Iris and Kaira walked through the gates of the city's temple and into the courtyard. The air was still and the only sound was the gentle chirping of birds in the trees. It was a sprawling space, home to a beautiful garden, a vibrant oasis of color filled with flowers native to the area in full bloom. Statues of Eona's deities and other spiritual figures dotted the area, standing stoically amid the tranquil scene. The exterior of the building was grand and imposing, with towering pillars and intricate carvings of the pantheon’s Family adorning the facade, inspiring a sense of awe and reverence in those who beheld it.

A bit pretentious. Like the old churches from Europe. Or the megachurches back home.

The statues depicted Alos, the sun god.

Eona, the goddess of life and nature.

Finally, their two daughters. The goddess of death, Relena, and her younger sister, the goddess of night, Tenera.

Iris followed Kaira as the two made their way into the temple proper, where a large group of worshippers was sitting and listening to a priestess. The woman was delivering a sermon, her voice ringing out clear and commanding.

The interior of the temple was just as impressive as the outside, with high ceilings adorned with intricate murals depicting scenes from the pantheon’s mythology. The atmosphere was hushed, with a sense of reverence and devotion filling the air. As they found a seat and settled in to listen to the priestess, Iris couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over her, as if the very walls of the temple were imbued with a sacred energy.

With mana, it very well could be. Maybe the priestess has magic to that effect?

Iris let her [Mana Sight] settle into place, looking around for the telltale signs of magic use, and sure enough, the priestess was a beacon of yellow mana. It didn’t seem nefarious and appeared to be a sort of sustained passive spell the woman was using.

Narrowing her eyes, she pulled more mana and [Focused] on the spell, trying to gauge what it did.

She felt a tap on her shoulder.

Iris turned to see Kaira looking at her quizzically, a confused look on her face. “What are you doing?” she whispered. “Your eyes are glowing.”

“I'm just... curious,” Iris replied, lowering her voice as well. “The priestess has a spell on her, and I'm trying to figure out what it does.”

Kaira nodded, her eyes flicking toward the front of the temple where the priestess stood. “Well, be careful,” she cautioned. “We don't want to disturb the sanctity of this place.”

Iris nodded in understanding, pulling back from her Mana Sight.

“That is likely for the best, miss,” a voice said quietly from behind them.

They turned to see a sun elf in red armor standing behind them, and Iris noticed Kaira freeze at the sight.

“Captain Harken, a pleasure to see you today. It has been some time since you have been to the temple,” the woman said, her tone questioning.

Kaira hastily stood, before giving the woman a crisp salute. “It has. How are you doing today, Praetor?”

The sun elf smiled, her dark skin crinkling around her eyes. “I am well, or I was until I noticed a new face in our humble temple using magic,” she said with a nod toward Iris. “I would have expected you to inform her, Captain.”

Iris rolled her eyes. “I’m right here. I was just curious about the magic the priestess is using.”

The… Praetor raised a brow. “She is using healing magic. These people were harmed in some way, either physically or mentally, and it is the least we can do to ease their burdens.”

“Oh, that’s pretty interesting. I wonder…” she trailed off as she glanced back at the priestess who had paused her sermon while letting the masses pray. The telv woman looked around at those gathered with a pensive expression on her face.

The red-armored woman cleared her throat. “Miss…”

Iris turned back around. “Oh, sorry. I am Iris. Adventurer.”

The woman sighed. “And especially curious. Not quite a crime I suppose. What brings you here today, Miss Iris? Captain?” she asked as she split her gaze between the two of them.

Iris smiled. “Lady Arden suggested I visit to go through a ceremony. The… uhh.” She squinted her eyes as she tried to remember.

“The Ceremony of Paths?” the sun elf asked.

Iris snapped her fingers. “That’s it!” she said, excitedly. Several members of the congregation turned around and scowled at her, forcing her to wince in embarrassment. She waved at a particularly mean mugging grey-haired high elf two rows away. “Sorry!” she whisper shouted. The woman shook her head and returned to her prayers.

The sun elf let out an exasperated sigh. “Please, follow me. I will escort you to the ceremony chambers.”

Iris nodded as she quickly got up and rushed after the elf and Kaira. The clinks of their boots echoed against the stone floor, while the Praetor's shiny red armor glinted in the dim light.

She took note of the temple's size as they walked through its halls, realizing that it wasn't as expansive as she initially thought. Despite its modest size, the temple's architecture and decor were impressive, with intricate carvings and paintings adorning the walls and ceilings.

It made her wish she’d visited more places back home instead of being stuck in her room playing games, watching anime, or studying all of the time.

She smirked.

Nah. F that noise.

She followed the two into a small circular chamber with a pedestal sitting in the center of the space. There were three robed men inside, their garments black with large hoods that shrouded their faces in shadows. The one near the pedestal had elaborate designs in grey stitching on his robes, with the symbol of an eye on his chest.

The sun elf stopped and saluted. “Hierophant. Lady Arden referred this terran to undergo the Ceremony of Paths.”

The Hierophant nodded. “Thank you, Praetor. We will proceed from here,” the man said before turning to Iris as the woman quickly retreated from the room. “Welcome, Iris. Do you freely wish to undergo the ceremony? Or is the Captain here to ensure you do so?”

Iris glanced at Kaira who had a frown set on her face at the accusation. She shook her head. “No, Kaira is showing me around the city. Lady Arden suggested I take part because of my magic.”

The man tilted his head. “Magic users are always a pleasure to assist. It allows us to learn from one another,” he said. “This is a very personal and private ceremony, I suggest you undertake it alone.”

Iris squinted and opened her mouth to argue, but Kaira placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine, Iris. I will step right outside.”

“Are you sure?” she asked the elf.

The woman nodded. “I am, I’ll see you after and then we can continue our tour.”

Iris smiled at the cute elf. “Okay. Hopefully, I won’t be long.”

“You won’t be, Miss Iris. The Captain may wait right outside for you,” the Hierophant assured.

She turned back around after the door shut behind Kaira as she exited. Iris wasn’t one to miss an opportunity to check out a cute butt.

“So, what’s this all about?” she asked, curious.

The man gestured her closer to the pedestal and her curiosity rose as she realized the man was a moon elf. His light grey skin nearly hidden under his attire.

“We are the Umbral Seers. A new organization formed out of the Umbral Monks and priesthood of the Family. Our group was originally envisioned by a High Priest in the Sovereign Cities. This process and our magic allow us to gain an Excerpt of your Path. We use this Excerpt to help you, to guide you if you so wish, and to provide you warnings learned by trailblazers in this new reality we find ourselves in,” he explained.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“My Excerpt? You mean my status?” she clarified.

The man tilted his head. “I have not heard it called as such, but let us try and see if it is what you are thinking. Please, place your hands on this mana core with me. It allows me to connect with your core better, which is how the gods show us your Excerpt.”

Oh man. This sounds a bit crazy.

She stepped up to the pedestal and looked down at the large yellow core that sat there.

Whatever they took this from must have been massive.

She felt herself smiling. “Need more cores of this size? I’d be happy to undertake a quest in the near future to get some.”

The man chuckled. “The Paladins of Alos procure them for our needs. Thank you for the offer, Miss Iris.”

When her confusion was evident, he continued, “The woman in the red armor. She is a paladin. In fact, she leads the paladins within the city.”

“Ohhh, that makes sense,” she said with a nod.

The man placed his hands onto the core and his eyes took on a yellow glow that were visible through the shadows cast by his hood.

As she followed suit, felt a quick pulse of mana flow through her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of the other seers step forward with a board, a piece of parchment, and quill at the ready.

The Hierophant started speaking, his voice taking on a tone devoid of emotion. The man spoke as if he were reading her status sheet aloud. She used her [Mana Sight] and observed the process.

She saw a stream of mana go from the man through the orb and into her, that mana then pulsed throughout her, and touching the core in her chest. If she had to guess, he was using a spell similar in function to [Inspect], but one that took time to process.

As the man dictated her stats, the man with the parchment was dutifully writing it down. Iris narrowed her eyes as ideas came to her.

The Adventurer’s Guild should have every member come here, each taking the ceremony. Or, better yet, the guild would figure out a way to do something similar.

As the man said something about Steps, and gave a number, she smirked. But it was what he had said after her name that had confirmed her beliefs. Strengthened her resolve. She had known.

I needed this.

She did have a purpose, and it seemed that the world itself had acknowledged it.

It felt good to be right. To be validated, even on something as small as this.

The Hierophant finished his spell and she watched as the glow in his eyes dissipated.

He let out a sigh and turned his attention on the man that had written everything down.

“Please, initiate, read the Excerpt,” he requested.

The man nodded and repeated her status again.

> Iris Stuart

> “The Adventurer”

> Terran

> Path: Storm Warden (Mage)

> Steps: 44

>

> Core Quality: Remarkable

> Affinity: Evocation, Alteration

> Attunement: Green, Yellow

> Alignment: Hybrid

> Primary Attribute: Capability

> Secondary Attribute: Constitution

>

> Traits: Mana Sense, Focus, Unwavering Will, Danger Sense, Electromancy, Stormskin

>

> Passive Spells/Abilities: Mana Conduit, Storm Armor, Static Discharge, Rushing Wind, Arcane Capability, Mana Sight

>

> Active Spells/Abilities: Unerring Shot, Chain Lightning, Arcane Torrent, Spark, Arc Lash, Featherfall, Lightning Step

She wasn’t an adventurer, she was The Adventurer.

Such a surge of relief filled her, and she focused as the seer spoke. The Hierophant’s eyes widened slightly as her spells were spoken, but then nodded as the monk finished.

“Impressive. You are one of the highest people the Church has performed the ceremony on,” he said.

She smiled again. “You know of others around my level?”

He nodded. “I do, however, it has been Decreed that our organization maintains strict confidentiality of those who perform the ceremony,” he clarified. “Now, there are some concerning things in your Excerpt. Or, rather, something of note that you should be warned of.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What is it?”

“This is the next part of the benefit our Order will provide,” he said while gesturing toward a small table with two chairs at the side of the room.

He led them to it and sat down, the initiate who had written her status handing the paper to the Hierophant as Iris sat.

“To the people we find that are further along than most, we have a policy of sharing information. A primer, if you will, on our accumulated knowledge of this new system the gods have bestowed upon us,” he explained.

“Okay, I’m following. What do you have for me?” she asked.

The man gestured to the scroll. “First, paths. These are tailored to each individual and define you. Your steps–”

“My levels, I understand that one,” she said. “Sorry, didn’t mean to cut you off.”

He waved her away. “It’s quite alright. Please, feel free to tell me when something makes sense. Next, your core quality. We believe this is what determines the amount your attributes affect you, and for magic users, how many affinities and attunements you may have. There are four known rarities: Vulgar, Remarkable, Exceptional, and Renowned. Vulgar is the most common by far, followed by Remarkable being fairly uncommon. Exceptional is quite rare, and we only know of about fifteen of those. There is only one known Renowned.”

Iris’s eyes widened.

So, my rarity is basically Uncommon. But, there are people with higher rarities?

“Do you know how to increase the quality?” she asked.

“No. We do not. Sorry. Now, before I continue to the next item, let me skip ahead. There are three alignments. Physical, Hybrid, and Magical. Some are calling the magical alignment, Mental as magic is affected by your mental stamina,” he said with a shrug. “The vast majority of all people are physical, with less than a quarter being hybrid like you, and only six percent being magical. We know that only those with Hybrid or Magical alignments can gain affinities.”

“Interesting. Do you know the benefit of having just magical or physical over hybrid?”

“We have not tested that much, but there are people out west testing just that sort of thing,” he said.

She nodded then gestured for him to continue.

The moon elf smiled. “There are eight domains that one can gain an affinity for: Evocation, Conjuration, Alteration, Artifice, Mind, Abjuration, Illusion, and Divination.”

She whistled. “And I have Evocation and Alteration. Did you come up with the names for these?”

The man shook his head. “We did not, a terran did coincidentally and it has spread.”

She chuckled. I bet they’re a tabletop player.

“And attunements? That’s what dictates how the magic I use manifests, like my lightning?” she posited.

“Correct!” he said. “While your domains dictate what type of magic you can perform, your attunement…” he chuckled. “Sorry, we have a way of calling it here that is sort of a joke.”

She raised a brow.

He continued, “Your attunement is what flavors your magic. There are five main colors of attunement: Red, Black, Green, Blue, and Yellow. But there is also colorless or white. Each color represents a series of concepts, which the various elements or styles of magic fall under.

She nodded. “That is a lot of information, but thank you. What do you do when you gain new information?”

“When the Order learns of more significant findings, notices are sent to all locations where the ceremony is performed. Which, for now, includes here and locations within the Kingdom of Avira.”

Iris nodded, following along. “You did say that there was something of note in my Excerpt. What was that?”

He paused for a moment before nodding seemingly to himself. “The individual with the highest known steps, The First Mage, l learned that if you go beyond seven spells or abilities,” he said, taking a breath to collect himself. “A backlash will occur, potentially killing you as you bleed from every opening in your head. The individual was lucky to survive, and only due to having someone else with healing magic right next to them. It is suspected that this means that you can only have a max of seven passive and seven active. What we do know is that it has something to do with the complexity of spells and how they interact with the mind.”

Iris felt a chill running down her spine as she processed the information, her focus entirely on her Excerpt.

She was at seven active spells.

Well, shit.

Her eyes suddenly narrowed as she read the paper over again.

Wait, where are my stats?