Skyler stepped into his room, and the door closed behind him with a click. He pressed the light switch, illuminating the space, and his eyes roamed over the familiar room. He took off his suit jacket, revealing a white shirt underneath, and laid it on the bed.
Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out his smartphone, which he had silenced earlier. As he unlocked it, he noticed a flood of messages from friends, old classmates, and even those he had conflicts with.
"Hey... Skyler? It's Zen. I heard you awakened a 1-star potential. Are you okay? I've never heard of anyone awakening such a low potential."
"It's Riz! The classmate you fought last year! I heard what happened at the testing center! Haha, serves you right!"
"Skyler! Hurry, check Star-Net! Someone uploaded a video of what happened at the testing center online on many platforms! Now everyone is talking about you!"
"Bro, are you okay? I heard what happened, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
"Remember how I embarrassed myself in front of the class just because I interrupted your stupid game? Today, I finally got my revenge!"
"Haha, that was harsh. By the way, I awakened as a tri-elementalist with 12-star potential."
"Skyler, I was in the testing center and saw what happened... but my mom just told me not to talk to you anymore."
"Just saw the video..."
There were many more messages, but he couldn't read any further and roughly threw his phone onto the bed. It bounced before falling onto the tiled floor with a sound that indicated the screen had cracked.
Stepping back, he collapsed onto the cold floor and stared blankly at the white ceiling before covering his eyes. He didn't like what had happened, but he wouldn't cry.
"The whole city's laughing at me..."
"It stings..."
Skyler clenched his fists. No one was present to notice, but beneath his arm, one of his eyes glowed a deep dark hue while the other radiated a brilliant white, only for the two colors to vanish into the bright, crystal-like blue of his gaze.
"Still, there's no way I am going to admit defeat before I even start my journey!"
He cleared his mind, and his emotions finally began to settle, or perhaps he was simply burying them deep within himself to maintain the aloof facade. Maybe, he had truly grown up in a very short time.
Raising his slim, pale fingers, he began to try to sense the elemental energy known as 'Evol' surrounding him. It was an intangible force flowing throughout the universe, one could only perceive and harness once they had awakened their affinity.
As the vital essence of nature, Evol was crucial for harnessing elemental power. He had heard that Evol has 8 different colors, each corresponding to one of the eight elements that people could control.
Red Evol represents Fire element, Blue denotes Water, Brown is for Earth, Light Green corresponds to Wind, White is for Lightning, Gray color represents Space, Golden represents Light, and Dark color symbolizes Darkness.
A person can resonate with the color of Evol that aligns with their awakened affinity and absorb it into their body, but they can't resonate with other colors.
No one can forcefully absorb Evol with which they lack affinity. Their bodies simply can't accommodate it.
Evol is also utilized to fuel and craft powerful artifacts, strengthen one's body, and many other powerful things.
Skyler had learned in school that once someone awakens their affinity, they can finally sense Evol. But it's not easy.
It can take months or even years for someone to sense the Evol that resonates with their affinity. It's even more difficult if one's potential is low because it is common knowledge that the lower their potential, the harder it is for them to grow stronger, as their capacity for growth is very limited.
He had awakened affinity with 'Light' element. Therefore, he could resonate with the golden Evol, but considering his 1-star potential, he knew he had zero chance of sensing it let alone guide it into his body. It would be nothing short of a miracle if he even sensed it in five years.
Regardless, he closed his eyes and just decided to try his best. If he couldn't sense it, then that would be it. Therefore, no one could imagine his shock when, after only half an hour of silent concentration, he sensed faint golden particles around his raised fingers with his eyes closed.
"Huhhh???"
His eyes snapped open, wide in disbelief. His first thought was maybe... maybe the awakening orb in the testing center made a mistake, and his potential wasn't so low! But they had checked his potential more than five times because of his parents.
So how could that be possible?
He took a deep breath to calm himself and glanced at his fingers, but he couldn't see or sense anything with his open eyes.
"I need to be certain... I shouldn't get my hopes up without any proof, right? Or else it will hurt even more."
Skyler knew that after sensing Evol, everyone had to guide it into their body and find a suitable pathway for it to form a tiny crystal at the center of their heart. The moment that crystal is formed, one could officially wield their elemental power and achieve the status of a 1-star Novice!
Individuals who awaken affinity with more than one element need to create a separate crystal for each element. It is up to them to decide which element to prioritize. After all, even though the potential for all awakened elements is the same, it relies on a person's ability to strengthen them equally.
Having awakened affinity for just one element, Skyler didn't have to think about the rest. He just wanted to be sure one last time that he turly had no future as a Light.
So, he decided to guide the Evol he had sensed in his body to form a crystal. While sensing Evol's presence is difficult, guiding it into the body is straightforward, as it just requires allowing it to flow in. However, forming a crystal is a very delicate process that requires supervision, but he was too nervous to think about anything else.
Quickly, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, feeling the tiny golden particles around him. He sat there for many hours, but he failed. He tried multiple times, but the results were always the same. The Evol around him didn't even budge, let alone enter his body under his guidance. All of this stemmed from his low potential.
"Haha... what did I even expect?"
This was the second time in a day that he felt so miserable and suffocated.
He shouldn't have held any hope from the start, but he just couldn't help it... His eyes turned red, and he really wanted to cry, but he held back and scolded himself.
"Nope, no. How dare I think that the awakening orb made a mistake?"
It was at that moment that Riya Ironhart, who always barged into his room without permission, knocked softly at the door. She didn't open the door but said softly.
"Sky, dinner is ready. Come out and eat with your dad and me. We don't want you to get sick. You even skipped lunch."
Skyler held his breath and replied in a measured tone.
"Mum, I will be out for dinner; just give me a minute to wash my hands."
She left, and he lightly slapped his cheeks before taking a minute to wash his hands and straighten his clothes, wanting to look presentable so as not to worry his parents.