Chapter 3: Coming of Age
As the sun cast its golden rays over the sprawling wheat field, a tanned, dark-haired man named Brad diligently hoed the ground alongside his similarly tanned, dark-haired son, Coal.
With Coal's fifteenth birthday fast approaching, he and his friends, the twins Gwen and Gary, prepared themselves for the coming-of-age ceremony that awaited them. The milestone event marked their transition into adulthood.
Despite the upcoming ceremony and the weight of responsibility that came with adulthood, Coal, Gwen, and Gary never lost the spirit of adventure that resided in their youthful hearts.
Even as their days were filled with chores, lessons, and preparations for the milestone event, they still found time to indulge in their dreams of grandeur.
Under the cover of night, the three friends would practice their fighting skills in the secluded forest clearing, and reenact the thrilling stories they had once shared as children.
Any trained eye could tell that their actions were flawed, but Coal, Gwen, and Gary had heart. Undeterred by their lack of formal training or experience, they continued to practice with fervor and dedication.
They all headed back to their homes sweaty and dirty but ready to face the day ahead.
Coal slumped into bed after eating some stale bread as a late-night snack. He wiped off sweat and dirt from his face and arms and fell onto his bed into a deep slumber.
A tugging sensation on his shoulder woke him up. His eyes shot open as he sprang out worried he had woken up late.
"Haha calm down Coal you're alright! Just wanted to wake you up for breakfast. I made a special meal for you, Jerry gave us some pork and Laura gave us some eggs, so this breakfast you get bacon, eggs, and bread instead of just some bread and gruel."
"Aww, love you ma, and I'll make sure to thank them later."
They both head into the main room with Brad to eat their special breakfast. Coal starts to wolf down the bacon and eggs.
"Slow down you have plenty of time, and theirs plenty of food. Imagine if you choked on your awakening day! How embarrassing that would be."
She hits him on the back a few times and heads out to hang some clothes and bedding to dry.
"Go ahead and head over to the center and bring some food for Gwen and Gary. We'll meet you there."
Coal puts on some clean clothes and heads over to the center of the village where a crowd was still gathering.
Over in the middle of the crowd, Coal could see Gwen and Gary. He quickly made his way over to them.
"Hey, guys! How's your morning? Excited?"
"Heck yeah, we're excited! Once we get our affinities checked Gary and I got the okay from our parents to go travel!"
"That's so cool, uhh I haven't really talked to my folks about that yet. I mean I've talked to my dad, but I think my mom wants me to stay back and help with the farm. Oh by the way here are some breakfast sandwiches if y'all haven't eaten yet. Got eggs and bacon!"
"Eggs and Bacon, nice thanks!" "Heck yeah man, tell your mom thanks for us!"
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Nom nom nom they both go gobbling up the food like it was the best thing they'd ever tasted.
"MMMmmmmmm that was great!" The twins both exclaimed while licking their fingers.
"Back to the matter, Coal you gotta come with us to the city! If we can't get into an academy we can still be adventurous or even join the kingdom's soldiers."
"We can always come back you know, to visit or retire."
Coal pauses for a bit and then says. "I'll talk with them after this, what do you think you'll have affinities for?"
"Well, probably Earth like almost everyone else in the village. It makes sense since we're always connected to the Earth and always working with it."
"Well Gary it isn't guaranteed we could even get something cool like space or a sword. Imagine all of us with unique affinities or even multiple we'd be able to do anything! Groups would fight to take us!!"
"Gwen don't get your hopes too high, regardless yall are going to the city and are gonna have great adventures. I'll try my best to convince my ma so I can go with yall."
They began going around talking to all the other villagers who gave their support while they waited for the village head and the visiting appraiser to come.
The appraisers go to all the towns and villages in the Kingdom and check the new adults for their affinities in a form of a census. It was also a way for the kingdom to try and get any rare affinities in the outskirts to belong to the kingdom rather than join any other forces.
The small villages and towns only really ever had a one in ten thousand chance of not getting a common affinity, but that in itself leads to a decent amount of recruits.
As the anticipation continued to build, Brad and Rachel made their way through the bustling crowd and spotted Coal engaged in conversation with some nearby neighbors.
They stood there for a moment, soaking in the festive atmosphere and appreciating the special occasion. A sense of pride and happiness radiated from their expressions as they watched Coal from a slight distance.
The day held the promise of new beginnings and exciting possibilities for the trio, with everyone eager to find out what their affinities would be.
The lively chatter and laughter of the villagers abruptly ceased as a loud, continuous drumbeat filled the air. Heads turned in unison towards the source of the sound, where a large bear-like man with white hair strode confidently into the center of the gathering, accompanied by a robed man and several soldiers.
The imposing presence of the group captured everyone's attention, and the air thickened with anticipation. It was clear that the awaited moment – the commencement of the affinity determination – was about to begin.
"Everyone give a grand welcome to Appraiser Nayak! We are honored to have you with us sir!"
The villagers cheered enthusiastically, but Nayak seemed to be used to it and gave a small smile.
"Yes, yes I am Nayak! It has been a long month going around doing this, and I've quite a few after your village so who do we have this year?"
The villagers quieted down as he continued and the soldiers pulled out four small boxes from their sachels and set them down on the ground in a diamond formation.
"Bwahaha, alright alright no formalities, these three are ready to find their affinities Nayak! Let's get the ceremony over with and let you go on your way, but you'll have to have a drink with me before you go."
The village head and Nayak seemed to be familiar with each other and Nayak laughed as he agreed to share a drink with him.
"Alright then, you three stand in the center of the diamond and I'll begin the ceremony. All of you close your eyes and clear your mind of all thoughts and worries. Just try and feel the energies around you".
The three friends obediently closed their eyes, finding themselves enveloped in darkness.
As they focused on the emptiness around them, Nayak's rhythmic chanting resonated through the air, and the boxes started glowing and levitating.
An array of vibrant colors emerged from the glowing boxes, swirling and mingling as they formed a mesmerizing vortex around the trio.
The powerful, yet gentle energy of the vortex touched their very core as they awaited the outcome of the ceremony, their hearts pounding with excitement and anticipation.
As the ceremony progressed, Coal experienced a sudden sensation of extreme cold just above his belly button, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
Despite the icy feeling, an odd warmth simultaneously enveloped him, bringing a sense of comfort. Without warning, the cold was replaced by an intense burning sensation that rapidly spread throughout his entire body, eradicating all traces of the chill.
In his mind, Coal vividly saw a massive, flaming rock descending from the sky and striking a mountain, leaving him feeling more connected and grounded than ever before.
The chanting came to an end and the glowing boxes began to slowly descend.
Everyone looked as Coal was enveloped by a dark brown and crimson red energy, Gwen was enveloped by a bright green and a dark brown energy, and Gary was enveloped by both a Dark brown and silver energy .
Each had affinity with types of Earth, but it seems that they all had two affinities.
The three opened their eyes, excitement coursing through them as they took in the sight of the swirling energies that enveloped them.
The crowd around them gasped in amazement, clearly shocked by the revelation of their dual affinities.
An air of pride and wonder settled over the gathering, recognizing the rarity of such a result in the affinity determination ceremony.
Nayak's eyes widened in intrigue, the affinities were more or less pretty common even with the different colors of light, but for three dual affinities to come out of this outskirts village is a great thing for the kingdom.