William continued his surge of ideas."What about the effects at Rank 0? They aren't as boring when I think of it. They might hurt and... feel bad. Terrible, even. They don't mean anything good or bad. It just is. Mi-Yung said it with recent history. In the past, they were all there, but seen as nothing more than part of Walkers. I read about them before, but didn't know what it was."

  "Young Walkers could develop abilities, impact the body or the surroundings, or lose control and die, or... change? How change? Does it touch upon Corruption, that Madness, Emblems, or instabilities? This may be missing from the research, or it is hiding in plain sight, or it is not included here. Why? Could it touch on the Awakening, and how those disparities manifest in interesting developments, or as a lack of talent? Speed, stability, power, rate of Arcana, or density or quantity might be off the chart. I like to read that because... well, my case is old and bizarre, but why does it..." William swallowed his words about his disappearing Emblem once more.

  He was unable to think of him as dead, yet walking Walker. After all, when his Emblem got out from time to time, the insides of his arm were still doing stuff. Science stuff, perhaps? It was fucked up for sure.

  "What about natural Awakening?" William began to lose himself as he blabbered for minutes to no avail. Part of it was because he was one year off from it, so that was interesting.

  There was no fundamental difference between Forced Awakening and Natural Awakening. Walkers still had to start at Rank 1 and uncover what they could do and build. That couldn't change too much, since Rank 1 was still a common starting point. All it pointed to was more dangers and giving youths more time to figure that stuff out, and possibly reaching Rank 2 or 3 within a few years.

  Rank 0 was a simple way to describe cases where Emblem became abnormal, ripped cages, and Walkers were their byproduct.

  The development, history, and research supported that theory with facts and proof that it was worth the effort.

  There were even Walkers across the globe who didn't think anything about this stuff. It involved either a cultural setting or limited land, with the Federation being quite deeply invested in this.

  Some lands might even regard young Walkers as already.... well, ready to be warriors. William believed that Africa thought of it that way, unlike here. There was a difference in standards and culture.

  However, most future-proofness stemmed from the system's deep and rather strange guidance at Rank 1, not beforehand. Forced Awakening grazed it like the body and energy, and intricate ways were seen as endless. Walkers had to kill and use Darks as stepping stones, producing the biggest chance humanity had gotten in the whole century, and such steps and path weren't easy.

  Such a boundary gave young Walkers a taste of something greater, and this process had deep layers. The core of it was a personal process, and machinery and science weren't even here. William was okay with that because he was satisfied with comments and notes alone.

  Another shocking fact was that the Federation didn't hinder other forces from sending youths to get Awakened and sent back home—if that's what they wanted, of course.

  That's where haggling choices began and turned into political massacres, so William understood why Mi-Yung talked about it the way she did. Even China and Japan sent dozens of youths to the Federation every time this procedure was ready.

  Well, there were many rumors that others had figured out how to force the Awakening as well, but nothing was concrete since the Federation believed their process was perfect, and society agreed, having been proven effective for years.

  William couldn't even curse the fact that this entire method was a secret, and the Federation never let others have it. He guessed that was why the Emblem Association was here and how the Federation got ahead of others.

  However, there was one thing he couldn't understand in the slightest. These processes pushed those politics and boundaries, so why were people fine with such confidentiality, greed, and manners? He always thought they sent youngsters to the Federation because of some secret deals that went on behind the scenes, but... yeah. That was correct.

  A business catering to the young generation didn't sound far-fetched, yet why not make it common and give humanity and everyone a better chance?

  It wasn't as if the Federation was stingy, or its Walkers didn't help the others. In fact, they did it more than most would find reasonable, but that's not the point William was judging. There was a point in helping, and that would be the true face and worth of this procedure, which this library didn't even state.

  Glancing at the cabinets, William was doubtful of his next steps. He had already gone through ranks 4 and 5 Darks that he had wanted to see for years. Not with his own eyes, of course. That would be... well, fun, gruesome, harmful, but whatever.

  There was a terror in these beasts. They had society, or so many people believed, and Walkers confirmed this many times, describing dark cities, dungeons, and other such places. William regarded it as a pseudo-power-hungry hierarchy, where Darks held onto their past instincts, akin to those of animals or what they had killed and consumed.

  Elevated to another level, power was their law. Eat, or be eaten, that was their rule. Kill or be killed was their hunt. A lot of monsters within the first 4 Ranks were like unhinged beasts with a desire to reach Rank 5 and become much better. Like kings, maybe?

  With thousands of names, this beginning was a world-class research with a plethora of creativity and samples.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Worrying about Darks unique to Alaska, or India, might not be that smart. Some places are even worse. Australia, Madagascar, or Uganda are just crazy. Well, a large chunk of Africa is barren and like a massive zoo, but... isn't that pretty much everywhere? I should ask Celeste about Australia for sure, or... well, Mi-Yung about anything, right? I wasted the best opportunity to ask her about them, and she... is Rank 6?! She knows a lot and guided me around, but I didn't use her properly. That's... not a good way to say it like that. This planet is big. What would I even want to see out there? Oh, poor me..."

  William gazed at his hand and kept going around the room in agony over his thoughts.

  Darks were fine nightmares, and William managed to glimpse South Korea's fate, which was a terrifying mark of one of the craziest Hordes that had ever been spotted. Rank 7 Darks were on an insane scale, and rumors described the presence of a Rank 9 Dark of unknown name and origin. Rank 8s were clearly present, and they ravaged South Korea to the bone.

  By a sheer scale, a Horde of Jawrans dimmed the sky without any Fog in sight. It was a surprise invasion, followed by total mayhem that crashed the remains of a hopeful South Korea that was half a step into merging with Japan.

  It was a shame. South Korea was on par with the rest of the world in terms of power. It was a rough wake-up call for the world to shit their pants, because... South Korea was slaughtered in less than a week.

  Resources spent. Places cracked. Talented Walkers wasted. That's what wavered and reached the end, no matter how their military progressed.

  What had happened mattered less, and with the land gone, thinking of the longer game was up next. It was a rough, almost too gruesome choice, and William couldn't believe a single Song Family was behind such a place.

  Mi-Yung said so, yet it hit William way too late. Her story was deep and awful.

  Many places did the same thing; it was a typical survival story where people moved on.

  That didn't happen at the start of the Dawn, where nations lost in heartbeats, struggled to no avail, or fell by pride, or were unable to recognize that they were ants. People changed and realized they weren't the hegemon or rulers of this planet.

  William tapped his fingers on his arm. He was curious about the worst cases and had watched the cabinets way too much. Glancing at his watch, a little over an hour had passed since the conversation with Richards.

  "Alright! No way I want to miss out on this. I will forget about it if someone doesn't like it, but reading through these documents is not wrong. No one is here to stop me either."

  Looking around, William finally decided on his hand, and moved his card to the knob. A beep echoed, revealing a sizable cabinet with around a hundred thin and dozens of thick folders. Each represented a name of some Dark.

  Above was the sign named Darks ~ Part 14 ~ Sky.

  Inhaling the cold air, William decided to handle the upper ranks. To his shock, their names weren't as crazy or unfamiliar. He even recognized many of them!

  Redfall, Arkhell, Tunner, Paw Pouncer, Roar Pouncer, Jaw Pouncer, and more caught his eye.

  "What is this Family? I mean... Hellborn. Rank 7? What an interesting peek." William nodded and didn't touch that folder because he looked further.

  After a while, he took five folders to read first. The excitement of doing something he shouldn't have done throbbed his heart and increased his blood flow. Warmth spread, and he felt like he wasn't doing anything wrong. His card could take it, and so could his hand throbbing in its wake.

  The status of Rank 6 Walker was fitting for these beasts, and they held corresponding status and strength. Rank 5 Walkers often peeked into them, too, if they needed it.

  Rank 4 Walkers should better run the moment they ever see Rank 6 Dark. That was common fucking sense, and the main reason William didn't get those limiting factors. Was it too much to ask to know dangers lurking in the shadows, or far?

  Almost anyone understood disparities, and exposure to death was not an excuse for ignorance. Experience pivoted those rules a little, while any proper Walker of the Federation learned such a difference in weight and reason.

  One should never be confident. Killing any Dark with efficiency was right, and if you couldn't do it, or force it, running away was better—foolish, but often the best thing. Even then, William felt pushing knowledge to lower Rank Walkers was wise, but it seemed society didn't think that way. Old Walkers believed it was for the betterment of society, while William didn't.

  Perhaps it was because reading was just different from the real deal, lessons, proper recruitment, or training at Rank 1. Mi-Yung knew all about it, but didn't do anything better because her presence and words were the best she could give him.

  Anything else would go against her position, while a simple Rank-up would change that, but that waited. Mi-Yung couldn't wait long enough, and neither could William.

  It was safe to say that powerful Walkers had their proper cards, and the ease of approaching this place should have its benefits. However, if they were already so experienced, they wouldn't necessarily gain much from it.

  Nevertheless, it wasn't just books and hints. William comprehended it as a great access to the world of Darks, something never otherwise noticed or witnessed under most circumstances. It was better than fighting them without having any idea what they could do or show.

  That sounded fair, simple, and in line with the power hiding behind this place.

  William placed the folders on the table and spread them out. Sitting over them, he looked at classified information for Rank 6 Walkers and purchasable ideas for Rank 5.

  "Do I want to take a peek, or stare at it like the moon?" William asked himself.

  He wasn't sure about the answers, so he decided to take a peek at the first folder.

  For starters, he opened a few pages from each folder. The introductory pages included great pictures and systematic, detailed technical sketches.

  "There it is. Only a peek." He assured himself and looked at those insanities. "Mother of moon!" William exclaimed, as those monsters were beyond what he imagined, even at this Rank. His opinion was kind of skewed anyway.

  Redfall was the first to meet his eye. It was a Dark that he had never heard of or seen. It resembled many others, though that alone wasn't strange in the slightest. Dark Aspects were predictable, and from seeing the whole picture of Darks, one might notice that some tend to combine and fuse better than others.

  Darks and Dark Aspects followed such principles, creating new appearances or differences. From experience or general sight, one might even notice what they would do or cause.

  Most Darks had a sign of their purpose or meaning in their names, or what they could do, cause, or inflict. Redfall was, at worst, a dozens-of-feet-tall beast with four long limbs reaching almost half of its height, so it was quite tall. There were two massive wings behind its back, folded in its wolf-like appearance that went straight out of a nightmare.

  It resembled Jawran a little in the head, but there were no three-sized jaws, and... well, there were no other comparisons. Its size could be that, but at this Rank, such sizes were nothing rare.

  Its eyes were two deep, profound holes, hiding hollow darkness. It had wings, so that was interesting, as a wolf-based Dark. It had a long, massive head with implicit, terrifying eyes and a wide jaw that emitted dark saliva.

  Sharp teeth were no surprise, as it was a sinister monster. William imagined it standing before him, from a first detailed page, a far greater sketch than he would ever make.