The cool air of autumn blew around the town, sending leaves spinning here and there. Several passersby and village residents made their way around the residential area. To most of the people here, it was an ordinary day, filled with errands and work. But to those who aspired towards something greater, it was the day of the Leyline Test.
Every year around this date, hopeful teens ranging from ages thirteen to seventeen made their way to the walls of the most prestigious building in this small town. Behind these walls was a large building that held the students of the Magblade Sect. It was here that the aspiring up and comers would test their Leyline, which told them their elemental affinity. From fire to earth, to water and wind, there were many affinities one could have and were usually inherited from their parents. And only by being tested and gaining an affinity could one access The System.
For one boy in particular, this was the day he had dreamt of. Looking at himself in the mirror of his room at the local orphanage, he took stock of himself. Standing at about five feet and ten inches, he was about average for most in the town save for his blonde hair which stuck out against the town’s average of brunettes. His tanned skin spoke of weeks working under the sun in summers past and he had a lean, if somewhat wiry build. His clothing was as average as his looks, a simple brown tunic and trousers complete with simple leather shoes, if they could be called that.
“Alright Alan, you got this. All you need to do is head to the sect and get your Leyline confirmed. Then you can get out of this dump.”
The orphanage in the town was pretty bog standard for ones across the local barony. Which is to say it was horse shit. One tired old woman looking after tens of orphaned kids with little funds from the local Baron. It was a miracle that the king of their lands didn’t step in and do something. But one supposed that when you were at war with the Shenyi from across the continent, a few kids slipped through the cracks.
Taking one last look at himself, Alan tousled his hair in an attempt to look somewhat passable before he attempted to exit the orphanage. Unfortunately he was stopped by the worst enemy he had ever known, a ragtag group of young kids, no older than seven. The scrawny things were of various skin shades ranging from a dusky brown to a color like his own, showing that some came from the soother part of Lethoria where pirates and druids were commonplace. One of the older kids, a girl with raven hair in a haphazard braid, walked up to him.
“Mister Alan, are you going to join the sect?” She asked in an innocent tone. It wasn’t every day an orphan got to take the Test after all. Sadly, most never made it to his age due to sickness, or abductions. And those that did were often sold off into marriage or to become part of the baron’s militia.
Kneeling down, Alan ruffled the girl’s hair, making a pout spring off of her vicarage as she shoved his hand away. He just let out a chuckle as he responded.
“You got it, Becky. And when I do, I’ll make enough money to get you, all of you, out of this dump. Just wait and see.”
That was his goal, to give these kids out of here and to some place where they could actually live. They didn’t deserve to live as they did, no one did. The thought made him frown mentally. Damn the Baron, and damn his lackluster approach to handling his lands. Still, what could he as a teenager do to oppose such a man? His best bet was to become a mana cultivator by joining the sect, reach the same level as the man, and then challenge his Authority. But that was like aiming a bow at the moon. Still, it was a nice dream.
Bidding his fellow orphans farewell, Alan finally made it out of the rundown shack that constituted the orphanage and made his way towards the west side of the village, where the Sect was located. He ignored the sneers and looks of disgust sent his way, he had gotten used to it. Even though people in the village didn't outright harass orphans, they were still seen as little more than beggars and grifters to the common folk here. Perhaps in other towns it was different, but in Huddleburg? Such was the way of things.
A quarter of an hour later, Alan finally made it to the gate of the Sect. Unlike the rest of the buildings in the town, which were made of dark wood harvested from the nearby forest, the walls that surrounded the sect were made from a vibrant green Jadewood, which was specifically grown in the Baron’s city and imported here. Normally, such a grandeur place would be far from the hovel that was the town Alan lived in, but by some sheer stroke of luck, the town was near a Mana Gate, which was a prime location for cultivators due to its innate ability to almost triple the regeneration of one's mana pool. Hence, a Sect was formed here some hundreds of years ago. That, of course, had lent its own problems to Huddleburg.
“A peasant wishes to take the Leyline Test? Rabble these days.” Came a snide remark as Alan stepped up to the registration tent outside the main gate. In the tent and sitting on a chair fashioned from Jadewood, looked dismissively at him.
The problem with high leveled cultivators, in Alan’s limited experience, was their arrogance and disregard for anyone not initiated into the System. Such was the case with the man before him, who looked at Alan as if he was wearing sacks of putrid waste on each shoulder. The man was balding, a U-shape of brown hair speckled with gray was all that was left on his head. And despite his rather rotund exterior and bulbous nose, he gave off a palpable pressure around him, as did everyone who had even a smidgen of experience from the System.
Alan’s response was simply a forced smile and a small bow. It wasn’t what he WANTED to do to the man who looked down at him, but even he knew the stories of people who had pissed off cultivators. The man shuffled in his rather ornate robes a bit before he gave a decisive snort and motioned Alan to move past the gate, but not before marking him with a sigil on his right hand so that he could enter past the metal gates that barred off the sect from random passersby.
As Alan looked around the sect now that he was inside, all he could see was the vast difference between its state and the state of the town it resided in. Huddleburg was a rickety thing with many of its buildings, especially on the outer edges, being barely held together by rusted nails and boards. By contrast, the sect’s inner lands were a paradise. Lush green grass across rolling hills upon which various buildings were placed. Some were workshops for production professions such as alchemists, smiths, and enchanters. Here, lesser members of the sect known as Outer Disciples delivered herbs, ore, wood and other materials to the Inner Disciples who crafted treasures to auction off or use themselves. On the west side of the sect was a large kitchen which produced mana-rich food that the Outer Disciples ate. Inner Disciples themselves could also partake, but once your Level as Stats were high enough, you no longer needed to eat and could sustain yourself by feeding off mana of your element.
All in all, the entire place was pristine and that simple fact just made Alan grit his teeth and curse the way the world worked even more. All this wealth, and none of the common folk were allowed even a drop of it. No wonder so many people tried to become cultivators. Not only did being initiated to the System grant a longer lifespan and power, but even being an Outer Disciple in a sect like this was miles better than living in the town as a Shoemaker or working in another mundane type of work.
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He also took the time to look around at the various people, from hopefuls to people who were already cultivators. The ones that stood out the most were people who had oddly colored hair, from deep blues and greens, to even a few people with pink hair of all things. This was the result of bloodlines, such as pink hair coming from a Fey-type bloodline. Alan didn't know much about bloodlines, only that those with them had an innate affinity for certain elements and techniques, and that a bloodline meant that somewhere in your ancestry, one of your ancestors had had sex with something like a Fey or an elemental. The sheer thought of that boggled his mind. How would that even work with, say, a rock creature?
Alan was brought out of his weird thoughts when someone spoke to him. Which was strange, as he didn’t know anyone here.
“It’s a rather crowded place, isn’t it?”
Alan turned to see a girl about his age, give or take. She was only a few inches shorter than him but had a build that spoke of battle if the scars were anything to go by, not to mention the muscles arms that her sleeveless robe exposed to the world. The most striking part of her was actually two things. First were her eyes, which were orange and almost seemed to radiate a soft heat but perhaps that was his mind playing tricks on her. The second was her hair, wavy and woven into a braid that went to the middle of her back, with the tips of it orange just like her eyes. Seeing her raise a brow at his staring, ALan quickly coughed and attempted to regain his composure.
“Y-yeah, it sure is a lot of people. I don’t even think the town has this many in it.”
The girl nodded, crossing her arms under her chest.
“That makes sense, this is the only sect hall for hundreds of miles. It’s not even a good one…”
She mumbled the last part before shaking her head, then looking up at him. Their eyes locked and Alan felt a shiver going through his body. The girl frowned at something and her eyes seemed to go hazy for a second before she made a tsk sound and gave him a small smile that seemed…almost like she pitied him for some reason.
“Anyway, good luck on the elemental test. I hope you find what you’re looking for!”
With that, the girl turned on her heel, walking away and disappearing into the crowd of people. Alan watched her as she left, before shaking his head. There sure were some strange people in this sect. Regardless, he put the girl with orange eyes out of his mind for now as he walked forwards, trying to get out of the way of people and not bump into anyone, though that was rough considering the spectacle this event was turning out to be.
Eventually Alan found his way to the staging area, where the Elders of the sect would announce the new hopefuls and their Leyline. He stepped into line with sixteen other students, all humans considering Huddleburg was far away from any of the other races’ locales, so there were no Elves or Dwarves. About half of them were brunettes ranging from light brown, nearing blond, to jet black. Some though had telltale signs of bloodlines given their strange hair colors.
All around the staging area, parents, merchants, and others from across the small villages in the barony stood. Not everyone of course, as the barony was poor and not many people could afford to travel when there was work to be done. But a good three thousand or so citizens stood, sat, and watched with bated breath for the Test to take place. High upon an elevated chair, next to some of the other sect elders, was the damned baron himself. Alan refused to look at the man though, lest he get too angry or catch the man’s ire and be tied to a post and whipped in public.
The single elder of the sect that stood on the staging arena stood before a large sheet of paper that was held like a tapestry. The thin sheet of pressed wood seemed to almost reflect the light, likely due to its nature as an Elemental Treasure. It was by injecting mana into this paper that one’s elemental Leyline would be revealed. The man himself was almost as gaudy as the ostentatious object, dressed in elaborate robes of purple with a matching pointed hat that clashes with his long white beard and framed spectacles.
With a wave of the man’s hand, the murmurs and talking around the area quieted down as everyone’s attention fell on him.
“Yes yes, today is a momentous occasion, as is every Leyline Test. Now I’m sure most of you know this, but for those who are new here, let me enlighten you. These seventeen boys and girls are to be tested for their elemental affinity, so that they too may become cultivators and serve the kingdom. All they must do is simply pass their mana through this sheet of paper made from Rainbowsong. If it glows red, fire. Yellow is earth, blue is water, and green is wind. Once that has been done, they will be assigned to teachers in this Sect to undergo foundational training until they reach a sufficient level of mastery to be of use in the war. Now without further ado…”
The old wizard flicked his hand up and summoned a scroll that listed the name of the hopeful teenagers on the staging ground.
“Arana, Sophia. Please step forward.”
A young girl, a couple years younger than him if her height was any indication, stepped out of the line, her pink hair showing her Fey ancestry as she walked towards the wizard and gave him a customary cultivator’s bow, with one hand covering a fist. She was then directed to the paper, where she walked forward and placed a hand on the paper. A few seconds later, the paper shone with a yellow light.
“Earth Cultivator! Please make your way to the side, young lady.”
Cheers rang from the crowd as people applauded for her. Earth was a decent enough element, not just for combat but for things like building roads, wall repair and home modeling, so she would have a good future ahead of her. Various names were called out until Alan’s came up.
“Lastly we have…” The old man sneered at the paper and looked at him with disgust before he hid it.
“Alan, of Huddleburg.”
Whispers came from the crowd. As an orphan, Alan had no surname so he was just “of Huddelburg”. He did his best to ignore the stares and mocking smirks on some of the passersby. Who cared if he was an orphan, once he became a cultivator it wouldn’t matter. Making his way to the wizard, he did the same bow as everyone else.
“Hurry up, boy. Don’t waste our time.”
Forcing a pursed smile on his lips, Alan walked up to the paper and placed his hand on it. Then he dug deep inside of himself and pulled on what little mana he had. He forcefully shoved it through his meridians and out of his hand in a pale blue pulse, where it touched the paper. A few seconds later, and nothing happened. Then several seconds, then thirty.
The crowd was silent. The old man was in front of Alan in an instant, gripping his hand with such force it felt like he was going to tear Alan’s arm off.
“Do you take this sect for a fool, child? Did you not do it properly?!”
He was stunned as he took in the old man’s words and sputtered.
“W-what, no! I did it like everyone else…”
A spike of mana shocked Alan and he felt nauseous as the old man attacked him with some kind of technique.
In a voice so low only Alan could hear, the old man spoke. “Are you courting death? Do not talk back to your betters.”
Turning back to the crowd the old man’s angry, toxic visage was replaced by one of fake pity.
“Apologies everyone, it seems something is wrong with this one. Therefore, by the power vested in me by the King himself, I declare Alan of Huddleburg…Flawed.”
Flawed. A title given to those who had no elemental affinity in the kingdom, or those who had their magic stripped from them as a punishment for heinous crimes. This couldn’t be happening, this had to be a bad dream, right? Stunned at the turn of events, Alan numbly made his way off the platform, unaware of the jests and laughter made at him, as well as the whispers of his fellow townspeople. How was he going to explain this to the orphans? His one goal in life was to become strong enough to get those kids out of that place, and he couldn’t do that if he couldn’t even cultivate.
Time passed and eventually, he found himself outside of the sect in one of the many alleys. The sun was setting now, letting the orange light of dusk spread across the beat-up town. Just how long had it been, he wondered. A splash of water that soaked his torso made him jump up in alarm and he raised his fists, only to see a cultivator standing before him. Had he come to make fun of him?
Gritting his teeth, Alan bowed.
“Honored Cultivator, how can this one be of help?”
The man, a few years older than him, gave him a look up and down, eyes closed in a smile. “Man it really sucks that you didn’t pass the Leyline Test, Flawed. I mean, no affinity? How rare is that?”
Alan grit his teeth but just bowed lower. Maybe that would make him go away.
“Indeed, Esteemed One. But that is the way the world works.”
The man grinned wickedly, almost too wickedly, in response. “Well you see there’s actually a way to get an affinity if you don’t have one, you know. It's a bit dangerous, but what do you have to lose?”
Alan froze, was the man playing tricks on him? It was possible, but he was right. Flawed meant he couldn’t even get a mundane job, since no one wanted to have that stigma attached to their place of work. This was his one final shot.
“What do I need to do?”