Dawn's first light illuminated the skeletal remains of Washington’s Crossing. The bridge's once-proud towers showed the scars of time, weathered and partially crumbled, with cables dangling lifelessly.  Thick mist clung to its base, creating the illusion it was floating amidst the clouds.

Atop Fortress Lee's stone parapet, Tyson stood against the cold bite of the wind, his gaze cutting through the fog to discern the silhouette of the distant island cityscape. As the aroma of wood smoke tickled his senses, it spoke of life and activity within the protective walls.

Clutched tightly in his hands was an ancient tome. More than just timeworn pages, it was a diary from an ancestor, a glimpse into forgotten classes and the world's upheaval into the System. Most considered its tales as mere myths or folklore. But to Tyson, they were a window into a shrouded past. The book's secrets were enticing yet imprisoning, symbolizing both the power he craved and the restrictions his parents imposed upon him.

Below, the fortress hummed with a melody of awakening life punctuated by the distant sounds of metal clanging, horses neighing, and the hushed chatter of initiates prepping for a journey he'd been deprived of. Even before the System's dominance, Fort Lee had been renowned, not merely as a settlement, but as the gateway to the colossal nexus point of Man’hatta. Now it stood as the final bastion before a land teeming with dungeons and their lurking dangers.

High above the morning's bustle, Tyson's thoughts drifted. Voices from his past, especially those of his parents, resounded with skepticism and caution against the Corequest. They had insisted, year after year, that he wasn't ready for such a journey. But today bore a different energy. Hope and determination overpowered doubt, as he yearned to break free from those uncertainties and carve a path of his own. As he mulled over these thoughts, a sudden shriek from the sky captured his attention. Squinting, he looked up to see a majestic bird-like figure.

Far above, Aeris spread her wings as she flew over Washington's Crossing. Below her, the bridge stretched like an ancient guardian, its metal towers jutting into the sky. She could hear the growls and roars of the bridge dungeon boss, an enormous creature of feathers and talons, which had pursued her through the field dungeon. 

With a twist and a turn, Aeris plunged into a vertical dive, her gossamer wings shimmering in the sunlight. Her keen eyes focused on the monstrous enemy that emerged from its perch atop the bridge's tower. In a desperate bid to escape, she executed a series of intricate aerial maneuvers, her body twisting and spiraling as she dodged the creature's vicious swipes and lunges. 

With incredible speed, Aeris dived under the bridge, threading her way through a labyrinth of narrow metal supports. Her agile frame maneuvered with remarkable finesse. Reemerging on the other side of the bridge, she had put considerable distance between herself and the dungeon boss. The monster, flapping furiously but futilely in her wake, gave up on its elusive prey and returned to its perch. She knew it wouldn't follow her into the open sky.

As she neared Fortress Lee, she spotted a familiar figure standing atop a tower, lost in thought. It was Tyson, a young man she had known for years. With a quick adjustment of her wings, she made her descent, landing gracefully next to him.

The first thing Tyson noticed was the play of sunlight on her white, intricately braided hair. It framed her face in a way that brought out her pale, almost luminescent skin. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled like rare gemstones, half-hidden under her elegant, long eyelashes. Her pointed ears, elongated and delicate, peeked out from her flowing hair, adding an otherworldly touch to her already striking features. Her armor was a meticulously crafted blend of cloth, leather, and some metal pieces. Though the armor was designed for practicality and freedom of movement, it also emphasized her figure in a way that Tyson found difficult to ignore. She was slim, yet the armor accentuated her curves, adding a layer of undeniable appeal.

Tyson had known her for years and had even hooked up with her a time or two, but in this moment, seeing her framed against the backdrop of the sky, it felt like he was looking at her for the first time all over again. At that moment, Tyson recognized who stood before him, a young woman unburdened by the limitations that had always held him back.

In that instant, standing beside Aeris, Tyson felt both insignificant and inspired, as if her very presence were a challenge he needed to meet. A warm smile spread across his face as he greeted her, "You never cease to amaze me, Aeris Sylph. Flying circles around Peter again?"

Aeris chuckled, "Peter's strong, but he's no match for my moves in the air."

"So you keep proving," Tyson responded, clearly impressed. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you fly like that. It's remarkable."

"Thank you. It's my bond," she said, her eyes meeting his. "But tell me, you seem deep in thought today. What's on your mind?"

Tyson looked into Aeris's keen eyes and felt a comforting sense of affirmation. "You always have a way of cutting to the heart of things, don't you?"

Aeris smiled. "I try. Speaking of hearts and matters of importance, will you finally be joining the initiates during this cycle? I remember you had to pass up the opportunity before."

Ah, the initiates. The very mention brought forth a wave of mixed feelings. He had been held back from that rite of passage for several years, always told by his parents that he wasn't ready. "My parents have been... reluctant to let me join. They've never even allowed me to come close to a core, fearing I'd bond with it."

Aeris looked wistful. "I can't imagine you not bonding one day."

Tyson mused, "Aeris. I watch you fly, with that core-granted agility and grace, and I can't help but feel both admiration and envy. Your life is an endless adventure, and here I am, confined to Fortress Lee."

Aeris' eyes softened. "Our lives couldn't be more different, could they? I roam the open skies and live each day like it's a new adventure. You live here, with your rules and structures. I thought you were happy?"

"Yes, but…" Tyson said, looking over the towering walls of the fortress, its stone structure immovable and unyielding. "I've wondered how different life could be if I were allowed the freedom to wield a core, to embrace its power. I don’t even need to bond, like you have, just to have some power, to not feel useless. But my family…"

"In your case, you are bound, just not to a core," Aeris said sorrowfully. "But Tyson, you're not a child anymore. You have a say in this too, you know."

As Aeris' words echoed in his mind, Tyson felt the full weight of his dilemma. On one hand, there was the safe, familiar world he had always known. The stone walls of Fortress Lee were both his protection and his cage. On the other hand, there was the call of the unknown, a yearning that grew stronger every time he saw Aeris soar through the sky. 

His parents had always preached caution. Their logic seemed sound enough: Do not hold a mana core, for if it's compatible with you if it resonates with you, you’ll be bound together. Permanently. The core wasn't just a well of energy; it was the very essence of a creature, capable of imbuing its possessor with abilities of the creature from whence it came. Yet cores came with their limitations—you could only channel one core at a time, and that core had to be on your person to work its magic.

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But it was more than just magical utilities; cores were the lifeblood of their economy. The rich and powerful collected the rarest of cores as both trophies and commodities. Each core had its value, its unique signature, and by extension, its level of prestige and power in society. It was core economics and social standing that his parents had been so wary of. They had kept him away from all cores so that he didn’t limit himself. 

It felt as though he was standing on a precipice, gazing into two divergent futures. In one, he stayed safe, toeing the line that had been set for him since birth. In this path, he remained coreless, bound by his family's caution. In the other future, he saw himself defying that caution. He saw himself wielding a core, feeling its potent energy flood through him as he mastered its abilities. He envisioned a life of action, danger, and perhaps even glory. But most of all, he saw a life of freedom—the freedom to choose, to risk, to live as he wanted. 

Tyson's gaze shifted back to Aeris, who had now alighted gracefully next to him. "Will you tell me how you bonded with your core? What was your Corequest like?"

Aeris grinned, her eyes twinkling like stars. "Ah, my Corequest. That's a story, alright. I entered Man'hatta when I was just 13. I was thrilled, ready to find my core."

"But your journey wasn't straightforward, was it?" Tyson interjected, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Aeris chuckled. "Oh, you have no idea. Core after core seemed to reject me, or rather, they couldn't keep up with me. I tried so many, you know. I burned through over a dozen. It's not like they were completely incompatible. It's just that none could match the breadth and depth of what I yearned for."

Tyson knew holders of cores as Wielders. They utilized the abilities of the core, but only temporarily, never bonding. Some even remained Wielders intentionally, to utilize many different cores for varied situations. But, using an un-bonded core comes with consequences. This is in part why bonding is such a milestone in anyone’s life.

"Weren't you scared? The idea of not finding a core that matched you must've been daunting," Tyson wondered out loud.

Scared was an understatement for what Tyson felt about cores. He was terrified of the rejection and of the judgment that would come with it. But more than that, he was terrified of the notion that he might never know what it was like to hold such potent power.

Aeris shook her head. "Scared? No, I embraced each failed bonding as a learning experience. The failures, the rejections, they were all stepping stones, shaping me for something extraordinary."

"And then you found it," Tyson's eyes widened.

"Exactly!" Aeris exclaimed. "I stumbled upon a Sylph in the Central Forest, a creature as wondrous and whimsical as myself. The moment I held its core, I knew we were destined for each other. We bonded instantly."

Tyson was caught in the rapture of her story, imagining Aeris in a mystical forest, magically bonding with the fae-elemental creature. How incredible it must feel, he thought, to have a core that complements you so perfectly that what for some is a lengthy ritual, happens immediately upon channeling their mana.

Aeris' story only deepened his yearning for that connection. If Aeris could overcome such odds, journey through perilous landscapes, wield and burn through cores to finally find her perfect match, then maybe he could too. 

In Tyson’s mind, the Corequest had always been this mythical pilgrimage, a rite of passage that every teenager yearned for. It was spoken about in hushed voices among initiates, shared like a secret. But it was also discussed openly by adults, who wore their cores like badges of honor, symbols of their journeys, their battles, their very identities. A person's Corequest spoke volumes about them. It was the adventure that turned adolescents into adults, the quest that defined a lifetime.

Usually undertaken by young teens, the Corequest was that sacred time when a teenager stepped out into the world to discover their true nature. It was a time of trials, of battles, of searching high and low for that one core, that one magical essence that would resonate with their soul, elevate their abilities, and make them complete. A core once bonded became a part of you, fueling your strength and abilities in a partnership of power. Some even chose to collect multiple cores to wield, though such a choice often signaled that a true bonding hadn't occurred. 

Man'hatta, a confluence of dungeons, was the chosen destination for many. It was where the creatures roamed, where the cores were plenty, and where the magic was tangible in the very air you breathed. And Fortress Lee, his own home, was the last threshold before that world of wonder. It was both the guardian and the gatekeeper, the bastion that separated the familiar from the fantastical.

How ironic it was, Tyson thought, that he'd spent his entire life in the shadow of the bridge to Man'hatta, yet had never crossed it. The bridge he could see from the walls of Fortress Lee, the very bridge whose boss Aeris had evaded earlier. While others his age had ventured forth, wrestled with monsters, and returned victorious with cores glowing in their hands, he had remained behind, restrained by his parents' will.

He thought about the creatures, each with its unique core, its magical essence. He envisioned himself navigating the dungeons of Man'hatta, facing down monsters, each battle a step toward discovering his true self. And he saw that moment—the glorious, defining moment—when he would find a core that resonated with every fiber of his being, a core that would bond with him as perfectly as the Sylph had bonded with Aeris.

With every thought, every imagined scenario, Tyson felt his resolve solidify. He was no longer willing to be an observer of others' journeys, a bystander in his own life. It was high time for him to embark on his Corequest, to take that step into the world beyond Fortress Lee, and to find the other half of his soul waiting for him in the form of a core. 

Tyson felt as if he were standing at the edge of a vast abyss, one step away from plummeting into the unknown. But for the first time, that abyss didn't feel like a frightening void; it beckoned like a long-awaited adventure. His decision, firmed by thoughts and yearnings that could no longer be ignored, shimmered before him like a path finally revealed.

"I have to talk to my parents," he said aloud, more to himself than to Aeris. "Today, I'll tell them I want to go on my Corequest. I'm done waiting."

Aeris' eyes met his with a knowing look. "I think it's about time, Tyson. You're more than ready."

Taking a deep breath, Tyson knew it was time to prepare for the shift that was coming. His life as he knew it was closing its final chapter. He glanced at the ancient tome still in his hand, a heavy book filled with tales of Classes and Subclasses from the times before Corequests. He placed it carefully in his satchel, he gripped the stonework, and swung himself over the side of the tower.

Instead of taking the stairs that spiraled down within, he chose to climb down the outside, using the grooves and ledges of the ancient stonework as footholds. It was a risky climb for an initiate, but Tyson’s parents had him training in many skills since he was tiny, climbing was no exception. Each gripping hand and planting foot was carefully placed, and his Athletics skill was up to the task. Scaling down the tower was just an early start on his training, he thought, merely a warmup.

"See you later, Tyson," she called. "I have to go tell your dad that the Emperor is gathering his forces for another push."

The words jolted him, nearly causing him to lose his grip. The Emperor of Man'hatta was amassing an army. A sudden weight settled on his shoulders, driving home the urgency of the times they were in. 

"Aeris, you stopped to chat with me before delivering such important information?" The question escaped his lips before he could stop it.

She chuckled softly as she flew away. "I think you're important too, Tyson.”

As Aeris soared away, her silhouette disappearing into Fortress Lee, Tyson shook his head at her flighty nature. The Corequest was no longer a matter of personal growth; it was becoming a necessity. His father would need every capable body, every able hand, in the days to come. If the Emperor was making a move, then it was high time for Tyson to make his own.

He returned his attention to the descent toward the fortress. It was time to face his parents, to insist on his right to seize the future that called to him. Today would be the start of a new chapter, a blank page, and Tyson couldn't wait to see what story it would tell.