Solgaret

Three children were engaged in conversation amongst themselves. 

"Hey! Do you now who's coming to our orphanage right now?" A boy asked, facing another boy and a girl. 

"Nope. Don't even know about a single thing." The second boy replied. 

"Man, you're so clueless! I heard that some nexus officers are coming here!" said the girl, joining into the conversation. 

"What? No way that's true, you idiot." Both of the boys replied. 

"Haha. Ok, so you don't believe me?" 

"Yep. Not at all. " The boys simultaneously scoffed at her once again. 

"Hmmmm!! Meanies! Go repent by punishing the devil's reincarnation!" The girl squealed as she puffed up her cheeks. 

"Ah, well, I can't seem to find it. Where is it? I thought it would be in the senior nun's hands by now." said the first boy, narrowing his eyes and twisting his head left and right to look for Aster. 

"Must have been scared when he heard the bell ring after such a long time. Leave it alone, we can get it afterwards. We'll ask the senior nun and she'll freely let us repent for our sins." The girl happily said, raising her hands in joy. 

"Yeah! We shouldn't think about it. The nuns will get him for not appearing anyways." The second boy said. 

As the group's mindless chatter continued, they remained oblivious to the fact that the very same 'it' that they were discussing about was watching them from afar. 

The air was alive with the hum of idle gossip as the children gathered on the barren soccer field. 

Their laughter and chatter filled the air as Aster leaned against the stone wall, his hands tucked into his pockets, observing the group with a detached air.

They were all dressed in the same attire: light blue knee-length t-shirts, blue shorts, black shoes, and white socks. Their hair was a mix of black, white, and blonde, yet not a single pair of eyes was as dark and black as Aster's. Instead, they sparkled with shades of brown, grey, gold, and blue. 

Behind the group stood the senior nun, her piercing brown eyes fixed intently on Aster. 

Her wrinkled face was a testament to her age, but her gaze remained sharp. She wore a long-sleeved white frock or as some would call a 'habit' and a white hijab-like cloth that went round across her face, a presence exuding an aura of authority. 

She looked old, old enough to be called the senior nun actually. 

Aster thought to himself, 

'Hah. She's observing me. She's warning me to not come near any of the others. Don't worry granny, I won't come near any of them. They don't want me near them as well, so why would I? I'm not an idiot.' 

With a hint of sarcasm and a nonchalant smile, Aster waved his left hand at the nun in a mock greeting. 

The ghostly white nun's expression twisted into a disgusted sneer before she turned to the children, her face transforming into a warm, innocent smile. 

"Quite the actress. It's a wonder how she can actually pull that off." Aster muttered, his hand returning to his pocket.

As Aster was returning to his thoughts, just then, an elderly woman's voice boomed through a megaphone, "Attention everybody!"

Aster's gaze shifted to the nun standing beside the senior nun, behind the cluster of children. 

She was dressed in the same way as the senior nun and donned a golden chain with a cross at her neck. 

Holding a megaphone to her mouth with her left hand, her eyes scanned the group as she prepared to speak. 

The nun's voice echoed through the megaphone, "Today, two officers from the Nexus organization will be joining us!" She gestured to her right, her hand extending towards two men that stood beside her. The men towered above the crowd of children, clad in long, black overcoats that covered them entirely. Their arms emerged from the coats, their hands encased in white cotton gloves. 

One officer had long, raven-black hair that cascaded down his back, framing his chiseled features and piercing grey eyes. In stark contrast, the other officer sported short and spiky platinum-blonde hair and eyes that seemed almost otherworldly - a pale, pastel pink that sparkled with an unnerving intensity. 

Nexus officers. 

All Aster had heard about them was that they would measure the chances of a person to awaken the seed of awakening inside them. If the person had more than 85% of potential, the usual being 65-70%, the officers would recommend them to specialized orphanages that were designed to train kids about the world of the Awakened, teaching them about monsters and weapons, items and especially about the Tower of Demons. 

But, Aster had learnt all about it. 

During the nap time of the senior nun , Aster would often sneak into her exclusive library and devour just about every book he could find. Slowly teaching himself reading and writing. These were all of the shenanigans that he would pull off in just about 2 hours of time everyday. 

'So, the rumors proved to be true, eh?' 

The nun handed the megaphone to the long, black-haired Nexus officer, who began to speak in a low, measured tone. 

"By now, you must all know about the Nexus officers and what we're here for. For those who don't, you can ask your friends or a nun later. Today, we'll be assessing each of you, determining who among you has the potential to awaken. If you get more than 85% on the test, then you will be sent to specialized orphanages or by chance be adopted by one of the Awakened we have gathered over here." The Nexus officer gestured to his right, where a row of adults sat in white chairs, all dressed in formal black attire. 

Both men and women leaned forward intently, studying the children with calculating gazes that mixed curiosity with careful assessment, as if evaluating each young face before them.

Aster's eyes narrowed as the officer bent to retrieve a sleek black suitcase from the ground. With a deliberate flourish, the officer opened the case, revealing a neatly arranged array of three glowing crystal purple balls. The children leaned in, their faces aglow with curiosity, as if the suitcase might contain some long-hidden treasure. 

"Ok, so to begin, you must all line up and take turns place your palm on one of these orbs, which will collect data about your potential. It may tingle or hurt a little bit, so please come prepared." The officer said. 

'Well, though I know my chances are negligible, I should at least join the test to make the nuns satisfied.' Aster sighed as he retrieved his hands from his pockets and started walking towards the crowd of children. 

...… 

Aster fell into line behind the other children, his eyes fixed on the row of glowing purple orbs that lied upon a brown wooden table. He was lucky that not many had noticed him yet because of their attention being grabbed by the mystical-looking orbs. The boy at the front of the line turned to face one of them, his expression tense with anticipation. Behind the wooden table was the raven-haired nexus officer and beside him was the blondie nexus officer. 

Taking a deep breath, the boy placed his right palm on the orb's surface, his face scrunching in concentration. A single bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, pausing at his eyebrow before continuing its slow descent. 

As the boy's palm touched the orb, it began to pulse with a slow, hypnotic rhythm. The purple glow deepened, and the boy's eyes widened, transfixed by the orb's rhythmic beat.

The raven-haired Nexus officer leaned in, his eyes moving from the orb to the boy's face.

"69%," he announced, his voice low and measured. 

The boy's head dropped, his bangs falling to hide his eyes as he slumped in defeat.

'Looks like he was expecting a higher result.' 

The officer's expression softened, and he placed a comforting hand on the boy's head. "I'm sorry, boy. I can't do anything to help you." His voice was gentle, but the boy didn't respond, lost in his disappointment.

The officer's hand lingered for a moment before he stood, turning to the line. "Next!"

Aster watched as each child approached the orb and walked away with disappointment etched on their faces.

Finally, it was Aster's turn to attempt the test. Ignoring the others, his gaze locked onto the raven nexus officer, who bent down to meet his eye.

"Is this one of the 'Voidborn' I've heard about?" The raven-haired officer stood straight and looked right, meeting the senior nun's gaze. 

"Ah... yes. We'll be relieved if you would quickly proceed with this... thing's test. Though I'm sure you already know what the result will be. Ahah." The nun chuckled, her aged voice dripping with disdain as she looked into Aster's eyes. 

'Oh….so you want to humiliate me, eh? Well. I have common sense though. In this situation, a normal person would try to avoid this humiliation. But feel free. I'm not here to impress anyone. I've got no other logical choice as well.' Aster thought to himself as he gently smiled at the senior nun. 

'But wait. What if I…..pass the test? Would I be sent into a different orphanage, a place where I would be respected and have a chance to live a normal life? Would I finally be free of this hellhole known as Kizuna Orphanage?' The idea popped into Aster's head. 

But then reality hit back. 

'0.99%, Aster. What are you even thinking about? It's impossible. Stop daydreaming and come face to face with the real world.' 

Yes, those were the true odds. Aster having natural black eyes meant that his chances for the seed of awakening to awaken inside him were just about 0.99%. Though it could be higher, there was no way in hell that it could cross 50%, let alone 85%. Yet, the idea never left his head, as he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and put his right palm on the purple orb, it's round and crystal-like texture feeling warm and pulsating slowly. 

'Huh…nothing's happening. Is the orb glitching or something? No wait, that can't be possible. Are my chances 0% or something?' 

He opened his eyes, noticing the purple ball beneath his palm vibrating and palpitating at an increasing speed. It shone with pristine white light, and then returned to it's normal state, again and again. Each time it glowed, the pulsation's speed increased and the orb glowed even more brighter. 

And now, for one final time the purple orb let out a bright, ferocious white glow, blinding Aster's eyes for a moment. 

"Aah!" Aster screamed in pain as the light inflicted pain into his eyes, his vision turning blurry. He immediately started rubbing his eyes with his fingers as he heard the senior nun shout. 

"What happened officer?! Did this accursed child do something bad? I'll punish him right away!" The senior nun rushed to the officer's side, her voice laced with worry. She gazed at Aster, a raging fury of anger burning in her eyes. 

'Oh no…am I going to be punished again? I don't want to…' Aster thought to himself as his sight returned. 

His vision still a little blurry, he turned left to see black figures, or basically the Awakened who had gathered and were sitting down on the white chairs had all stood up, their faces covered in shock. 

Had he done something wrong? Did he damage those expensive-looking orbs? Was he going to be whipped by the nuns again? 

Aster's eyes welled up with tears as memories of the nuns' brutal beatings flooded his mind.

 The long leather whip, the belts, the rocks, electrical wires that would send a shock into his body, and wooden sticks - each time those weapons had left a mark on his fragile body. 

The pain, long suppressed, now erupted like a raging inferno, leaving him breathless. 

"Haaaah…Haaaah…Haaahh…" Aster gasped for air, grasping his tightened heart with his right hand. 

Every single time he experienced hell. The areas where the pain was subsiding the most in his body, like his back and his thighs, started to throb intensely. 

'It hurts…' 

His legs started to shiver, unable to stay straight anymore. 

His heart turned into a beating drum as cold drops of salty water ran down his cheeks. 

With tear-filled eyes and a blurry vision, Aster looked at the officer and asked in a trembling voice, "Have I done something wrong, officer?" 

"No, my boy." The officer replied as he stared deep into the glowing purple orb, his reflection staring back at him in his eyes.

"Your potential to awaken the seed of awakening is….." The officer gulped, as both of the nuns at his side looked at him, with nothing but worry in their eyes.