The Darlings.

Elowen Solarius paced the grand hallway of Solarius Palace, her sharp gaze flicking toward the window, where the first light of dawn bathed the courtyard in golden hues. The sigil of her family, ancient and proud, seemed to hum with an energy that mirrored the fire inside her. As the daughter of Jake Anderson, one of the few to achieve the legendary SSS- rank, Elowen had grown accustomed to power since her birth.

It ran in her blood, just as it had in her father's, and she had long since learned that nothing was beyond her reach. Not even the heir of Solarius himself.

She had set her sights on Darven long before he became the head of the family. Back then, he was merely the destined heir, but to Elowen, that was enough. She captured him with a quiet intensity that left no room for doubt. And now, as her husband and the current head of Solarius, Darven had become everything she had imagined.

As she watched their son Aaron, practicing with his sword, still young but already showing the faintest traces of the power running through his veins, Elowen felt a surge of pride. He was the one, she was certain of it. The chosen one. Or he would be, once the awakening ceremony came when he turned thirteen.

Aaron was already a figure of near-worship in her eyes. She saw him not just as a son, but as a future force, a potential god. He didn't notice her mother's gaze and was lost in training with his older brother, Ren Solarius.

"Darven," she murmured later, her voice low as she approached her husband.

"He needs more training. You must make time for him."

Darven glanced up from his work, then looked at Aaron and Ren. He could see that Ren had grown skilled with his sword, but Aaron, who had taken up the blade just a year ago, had already surpassed him. His technique was that of someone who had trained for years, while Ren, though talented, was not the same as Aaron. Darven could see it, Aaron was destined for the sword.

"I'll make time," he agreed, though his mind already drifted back to the tasks surrounding him.

Elowen watched him for a moment before turning her attention back to Aaron, who was practicing his stances in the corner. She didn't fear the potential her son held. Not for a second. He was theirs, his future was inevitable.

***

All the nine great families knew about the prophecy and were waiting for the day that Aaron and Adrian turned 13. Everyone understood that they might not be the chosen one, but there was no doubt in their minds. After all, if not from one of the nine great families, where else could the chosen one come from? That was the prevailing thought among everyone who knew the prophecy.

Today was the day that would reveal whether the prophecy would come true.

At one of the Solarius villas, all the nine great families had been invited to witness the awakening ceremony, and the Wilson family had accepted the invitation. They were eager to see who would be chosen, the one who would wield the great power, whether it would be Aaron, Adrian, or someone entirely unknown.

All the families were seated in their assigned spots, awaiting the start of the event. It didn't take long before Aaron and Adrian entered the room, standing before two silver cores etched with ancient runes.

These cores were essential to the awakening process. Once a person places their hand on the core, surreal energy enters their body and initiates the awakening process. It was known to be painful and could take a significant amount of time.

Aaron and Adrian both had silver cores in front of them. They sat in lotus positions and placed their hands upon the cores. A sudden surge of energy invaded their bodies, starting the awakening process. As the cores began to form, both Aaron's and Adrian's bodies trembled, but they remained focused, unwilling to let anything go wrong.

Adrian's core began to take on a circular shape, and the energy consumption increased. Aaron took a little longer, but his core eventually began to form in the same circular shape, also consuming energy. The entire process was excruciating, taking about 30 minutes for Adrian and 40 minutes for Aaron.

Five minutes after Adrian finished, runes began to appear on his silver core. 

Aspect: Locked

Affinity: Elemental Manipulation

Potential: SSS+

The room fell into a deep silence as everyone tried to process what they were seeing. Was Adrian the one? An SSS+ potential wasn't unheard of, though rare, the core could only calculate up to SSS+.

So no one in the room knew if his potential was truly just SSS+, or something greater. His Aspect, "Locked," seemed to be something that he had to awaken later, but what was that no one knew, and the fact that Adrian could control all elements was unprecedented no human or any other race had ever achieved it.

Most were already convinced that Adrian was the chosen one.

Elowen, who sat beside her husband Darven, couldn't help but feel frustrated. Her son had yet to complete his awakening, and here was this boy, Adrian, with enormous potential. It shattered her confidence.

It wasn't long before Aaron finished his awakening, but when the runes appeared on the silver core, the room's atmosphere shifted from anticipation to disappointment. They had hoped that Aaron would at least reach an SSS- rank, but instead, he hadn't even managed to reach SS-.

Aspect: None

Affinity: None

Potential: S+

Looking at the runes, Elowen gasped. She, an SS- ranker with the potential to reach SSS-, and Darven, an SS+ ranker with the potential to reach SSS+, had birthed... a failure? A child who didn't have any aspect or affinity and who had only S+ potential? How could this be?

Impossible