Aaron felt himself slip in and out of consciousness, treading the line between dimensions. He basked in the comforting energy of the incorporeal realm, also known as the realm of magic. He focused on anchoring himself to the plane of the living - the consequences would be disastrous if his concentration slipped for even a mere second. He drew in the energy, focusing it in his own body. Finally, when the density of energy was enough - he let loose. A pure white, glowing orb emerged, seemingly from nowhere. The orb felt strangely peaceful, everything at peace, suddenly the orb shattered into an explosion of colour. It seemed terrifying, yet strangely beautiful. The mess of colours slowly condensed back into a ball and finally out of existence. "Aaron Baxter," said the AI scanner next to me, "your analysis is complete." The only word Aaron could use to describe his feelings was petrifying, everything in his life had led up to this moment. "I have determined your core ability to be," the AI added a small pause, "Colour Manipulation." Aaron froze up, unable to process anything. Slowly, he regained control and started processing "What could this ability be used for," Aaron thought to himself, as the AI determined his ranking, "the ability would probably put me near the upper bottom of all 14 year olds." He waited for his ranking, maybe the AI could find some hidden potential he couldn't see in his state of disarray. "Your ranking is 721 millionth out of 737 million initiates, your most likely growth trajectory is : Moderately High," the robotic voice said. The ranking was slightly below average, but something he could work with. No, what really surprised him was his trajectory. While moderately high was good, it was hardly exceptional; around 1 in 10 people got it. The AI simply said this was the most likely course, not the only one, and he would prove it. Anyways, the ranking itself was higher than he expected, meaning he did have some potential. He would need to think about it once he got home. This was the beginning of his path to greatness.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.