Thyrian Calendar - Year 661

The morning light shines upon the small village of Tinoa, located on southernmost border of Strega Kingdom. Filled with lush, green trees and several farmlands, this village can easily be seen as a perfect example of an easygoing, urban village.

"Sion? Sion wake up! Breakfast is ready!" shouted Sion's mom, Lenorra Claude.

She is average in height, with short black hair, trimmed to the shoulders. Her sincere, warm smile and her gentle gaze made her look like an image of a loving mother. She was born and raised in Tinoa Village and here, she also met her husband. She's a very relaxed and peaceful woman, caused by her upbringing. A good mother to Sion and a sweet wife to Garrett, she sometimes shows a strict side to keep them in check.

"Okay,okay! I'm on my way down mom, jeez." replied Sion as he fumbled in his way down the stairs, apparently still quite sleepy.

"You're pretty drowsy there, son. Were you up doing you-know-what last night?" said Garrett Claude, Sion's father, sitting on the dining table while laughing at him.

Garrett is pretty tall, standing at over 6 foot in height, with a lean and muscular body shape. He also had a pure white hair and eyes like silver lightning, revealing his sharp and spirited demeanor as a swordsman. A real knuclehead at heart, he only ever stops being one when confronted by his wife, Lenorra.

"What do you mean you-know-what , dad?! You know, went too far with your training, right? I almost died y'know?" Sion answered, remembering the whole 3 month training camp his dad made and the things he had to go through to finish it.

Sion looked more like his dad. Slightly tall for a 15 year-old kid with a fairly toned body. This was because his dad was training him since he was a child. All of his features, he inherited from his dad. All except his grey hair and his gentle, black eyes, which was his mother's trait.

"Making me run 30 kilometers in the snow while carrying a load of stones on my back? Throwing me in the middle of a 3-star monster horde to outrun them? Throwing pebbles at me when I'm asleep?  Do you think a 15 year - old boy should be doing these things? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were just trying to torture me." Sion said, looking at his father with a doubtful face.

Both Sion and Garrett just returned yesterday from the training, much to Lenorra's delight and Sion too. Well, mostly Sion.

"Hey-hey don't blame me for anything, It's for your own good y'know! Besides, I know you can handle it. I mean, just look at your father! Hahahaha! said Garrett while laughing hysterically.

Suddenly, a hand pinched Garrett's ears, making him wince from the pain.

"And?" said Lenorra with a scary smile in her face.

"Ehh w-well Sion, you're your mother's son too y-y'know, no wonder you're so great! Ahahaha-haha." Garrett said, tears almost forming in his eyes.

Satisfied with Garrett's compliment, Lenorra served her newly-cooked breakfast at the table. The table was soon filled with a plates of scrambled Chocrobo eggs, Tuskan Boar fried meat, mashed potatoes and Terkan fish soup. Sion's favorite dishes.

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"Oh, honey that looks delicious! What's the occassion?" Garrett said with his mouth open, smelling the aroma of the food.

"Well today's the day Sion gets the assessment, riiight? Today's the day you've been training for, right Sion?"

Sion smiled, " Yeah mom, I'll be picked as a student in Insignia Academy, no doubt about it!"

The Insignia Academy is a prestigious school that was founded 400 years ago in the Great War and is as old as the Thyrian Continent itself. Several famous Magus and even Grand Magus came from the Insignia Academy. It is every person's dream to enter, but unfortunately, it's not for everybody.

Every student must at least have 100 Mana Capacity in order for them to be accepted in the academy.Though leveling up can increase other stats and even the Health Capacity of an individual, Mana Capacity will not. Though it may be possible to increase through the use of equipment , they are extremely rare. Moreover, the best scepter in the continent, the {Scepter of Mandeloria}, passed down by the kings of the Strega Kingdom from generation to generation, can only increase Mana Capacity by 50. For reference, a simple {Fireball} spell can consume 11 to 15 Mana Points, depending on its intensity.

In rough estimation, there are about 1 in 1000 people that has 100 Mana and above, and almost all of them gets drafted by either the Insignia Academy or the Royal Army as a high official. For centuries, people who can use magic are revered and respected around the continent, followed only by highly-skilled warriors that improve their physical stats, rather than training magic for combat.

Though some people might find it hard to get picked as a student, Sion wasn't . He shouldn't be. It was because it was proven that Mana Capacity can be associated in heredity. This means that if one or both parents have significant amount of the required Mana Capacity, the offspring has a high chance of inheriting the capacity too.

Lenorra, in her childhood, actually had 127 Mana Capacity when she was assessed. She, however, preferred to live a normal and peaceful life, staying in her village instead of going to the academy.

Garrett, on the other hand, never told Sion his stats, saying that he wanted it to be a surprise for Sion when he finds out. Sion can ascertain, however, that his dad is a genuinely strong person, seeing his elegant and swift swordsmanship as he was showing Sion how to hunt monsters. Not once did Sion see his dad use magic, because he would kill even 5-star monsters with one swift slash, calling it mercy for the weak.

Even so, Sion knew of his father's profession as a Magic Swordsman from Garrett himself. Though Sion feels as if his father is deliberately hiding his past from him, Sion knows that Garrett wanted him to be a magic swordsman just like he was and to enter the Insignia Academy as a student. He tried to find out the reason why many times, but Garrett refused to say anything, only that he'll talk about it when the time comes.

"Mom, dad, I'm going out for a while okay?" Sion said as he quickly scarfs down his food.

"Woah, slow down a little will you? Oh, I know, you're going to meet up with Selena aren't you?" his mother teased him.

"Oh that explains it, have fun with the young lady Sion! Oh, and don't forget to bring her here sometime, me and your mom has lots to discuss with your future wife y'know? Hahaha." his father added.

"W-well it's not exactly like tha-"

"Look honey, he's blushing! Hahaha, no need to look so embarassed Sion, I'm sure she likes you too, just go on and tell her your feelings already!" Garrett said while Lenorra giggles.

"I-I told you it's not like that already, w-whatever, I'm gonna go now, bye!" Sion said as he hurriedly leaves the house, looking somewhat embarassed.

"Don't forget the assessment later Sion, it starts at noon!" Lenorra shouted at Sion, who was now at the door.

"Yeah, I'll be there!" Sion answered as he walks out the door.

Moments later, the couple laughed among themselves.

"He really has grown up, hasn't he?" Lenorra said to Garrett, leaning her head in his shoulders.

Garrett kisses Lenorra's head then said , "A little naive, but yeah he has. He'll be a great person someday, even greater than me ." Garrett said with a slight smile on his face.

"But what if he can't? What if he fails to get into the academy?" Lenorra said with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry, I still remember my promise. I won't let them have our son. Not while I'm still breathing." Garrett said with serious look on his face, recalling the dark memories he hid deep in his mind.