Later that day they went to the administration building. The same lady was there, giving a small smile when she saw the three of them returning. Jak and Alya presented their letters, along with the 15 gold that Jak needed to pay. To Jak's surprise, as soon as the woman read the letters and counted the coins, they disappeared from her hands into thin air. Jak sighed. It was going to take a while, to get used to magic. Back in the valley, magic was known about, but seldom seen. Perhaps once a year there would be a traveler who could be hired for healing or made light shows for the children. It had never been a great spectacle for Jak, but now he realized that he'd probably been dampening their power this whole time.
"Welcome to Elwind Crafting Academy, I'm happy to see you do so well." the lady behind the desk said, lifting up the same silver rod Tim had touched a few days earlier. "Touching this rod will be your official entrance, and then you are welcome to travel the forests to the academy itself."
Jak walked forward to touch the rod, but Alya jumped in front of him and grabbed it first. Just like before, the intricate carvings all over the rod flashed purple, and Alya stood still, staring into nothing. Remembering how Tim was fine with this experience, Jak shrugged and also reached out to touch the rod. As he did so, purple flashed once again, but this time it filled his whole vision. He blinked, and ghostly purple circuits and runes flashed behind his eyelids.
Welcome to Elwind Cr— a voice began to say. Oh. What do we have here?
Jak's blood ran cold. It was the voice of the old man from the ferry. He tensed, ready to run, when he heard the old man chuckle.
Don't worry lad, your secret's safe with me. I couldn't tell anybody even if I wanted to. I'm just a tiny little soul fragment, here to guide your growth.
Can you hear me? Jak thought as loudly as he could.
For now, came the response, but our interaction is limited. Every time you grow in power, I will reactivate for a minute or two. Until then I will be dormant. Now, we have limited time. The most important thing I can share is that your strength can grow. What you focus on will grow. When you grow a certain amount, you will have the Potential to gain new skills and abilities. The voice said "Potential" as if it had a capital "P". It all seemed a bit cryptic to Jak.
What kind of skills and abilities are we talking about? he thought back. Then he saw words, floating magically in front of him. They were fascinating, just hovering there in his view. Jak realized this was probably what caused the others to stay still after touching the rod—hearing the voice and reading the words. There was just one problem.
Umm I'm not a noble. Jak thought, I don't know how to read.
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Ah, of course, then I will spend some of your Potential to fix that. Suddenly, the writing made perfect sense to Jak. He stared in wonder as suddenly he knew how to read.
Name: Jak
Identification: Warrior, Stage 1
Bloodline: Soulstealer
Skills: Drain magic, break magic, steal soul, troll skin
*** Potential reached: Stage 1 ***
Choose a target for improvement.
Jak waited, a little confused, to see what the options were to choose from. Nothing came. Uh, voice guy? he thought, what are my options?
Anything at all. came the reply. What you focus on becomes powerful. What would you like to grow? Combat? Survival? I see a lot of that becoming useful to someone like you.
Anything at all. Jak all of this quite overwhelming. But he had come this far, and he wanted to grow. Meeting Tim and learning about controlling his aura was already life-changing. He paused, realizing what his priority was.
My aura, who I am, can people at the school detect it? Even when I'm hiding it like I am now? Jak asked the voice. There was a pause.
Yes, it said, although it is hidden from many with your current technique, there are still some who could see it. An antimage hasn't been seen since the foundation of the school you know, you'd cause quite the stir.
Stir, like, popular? Or stir, like, city-wide hunt?
Probably the latter, the voice mused, very well, I recommend you spend your current potential on hiding your presence.
Ok, let's do it. Jak replied. There was a slight tug on his soul, and he felt his Potential leaving. He didn't even know it was there, but now he could feel its absence. A feeling of "I could be more" was replaced with... being more. His control over his aura felt much easier and more refined than before. There was not a hint of any kind of ancient soul-or-magic-stealing aura about him. He was just another boy, excited for school. Jak breathed a deep sigh of relief. He thought he was well-hidden before, but now he felt it to his bones.
Why do you want to help me? Jak asked, Am I not a danger to your school? The voice chuckled.
As I mentioned earlier, I am a soul fragment. A construct, created and transferred through the rod. If you die, I die. Plus, one of my dear friends was a soulstealer like you. Many years ago. Work hard, young master, and I will see you soon.
With that, the voice and its presence faded away, and Jak realized he'd been standing still in the room, just as the others had when they touched the rod. He looked at Alya, who had a grin from ear to ear. She held up a hand, and without any source fire to work with, a small flame burst alight and twirled around her fingers.