Chapter 30: Awakening Ceremony

He gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress the anger threatening to rise within him.

Of all the things Damien could have said, that threat was hardly the most painful. It was what he had said about Abigail.

Age-wise, Aaron might have been the youngest in the family, but when it came to maturity, Abigail was arguably the one who behaved like the youngest.

He had pampered her far too much growing up. Perhaps he had spoiled her without realizing it, because somewhere along the way, she had begun treating him as though he were her elder brother rather than the other way around.

She looked up to him. Trusted him. And, to some extent, had built much of her life around him.

Even after he had been unable to accompany her to the Academy, she had wanted to wait another two years so they could enrol together.

But their father had refused.

Aaron had known that Abigail would struggle without him around. He had expected it. In fact, hearing Damien mention how difficult her life at the Academy had been wasn’t particularly surprising.

What truly caught him off guard was learning that Damien had done nothing to help her.

Damien was her elder brother too. He was more than capable of training her, protecting her, and even providing the support she needed to survive in an unfamiliar environment.

Yet he had chosen to do none of those things.

Instead, he had looked down on her, ridiculed her efforts, and dismissed her as a disgrace.

Aaron’s hands slowly curled into fists.

His nails dug into his palms as he clenched them tighter. He lowered his head slightly, biting down on his lower lip as he tried to keep his emotions under control.

He had endured a lot since reincarnating into this world. He had experienced confusion, frustration, disappointment, and even moments of helplessness.

But anger?

Genuine, unrestrained anger?

He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt anything like this.

For the first time since his reincarnation, Aaron was truly, deeply angry.

At that moment, a loud voice rang out across the open field, cutting through the endless chatter and drawing the attention of nearly everyone present.

"Quiet, all of you! The ceremony is about to begin!"

Aaron immediately turned towards the source of the voice.

Standing near the podium was a slim, bearded man dressed in an expensive-looking formal outfit. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, with neatly arranged hair and an immaculate appearance. His slender build, refined clothing, and composed demeanour gave him the air of an exceptionally well-dressed butler.

The man surveyed the gathered students with an unmistakable air of superiority. He didn’t appear particularly interested in whether they were listening or not. He simply stood there, waiting for his command to be acknowledged.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long.

Within a few seconds, the noise gradually died down. The countless conversations faded into silence, leaving only the occasional whisper and the rustling of clothes as students settled into place.

The man observed them quietly for a moment before speaking again.

"Everyone, come forward."

His voice was firm, leaving little room for disagreement.

Almost immediately, the students began moving towards the podium. Some hurried forward, seemingly afraid of missing something, while others pushed through the crowd to secure a better position.

Aaron hesitated.

His mind was still occupied with what had happened between him and Damien. Even now, the anger hadn’t entirely subsided. He took a slow breath, attempting to steady himself before finally joining the others.

A few moments later, he found himself standing among students from Ravstas Academy, Lorun Academy, and Garons Academy. Most of them were considerably older and taller than him, and their attention was fixed entirely on the bearded man standing beside the podium.

There was an unmistakable look of anticipation in their eyes.

Some appeared nervous, others excited, while a few struggled to conceal their impatience.

Aaron followed their gazes towards the podium. Beside the man was a dull, palm-sized orb. He was examining it when he heard someone call his name from behind.

" A-Aaron!"

He turned around, his brows drawing together slightly.

It was Natasha.

With a somewhat offended expression, she was squeezing her way through the tightly packed students, struggling to reach him. Her tall slender frame made navigating the crowd particularly difficult, and judging by the way she kept getting pushed aside, she wasn’t having a very pleasant time.

Aaron frowned.

She actually came back.

Natasha finally got close enough to stretch both hands towards him, silently signalling for him to pull her out of the crowd.

Aaron stared at her hands.

Then he looked at her face.

He didn’t move.

Natasha’s gaze turned cold.

"Can’t you see my hands?" she cried out, clearly uncomfortable with her current position.

Aaron continued staring at her for another moment.

He wasn’t particularly interested in getting involved in whatever trouble she had managed to find herself in this time. But after taking a deep breath, he finally reached out and grabbed her hand.

Calm down. Don’t transfer aggression to the poor girl

With one forceful tug, he pulled her towards him.

Natasha stumbled slightly before finding her balance beside him. She immediately began massaging her wrist, shooting him a displeased look.

"You didn’t have to pull so hard, you know."

Aaron glanced at her from the corner of his eye. His expression carried a mixture of frustration and concern.

"I’m... sorry about that."

He paused briefly, then looked at her properly.

"Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be with my brother, trying to convince him to work with you?"

Natasha’s brows twitched at the question.

She continued massaging her wrist for a while, seemingly contemplating how to respond. For a moment, she said nothing.

Then she finally spoke.

"I didn’t see him."

Aaron raised an eyebrow.

"I only saw him from afar when you two were talking, and I..."

She trailed off.

Her expression became slightly complicated as she lowered her gaze.

"I realized my father was right."

Aaron stared at her in confusion.

Captain Stones had said quite a few things about Damien. Unfortunately, none of them immediately came to mind.

"Right about what?"

Natasha remained quiet for a moment.

Then she lifted her head and looked directly at him.

"About him being a terrible human being."