Ascension of the last Celestial

Staring into the mirror in front of him, Valerian was left speechless, his mouth hanging open. The reflection was of a boy that was unmistakably him, but at the same time, so much different.

The first thing that caught his eye was his head. Intertwined with strands of his snow-white hair was a pair of onyx-black horns. Right now, they were relatively small, only a few centimeters, but who knew just how big they would grow. The horns alone caused a wave of confusion to ripple through his mind, but he kept inspecting his new body. As his gaze moved downward, he met his own eyes in the reflection. They now possessed a vertical slit instead of the normal round pupil.

"Woah, they are beautiful..."

Letting out a sound of astonishment, he stared at his new eyes. But as he spoke, he noticed something different about his teeth. Opening his mouth, he was met by a pair of slightly elongated fangs. Even his other teeth looked stronger, more durable. After staring at his face for a long time, he moved his eyes to the rest of his body. To his surprise, it looked mostly normal, except for the fact that he felt so much stronger than before the awakening.

"Finally done staring at yourself?" Aurelia said from the side with a grin.

"Why... did my body change so much?"

"The reason your body changed is because you carried a bloodline within you, and the awakening process activated it. But what kind of bloodline it is, I don’t know. You will have to take a look for yourself."

Hearing her response, Valerian’s eyes widened a little. ’Right, the status window.’

The status window was something that every awakened being in the universe possessed, and since Valerian had just awakened, he finally had access to it. Not wanting to wait any longer, he called out internally.

’System!’

’System!’

[Status Window]

[Name: Valerian von Astrea]

[Age: 5]

[Titles: Last Celestial, Child of Mana]

[Race: Celestial 60% | Cosmic Dragon 40% (Hybrid)]

[Bloodline: Celestial Dragon]

[Core: Rank G+]

[Affinities: Space, Cosmic Fire]

[Attributes]

[Vitality: F-]

[Strength: G+]

[Agility: G+]

[Dexterity: G+]

[Intelligence: G]

[Mana: F+]

[Charm: S+]

[Unique Skill]

[Law Breaker]

’...’

"What the hell?"

Confused by Valerian suddenly swearing, Aurelia could easily guess that the contents of his status window were far from normal, just like his entire awakening.

"If there is something you don’t understand, you can focus on that specific part and more information will be shown," she guided gently.

Nodding, Valerian focused on the first thing he found weird: his titles.

[Description]

[Title: Last Celestial]

[You are the last surviving member of the Celestial race, the most feared race in the universe. The reason they went extinct is unknown, but what is certain is that you are the final one.]

’What the hell is a Celestial, and I’m one of them? Thinking about it won’t give me any answers, so let’s just continue.’

[Description]

[Title: Child of Mana]

[The Child of Mana is the evolved version of ’Loved by Mana’, and there can only be one Child of Mana in the universe at any given time. This title grants you near-absolute control over the mana in the atmosphere. Mana does not just love you; it wants to be around you and willingly listens to your commands.]

’Woah, isn’t that way too strong? So there is no one else like me in the universe?’

The thought of being a completely unique existence in the entire cosmos put a small, prideful grin on Valerian’s face. Moving on, he looked at his race and focused on the first one listed.

[Description]

[Race: Celestial (60%)]

[The Celestials are the strongest race known in the universe. They harmonize with mana unlike any other species and are born with bodies that far surpass those of mortal races. Stronger, faster, with superior mana control, and a mind designed to endure countless eons without suffering from memory overload. They live longer than any other species, as no Celestial has ever been known to die of old age.]

[Description]

[Race: Cosmic Dragon (40%)]

[Cosmic Dragons are an evolution of the terrestrial dragons that walk the earth. They ascended from their fire-breathing lizard counterparts into a race capable of wandering the endless cosmos. They are among the strongest species in existence, standing just one step below the likes of the Celestials.]

(Note)

(You are a hybrid created by the union of a pure-blooded Celestial and a pure-blooded Cosmic Dragon. While the Celestial portion slightly overpowers the Cosmic Dragon side, they have fused into something never before seen in the history of the universe.)

At the mention of the beings who had created him—his parents—Valerian’s expression contorted into a mixture of sadness, longing, and anger. ’If they are so strong and powerful, why am I alone here without any family?’

Seeing the child grow so emotional, Aurelia stepped in and gently embraced Valerian’s small frame.

"Everything alright, Val? You can tell me if you want."

Valerian stayed completely still for a second, neither returning her embrace nor pushing her away. In a forced, calm voice, he answered, "I’m fine. You can let go now."

Hearing him, Aurelia pulled away and stepped back so he could continue examining his status window. He immediately moved on to the next entry: his bloodline.

[Description]

[Bloodline: Celestial Dragon]

[The perfect fusion of a pure Celestial and a pure Cosmic Dragon bloodline. These two supreme heritages have merged seamlessly to create a new, unique bloodline. It combines the core aspects of both races, granting the user access to the innate abilities of both species.]

[Description]

[Affinity: Space]

[You can manipulate the very fabric of space. You can mend, bend, or break it. Space is an exceptionally rare, high-tier affinity that far surpasses basic elements like fire, water, or earth. It allows you to control the very canvas that reality is painted on.]

[Description]

[Affinity: Cosmic Fire]

[Cosmic Fire is an advanced evolution of the fire affinity. While it retains the ability to burn physical matter like normal fire, Cosmic Fire can additionally incinerate non-physical concepts. Be it emotions, ideas, or the soul itself—there is nothing Cosmic Fire cannot burn.]

’God damn... I guessed these affinities wouldn’t be normal, but damn, that’s strong.’

Glancing back down at his attributes, he wasn’t as surprised anymore, considering his base rank was already G+. ’But S+ Charm? Yeah, that fits.’

Looking back into the mirror, a smug expression crept onto his face. That finally left only one last thing unchecked: his unique skill.

[Description]

[Unique Skill: Law Breaker]

[This skill allows you to break the fundamental laws of the universe.]

’...’ ’That’s it? Sure, it sounds powerful, but what does that even mean? Break fundamental laws of the universe?’

Letting out a soft sigh, he finally turned back to Aurelia. "Okay, I’m fin-"

"GRAAAWRRR!!"

Before Valerian could finish his sentence, a bestial, primal roar shattered the night, echoing from outside the building. Just hearing the sound caused cold sweat to burst across Valerian’s back. A creeping dread settled into his chest, his awakening had attracted something dangerous.