The sky over Ardent City was golden when the old bell in the city center rang.
DONG!
The sound echoed through the streets and houses, all the way to the walls of the Weapon Academy standing in the northern part of the city.
Today was a day that would determine the futures of thousands of children.
Weapon Spirit Awakening Day.
In the world of Arkhéa, every human would have the chance to awaken a Weapon Spirit at the age of fifteen.
Some received swords.
Some received spears.
Some received bows.
Others received strange weapons they had never even seen before.
A Weapon Spirit would determine a person's path in life.
The higher its quality, the greater the chance that person would become an Armament Master.
And for noble families, this day was even more important than a child's birthday.
Because a single Grade A Weapon Spirit could elevate a family's name for generations.
Kael Ardent stood among hundreds of participants.
His hands were tucked into the pockets of his simple black robe.
His expression was calm.
But no one knew that a strange feeling had been bothering him since that morning.
As if something were waiting.
"Kael."
Someone tapped him on the shoulder.
Kael turned around.
Darius Flint stood behind him.
His body was larger than those of other children his age.
"Today finally came."
Kael smiled.
"Looks like you're more nervous than I am."
"Nervous?"
Darius laughed.
"I already know what my Weapon Spirit is."
"War Hammer."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"You haven't awakened it yet."
"I already know."
Darius thumped his chest.
"My father said the Flint family bloodline almost always awakens a War Hammer."
Kael chuckled.
Darius then looked at him.
"What about you?"
Kael fell silent.
"I don't know."
It was an honest answer.
Since childhood, Kael had never felt anything special.
No sign.
No aura.
No dreams about weapons.
There was only one thing that always appeared in his mind.
A single sentence.
A weapon must be understood before it is used.
Kael didn't know where that sentence came from.
He only felt that it was deeply familiar.
DONG!
The second bell rang.
The doors to the Grand Armament Hall opened.
An old man in white robes stepped out.
"All participants, get ready."
His name was Elder Marcus.
One of the official royal examiners.
Behind him stood a transparent crystal as tall as a person.
The Spirit Awakening Crystal.
Elder Marcus raised his hand.
"When your name is called, step forward to the altar."
"Do not resist the energy flow."
"Let your Weapon Spirit emerge naturally."
The ceremony began.
One child received a Flame Sword.
Grade B.
The crowd cheered.
The next child received a Frost Bow.
Grade B.
Then came a spear.
Grade C.
An axe.
Grade C.
A needle.
Grade D.
Kael watched everything.
But it wasn't the weapons' forms that caught his attention.
He saw the energy flow.
The Flame Sword's energy core was too close to the hilt.
The Frost Bow had an unstable natural Rune.
The spear had poor spiritual balance.
Kael knew all of this without ever having studied it.
How?
He didn't know either.
"Kael Ardent."
Elder Marcus's voice brought him back to reality.
Darius tapped him on the shoulder.
"Your turn."
Kael walked toward the altar.
Hundreds of eyes followed him.
He stood before the Spirit Awakening Crystal.
Take a breath.
Stay calm.
Kael pressed his palm against it.
Nothing happened.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The crowd began to whisper.
"Did he fail?"
"Impossible."
"Every human has a Weapon Spirit."
Then the crystal changed color.
White.
Blue.
Red.
And then...
black.
CRACK!
A thin crack appeared in the air.
Something slowly emerged from it.
A sword.
Short.
Dull.
Old.
And broken.
Its blade ended about half a meter from the hilt.
The tip was missing.
There was no aura.
No light.
No Rune.
The sword fell into Kael's hand.
Silence.
Then someone laughed.
"Huh?"
"A broken sword?"
Laughter began to spread.
"Is that really a Weapon Spirit?"
"What Grade is it?"
The assessment crystal lit up.
Red light.
Yellow.
Green.
Blue.
Then it went dark.
Elder Marcus stared at the result.
His expression changed slightly.
"Broken Sword."
He paused.
"Grade F."
Laughter exploded.
Grade F.
The lowest quality.
The worst potential.
Darius clenched his fists.
"Don't listen to them."
Kael didn't answer.
He stared at the sword in his hand.
Strange.
The sword felt familiar.
Deeply familiar.
When his fingers touched the broken part of the blade...
The world changed in an instant.
Fire.
A massive forge.
Thousands of weapons.
A man stood before a forge furnace.
The man's face was hidden.
But his hands held the same sword.
The Broken Sword.
Then a voice rang out.
"Don't let them find it."
Kael jolted.
The vision vanished.
He returned to the hall.
His breathing was heavy.
No one noticed what had just happened.
Except Elder Marcus.
The old man stared at Kael's sword with a strange expression.
Not awe.
Not curiosity.
But wariness.
Kael tightened his grip on the Broken Sword.
For the first time in his life, he realized something.
The sword was not merely a weapon.
Something was locked inside it.
Something that knew him.
And perhaps...
Kael had known it once, too.