From Disposable Prince to Level 9999: Forbidden Evolution

3. A failed awakening ceremony

THE NEXT DAY

HUAN

The grand hall was packed, and the air buzzed with expectation. Fifteen years old, this should have been my moment, my Awakening and my chance. I stepped forward, the priests gesturing for me to begin. Luan and Juan glared, smirking, their confidence radiating like fire. Father, tall and imposing, observed silently, his eyes icy and unyielding. Mother clutched my hand, her warmth a fragile shield. The head priest raised his staff. 

"The fifteenth year Awakening of Prince Huan Bloodstone!" His voice echoed through the hall. "May the gods grant him strength!"

I lifted my hands… and nothing happened.

"Uhm… perhaps-" The priest hesitated, frowning.

"Failing already?" Luan hissed, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "What a joke."

"Come on, little shadow. Try harder. Or are you really that useless?"Juan stepped closer, smirking. 

I tried to call energy, a flicker, a spark, anything. But my hands trembled, empty. I felt the heat of everyone’s gaze, their disappointment.

"Father." I whispered, panic rising. "I-I can't-"

Father's gaze snapped to me briefly. Cold and calculating. 

"As expected." He said, voice sharp. "Completely useless."

"Huan! Don't listen! You are my prince! You are strong! You can-"Mother gasped. 

"Can't?!" Luan laughed, stepping back. "He can't! Look at him! Even the priests… nothing!"

The head priest shook his head, voice trembling. 

"The Awakening, it fails. No connection detected. His energy is unstable."

"What?!" Juan shouted. "No, this is impossible!"

"Impossible?" I screamed, panic clawing at my throat. "I-I can't fail! I won't!"

The red light appeared suddenly, jagged, swirling above me. It pulsed violently, tearing at the halls air. I screamed as it grabbed me.

"Mother! Help me!" I gasped, floating helplessly.

"HUAN!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Huan, fight it! Don't let it-"

"What, what is this?!"Luan stumbled back, panic finally hitting him.

The red light exploded behind me, jagged and writhing like molten fire. The air screamed around me, tendrils of energy lashing at my skin, pulling me backward. My feet lifted off the ground, and panic clawed at my chest.

"HUAN!" Mother screamed, rushing forward, hands outstretched. "Huan, fight it!"

I reached for her, but the force was already overwhelming. I could feel my body straining, lungs burning, muscles tearing at invisible bonds. Luan and Juan lunged toward me, their eyes wide in shock. 

"Grab him! Pull him back!" Luan shouted, voice cracking with fear. He reached for my arm, hands shaking.

"Don't let him take him!" Juan bellowed, grabbing my other wrist. 

His grip was firm, desperate, I felt their strength, felt their fear, but the red energy laughed at them, coiling around me like iron chains.

"Let go!" I screamed, but the force was unrelenting.

Father leaned back in his throne, lips curling in a cold, cruel smile. 

"Pathetic." He said, voice carrying over the chaos. "Even now, my children scramble to save the useless one. This is the history of our house, when you are failing."

Mother's hands grasped air, shaking, tears streaking her face. 

"No! Huan, don't, fight it! Please!"She screamed.

The priests were frozen, mouths open, eyes wide. 

"What, what is happening?!" One whispered, voice trembling.

Then, a voice boomed, not a human voice, not a priestly chant, but mechanical, resonant, unstoppable, echoing through every corner of the hall.

"FORBIDDEN SYSTEM DETECTED. CONDITION MET: HOST ON BRINK OF DEATH. INITIALIZING EVOLUTION PROTOCOL…"The voice announced.

The hall fell silent, only the crackling of the red energy filling the space. Luan and Juan strained harder, teeth gritted, trying to pull me back, but the portal's energy shredded their efforts.

"HOST: HUAN BLOODSTONE. FORBIDDEN EVOLUTION ACTIVATED. LEVEL-UP POTENTIAL: CONTINUOUS. PHYSICAL AND MAGICAL GROWTH: MAXIMUM. ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION ENGAGED."A voice said.

My body was ripped backward, the air burning around me, my vision blurring. I could feel the system awakening something deep inside me, something sharp, hungry, powerful.

"Let go!" I screamed to my brothers, but it was too late. The red portal coiled around me, and my body felt like it was stretching and compressing at once, energy ripping through every nerve. 

"So this is what happens when one of my children dares to fail. All the failures in my bloodline, swept away. Interesting… very interesting."He said.

"Huan! Mother's cry tore through the hall. 

She wailed, reaching for me, shaking, but even her warmth couldn't penetrate the force. The system's voice resonated inside my mind, clear, commanding.

"EVOLUTION PROTOCOL ENGAGED. HOST TRANSFERRED TO SECURE TRAINING ENVIRONMENT. PHYSICAL FORM ENHANCED. SYSTEM AWARENESS: ACTIVE. FORBIDDEN EVOLUTION STATUS: ACTIVE."The voice said.

The last thing I saw was my brother's hands, straining, grasping, shaking. Their faces pale, eyes wide with horror and disbelief, then the red light swallowed me completely.

"HOST STATUS: TRANSFER COMPLETE. FORBIDDEN EVOLUTION ACTIVE."A voice said.

The hall erupted behind me with shouts, crying, frantic prayers, but I was gone, ripped from their world, their sight, their grasp, away by the unknown voice.