As the two of them stepped into the rge backyard, they saw many familiar faces lined up neatly in three rows.

  There were a total of 107 orphans in the orphanage, but only children above the age of 11 were allowed to participate.

  After subtracting the younger ones, about 61 were eligible for the test.

  Among them were not only first-time participants but also those who had failed to awaken in previous examinations.

  This time, they were going to try their luck again. Just like James, who had failed to awaken during his first test.

  The chances of becoming an awakener were low, only about 10 percent.

  Once a person passed the age of 15, the chances dropped drastically to 0.5 percent, since the origin energy would begin to stop flowing into the body naturally.

  That's why James's awakening was considered extremely lucky. He awakened just a few days after his fifteenth birthday, narrowly avoiding the age limit.

  Damien looked around, but aside from James and himself, he didn't recognize anyone else who had awakened.

  Since he arrived te and James had forgotten to mention the test earlier, most likely because Damien had walked out during lunch, he quietly lined up at the very back of the group.

  Then Dimitri walked onto the slightly elevated ptform, carrying a circur object in his hand.

  As he stood there facing the crowd, he spoke loudly, "Alright everyone, today is your awakening day. If it's not your time, then you'll have to wait for next year."

  Everyone was feeling a mix of emotions. Some were afraid, some filled with hope, while others remained neutral.

  "Alright then," Dimitri continued.

  "We will start with the examination. Those who are qualified, stay where you are. If you're not, you can either go back to your room or stay and watch. It totally depends on you."

  "Well then, let's begin. You, first in line, come up," Dimitri said, pointing at the boy at the front.

  The boy had red hair and wasn't very tall yet. He was 12 years old as he walked up to the ptform slowly, his hands slightly trembling.

  Dimitri pced the white crystal on the table and instructed him, "Pce your hand on the crystal."

  After ten seconds, the white crystal remained unresponsive, and Dimitri shook his head slightly. The red-haired boy, seeing the result, lowered his gaze in disappointment.

  "You can go down now," Dimitri said calmly.

  The boy stepped off the ptform, and the next participant took his pce. But the result was the same.

  One by one, more stepped up. After twenty participants, not a single one had awakened.

  Seeing these results, those who had not yet been tested began to feel a growing sense of hopelessness.

  Next was Toby, the boy who had been injured during the escape. As he stepped forward and pced his hand on the white crystal, something finally happened.

  The crystal glowed brightly, dazzling the crowd.

  "Congratutions, you passed. Go ahead and stand over there," Dimitri said.

  Toby's face lit up with joy, and he ran to the designated area with excitement. The others, though disappointed by their own results, couldn't help but feel a bit of happiness and envy that one of their own had awakened.

  Next was Andrew. As he pced his hand on the crystal, it also glowed brightly. He jumped in excitement and quickly ran over to stand beside Toby.

  Then came Arven. When he pced his hand on the crystal, it shined once again.

  The crowd was stunned. Three successful awakenings in a row left those who had failed earlier completely dumbfounded.

  Lastly came Garfield. He stepped up with excitement, hope shining in his eyes. He pced his hand on the crystal and waited.

  Ten seconds passed. To his dismay, the crystal remained dim.

  "You failed," Dimitri said, shaking his head.

  The trio who had successfully awakened stood in awkward silence. They didn't know how to react.

  The one who felt the blow the hardest was, of course, Garfield. His head lowered, and he steps back with a heavy disappointment.

  With his head lowered, Garfield stepped down from the ptform and walked away from the trio, choosing a separate path as he headed back inside the house.

  Seeing this, Andrew was about to follow him, concern on his face, but Arven pced a hand on his shoulder.

  "Don't go yet. We were instructed to stand here. Let's go see him after this is over," he said calmly.

  Andrew was struggling inwardly. He knew his best friend must be heartbroken at that moment, but he forced himself to stay still, remembering Arven's words.

  He steeled himself and remained in pce. The examination continued.

  Aside from the three who had already awakened, another thirty participants were tested. Out of all of them, only one more managed to awaken.

  Then only nine were left. One by one, the next seven stepped forward and pced their hands on the crystal. Each one received the same result which is failure.

  Next was James. Everyone stayed silent. No one tried to predict whether he would awaken or not, because they already knew the answer.

  James had awakened three days ago, and when it was revealed, everyone was shocked.

  They still remembered how cool it looked when his hand turned rock solid during the demonstration.

  As James pced his hand on the crystal, it glowed just as expected. He passed without surprise, and then it was Damien's turn.

  As Damien walked up to the elevated ptform, Dimitri gnced at him and spoke in a low voice.

  "Good luck, kid."

  Damien heard it and gave a small nod in response.

  Dimitri already had a good impression of him. After all, Damien had managed to kill a beast that even an awakened person like James couldn't handle.

  Even though it was with the help of the girl from the Willowcrest family, killing that beast still required strong will and courage.

  As Damien pced his hand on the crystal, it began to glow. Dimitri smiled in satisfaction at the result.

  With that, a total of 6 participants had passed out of 61. Dimitri nodded his head, pleased with the outcome.

  This result was actually above average. Considering how few awakeners typically emerged from orphanages, this was a rare and promising outcome.

  This was mostly due to the food they ate, which cked Origin Energy.

  Unlike noble or wealthy families who could afford food infused with such energy to nourish the origin core and increase the chances of awakening, the orphans had no such luxury.

  However, even with those resources, everything still depended on a person's talent and fate.

  Many officials had tried boosting the young generation chances using such methods, but in the end, without the right talent, it often turned out to be nothing more than a waste of money.

  Since there are many orphanages, starting this kind of pn would not be practical. The results would only increase slightly. For every 100 orphans, only about 10 would awaken.

  With so many orphanages, the cost of providing Origin Energy-infused food every single day would be too high. It is something their wallets would struggle to handle.

  "To those who passed, pack up your things. We will be leaving tomorrow. For those who didn't, don't be sad. You still have a chance next year. But for those who are nearing their sixteenth year, I suggest letting go of the dream of becoming an awakener. Reality is cruel, but living in a dream filled with false hope is even more cruel to yourself," he said, consoling them while offering some honest advice.

  "That is all," Dimitri said as he took the white crystal and pced it into a pouch that looked like it was made of leather.

  The pouch glowed faintly before the crystal disappeared from view. The other orphans came forward to congratute those who had awakened, and the six of them happily chatted and celebrated with them.

  After all, it had been a long journey, and now they were about to be separated from their family.

  Aunt Cellia hugged each of them one by one, her eyes filled with emotion. They were growing up so fast.

  Cellia had soft brown hair, rge melo... I mean heart, a mature face, and a warm, caring presence that radiated comfort and love.

  "Damien, James, Andre, Toby, Arven, and Lester. No matter what happens, always protect each other, okay? If you're going down this path, it will only lead to dea…" Her voice broke before she could finish.

  Tears welled up in her eyes, and she pulled James into a tight hug, unable to hold back her emotions any longer.

  James, who was being hugged tightly, felt both shy and extremely embarrassed as his face turned red.

  Being pressed against her rge melons only made it harder for him to stay calm, and he stood frozen, unsure of how to respond.

  Seeing his expression, everyone around chuckled. They all knew James had a huge crush on Cellia, whom they all called Aunt.

  Cellia was only 25 years old, just about 10 years older than James. In their world, that age gap was considered normal.

  There were even cases where young girls married men in their 80's or 90's just to conceive a child in hopes of giving birth to a genius.

  "A… Aunt… Cellia… I… can't… breathe," James muttered in a muffled groan.

  Cellia quickly leaned back, realizing she had held him too tightly.

  Her nose was running, and her teary expression made James's heart pound.

  For a moment, he almost reached out to embrace her, but he stopped himself.

  With that, all six of them chose to focus on the warmth of the moment, enjoying it while it still sted.

  Because starting tomorrow, everything would change, and this feeling of home would become just a memory.