Evelyn was struggling to stay awake in class. Had it been any other class, she would have been fine. But Mathematics was just so boring! It also didn’t help that even the teacher thought so. The students joked that the teacher had actually stopped coming to class and instead sent a really intricate golem. It might have just been a simple joke, if the teacher ever actually changed pitch or tone.

Even if Evelyn enjoyed Mathematics, she would have struggled to pay attention to an hour-long lecture all in monotone.

Nonetheless, she forced herself to stay awake. The end of year tests were coming around soon, and Evelyn wanted to do well. She always did well, and her classmates doubted that she even had to try very hard.

Evelyn might have been struggling to stay awake, but Luke? He didn’t even try to resist. He had fallen asleep within five minutes of class starting. Krilla was struggling just as much as Evelyn. In fact, the only child that was attentive and focused was Adam. Evelyn contributed that to his Dwarfish blood.

Dwarves loved anything that was exact and determined, such as Mathematics and Science. Even their magic relied more on exact calculations. While Dwarves mostly kept to their ancestral mountain home of Tauras, they did occasionally travel.

The eyes of a Dwarf suffered in direct daylight, typically causing migraines. While the average Dwarf stood at chest height of an average human, they were very difficult to move if they didn’t want to. Their powerful legs, while short, were capable of propelling their bodies with impressive speed, even while burdened by heavy armor. The Dwarves were famous for their crafts. Their primary pair of arms were burly and powerful, capable of swinging down a hammer with great power. Their smaller secondary arms were much more dexterous, making it easy for them to create small, intricate devices.

Evelyn had only seen one full blood Dwarf before. A merchant that had traveled through the city last winter. Evelyn thought he looked fairly insect-like, like a beetle. Like someone had taken a human, made it smaller, and slapped on overlapping plates of chitin. Evelyn wouldn’t be surprised if that chitin was able to deflect glancing blows.

She was excited to see an Elf someday. The Dwarf had been fascinating to see.

Elves were much more mentally free than Dwarves. While Dwarves struggled to think outside of the box, Elves struggled to think inside that box. She wondered how their cities looked.

While the Dwarves were fairly insect-like, the Elves were more beast or bird-like. The Elves had eagle-like eyes that faintly glowed in the dark. Their hair was either wild and uncontrollable or smooth and straight like a bird’s feathers. Elves were more fragile than the average human, but they were much more agile and quick.

Elvish Magic was revered, as well as feared, for how wild and powerful it was. While Dwarfish Magic was precise and calculated. Elvish Magic was emotional and wild.

Strangely, despite being so different, both biologically and culturally, they both had a caste system.

The Dwarves put extreme importance on family, or clans. Each family is given a specific duty in a community. And the lowest of any Dwarven community are the Clanless, whether their family was lost in some way, or they were thrown out of their own clan.

The Elves are similar. They put more stock into the genetics of the Elf. So while the family is important, an Elf can be born with desirable genetics, and their sibling with not so desirable genetics.

There are five types of Genetics among the Elves.

At the highest, and most desirable, are the High Elves. Typically referred to as the Pure Elves. They command Magic as naturally as breathing. They are easily recognizable from their white skin and blonde hair, the lighter the blonde the better. The Aehana, or Everwood, the ruling family over the Elves, have platinum blonde hair.

Next, Sun Elves. Who, with their blackened skin and hair, form the backbone of the Elvish Military. They are very disciplined and rigid. Loyal to a fault. And grow stronger while under the sun. Their magic usually takes the form of personal enhancement, making them stronger and faster.

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Third, Moon Elves. Their pale blue skin and dark blue hair identify them as the librarians of the Elvish People. They are the record keepers, the researchers, and the teachers. They take it personally when knowledge and fact is ignored. Their calm demeanor is ruined when knowledge is destroyed. They are the Guardians of knowledge, and not even the Sun Elves want to fight their Guardians.

Wood Elves serve as the crafters and workers. Their tanned, freckled bodies, and red hair, immediately denote them as lesser than. Very few Elves of the other Castes would even think twice about ordering them about. They tend to the animals and farms. They build the structures and work the factories. However, despite that, none would dare to defy their innate talent with the bow.

The lowest Caste of the Elvish People, Dark Elves, or Drow, are regulated to the slums. Seen as little more than thieves and murderers. Their skin is as black as the void. Their hair as white as freshly fallen snow.

Despite all the differences, they all have the same eagle-like eyes. And when threatened, they band together near seamlessly to repel the threat. However, when left alone, their ‘Guardians of the Forest’ regularly fight to prove their dominance. Only the Aehana prevents civil war, though it still does result in large skirmishes.

Unfortunately for Evelyn’s interest, Elves were extremely reclusive, rarely ever venturing past their own borders. They had enough struggles themselves. The Republic of Athera was situated in a massive forest, home to countless Monsters.

However, despite her interest in the other Races of Man, or her boredom in Mathematics Class, Evelyn was unable to toss aside her worry. Her fifteenth birthday was coming up. It was still several months away, but that did not help ease her anxiety. Not only would she receive her Class, but she would also finally unlock her Body Constitution.

She already knew its basics. It was called the Body of the Celestial Maiden, or Holy Maiden. She was naturally in tune with the world. Everything came easy to her, both intellectual and physical. She never really had to try. However, despite that, it was still locked. But on her fifteenth birthday, it would unlock, and its true power would shine.

Evelyn had been searching for years, and yet she had not found anything detailing what the Special Body’s Abilities were past what she already knew. And that worried her. The Duke, as well as everyone who had examined her Special Constitution, said that it would only benefit her, but none were able to say in what ways.

While all children worried and stressed over what their Class would be, Evelyn had it worse. She would receive her Class, and unlock the Body that had already changed her life so drastically. How much more would her life change on that day?

Eventually, the bell chimed, signaling the end of the class, and everyone rushed out. Even Luke, who had immediately been fully awake when the bell first chimed. In the hallway, moving to their next class, Evelyn’s friends crowded around her as usual. Even though they talked every day, it still seemed as if they never ran out of things to talk about.

“What do you want to do after school today, Eve?” Holly asked.

“Do you want to go check out that new café?”

“Oh gods, yes!” Holly squealed, bouncing up and down.

Luke and Adam only rolled their eyes.

There was only so much tea and cake the two boys could handle, and their limit had been reached several years ago. Still, the girls managed to drag them around because neither boy had the heart to outright refuse the girls.

The rest of the classes passed by slowly, but not slow enough for Luke. He really hated drinking tea and socializing with a bunch of pretentious nobles. He’d rather be training, or riding, or even just reading a book alone. And he hated reading.

But he also wasn’t about to let Evelyn out of his sight. By now, several other powerful Nobles had taken an interest in Evelyn. It had first been curiosity, as to why the Duke would favor a random village girl. But their curiosity turned to interest when they learned of her Special Body. Few knew the name, and none knew the true value. But that didn’t matter.

If it was a Special Body worthy of the Duke’s attention, it was worthy of them trying to poach her. Recently, they had gotten quite aggressive with their recruiting efforts. Even going as far as approaching her on the street. Offering riches and power. Offering to give knighthood to her family.

Luke had spent his entire life among them, he was one of them. It was why he knew they couldn’t be trusted. If they couldn’t recruit her, they would ensure no one could. Of course, he knew his father had stationed hidden bodyguards around her at all times, but that did not ease his concern much. The only time he felt at ease, is when he was there to help her refusals, as well as remove her from them.

But he also worried about her fifteenth birthday. Once her Special Constitution’s uses became known, and it certainly would, he was certain that the nobles’ interest would explode into fanaticism. He wouldn’t put it past them to send assassins after her when they couldn’t recruit her. He didn’t know what was so special about her Constitution. He didn’t care. She was his best friend. He wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her.