Lord's System: Twilight Sovereign Awakened

The attendant's gaze remained impassive for a moment longer, as if weighing Lysander's words and the conviction, or perhaps desperation, that underlay them. Then, with a subtle shift in posture, they tapped a command on the holographic interface before them. A soft chime echoed through the hall.

"Indeed, sir," the attendant finally replied, their tone still neutral but now tinged with a hint of professional courtesy. "We have a variety of Lord's Awakening Crystals available. The price varies depending on the batch and the perceived potential within."

A series of holographic images flickered to life above the counter, displaying various crystalline formations. Some were small and cloudy, others larger and radiating a faint inner light. Each displayed a price beneath it, ranging from what looked like a month's worth of his meager earnings to sums that were utterly astronomical.

Lysander's eyes narrowed, scanning the options. Perceived potential? What exactly does that even mean? Some charlatan's guess based on the crystal's shimmer? Or is there some deeper resonance they can detect? He felt a familiar wave of cynicism wash over him. This entire process felt shrouded in a veil of manufactured mystique, designed to prey on the hopes of the desperate.

"What is the standard crystal?" Lysander inquired, gesturing towards one of the more moderately priced options, a palm-sized crystal with a soft, opalescent glow. It still looked exorbitant, a painful sacrifice of his hard-won savings.

"The standard crystal," the attendant explained, their finger hovering over the holographic image, "offers a baseline chance of Awakening. The success rate remains consistent across all crystal types, but the perceived 'potential' often correlates with the… quality… of the Awakening, should it occur. Higher-priced crystals are rumored to have a greater chance of yielding more potent Lord skills or rarer unit affinities."

Rumored, Lysander thought with a wry internal snort. Of course. Nothing concrete. Just enough ambiguity to justify the exorbitant price tags. He knew, deep down, that he couldn't afford to gamble on the most expensive options. His savings were finite, a fragile bulwark against the tide of his uncertain future. If this failed, he would be left with nothing.

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking back to the cheaper, cloudier crystals. The thought of spending so much for a potentially fruitless endeavor was sickening. But the image of his stagnant life, the endless cycle of drudgery, spurred him on. He had to take this chance.

"I'll take the standard crystal," he said, his voice firm despite the knot of anxiety in his stomach. "The one with the opalescent glow."

The attendant nodded curtly. "Very well, sir. That will be three thousand credits."

Lysander's breath hitched slightly. Three thousand credits. It was a significant sum, almost all he had managed to scrape together. He reached into his inner coat pocket, his fingers brushing against the smooth, cool surface of his identification chip. He swiped it across the payment scanner on the counter. A small beep confirmed the transaction.

The holographic image of the crystal shimmered and then solidified into a physical object. The attendant carefully picked it up and placed it in a small, velvet-lined box, which they then slid across the counter to Lysander.

"The process is simple, sir," the attendant instructed, their tone now purely perfunctory. "Find a designated Awakening chamber. Focus your intent upon the crystal. If you are deemed… compatible… it will merge with you. If not…" They let the sentence hang in the air, the implication clear. Failure meant the shattering of both the crystal and his hopes.

Lysander picked up the box, the weight of it surprisingly substantial in his hand. It felt cold, alien. This small thing holds the potential to change everything, he mused, a strange mix of anticipation and dread swirling within him.

"And the Awakening chambers?" he asked, his gaze sweeping across the hall.

The attendant gestured towards a series of archways lining the far wall, each glowing with a soft, ethereal light. "They are through there, sir. Choose an unoccupied one. May your Awakening be… fruitful." The last word held a hint of something unreadable, perhaps even a sliver of genuine well-wishing in the practiced neutrality.

Lysander nodded curtly, clutching the velvet box tightly. He turned and walked towards the archways, each step feeling heavy with the weight of his decision. He could feel the eyes of a few other hopefuls in the hall tracking his progress. They were all here for the same desperate gamble, their faces etched with a mixture of hope and anxiety.

He selected an unoccupied chamber, the entrance shimmering like heat haze. Taking one last deep breath, Lysander stepped through, the velvet box containing his uncertain future held firmly in his grasp. The cool air within the chamber wrapped around him, and the door shimmered shut behind him, leaving him alone with the crystal and the precipice of his destiny.