The black seas and skies of their mindscapes had faded. The soul-crushing pressure had retreated. The questions had been asked, the answers given, and the judgments sealed.
Now came the moment all waited for.
Heavenly bestowal. The fruit of their painstaking work of 5 years. From the age when they could first see Heavenly Tomes to now, they studied tirelessly all for this moment. This moment 2ill decide the future of countless youths throughout the World.
---
The grounds of Skycloud Academy were eerily silent. No longer were the elders whispering theories or wagering predictions. Every teacher, every clan representative, every guardian, every parent—held their breath, heads tilted slightly upward.
"It is time," the Sunblade elder whispered under his breath.
"Yes," Lady Virelle of the Violet Rose agreed, folding her hands before her chest. "The Heavens have concluded their inquisition. Now comes their grace."
Even the ever-calm Principal Velren stood, arms crossed, gaze narrowed at the heavens.
---
The sun pulsed.
No longer fierce and overwhelming like during the questioning, its radiance now shimmered in elegant waves—like ripples cast across an infinite pond.
And then—
The Sparks descended.
Tiny lights, as if the stars themselves had been plucked and scattered, fell like a gentle rain upon the world.
Each student, still unconscious within the Trial Chambers, was soon surrounded by drifting orbs of flame-like essence.
The Sparks of Life.
---
"Look!" someone gasped. "They're receiving the Sparks!"
The gathered parents and elders leaned forward.
Because this was the moment of true judgment.
---
Unlike the trial questions—where one's discipline, desire and passion were measured—the Sparks of Life were a reward, not a verdict. Not from Heavens at least.....
At least one spark was the minimum threshold. Passing through Heavenly Trials granted that at least.
Two sparks marked promising talent.
Three sparks signaled exceptional potential.
Four sparks placed one among the elites of their generation.
Five sparks and above? That was no longer simple talent. That was divine favor.
Each spark carried profound essence and upon falling would ignite the heavenly tome of the respective owner and merge with their comprehension. Thus giving rise to a Heavenly Spirit. Ancients called this : Awakening of Heavenly Spirit.
The more sparks, the better the tomes and comprehension, the stronger and more unique the Spirit would become.
And so, as the sparks rained, some students received one… others two… a handful, three.
---
The descending sparks had not yet finished their dance. While the chosen few received storms of sparks and stole the breath of the world, the remaining students now entered their moment of awakening.
Though not as blinding as those grand prodigies, their own miracles were no less sacred.
---
Among them, the attention of many briefly gathered upon one particular student.
A burly youth, standing inside one of the many crystalized chambers, his eyes still closed in unconscious slumber.
Leonardo.
---
Three sparks of life hovered above him.
Three swirling orbs of vibrant light danced around Leonardo like playful fireflies, casting multicolored reflections across his sturdy features. For a brief moment, the crowd outside the Trial Chambers admired the sight.
"Three sparks..."
"That's respectable. Quite respectable!"
"Skycloud Academy does not accept mediocrity, after all."
Among the crowd, a few who recognized the boy murmured his name proudly. His family stood near the observation plaza, eyes moist with hope and relief.
"Leonardo's done well," whispered a proud uncle.
---
The sparks, after completing their celestial waltz, descended.
Drawn like iron filings to a lodestone, they slammed directly onto Leonardo's Heavenly Tome, which hovered like a hovering translucent grimoire just above his chest.
---
And then—the flames began.
The Heavenly Tome caught fire instantly, burning with ethereal azure flames. The blaze leapt from the tome to Leonardo's entire body, encasing him entirely in heavenly fire.
No one panicked.
No one screamed.
This was the sacred process. The ritual that had been repeated for countless generations.
Fire that does not burn flesh, but the soul.
---
Within the flames, something extraordinary unfolded.
A Spark within the flame.
At first glance, it appeared paradoxical—how could a flame contain a spark brighter than the glame itself? Yet that was precisely the mystery of the Heavenly Spirit's birth.
From within that flickering inferno, the spark pulsed with growing intensity. Light swirled around it, layer upon layer, until the formless radiance solidified into shape.
---
The spirit was born.
A vaguely humanoid figure made entirely of condensed light emerged from the fire, floating beside Leonardo. Its features were indistinct, faceless, and formless—yet from its posture, one could sense immense weight and authority.
A sharp-edged, vertical, purple sword mark on it's forehead, its shoulder radiating a subtle mountainous aura.
The flames dissipated.
Leonardo's eyes flew open.
And he smiled wide, breathing heavily from the euphoric exhaustion.
---
His uncle surged forward, eyes gleaming.
"Leo, what spirit did you receive?!"
Leonardo's chest puffed up with pride as he declared:
"Purple Sword: Mountain Splitter!"
His uncle clapped his hands in joy, slapping Leonardo's back.
"Excellent! The Purple Sword line! Mountain Splitter is a powerful foundation. You're destined for great duels, lad!"
---
Around them, more and more students completed their awakening.
Spirits of all kinds flickered into existence— each having their differences but all remained humanoid. No matter what variances or distinct maeks they held, all were humanoid.
The air was filled with celebratory chatter—until suddenly, all sound vanished.
Not by silence, but by a phenomenon so overwhelming that sound itself was rendered irrelevant.
---
For there, at the center of the plaza—only three chambers remained untouched. Three students still had not awakened.
And as every eye turned to those chambers...
The blinding radiance of 3 light pillars rendered everyone utterly silent. In fact, beyond the Academy, the whole SkyCloud city was silent for the moment simultaneously. Everyone abandoned whatever they were doing and looked up to the sky, towards the direction of SkyCloud academy. They could see three pullars of light connecting Sjy & Land.
It looked ao divine that the whole city seemed to hold their breath. In reverence? Fear? Or something more complicated? No one could tell!
---