Awakening of the Calamity

Amid this darkness, Lucien saw.

A starless sky, with a crimson moon. Also, a large structure could be made out.

Treacherous streets full of rubble, a group of people heading towards the large structure. Finally, a beautiful sunrise could be seen.

After these brief images, Lucien's consciousness was drawn by an invisible force of attraction towards an ancient city.

His body fell, into a void of endless darkness. There was no noise, no wind, no smell. Nor vertigo.

All around him, crimson stars floated calmly, oblivious and imperturbable. He felt like one of them, as if his only goal was simply to exist, untethered.

The whole environment was unreal.

The fall intensified, becoming faster and more ferocious. Like a gale, the wind punished his back and howled in his ears.

However, it all disappeared as quickly as a burst bubble.

Lucien came back to his senses abruptly, feeling very dizzy. His head was throbbing as if a drum were resonating inside his skull. His red eyes, cold as frozen gems, opened slowly and scanned their surroundings with precision.

He found himself in a small room, about the size of a bathroom, with rough, bare stone walls that oozed dampness, and the air smelled of mold and decay. There was no furniture, no bed, no desk, no closet. Just a few small, damaged beige blankets.

A small, tall, narrow window allowed the moonlight to pass through, filtering through in a whitish-gray-brown tone, illuminating the place with a ghostly hue.

[Participant! Welcome to a fragment of the World in Ruins. Prepare for your awakening test].

Lucien sat up carefully, feeling the night's chill penetrate his skin. He approached the window and looked outside. His eyes widened slightly with each detail of the scene that stretched out before him.

A great ancient city in ruins. The buildings made of black stone were destroyed. The streets were full of rubble, broken statues, and distorted symbols of the gods. Surrounding the ruined city, a great wall made of somber obsidian rose imposingly.

The sky, covered with heavy black clouds, barely allowed the moonlight to pass through, illuminating the landscape with a pale and dull glow.

Lucien contemplated the city in ruins from the window, his eyes observing with a mixture of curiosity and contempt. The view was impressive, without a doubt, but it was not the moment to admire the landscape.

With a cold look, he muttered:

"Interesting... But now is not the time to be distracted".

He had important things to do first.

Without further ado, he invoked his Soul Archive. Several letters formed in front of him.

…

Name: Lucien

Honorific title: —

Rank: —

Spiritual core: inactive

Register: —

Attribute: [Fire of destruction], [Son of calamity]

Talent: —

The words floated in an ancient and unknown language, but Lucien could understand them perfectly. He didn't need to learn to read to understand their content. Although, that wasn't what most caught his attention at the moment.

"Fire of Destruction... Son of Calamity".

Lucien raised an eyebrow slightly. The attributes sounded powerful, even somewhat vile, but they also aroused his curiosity.

Without wasting any more time, he moved on to the descriptions.

[Fire of Destruction]

Attribute Description: [It is a black fire that comes from a calamity, which once burned for centuries on this dead land, embodying destruction. It burns everything until it is nothing].

'This is interesting...'

Lucien, with a sparkle in his eye, activated his attribute. A black flame materialized in his right hand... however, he noticed something interesting about the fire. It was moving with a strange rhythm, almost as if it had a will of its own. If he didn't understand it better, he would say that the fire was... alive?

Although this was strange, he found it somewhat fascinating and mysterious. A fire that moves as if it had a life of its own... If he can control it, it will be an advantage.

With his lips slightly curved, Lucien moved on to look at the next description with some intrigue as to what would appear.

[Son of Calamity]

Attribute Description: [You are the son of all disasters, the symbol of Calamity. Your presence brings calamities, which can be infinitely small or infinitely vast].

Lucien frowned.

"What is this attribute…?"

He could see no benefit or use in it, only a lot of problems that would only make his survival much more difficult. This was only going to complicate things...

So he will have to plan much more, for every kind of situation that can become unpredictable.

Lucien frowned even more. The idea that his mere presence could bring calamity was not strange to him, but it was uncomfortable.

"This is not the time to worry about this..."

With a resigned sigh, he decided to leave the matter for later. There was no point in getting involved in something he had no control over, at least for now. He knew that wasting energy on useless worries would get him nowhere.

He closed his Soul Archive, the letters vanished like smoke. Now he had a more urgent task: to find a way to pass this Awakening Test.

At that moment, the door opened abruptly, making a loud noise.

Three figures entered, led by a man with black hair, blue eyes, and an ordinary face full of contempt. He was wearing a dark blue shirt and black trousers, with leather boots that creaked with every step. Behind him, two companions followed, their gazes just as cold and contemptuous.

Lucien looked at them indifferently, his eyes scrutinizing the newcomers. He didn't miss a single movement or gesture.

'Their eyes look at me with contempt and disdain, just like their companions', he thought, studying their faces.

His years on the streets had taught him to read people's expressions and emotions, even though he didn't understand them. He wasn't interested in understanding them. He knew that emotions can be poisonous.

Moonlight filtered through the small, tall window, illuminating the room. A cold night breeze stirred the damaged beige blankets that lay on the floor, and the air smelled of mold and dampness.

The blue-eyed man looked at him with contempt and disgust. With his voice full of disdain he said:

"What are you doing standing there? Don't you know it's your time to patrol? I don't understand how the boss let a slave without a master live in our shelter."

'Slave without a master... It seems that now I am a slave'.

Lucien sneered to himself, and a small smile appeared on his lips, as fleeting as lightning on a stormy night. But he quickly erased it.

"Am I the only one who will patrol?"

The man with blue eyes clicked his lips in annoyance.

"No. For a simple slave, you ask a lot of questions. Just follow me."

The man turned and left the room followed by his two companions, who looked at him coldly and with disdain.

Lucien stood still for a brief moment. In his eyes, red like gems, there appeared a brief cold flash, before he too left the small room with calm steps.

…

The corridor was as narrow and gloomy as the mouth of a wolf. Shadows danced on the rough stone walls, covered in moss, grime, and cobwebs, creating shapes that seemed alive and threatening. The few torches embedded in the walls emitted a dim, flickering light, barely enough to illuminate the way.

Lucien advanced in silence, observing every detail of the place with slight intrigue and looking for any potential danger. He knew he couldn't let his guard down in a place like this.

He had heard some rumors about the dangers of the Awakening Test, and although he didn't believe any of them, he wasn't going to be so naive as to neglect his safety.

Only a stupid person would do that.

Not long after, they reached the end of the corridor. There, a small window with iron bars allowed the moonlight to pass through, illuminating the place with a ghostly, grayish glow. To the left, a spiral staircase descended its worn and dust-covered steps.

After going down the spiral staircase, they arrived at a room with rubble and broken windows covered with wooden boards. The size was approximately that of a volleyball court.

In it, there were about twenty people, including men, women, and young teenagers like Lucien, and each of them was busy doing something. At the end of the room, there was a man with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing iron armor that seemed to shine in the midst of this darkness.

As if it were a kind of light amid this misery and misfortune.

Lucien observed with his eyes, every detail of the man without letting anything escape him.

After leaving the hall, they found themselves under a starless sky, where a moon was trying to break through the black clouds. Only a few rays managed to seep through, illuminating the ruined city.

The cold night wind was blowing strongly, making Lucien feel a tremor throughout his body. The air was heavy, almost oppressive, and each breath cost him a little more than usual.

In front of him was a group of approximately ten slaves, shivering with cold and with somber expressions they waited in silence. Lucien observed them for a brief moment before losing interest in them.

The blue-eyed man looked at them all with disgust and disdain. With a sigh of annoyance, he spoke in a clear and authoritative voice:

"Come closer, all of you".

The slaves obeyed immediately, approaching with fearful steps and heads bowed as if meeting the man's gaze was their death sentence.

"Listen carefully. Spread out to patrol the area around the shelter. If you see any monsters, report them immediately. Your job is simple: keep watch and warn if there is danger. Nothing else."

The man paused, his blue eyes scanning the frightened faces of the slaves. These were survivors, rescued by Lord Leoric.

Now, their only choice was to serve or die.

"That's it, you can start patrolling."

The slaves nodded silently and began to disperse, each one with a slow and heavy step.