"Though the Old God known as Carekosm was absolute, he was far less powerful than his brethren such as Gaia and Galem, for he did not exist in either the mortal or immortal planes. He could not even be properly called alive or dead, which is the reason he needed his offspring, the moon, to hatch and produce a host for him even if it had to die in the process. However, one thing was definite in Carekosm's nature. If he gained form in any of the planes and realms of existence, he would have the power to destroy everything that has ever come to exist, even the Old Gods themselves."
-History of the Gods, by Ethan Smith
From what could be seen from Daniel's sleepy eyes and the dusty, small window of his bedroom, Alandriel had grown quiet in the early hours of the morning. The bustling streets and the endless coughing and spurting of the city dwellers and the monotonous chimes of the White Church and the crackling of the corpse-filled carts against stone roads had all but vanished. Now, it was like any other city, even if Daniel did not know any other city, and it felt uncannily like home, maybe even quieter than it. Breakfast in the 'Birch Estate' was not at all grand, like the dwelling's appearance suggested. It was boring, tasteless porridge. At least at home, Daniel could put a splash of honey in or even some sliced fruit, due to the variety of the produce his village made. But no; his old family friend, Igo, didn't even have an apple to slice up and put in. At that point, it was hard to tell if Igo was actually poor and just had a nice home or he was just being a bit obtuse. In reality, the classic breakfast in Alandriel was plain porridge, something the city took great pride in and took extra care in the manifestation of the various flavours of oats that could create a complex and delicious flavour, with it being considered disrespectful to the maker of the porridge to add additional flavouring; Daniel was just spoiled.
"How are you feeling, kid?" said Igo, breaking the awkwardness of the dining room table.
"I-I'm not sure to be perfectly honest. I applied to the Guild thinking I was going to have some training then thrown into the wild, not having a year or two of academics then told I was at the bottom of some sort of system," replied Daniel, adding soon after, "What even is a porcelain anyway?"
"Initially, I'd hoped the academy would explain it to you themselves in the opening ceremony, but I might as well take it on myself, now its cancelled and all that." said Igo, before clearing his throat to continue, "The Guild is split up into a ranking system, going from the top, the Platinum rank, to the bottom, the Copper rank. Yet below that are the porcelains. This group of people are those enlisted in the academy, with their rank undecided, and considered extremely 'weak' in terms of the rest of the Guild, and, I'd say, your testing group would be considered very 'weak' even among the porcelains themselves, as my co-examiner pointed out."
"Wait. Since when did the Guild have a ranking system, I thought it was all about exterminating the redcaps, not having some sort of a competition!"
"The ranking system was established for two main reasons. One; to help classify the types and capabilities of each Guild member to judge how well equipped they are for a certain expedition. Two; to help organise troops easily and establish a clear ladder of command during more serious expeditions. And, three; to help boost morale and encourage growth in the Guild, and a sense of overcoming past difficulties. If you look at the ranking system in that sense, it is a perfectly reasonable decision, and it just so happens to have also been turned into a 'some sort of a competition' "
To be fair, I was hearing about the upcoming bout between two Platinum rankers when I first neared the city, but I didn't know what it meant, thought Daniel, the Vileblood and the Brawn... I should try to remember those names if they were the two platinums. Before long, Igo spent what felt like forever searching and having Daniel try on various clothes to find which would be the 'nicest', but in the end the boy himself gave up and stuck with his clothes he came to Alandriel with; a simple leather jacket and cotton shirt, with black trousers that he remembered sowing himself when he was little, when his father was supposedly still alive. With a light ruffling of his hair from Igo and an exaggerated opening of the front door, the young farm-boy from the countryside finally went out and began to pursue his dream; finding out what was so special about the Guild that made his father abandon him for it.
Rather than descending into the poverty of Alandriel as the guard had done so yesterday, Daniel was guided up into the peak of the great-city passing all the signs of the plague, all the misery and torment, to what seemed like a completely different place; no, it wasn't different, rather it was the Alandriel that was told in the stories of it, and now he realised they had simply omitted the unsightly parts of it. Passing by the magnificent and colourful markets and stalls, they had all seemed happy, like the plague had never existed in the first place, and the only ones who wore a frown on their faces, where those who couldn't afford something from the stalls or those who couldn't get any traffic for their business; though that last face was reserved for a single man on the side of the road with barrels and crates of foreign and exotic goods. But he wasn't human. He was a Lyrim. A short yet stout fellow, around half the size of his competitors, and puzzled on how the people passing by didn't know of his strange merchandise, such as his 'Rejik Coffee'.
"Now that's a rare site, isn't it!" exclaimed Igo, "A Lyrim! Unless he was born on the Beggar's Road, there's no way he could still be alive to his age!"
"What do you mean, Igo?"
"It doesn’t concern you now, but I feel sorry for the unhappy sod. Nowadays, anyone who ain't human is treated like a fraeru, and a carrier of that accursed plague. Very unfortunate indeed... Well at least it'll be over for him soon; let's carry on!"
At first, Daniel was confused at what that could mean, but he wasn't even given the time to process it, as usual, before getting hurried along. He was guided higher and higher up the city, higher and higher up the brick paths, higher and higher up past the nobles’ luxurious homes, until he finally arrived at the entrance to the Guild. A huge, detailed, gothic archway, reaching high into the sky, before opening up into a great cathedral, where it seemed like the Gods themselves were singing the hymns and the hustle of the small, dotted crowds below that echoed throughout the whole grand structure. Igo dragged the small, disorientated boy through the main floor and towards the left branch of the Guild; the Academy. It was smaller in scale than the masterpiece he had been guided through before that, yet it still exerted that powerful and overwhelming sense of emotion that had rung through everyone who laid foot there. A small and compact structure accompanied it, but still retaining that breathtaking architecture, which housed the accommodation for the porcelains.
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"This is as far as I'm permitted to go, Daniel."
"What do you mean 'permitted', I thought you were a Guild Member?"
"It's complicated, Daniel. To put it short, I was a Guild Member. Since I'm retired, I don't really count as one anymore... I only have the privileges of one. But, to help with the safety of the new recruits, any non-Guild Members are forbidden from the Academy building."
"B-But!" he argued, yet he knew it was useless against Igo, so he submitted, saying, "Well then... I guess it's goodbye, for now at least."
"Don't worry about it, Daniel. Everything will become clear to you, sooner or later. Have a nice day, kiddo."
"You too! D-" Daniel broke off before finishing, almost disappointed in something he only now realised. Igo wasn't his Dad, but it didn't matter, for he would always be his Uncle, "You too! Uncle Igo, you too..."
For the first time, Igo couldn't even respond, and Daniel turned away and plunged into the unknown of the Academy.
* * *
As soon as the boy was through the front entrance of the Academy, something was blatantly obvious from the start; the aura here and in the cathedral he had just passed through was nothing alike. Though the appearance and emotions were the same, you could tell who was a porcelain and who was strong. One, in particular, exuded that aura in indescribable amounts; a seemingly young man who looked surprisingly similar to his examiner, Mr Smith, yet was far different. The examiner felt like he was examining you in a way that was indiscriminate and fair, rather than in spite. This man was a God, looking down upon us like ants ready to be crushed on. His eyes were of a deep rich blue hue, yet felt truly dead, emphasised by his deathly black hair, and his expression was as grim as death itself. But, as soon as he realised he was being looked on, not just by Daniel, but the other porcelains passing by, he instantly put up a happy facade. It was far too jarring to be real. This man who looked like he was about to murder every single person in the building had just put up a childish, sweet smile. However, the facade wasn't near perfect enough for Daniel and some others to see through; for his eyes didn't lie. And, for that reason, those who had noticed him, were frozen in absolute fear for what this thing could do. Who on Alium is this man?
What felt like an eternity of waiting, the entrance corridor finally began to move again, that thing walking away and into a side-room going upstairs, while the other porcelains who hadn't seen through his facade made their way to what seemed like a reception, yet Daniel, and the others who had noticed, were paralysed in not just awe but sheer fright. Eventually, the frozen porcelains began to move again and slowly trickled into the main atrium and reception, where Daniel had also found himself, unconsciously moving away from the threat that was that thing. It was a large yet simple and modest collection of various tables and chairs and a small central desk, where a man who seemed too tired to even talk sat at, restlessly calling estranged porcelains from where they stood and pointed the porcelains on their way. Soon, Daniel found himself at this very desk, nervously awaiting what class he would be sorted into. In the Academy, the classes are sorted by their expected rank that they will achieve - 1, the highest, to 5, the lowest - and then further allocated by tiers, how high or low their rank would be - A, the highest, to B, the lowest. This much he knew from what Igo had informed him off after their talk of the ranking system. Well, I hope I'll get sorted to in at least 4-B, after all I'm artl-
"C-Cla... Class! 1-B!" the old man sleepily shouted.
The entire room went silent. Class 1 was the pinnacle of all porcelains, since they were not expected to do not just their best, but exceed that. They were expected to become high golds at the very least, or high platinums at their absolute best. A Platinum. The mortal Gods of all of Alium itself. Those who could challenge the Gods themselves, and even slay them. And, Daniel, an artless fool, was expected to do that well.
"M-Make... Y-You! Your.. way to... Atrium C! Follow! the signs... Hurry along!"
Not just that, but he was the first porcelain of the day who had been sorted in Class 1. The teachers for the higher echelons of the Academy were not just the run-of-the-mill guild members who have been told the basics of teaching, but the teachers who were likely of their same potential; meaning high golds or platinums. They were of such a higher class, that only guild members of their potential could not just properly teach them, but make them flourish.
Daniel was frozen, but this time it wasn't by that Guild Member near the entrance. It was by the fact that he was now expected to become someone of that calibre, someone like that thing. It was a sight to behold, him shuffling over to the navigational signs that had been awkwardly placed in the middle of the corridors of the building. The shaking hand that made its way down the sign in search of the way to 'Atrium C'. And then, the shuffle back, and stumbling up a set of stairs to the side of the main atrium, that creaked up every step. It was, to be frank, ridiculous. That person, someone who could be that easily disturbed by such a fact, was going to be among the greatest ranks of The Guild. It was absurd. Yet, it was irrefutably true, and terrifying all the same.
The upstairs of the Academy was far more old and dusty than the ground floor, since it was not some place where the average individual would find themselves. It was home to one of the two large lecture halls of the building, since the others were large classrooms stitched together, and it wasn't unnatural for the classes to be split and have entirely different teachers despite being of the same bracket. It was a short, yet long walk to the lecture hall, for the shuffling Daniel, who was more akin to a penguin than a man expected to become a platinum.
It was directly in the middle of the second floor after all, yet there was only one entrance, on the other side of where the stairs were. Whoever had designed the building or even just the second floor was obviously not considerate or even thought of accommodating these porcelains. At last, the door was in front of the rattled boy, who seemed like his parents had just abandoned himself on the doorstep of some unfortunate soul's house. The doubled doors were a beautiful rich mahogany make, engraved with gold and silver livings, looping and crossing in the corners; the door handles were equally extravagant, made of what seemed like solid gold, with hints of brass on the actual handle of it. With a loud and creaky twist of the handle, and a thrust of it open, Daniel was welcomed by a familiar face, who had opened it themselves in front of the still delirious boy.
"Welcome! I assume you're the first, welcome to Class 1-B! Lanyon Pierce is at your service!"
The man in the door frame was none other than the Guild Member downstairs. It was that thing.