NOVEL WEB Chapter 1
“Wake up, you lazy ass!” came a feminine shout from outside his room
*Groan* that was the only reply Samuel could send out given his current groggy state.
With a boom, a large woman who looked to be in her late stages of life barrelled into the poor excuse for a room. The only implements inside were a rag on top of a pile of hay and a small box in the corner with a candle. There were no windows or any other form to speak of and the gray surface of all the walls made it look more like a prison cell.
Without any warning, she grabbed the sleeping boy by the scruff of his neck and yanked him to his feet. Not that she had to do too much, given that all he was skin and bones and not much else. Despite reaching majority at 18 the boy looked more like a 14-year-old child suffering from heavy malnutrition.
The boy wobbled unable to find balance almost falling back down but was unable to because of the grip on his neck.
“Oi! You useless piece of meat! Do you not know what today is?!?” She shouted directly at his face as she violently shook him.
Samuel slowly blinked, finally coming to himself barely managing to stand.
“I am sorry…”
His voice was hoarse with no emotion in his tone.
“Why the fuck are you like this?!?”
Samuel wanted to answer, however, he knew that would lead to a beating. So he just kept quiet.
“Well! Guess what you little shit! Today is your special day! Today you get to see if have what it takes to become a cultivator!”
Those words put a bit more energy into his body along with a healthy dose of apprehension. He had almost forgotten that he had just turned 18 and everyone reaching that age needed to get tested and be allowed to become a cultivator.
It happened twice every year and any between the ages of 18 to 20 were eligible. For the ‘unwanted’ like himself, it was mandatory. Simon did not understand why it was mandatory but he was just an urchin and did not know any better.
That fact scared him because regardless of whether he succeeded or not, it also meant that this was the last day he could stay in the comfort of the familiar walls. After today he would no longer be eligible to stay in the orphanage.
Samuel wanted to cry out, to say that he did not want to go to the test and stay here forever. But he knew that such an ask would only lead to a beating. Unlike, the other bigger boys who could do physical labor or the girls who had their dextrous fingers Samuel had no talent whatsoever.
The only thing he was good at was daydreaming and getting lost in his head, both of which had landed him quite a bit of trouble. Not to mention his feeble body which made him unable to perform even the basic of chores without tiring. The best he could do was tend to the garden. Not that he minded, he was fascinated with the plants. They seemed to be able to pop fruits out of nothing, all they needed was a bit of tending and a bit of water, and out came the harvests on the regular. He did not how it happened and always wanted to know.
But he was never taught to read or write and even the simple orphanage books were beyond him.
Knowing how useless he was, he simply nodded to Mother and allowed himself to be dragged out of his room to the front of the orphanage where a gaggle of teens stood around talking to each other headed by a serious-looking uncle in blue robes. His eyes were fierce and the moment those eyes landed on Samuel he looked away in fright.
“Is this the last one?” He said in a very commanding tone that only frightened Samuel frightened him further.
“Yes! And that makes four, sir.” Mother said, her tone softer than anything he had ever heard before. It surprised him so much that he looked back to see what was going on.
“I can count. Here, forty silver.” The man said, throwing a small bag at Mother that jingled as it flew across the space and into her stubby palms.
“Thank you, sir.” She said with a bow of her head.
The man only grunted in response as he turned to Samuel as he said.
“You are a scrawny one but your soul looks old enough. Get into the crowd and follow.”
Samuel hastily nodded as he rushed passed the burly man and joined the rest of the teens his age, though he looked much younger than everyone else.
Most of the boys and girls gave him one look before going back to their previous engagements not giving a second look to the boy who was wearing clothes barely above rags. As they started moving along, he gave one longing look at the pretty little garden at the side of the dilapidated realizing that this would probably be the last time he would ever get to see his little escape.
And he was sure that he would fail the awakening, he was good for nothing after all. His future was only dark. However, despite being an urchin even he knew a little about the awakening ceremony. There was an option offered there he was going to take. It had been on his mind ever since he first heard about the event all those years ago in passing.
It would probably lead to his death but he did not care, he was living half a life anyway, and he would never again feel the comforting presence of his little field. So the least he could was go out while trying to reach for the stars. Maybe then the gods would like him, nobody in this world seemed to.
