The Weltor family, Vandenburg family, two lines of the Rusteire family, Creveron family, Sinclair family, and Veran family all sat at a single large curved table. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were recently changed out with chandeliers that would hold the new light magic devices to give the room life. The large sliding glass doors were wide open to let in the fresh air of the relatively small backyard compared to the massive estate.

“Elijah! Alexia!” Novius shortly called for his two friends, but was slapped in his hand by his mother who was walking behind him. The last thing this room needed was more noise.

Elijah quickly walked with Alexia through the crowd of people while shortly greeting new and old faces. “Hey Novius. This is quite the gathering! What is it for?”

“What is it for?! We are celebrating everyone finally becoming Junior Hunters, and for the rejuvenation of The Kingdom! The reason why I was talking to the group in the hunter guild was because our families already know each other a little bit. It would make sense to also form a party with anyone our age to speed up our progress as hunters!”

What Novius said cleared a bunch of gaps, and gave Elijah a wide smile before he sat down. However, first he pulled out a chair for Alexia, and she responded with a shy thank you.

“Elijah, Alexia. Are you going to be joining our party?!” Theon was the first to speak as everyone went silent waiting for something.

“I think so. It would be stupid not to join. We can choose our own missions right?”

“Yes and no. Some missions that are of higher priority and within our skill level will be assigned to us sometimes. And the missions we can choose will show up on the mission board. Most missions are to push back beasts, and there will usually be a couple of specific missions like providing support to the miners, or new explorations. Although, that is mainly for orange and yellow core mages.” Raylen quickly cut in before his twin brother.

To Elijah, it seemed everyone had been eager to talk to both Alexia and himself a lot more. Novius had probably been hyping them up as the bestest friends ever, as they had shared secrets that no one else in the entire world knew. “Wow, that's really cool. Let’s say that we do our first mission in a couple of days, what kind of mission would you all pick?”

The question intrigued the minds of the youths as they all responded with the same answer. “A pushback mission.” Theon continued explaining how any mission other than what they said was extremely dangerous to red core mages. There was a reason why the test was in one of the earliest parts of the Catacombs that not many people went to.

“That makes sense.” As soon as Elijah finished his sentence, a light bell chimed through the living room, which probably meant that dinner was going to be served.

There were several maids and butlers bringing out large platters of food that were being set on a rectangular table. The gathering had a buffet style dinner. What surprised Elijah, was the response he got from George after he came and told them to grab their food first. There were three courses!

Different kinds of meats were on deck, as some of them were mixed with all kinds of vegetables and herbs that elicited Elijah more than anything. These people had a knack for Mediterranean food, as there was a vegetable and sauce station with rice, pickled onions, bell peppers, avocado, and yogurt and dill sauce!

The table was full of colorful plates, and considering that the main meal looked like the first course, he wondered what the third course would be.

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“No way you killed an orange core beast by yourself! Those beasts are way more skilled at mana control, and with your water affinity, you wouldn’t be able to land a scratch.” Emelia was shocked at Elijah’s story of his exam. Although he was partially lying, he was glad he was able to get it off his chest and prove to his peers that he is truly a strong one. Someone who has the advantage of a mind that has seen many things. After all, your imagination is fueled by your experiences.

“Trust me guys, he did, I saw it with my own eyes.” Alexia reinforced what Elijah said.

“How did your second member die?” Raylen caused a break of silence.

Elijah couldn’t think of a way to avoid the truth, so he just told everyone he did not want to answer. Alexia stared down at her food at the same time the question was asked. The table did not press further as they could tell it was sensitive information.

The second course arrived, but instead of lining up at the buffet, single meals that were completely different were covered by a cloche, and revealed to each person one by one.

Alexia received three deviled eggs topped with salt, pepper, and thyme, that were wrapped in caramelized turkey bacon.

George received a small gelatinous shredded chicken soup that was stealing with flavor from a multitude of herbs and spices.

Novius received a small plate of finely sliced potato made into a brick, that was topped with half of a beef tongue, a long strand of rosemary, and seasoned to perfection.

Don received a bell pepper filled with crispy ground beef, and pan fried sourdough bread crumbs. A cucumber, yogurt, and dill sauce was neatly plated on top of the open pepper, and gave Don a smile Elijah had not seen in some time.

Lastly, Elijah was given a miniature beef Wellington made from a tenderloin of a cow. It was finely cut in half, and the bread had its own wheat pattern that was covered by a mayo and steak juice sauce.

It made sense why everyone was told to grab a little of everything they wanted, and the main specialized course catered to the linking of every individual would be given as the second course. How much manpower did this require?

Everyone at the table was talking about how incredible this meal was while they were calmly eating their food. Elijah was happy about how everyone understood that slowly and thoroughly chewing your food allowed you to savor every bite, but also greatly helped your digestion, and in some cases, the aftermath of eating too much food.

The third course came after the plates were cleaned off the tables, but instead of a food item, it was a sturdy glass with a lid and a straw that completely shrouded what was inside. George stood up and made an announcement before anyone took a sip. “I first want to thank everyone for joining us. I had been planning this ever since the final children had made a date for the Hunter exam. Obviously they were going to pass hahaha. The drink you are holding isn’t much of a drink, but more of a cream and thick milkshake. Not everyone’s beverage is flavored the same, but has the same base, which is milk and cream. There are also special ailments to aid in the processing of the delicious food that we just ate. The only thing I ask is that we all go outside for a walk while enjoying these beverages. What do you all say?!”

Claps were heard around the room, which the youngest table quickly joined into. Everyone shuttled out of the front door while the butler kindly held it open.

The first sip taken by the group of eight children busted all of their eyes wide open. Many different fruits and herbs were named at the same time. Some people were spot on, while others were completely wrong.

Elijah, however, instantly knew what his flavor was. Orange creamsicle, with a touch of rosemary. Orange juice, especially when it has been squeezed fresh, has numerous benefits when it comes to digestion. It seems that once again, the people of this world had come to a realization without the need of scientific evidence, but only anecdotal evidence.

The newly formed party of eight proudly discussed their first mission together while walking through the small crowds of people evenly scattered through the streets of Centerpool. Emotions were high, love was being spread through the air, and best of all, Elijah had a good feeling about the future. He needed people in his life to overcome his problems, and it seemed either he was attracting everything, or being sent everything. The reason did not matter, but only how he responded.

What Elijah did not realize was this was the last formal dinner the Weltor family would have. From now on, food would be stretched as it sits in the freezers. Everyone would slowly transition out of fruit that only growled outside the city, and first tests of how beast meat tasted and reacted with the bodies of a select few people would be made.