"Come on, Cally, don't stress!" Rai said with a playful grin, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up and took a moment to really see him. While I was tall and sturdy, Rai was the picture of finesse—standing at 5'9" with lean muscles, tousled brown hair, bright green eyes, and that ever-present charming grin. He possessed a charisma I sometimes felt I lacked. "I'm perfectly fine, Rai, and I've asked you before to stop calling me that!" I replied, trying to sound firm, but it came out a bit whiny, even with my deep voice.
Shaking my head, I focused on the crowd around us. Hundreds of people from various races lined the cobbled streets, buying and selling goods, all gathered to celebrate the Soul'Renn, an annual festival and ritual for 16-year-olds hoping to unlock their system and discover the class they have been assigned. The issue is that the class assigned to you is determined by your heritage, prior experiences, and mental compatibility. This means that a mixed-breed orphan with only experience in hard labor is unlikely to have much luck.
"What if we just go next year, Rai? We could train some more, and I could find a sword somewhere—" I began, but Rai interrupted me.
"You know we can't do that, Cally. And even if we could, we would miss out on all the valuable experience we're going to gain from dungeoneering!"
Sighing, I decided not to respond to Rai. I was used to his enthusiasm by now. If only I could muster some enthusiasm myself, I thought with a frown.
"All 16-year-old men and women are to report to the town center within a glass!" an older-looking human crier announced as he passed by.
"I think that's for us, Cally. We better head over," Rai said, his steps quickening with urgency.
As we walked through the busy street, I listened to the laughter and chatter around us. I managed to steel myself a little more. No matter what happened, I would have Rai by my side, and we could figure it out together.
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Arriving at the town center early allowed me to observe the large group of soon-to-be adults gathered in the open space. Of the hundreds of people present, most were there to support family members; only about a hundred were there to experience today’s awakening. As I scanned the crowd, a few individuals stood out due to their polished appearances, refined clothing, and entourages. Nobles.
“They look like right pricks, don’t they?” Rai said, following my gaze with a smirk.
“Rai, they might hear you!” I whispered, glancing around us. My eyes widened as I noticed one of the noblewomen nearby sneering at us.
“Attention! Attention! We will be starting the Soul'Renn now and ask all 16-year-olds to line up along the stage and come up one at a time as I call your name.”
Shifting my gaze from the young noble girl, I grabbed Rai's arm and hurried to the end of the forming line. As I watched other teenagers walk onto the stage and touch the Orb of Awakening, I felt a cold sweat begin to form. The Orb of Awakening was said to be held by a high priest in each major city and was known as a relic of a past civilization—no one had the knowledge to create one anymore. The color displayed after an awakening corresponded to one's class, and the intensity of the glow indicated its rarity. Red represented combat, while blue signified crafting. Most people hoped for red, but unfortunately, most commoners would likely receive blue.
Watching as people walked onto the stage, I felt anxiety creep into my gut. Each of those downtrodden faces up there could have been me, and there was nothing I could do about it; once you were assigned a class, there was no switching, only the possibility of subtle upgrades. As we moved closer to the front of the line, I squeezed Rai's arm and managed a weak smile.
"Good luck, Rai."
"I won't need it," he smirked back at me before confidently striding up the stairs. Watching him whisper to the priest, my heart raced, hoping he would get what he wanted. As he gently grasped the orb, a smirk lit up his face when it turned red.
"How bright!" someone from the crowd exclaimed.
"Is that a rare class?" I heard others wonder.
"Of course, he got a rare combat class," I thought, a small smile spreading across my face. As I stepped onto the stage, I gathered the little courage I had and felt a sense of calm wash over me. Walking past the priest, I ignored the murmurs of the crowd, likely caused by my unusual appearance. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and placed my hand on the orb.