Soren the Cultivator. Aster Blitzburn. Elara the Absorber. Archmage Eren. Household names to anyone in Nearedge, and most likely the entire Kingdom.
Growing up, I had heard stories about them, how they protected the Kingdom from hordes of monsters, or how they ascended to near immortality.
It felt so far away to me as a kid, but now, standing in front of the sole Awakener in their village, I couldn't have wanted anything more then to get started. I looked up, wearing what was hopefully a confident look.
"Are you ready to start?" the Awakener said, just as polite and happily as to the few other Awakenings I'd witnessed.
"Yes," the answer couldn't come out quickly enough. I'd heard of how Soren & Elara were nothing more than villagers until this point. Subsequently, they were revealed to have a Gift, and they were quickly able to make a name for themselves, before eventually Ascending.
As the awakeners hands started to glow, he pushed them towards me, and slowly, I started to feel an essence within me. Mana. From the top of my scalp down to the edges of my toenails, there was a tingling, though that doesn't even begin to describe it. It felt like an extra limb, something that was never there before. It felt right. Throughout my body, there was a concentration of it, but, oddly enough, there was a little extra in my mind. Could I be a genius? Maybe I was the next hero. I got my hopes up, but in the back of my head, I knew it wasn't likely. Even with just hearing the stories, it was too good to be true that any commoner who wanted it hard enough would be some hero.
"Hmm..." the Awakener hummed, as he took out the familiar sheet of paper that always writes down the results of the Awakening. It felt like ages before he was finally done writing, even though it couldn't have been longer than just a few seconds. He handed the note to me, and I was eager to find not just my results, but the message given to every adult upon their 15th birthday.
Just before I started to read, I made a quick prayer to God. "Congratulations from the Elemental Kingdom! Adulthood brings many opportunities, most of all the ability to work! A few things to start though.
1. It is illegal to tell anyone below the age of 15 about Mana or any spells. As a 15 year old yourself, you now are beholden to the same rules. The Spell is watching.
2. Upon Awakening, you get to choose a spell. The list of options depends on location, and it also depends on your talent. For example, if you have a Gift, you will be sent to the Capital to select your spell.
3. This paper also has on it the results of your Awakening. Read the notes below, as they are the most important thing you will ever read. Additionally, if you have any questions about anything regarding your Awakening, ask your Awakener.
Gift: None
Mana: Slightly above average, slightly higher concentration in brain
Mana Regeneration: Slightly above average
Affinities:
Middle: Mind Magic, Illusion Magic
Lesser: Soul Magic,
Negligible: Space Magic, Law Magic
As I read my results, my thoughts were mixed. At first, my dream of a Gift was crushed, but the slightly above average mana & regeneration made me feel a little better. I had quite a few affinities, but I wasn't sure what was good and bad about that, let alone if it meant I was worth anything. Law magic sounded like the Spell, which I was happy about. I knew from the stories of the heroes, the one magic-adjacent thing aside from the basics of the Spell that I was allowed to hear that Death Magic was a death sentence, so that I didn't have it at all was a relief.
The worst part about it was probably that I didn't have anything stated about the Elements, what the entire Kingdom ran on. Even without knowledge of magic & its workings, the Elemental Kingdom, as it was officially named, was known to literally run on the elements. Everything, from most jobs to even parts of the spell ran on it. I was very worried about this fact.
With my mental review finished, I looked up from my paper, my Awakener just standing there, with a smile that knew I had questions.
"What does this mean?" I blurted, which was probably the dumbest question ever. I mean seriously, who would just ask something so broa-
"It means that you are slightly above average when it comes to Mana, and you do have some impressive enough affinities, but not the greatest ones for the Kingdom. This means that you have to be very careful when picking your spell, to make sure you are able to get a good job; There are plenty of jobs that don't require magic, but the best ones need magic. It also means that you probably won't be accepted to any of the academies."
He answered with a very understanding tone, but it was still devastating. My dreams had been crushed. I felt happy that he didn't mention my lack of gift, but considering how rare it was, I suppose it was obvious enough I wouldn't get one. Despite that, no academies, no special power, no beneficial affinities meant that my mood was sent straight to the gutter. He didn't mention one thing though. "What does the slightly higher concentration in brain mean?" I asked.
"When there is a higher concentration than usual in a single part of your body, it usually means that spells that interact with it are better. For example, a person with higher concentration of mana in their arm is predisposed to let more in, so when such a person would use Basic Empower, that arm would be stronger. For you, the brain means things like thought acceleration would be more potent, though unfortunately you don't have the affinity for body magic required. Your mind magic affinity means that you could be quite the mind mage, but there are plenty of laws that would restrict your usage."
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Interesting. So I have a synergistic setup with my brain mana concentration and mind magic affinity. that could be useful.
The only thing left to do was my spell, and so I decided to ask just about then.
"What are my spell options?" I smiled. I knew from just watching my parents work that there had to be a wood-working or wood-working adjacent one, but I wasn't sure beyond that and the other basic laborer spells for our town.
"This is the full list for you. Look it over carefully, as they all have at least one requirement, and are all important to our village. The most important part is to select something that you personally want to do. Some parents tell their kids that they should grow into the same business they are in, but Magic is all about exploration. As an Awakener of the Kingdom, I'm required to tell you that we have a severe lack of Smiths."
I paid attention, but I quickly took the list as he offered it, and was all too eager to devour it.
"Nearedge:
1. Basic Cleanse.
Requirements: Lesser Water Magic Affinity.
Description: Allows you to clean a small object in just a spell.
2. Basic Shaping.
Requirements: Negligible Control Magic Affinity.
Description: Shapes an object slightly to match your thoughts. Focusing on a specific area is easier. Depending on your affinities & several other factors, certain objects can be easier to work with.
3. Basic Lure.
Requirements: Lesser Mind Magic Affinity.
Description: Makes an object or area more appealing to a creature. Works better on specific object than an area as a whole. Depending on your affinities & several other factors, certain objects or environments may garner better results.
4. Basic Fertilize.
Requirements: Lesser Plant Magic Affinity, Negligible Earth Magic affinity.
Description: Fertilizes the soil around a plant much better than usual fertilizer, ensuring it grows quicker & more plentiful. Depending on your affinities & several other factors, certain objects or environments may garner better results.
5. Spark.
Requirements: Lesser Fire Magic Affinity Or Lesser Lightning Magic Affinity.
Description: Produces a spark that can light a fire or give someone a zap.
7. Basic Empower.
Requirements: Lesser Body Magic Affinity or Middle Control Magic Affinity.
Description: Allows you to temporarily empower your body using magic. Overuse will cause backlash. Focusing on a specific part is easier. DANGEROUS
8. Basic Mana Bolt.
Requirements: Lesser Affinity of anything.
Description: Allows you to create a bolt of mana from any affinity Lesser or higher. Effects depend on Affinity, affinity rank, & experience. Note: if chosen, you will be added to the Kingdoms future war drafts as a war mage. Thank you for your service
Kingdom:
1. Basic Metal Shaping.
Requirements: Lesser Earth Magic Affinity or Negligible Metal Magic Affinity.
Description: Allows you to slightly shape metal. Works better in higher temperatures. Much better than Basic Shaping for metal.
2. Advanced Metal Shaping.
Requirements: High Earth Magic Affinity or Middle Metal Magic Affinity
Description: Allows you to shape metal very well. Works better in higher temperatures. Much better than basic shaping for metal or basic metal shaping.
2. Negligible Sharpness Rune.
Requirements: Negligible Rune Magic Affinity.
Description: Magically sharpens the edge of a tool, blade etc. upon impact. Works better on higher quality work. Negligible-tier effect.
3. Lesser Sharpness Rune.
Requirements: Lesser Rune Magic Affinity.
Description: Magically sharpens the edge of a tool, blade etc. upon impact. Works better on higher quality work. Lesser-tier effect.
4. Sharpness Rune.
Requirements: Middle Rune Magic Affinity.
Description: Magically sharpens the edge of a tool, blade etc. upon impact. Works better on higher quality work. Middle-tier effect.
5. High Sharpness Rune:
Requirements: High Rune Magic Affinity. Description:
Magically sharpens the edge of a tool, blade etc. upon impact. Works better on higher quality work. High-tier effect. Note: Must come to Capital to claim.
6. Negligible Durability Rune.
Requirements: Negligible Rune Magic Affinity.
Description: Magically strengthens the durability of a tool, blade, piece of armor etc. Works better on higher quality work. Negligible-tier effect.
7. Lesser Durability Rune.
Requirements: Lesser Rune Magic Affinity.
Description: Magically strengthens the durability of a tool, blade, piece of armor etc. Works better on higher quality work. Lesser-tier effect.
8. Durability Rune.
Requirements: Middle Rune Magic Affinity.
Description: Magically strengthens the durability of a tool, blade, piece of armor etc. Works better on higher quality work. Middle-tier effect.
9. High Durability Rune.
Requirements: High Rune Magic Affinity.
Description: Magically strengthens the durability of a tool, blade, piece of armor etc. Works better on higher quality work. Middle-tier effect. Note: Must come to Capital to claim.
Please note: Requirements when used in context of spells is meant more as a guideline to protect against self-harm. As long as you have some affinity, anyone can cast any of these, though those with a stronger affinity may garner a stronger effect."
Straight away, I could tell there were only two options for me. All the Kingdom skills, along with Basic shaping, Basic Cleanse, Spark, Basic Fertilize, and basic empower all required affinities I didn’t have. That left only Basic Lure, and Mana Bolt.
My eyes instantly drifted to the second option, as who wouldn’t want to spew magic at someone? It was very cool, but the draft clause was instantly making me doubt it. In the Kingdom, the military was basically a volunteer program, as you weren’t paid unless you did something seriously amazing, like the heroes in the stories did. As much as I would like to fight for my country, I need to be able to survive as well.
Basic Lure on the other hand was seemingly... basic. I instantly thought of hunters, who before I'd think of as just very good trappers, but now I realized had a supposed magical edge.
I weighed my choices, and while I really wanted to use my Middle Affinities on Mana Bolt, which even the Awakener said were "impressive", Basic Lure was the easiest way to get a stable useful job, and it didn't have the War clause. With that, I once again looked up, and declared my awakening done.
"I'd like Basic Lure," I said, confident in my choice.
And with that, my Awakening was complete.