Awakening of Power
Valen's body felt as if it had been submerged in molten fire, yet his mind had never been so clear.
The searing pain of the Transcendence Ceremony still lingered in his bones, but now, a heavy calm followed, as though the world around him was finally beginning to settle.
For the first time since he had opened his eyes in this world, Valen felt the power humming through his veins—a rhythm unlike anything he had ever known.
"I'm alive." The thought struck him with cold certainty.
Each breath carried a weight to it, like the air itself had become denser. He could feel something deep within him, something new and raw: the Primordial Core.
It pulsed with life, far more powerful than any core he had read about in Echoes of Eternity.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the foreign energy coursing through his body. This was no ordinary power.
"This is only the beginning," he thought, suppressing the surge of triumph that threatened to rise within him. There would be time for celebration later.
He tried to move, but his limbs protested, still recovering from the torment his body had endured. His muscles were stiff, his bones heavy with fatigue.
Yet, he had survived. The Aetheris family's Transcendence Ceremony was something feared even within their bloodline, a trial that had broken many of their heirs before him.
But he had absorbed it all. The ancient blood, the pure mana—everything.
It was then that something unexpected flickered in the back of his mind.
A pulse of energy, not from his core, but from somewhere else entirely, caught his attention. Faint words—no, more like fragmented thoughts—began to form in his vision, hazy but present.
[System Activated]
[Host: Valen Aetheris]
[Core Rank: Primordial - Active]
Valen blinked, his brow furrowing. He hadn't expected this. A system? The words lingered for only a moment, but the impact was immediate. Something ancient stirred within him, something that felt both foreign and strangely familiar.
"A system...?" He had read countless stories in his past life where systems were tools of immense power, guiding or controlling those bound to them.
The concept wasn't new, but this system? His system? That was unexpected. His heart did not race in excitement, though; it remained steady, calm.
There was no sense of trust, only cold calculation.
"I'm no one's puppet." Valen's eyes narrowed. The system had appeared, yes, but it would serve him—or it would be destroyed. There were no other options.
The interface flickered in his mind once more before fading entirely. It was there, but faint, like a shadow at the edge of his consciousness.
Valen knew it wasn't fully formed yet, but he would master it just like he would master everything else.
For now, it was something he could not control directly, but it would submit to his will, or be discarded.
Behind the heavy wooden door of his chamber, Valen could hear muffled voices.
His parents were speaking in hushed tones, discussing the consequences of what had just occurred.
"He absorbed it all... the entire essence of the ancient blood," one of the elders murmured, awe coloring his words.
His father, Marcellus Aetheris, remained composed, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the dim hallway.
His silver-white hair reflected the soft glow of the chamber lights, while his deep blue eyes flickered with subtle thoughts. Marcellus had always been the epitome of controlled power, a man whose very presence could silence a room.
Now, however, even he seemed momentarily taken aback by the enormity of what his son had achieved.
"No one in the family's history has ever absorbed all of the ancient blood," Marcellus said quietly, his voice measured but holding a note of respect. "Even our ancestors… they reached limits. But Valen..."
Standing beside him, Isolde Aetheris, Valen's mother, nodded thoughtfully. Her amethyst eyes—the very same eyes that Valen had inherited—shimmered with an intensity that belied her calm exterior.
Her raven-black hair fell elegantly over her shoulders, a stark contrast to the coldness in her expression.
She was not one for dramatic displays of emotion, but Valen had always known that her silence held far more meaning than words.
"This could change everything," Isolde murmured, her voice carrying an edge of caution. "He has achieved something not even the elders believed possible."
"We need to be cautious," Marcellus agreed. "No one outside of this room can know the true extent of what has happened."
"The Aetheris family has no rivals in Ethyros, but power like this draws attention, even from those who do not openly challenge us," Isolde continued, her tone sharp.
"Valen is young, and though his strength is unprecedented, we must ensure his abilities are cultivated without interference."
Listening from his bed, Valen's lips curled slightly at their words. Cultivate without interference? His parents meant well, of course.
But they had no idea what truly lay ahead. They saw his Primordial Core as a family miracle—something that would elevate the Aetheris family further.
They had no concept of the world beyond their own, of the destinies and powers that would soon come crashing down upon him and them as well.
Valen's thoughts turned inward. He could feel the Primordial Core thrumming within him, resonating with every breath.
It was an unfamiliar sensation, and yet it felt as though the power had always been a part of him, waiting to be unlocked.
The energy that flowed through his core was not like the mana he had felt before awakening or even like the powerful forces he had read about in Echoes of Eternity.
This was something far deeper. Raw. Unshaped. He would need time to learn how to fully wield it.
"And the system," he thought, the faint pulse of its presence still lingering in the back of his mind.
What was it? Why had it appeared? He hadn't wished for it, hadn't expected it, but it was there now. A tool—or a weapon? Time would tell.
The faint memory of Kael, the protagonist of Echoes of Eternity, surfaced briefly in his mind.
He remembered the boy's rise to power, the inevitable battles that lay ahead. Valen had been a mere obstacle in that story, a villain meant to fall.
But this time, he would not play that role. Kael's survival meant Valen's demise—it was that simple.
"Kael... I don't need to destroy you because I want to. But because I must." Valen's thoughts were cold, detached. There was no room for sentimentality in this life. He had learned that lesson the hard way.
As the silence of the room closed in once more, Valen's gaze hardened. He would need to discover the full extent of his powers, and quickly.
The Primordial Core pulsed again, its power both exhilarating and terrifying. And then there was the system—a mystery he had yet to solve. He would not rush.
Everything had to be calculated, planned. The first of the two great opportunities lay ahead, and he would be ready when the time came.
For now, his parents would shield him, believing they were guiding his growth. They would play their roles, as they always had. But Valen would never again allow anyone—not even his family—to decide his fate.
"This time... I will control it all."