Rise Of The Villain

Chapter 3

When the tower first selected someone to become a Ascender, they underwent a painful process which was popularly known as the 'First Awakening'.

Originally, every human, animal and insect was endowed with three essential elements at birth, namely- the body, the soul, and the mana pathway.

Upon their arrival into the world, each individual received a physical form, or body, which they soon learned to master.

This early mastery of their physical form was crucial for their survival and interaction with their immediate environment, however, the time it took for various species to master their bodies varied greatly from species to species.

Parallel to the physical network of veins and capillaries within the body, there also existed a metaphysical conduit known as the mana pathway or mana circuit.

Unlike the visible circulatory system, this mana pathway was a metaphysical network, invisible to the naked eye yet essential for channeling the mystical energy known as mana which was essential to perform extraordinary deeds and magic.

For humans, this conduit remained sealed and inactive until maturity like a dormant channel lying in wait until the tower deemed them worthy to ascend as a Ascender.

Till date, the criteria for this selection by the tower remained a mystery, sparking curiosity and speculation among those who yearned to be chosen.

The act of being selected and undergoing the First Awakening was a transformative experience, as it initiated the unsealing of the mana circuit.

With the unsealing of the mana circuit, an individual encountered the world's natural mana for the very first time, often leading to their body collapsing from shock—a process that, in severe cases, could result in the awakener's death.

The dormant mana circuits of the awakeners, never before activated, suddenly surged with mana, inundating the newcomer with sensations entirely new and overwhelming, as mana flowed through their body for the first time.

Despite the variability of experiences among individuals, a common and notable aspect of the first awakening was the intense pain accompanying the process. This pain was accompanied by the expulsion of a foul-smelling, consolidated black gel-like substance from the pores, as the world's natural mana fortified and purified the Ascender's body.

The expulsion of more black gel signified a more thorough cleansing of the body, removing unwanted impurities and enhancing the Ascender's future potential.

However, this black gel was highly toxic and required expert handling by trained professionals. Contact with this substance during a Ascender's first awakening could nearly guarantee a serious infection for an ordinary human.

In the secondary and higher secondary schools of Earth, it was mandatory for the schools to teach all students what to do when a friend or colleague underwent their first awakening, as every kid was educated and taught that they needed to stay away from the awakener and immediately call the Ascenders association at 922 for assistance.

Usually, the Ascenders association dispatched a healer to whatever location the awakening call came from, however, since Rhys was within the Tigers Guild when he underwent his awakening, there was no need to call for a Ascender's association healer as the Tigers guild already had in-house healers who were well trained to perform this task.

"Guildmaster, I've never seen someone eject so much black goo before, it's almost never ending.

He has already ejected 2.5kgs and is showing no signs of slowing down." The Tiger Guild healer, Dillon, said in astonishment as even Ren looked surprised at this phenomenon.

"The cleaner his mana pathways get from the start, the easier it will be for him to learn spells.

He's bound to have a bright future like his sister…." Lloyd said with an undertone of jealousy as he watched Rhys undergo his first awakening with envy.

"It's too early to decide his potential, also talent is not everything in this world, temperament matters equally or perhaps even more than talent." Emma the guild secretary said, as although she was a mere mortal, her standing within the Tigers guild was second only to Ren and the vice guildmaster.

A few more minutes passed and Rhys ejected yet another half a kilo of black goo before finally showing signs of slowing down as the healer Dillon could finally catch his breath from constantly wiping and healing Rhys's body.

"His heart rate is stable, but I think he will be out till morning with how much weight he just lost.

Damn, the kid went from having an undefined body to a chiseled body in minutes." Dillon said, as he rubbed his cleaning cloth over Rhys's newly formed six pack abbs.

"Come on, Dillon, the kid was already in pretty good shape.

Although the awakening improved his physique, you're exaggerating its importance." Emma said as she noticed Rhys transform before her very own eyes and noted that although it was a decent transformation, it wasn't as pronounced as Dillon made it to be.

"Alright, let's let the kid sleep for tonight. He has already been through a lot.

Dillon keep checking on him from time to time throughout the night and Emma bring him to meet me when he wakes up tomorrow morning." Ren said, as he dispersed the group once Rhys's awakening was completed.

***

Meanwhile, Within Rhys's Subconscious.

Rhys found himself walking in a pure white space that seemed to stretch till infinity.

For as far as he could see, there was nothing but just pure white walls as he wondered if this was a dream or was it an elaborate illusion?

"Rhys Reynolds…we meet at last." A deep voice said from behind Rhys as he turned and found himself staring at a handsome man with deep blue eyes and pure white angel wings.

The appearance of the man was a bit nostalgic for Rhys as he looked like the perfect copy of what his school books depicted as 'Dreavon', one of the most powerful gods of the tower, and one half of the most followed godly pair on Earth, the Sol brothers.

"You look like Dreavon the Terrifying." Rhys blabbered without thinking as the man before him smiled as he said "I am Dreavon."