"Those are your presents. Trevor, you go first. The skull is yours to use," Miss Carmen said, pointing to the podium with the skull-shaped crystal.
"Skull? A Beast Awakening? Won't I die? Or... or..." Trevor stammered, his face paling with fear. The rest of the group shared similar expressions of dread.
"No, you won't die. Everything will be fine," Miss Carmen assured him, her voice steady. "With the energy you've already absorbed from the Awakening Stones, your body is ready. That skull contains the essence of a Silver Rank beast with a Smoke affinity. It's called a Death Skull—its body is mostly smoke, with only that skull being solid. And don't worry, we've put measures in place in case anything goes wrong. You'll be fine."
"O... okay," Trevor said, taking a deep breath as he slowly approached the podium. His hands hovered over the skull for a moment before he finally touched it, his fingers trembling.
The process began immediately. White smoke seeped from the skull's openings and funneled into Trevor's body through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His white hair began to glow, becoming brighter and brighter until it matched the luminosity of the smoke. His eyes took on a dangerous red hue as he slowly lifted off the ground, levitating in the cloud of smoke that surrounded him.
The others backed away, leaving only Miss Carmen standing close, her eyes fixed on Trevor as more smoke poured into him. The skull floated alongside him, more of its essence merging with Trevor as the minutes passed.
After five minutes, Trevor slowly drifted back to the ground, collapsing as the skull shattered into pieces. The remnants dissolved into tiny fragments, entering Trevor's body. A now-dull blue crystal fell beside him, completely drained of its power.
Miss Carmen pulled a bottle from her storage ring and poured its contents into Trevor's mouth—it was Stabilizing Juice, meant to help his body adjust after the intense fusion. She quickly jotted down notes on her tablet. "That went better than expected," she murmured. "He absorbed the beast's essence completely... A perfect fusion, 100% success rate."
Trevor shot up suddenly, his eyes wide in terror. Sweat drenched his face as he looked around, disoriented. His once white hair was now longer, and his eyes held a strange, cold glow—something only Miss Carmen noticed. It was an effect of fully merging with the Death Skull, its energy now flowing through him.
"What... What happened?! Did I die? The... the beast?"
Miss Carmen smiled softly. "You're fine, Trevor. The Beast Awakening was a success—no, it was more than successful. You achieved a 100% Awakening rate, the first ever. You're perfectly fine."
"Huh? Successful...?" Trevor repeated, still dazed, but before any further questions could be asked, Miss Carmen's expression shifted.
"Ethan, it's your turn..." Her voice trailed off as she realized something was wrong. She looked around, noticing Ethan wasn't with the group. Her eyes instinctively turned toward a glass box in the corner of the room, and there she saw Ethan, frozen in place, his hand pressed against the box as it shattered.
When everyone's attention had been focused on Trevor's Awakening, Ethan had felt a strange pull, a force too strong to resist. Drawn to the box, he found himself standing in front of a misty glass cage, his curiosity piqued by the sense of something calling out to him.
Inside the box was a serpent, coiled tightly and resting. It was a magnificent creature—red scales with black dots, three golden horns on its head, and a third, bright blue eye in the center of its forehead. Its beauty was undeniable, and as it sensed Ethan's presence, it raised its head, meeting his gaze. Without thinking, Ethan placed his hand on the glass, and a streak of red light shot out from his palm, striking the serpent.
The glass shattered, drawing the attention of the group just in time to see the serpent spring forward, coiling itself tightly around Ethan. It hissed at Miss Carmen, making it clear that it recognized her strength. The serpent held Ethan in its grip, its coils squeezing him as it tilted its body, showing his agonized expression to the rest of the group.
Miss Carmen reacted immediately, her mind racing for a solution. She knew the serpent was highly intelligent—it could sense her power, yet it hadn't harmed Ethan outright. As she considered her next move, she suddenly heard coughing behind her. She turned to see the others—Trevor, Clara, Emily, and Lamair—coughing up blood. The space around them was distorting, bending under an invisible force.
"Telekinesis," Miss Carmen realized, her eyes narrowing as she identified the serpent's ability. Without wasting another moment, she unleashed her aura, enveloping the kids in it, shielding them from the crushing pressure. Her mind worked furiously to formulate a plan. Attacking the serpent outright could harm Ethan, but doing nothing was not an option.
A shadow began to pool at Miss Carmen's feet, shifting and stretching until it formed a black curtain. The shadow shimmered and solidified, taking on the form of a serpent identical to the one holding Ethan—only this one was formed entirely from darkness. It was an ability tied to Miss Carmen's affinity with Darkness, or more precisely, Shadow in its early stages.
The dark serpent slithered forward, locking its gaze on the red-scaled serpent, ready for a confrontation.