Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer
chapter-6

It wouldn't take a genius for someone to know that what happened to Ashton was bad-no, terrible.

Yes, he isn't really injured, just a bit uncomfortable but judging by the way how they didn't hesitate to 'isolate' him and them whispering the words 'Cursed Artifact' with such a thick horror on their voices, it is too obvious that this situation was bad.

Despite this, Ashton didn't really know how to react. There are so many things that he still doesn't understand in this world. Hell! It hasn't even been a day since he arrived here yet even he can tell that he's in a sensitive spot.

Ashton heard Dr. Shay clearing his throat which prompted him to look at them.

"Ahem, excuse us Young Ashton. We were just shocked by the sudden development." Dr. Shay squeezed out a smile and told him.

'Yeah right!' Ashton snorted inwardly but he didn't let it show. He just nodded faintly.

"You don't have to worry, there's nothing wrong with you. We can see your vital statistics here and it says that you're still very much healthy." Dr. Shay continued, "Plus, your Magical Artifact is already awakened. If you concentrate deep enough, you should feel your connection with your Magical Artifact. You will also learn about it's name. Try it."

'So they don't plan on telling me what hell this 'cursed' thing is all about? Some doctors these people are. Hmph!'

Ashton just sighed and ended following the doctor's advice. He looked at the floating book intently. He really didn't know what he was doing but he could feel a strong sense of familiarity coming from this book, it's as if he's looking at his own hands.

Ashton heard faint whispers in his ears which caused him to flinch. He instinctively looked around and found that there's nobody who did that. So, his most logical guess was that it was coming from the book itself cause...well, having someone tell you that a Book is the crystallization of your soul is already crazy as it is. Hearing hushed whispers from it isn't really that special compared to that.

He concentrated on those voices, and the more he focused, the more he could tell that the whispers were getting louder.

"...Cursed Mystic Book." He says after a while. He opened his eyes and looked at the doctors saying: "Its called the Cursed Mystic Book."

Dr. Myers then started writing on his clipboard. Afterwards, the doctor gave him a strained smile and said: "You did well, Young Ashton. Now, it is time for you us to proceed to the next awakening process. We will discover your Providence next."

"Excuse me." Ashton interrupted him before he could continue speaking. "What is a curse?"

The doctors looked at each other, seemingly arguing silently on who should explain things for the Young Ashton. In the end, it was Dr. Stevens who relented and started explaining.

"Young Ashton, we can't really explain it to you now since it is still too early for you to know. However, to simplify it, a curse is some form of a shackle. A limitation, per se. It will make things very difficult for you in the future but so long as you work hard and persevere, you can achieve greater things in life."

"If you want to know more about curses, I suggest enrolling to a school. There, the Professors will explain to you what Curses are in detail and...who knows? Maybe they can also teach you how to remove it."

'I shouldn't blame them for explaining this in a roundabout manner. After all, I'm currently a kid. I imagine that they won't to be held responsible for breaking my heart.'

'Well, at least they've given me a great clue this time. As it turns out, there are schools here as well. That's good, if I go there, then I can learn more which is my goal anyways.'

Ashton nodded and sighed, he then murmured: "Maybe this is why my parents abandoned me. Oh well."

He said this in purpose. Why? Cause he felt like being a little mean. Seeing the discomfort show on the faces of the doctors made him smug a bit. Admittedly, guilt-tripping someone isn't really a good behavior but Ashton didn't care.

He's cursed after all...whatever that entails.

"Ahem! Moving on..." Dr. Stevens took over the operation right. She did her best to remain professional and said: "The next step is to Awaken your Providence."

"What is Providence? To put things in a simple terms, Providence is the amalgamation of your luck, fate and destiny. If we go on a detail here, I'm afraid that we'll be here all day so just like before, if you want to know more about what Providence is, you might want to enroll to a school. The Professors there will tell you more about it."

'...sound a lot like plot-armor. You know what? Fine, I'm here for it.'

"Providence come in many forms and we can only measure it's bounty." Dr. Stevens explained. "To Awaken your Providence, we will use another tool."

And as if on cue, the platform beneath Ashton opened up again. This time, it brought up a full-body mirror.

"To proceed with the Awakening, touch the mirror and focus on it. You can proceed whenever you're ready."

Ashton nodded again and looked at himself in the mirror. He then realized that this is actually the first time he looked at himself ever since transmigrating.

To his absolute surprise, he looked like his younger self in his previous world. Short black hair, hazel eyes, greek nose, plump cherry lips, defined jaw line, and a relatively thin body frame. He wore loose clothing, hiding his nearly underweight body.

It wasn't so bad, plus he's in his puberty and if its kind to him, then he can grow up to be a real head-turner.

After briefly paying attention to his appearance, Ashton took a deep breath and braced himself. After what happened during the Magical Artifact Awakening, he couldn't help but be wary of what's coming next.

Still, he raised his hand and touched the mirror just like they said. He focused on it and after a few seconds he felt some kind of warmth coursing through his body.

He was initially surprised but it didn't feel terrible and he hadn't heard the doctors telling him to stop so he kept his hand on the mirror.

The feeling wasn't really bad. It felt like he was basking under the warmth of a morning sun. It wasn't hot, just warm.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to discover that his entire body was covered in a golden radiance. He looked in the mirror and his reflection. He looked holy and benevolent.

"Impressive, Young Ashton." Dr. Stevens' voice pried his attention from the mirror, "It seems that despite being cursed, your are still very blessed. You may remove your hand on the mirror now."

Ashton dumbly nodded and followed their suggestion.

"Alright, way to go Young Ashton. You're Awakened now. How do you feel?" Dr. Shay asked.

"Weird." He replied.

"Right?" Dr. Shay laughed loudly, "Don't worry, that's just temporary. By the end of the day, you should feel normal again. In the instance that this feeling last for more than three days, don't hesitate to go to a doctor okay?"

Ashton nodded and noted his words mentally.

"Okay, since we are done here it's time for you to complete your registration." Dr. Shay continued, "Looking at your profile, we see here that you are an Orphan. This means that you are eligible to receive the Federation's Welfare Support, a monthly allowance and supplies if you will."

"Agent Theta, please come here." Dr. Shay called out and one of the men in formal attire stepped forward and walked towards them.

"Young Ashton, this is Agent Theta, he will bring you to the 5th floor where you can complete your registration. He will also help you on other things so listen to him, okay?"

Ashton nodded once more and bowed at the Agent. The good doctor handed the clipboard to the agent. The agent saluted the doctors and looked at him. He then said: "Follow."

He pursed his lips and began following the man. They went at the other end of the room, opposite to where Ashton entered. The man then lifted his badge and all of sudden, the walls opened up, revealing an elevator behind. The agent stepped inside, gesturing Ashton to do so as well.

Once inside, Ashton saw the agent pressing the button for 5th floor the ascent began. That's when Ashton heard strings of notifications which almost made exclaim in shock.

[Detected! Host finished his Awakening Ceremony]

[Quest Cleared! Rewards: System Functions: Unlocked, New User's Gift Bag]

[Would you like to open the Gift Bag?]

Ashton took a deep breath and gave his mental consent.

'Yes.'

[New User's Gift Bag: Opened. You received: Forged Inheritance Badge, Cultivation Manual, Magic For Beginners (Book), 10,000 Federation Dollars, 1000 Mana Crystals and a Random System Skill Stub.]

[All items were automatically placed in your Inventory. Check Inventory for more details about the items.]