I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

In the outside world... Not even a full minute had passed since the beginning of the ceremony.

Just as the first multicolored explosion began to fade, when the colors started to dissipate like smoke in the wind, the Eternal Crystal pulsed once more. For a brief moment, everything seemed to return to normal, the gentle and constant light that had always emanated from the stone.

Then... A new light appeared.

This time there were not dozens of colors, nor the multicolored spectacle of the first manifestation. The entire crystal was enveloped in an intense red glow, a living, deep, powerful light.

The color was so vibrant that it seemed liquid, as if ruby blood were flowing through the crystal’s facets. It once again flooded the entire hall, bathing every inch of the space in that crimson radiance.

The marble walls became completely reddened, as though they had been painted by the light of that energy. The golden runes shone intensely once more, their glow blending with the red in a hypnotic pattern.

A powerful spiritual pressure spread throughout the environment, a sensation that made the air feel heavier, denser.

Some people felt their knees weaken, while others had to support themselves against the walls to avoid falling.

”The crystal... shone again!”

”What’s happening?”

”Another ability?”

”Is that possible?”

Exclamations erupted from every direction, voices overlapping in a cacophony of shock and confusion. Some children once again hid behind their parents, their eyes wide with fear before the unknown. Others stared at Lukas with a mixture of admiration and terror.

Even several adults began stepping back instinctively, as though being close to that phenomenon might be dangerous. The red light seemed alive, pulsing as if it possessed a will of its own.

Clavor’s eyes widened even further, his expression of shock intensifying. His son had not even removed his hands from the crystal. Yet this was already the second completely inexplicable phenomenon, the second manifestation of power that defied everything he knew about Awakenings.

Aurora remained motionless, her body rigid with tension. Her breathing was quick, her eyes fixed on the scene before her. She had never heard of someone awakening twice during the same ceremony, not in any story she had ever known.

Judite held tightly onto her mother’s clothes, her small fingers gripping the fabric. Her eyes were wide open, her lips slightly parted in astonishment.

”Brother...” Her voice came out almost as a whisper, so quiet that only she could hear it.

On the other side of the altar, the woman responsible for the Hall of the Eternal Crystal felt her legs lose strength for a moment.

Her hand rested against the marble altar, her fingers tightening against the cold surface.

Her heart raced, beating so hard that she could feel it throughout her entire body. She knew that light. Or rather, she only knew its description, the ancient records she had studied for decades.

”...No...” Her voice faltered, the words emerging as a hoarse whisper.

”...It can’t be...”

Then the red glow reached its peak, flooding the entire hall with an almost blinding intensity.

The woman brought one hand to her mouth, her green eyes trembling with an emotion she could barely control.

”...Another...” She could hardly believe what she was seeing, what her own eyes were witnessing.

”...Another Unique Ability.”

The hall fell into complete silence. The woman’s words hung in the air, heavy and filled with a meaning that everyone understood, even if not completely.

No one dared say a single word. The people simply stared at Lukas, at the boy who still stood before the altar.

They looked at the crystal, at the red light that was beginning to fade. Then they looked back at Lukas.

Two abilities. Both are unique. It completely defied everything they knew, everything they had learned about Awakening.

But the woman was even more shocked. Her astonishment was not only because of the abilities. It was not only because two unique abilities had manifested within the same person.

It was because someone capable of possessing them existed. There were records, ancient records that few had ever read, that spoke of such things. Of people who did not merely awaken Unique Abilities, but possessed multiple ones.

’A Chosen One...’ Her entire body trembled as a shiver ran down her spine.

’After so many years... A true Chosen One has appeared...’

She pressed the small book against her chest, her fingers tightening around its leather cover. She needed to inform the Association. She needed to inform the capital.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed those thoughts aside. First... She needed to finish the ceremony. There were protocols, procedures, and things that had to be done.

Then she quickly walked over to Clavor and Aurora, her steps firm despite the turmoil within her. Both immediately turned their attention to her, their eyes fixed on her serious face.

The woman’s expression was far more serious than before, graver than anything they had seen during the ceremony.

”When the ceremony ends...” she spoke in a low voice so that only they could hear.

”I need to speak with you.”

Clavor frowned, his expression becoming cautious.

”About Lukas?”

She simply nodded, her green eyes meeting his.

”It is extremely important.”

Aurora exchanged a quick glance with her husband, a silent communication that only years of marriage could create. Neither of them understood the reason, nor what could be so urgent about that conversation.

But it was enough to look at the woman’s expression to realize that this was not an ordinary request. There was something more, something they did not yet know.

”We’ll be available.” Clavor’s voice was firm and decisive.

She thanked him with a small nod, a gesture of gratitude. At that very moment... Lukas’s fingers moved.

His violet eyes slowly opened, blinking several times as they adjusted to the light of the hall. The crystal’s intense glow vanished almost instantly, as though it had never existed. All the extraordinary illumination ceased, and the hall returned to its normal atmosphere.

Lukas blinked a few more times, his eyes adapting to the softer light. He was once again standing before the Eternal Crystal, his hand still hovering above the stone’s cold surface. As though nothing had happened, as though the entire experience had been nothing more than a dream.

He discreetly looked at his own hands, turning them over to examine them. A sincere smile appeared on his face, a smile that came from the depths of his soul.

He had succeeded. Not only had he awakened. He had discovered two abilities that would completely change his life. Abilities that did not grant him power for free but instead gave him infinite possibilities.

He removed his hands from the crystal, feeling the cold air of the hall against his skin. Calmly, he descended the three steps of the altar, his movements steady and confident.

Then he walked directly toward his family.

Judite was the first to run forward, her arms spreading as she threw herself toward him.

”Brother!” She practically leaped onto him, hugging him tightly, her arms wrapping around his neck.

”You did it!”

Lukas laughed as he stroked his sister’s hair, feeling the warmth of her embrace.

”I did.”

Aurora approached shortly afterward, her eyes shining with emotion. She embraced him lovingly, relieved to see him safe, relieved that everything had gone well.

”I’m so happy...”

Clavor placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, a firm gesture filled with meaning.

The man tried to maintain his composed posture, his steady expression. But a proud smile escaped him, a smile that lit up his entire face.

”Welcome to the world of the Awakened, son.”

Lukas looked at his father and smiled, a smile that carried all the promise of the future.

From that day onward... His true journey had finally begun.