When Shen Zi noticed words floating above his head, he was standing in front of a bronze mirror, squeezing a pimple.
The pimple was on his chin, red and sore when he pressed it. He turned his face sideways, squinted, and squeezed hard with his fingers. Pop! A little white bit came out. He was enjoying the satisfaction of it when he glanced up and froze solid.
A line of text was floating above his forehead.
It was translucent, glowing faintly green, the same color as ghost fire in a graveyard. It hung motionless three inches above his head. It read: [Awakening Progress: 0.01%].
Shen Zi stared at the words for a long time, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He tried moving two steps to the left, and the words floated left with him. He darted to the right twice, and they moved right too. He suddenly lowered his head, but the words remained suspended where they were. When he looked up again, the thing had stuck itself back over his forehead.
