie. Looking towards the person who called me, it was a boy sitting next to me.

"Hey, what's up?" I replied briefly.

"How was your mental palace? Did something unique happen?" He asked.

I raised an eyebrow, feeling my heart race. "Why should something unique happen?"

He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled gently.

"Each mental palace is unique. Sorry if my question sounded strange." He closed his left hand and raised it in front of me. Suddenly, his fair skin began to harden and turned into stone. "This is my ability, petrification."

"You are the strengthening type."

"You got it."

"Interesting..."

He smiled again, seeming friendly - I thought we could become friends. "What's your-"

But before he could answer my question, a deafening explosion shook the hall. The door was ripped off its hinges and flew forward, hitting everyone in its path.

"Gaaah!" The boy next to me screamed as he was dragged forward by the door, his arm left behind.

The door passed by me, leaving a hot liquid dripping down my face.

"What...?" I murmured, feeling my stomach churn as the smell of blood filled my nostrils. The footsteps were getting closer, growing louder.

Suddenly, I felt my body writhing in nausea as I vomited everything I had eaten in the past few days. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and trembled as I realized that the door had almost dragged me along with the boy.

My heart raced as two figures dressed in black, with masks covering their faces, appeared where the door had been. They were holding human heads in their hands.

My eyes widened as I recognized the gray hair on the head that one of them was carrying in their hands.

It was Evelyn.