And they had kindly informed them that only a miracle performed by a third-rank priest could make their younger sister stand again.
Chen Fan stood in the square outside the Awakening Hall, the waves of cheers from within still ringing in his ears like countless fine needles piercing his eardrums.
He gazed at the fragmented shadows cast by the mottled sunlight in the distance, and for a moment, he remembered his childhood—his younger sister sitting in her wheelchair, tilting up her little face and telling him, "Big Brother will definitely become the greatest Awakener someday."
A gust of hot wind carrying sand swept toward him, and he instinctively raised a hand to shield himself.
But his fingers touched the yellowed ginkgo leaf bookmark in his pocket—it was made by his sister herself, its edges carefully cut into waves.
His fingertips traced the veins of the leaf.
Chen Fan suddenly turned and headed toward the slums at the edge of the city.
The streets of the slums were narrow and dark, and the stench of rot mixed with damp mildew assaulted him head-on.
Chen Fan stopped before a rickety wooden shack. He pushed open the door, and in the dim light inside, his younger sister, Chen Yue, lay on the bed.
Hearing the sound, she laboriously turned over, a smile blooming on her pale face. "Big Brother, you're back! Did the Awakening ceremony go well today?"
Chen Fan's throat tightened, and he forced out a smile. "Yeah, it went pretty well."
He did not dare meet his sister's eyes, afraid she would see through him.
Yet Chen Yue noticed nothing unusual and said excitedly, "I knew Big Brother was the best! Once you become an Awakener, you can enter the Rookie Tournament and obtain a miracle. Then I'll be able to