As Ezekiel and his family, dressed in their fine clothing, but not standing out at all, walked through the crowds to the Grand Cathedral next to the duke’s castle, he couldn’t help but be amazed at how developed the structures of the city were when he compared them to the other medieval and Victorian era buildings that existed on his old world.
As they got closer, Ezekiel noticed that the district they were in seemed to change before they had reached the actual church grounds. It was then that he noticed that there seemed to be numerous towers surrounding the cathedral quite some distance away, as well as a relatively low wall surrounded by a moat fed by a river that seemed to cut through the center of the city.
“This is the entrance to the city’s Spirit lands. Which actually takes up nearly a quarter of the city, and extends south into the city, all the way into the central district from the northern Forest of Erenon. But you don’t need to know about the forest until you reach Tier 1 as a mage.” Warren said as they approached the bridge that would bring them across the river moat into the center of the city.
“Harken is divided into many different districts according to what goes on there, like the market district, the barracks, the high life quarters, entertainment district, and others. But the center of the city, where the cathedral and castle lie, that’s where the really important things happen.” Warren had a look of excitement on his face as he told Ezekiel all about the city’s inner districts.
“Referred to as the Spirit lands, it’s not just the Duke’s family and the clergy that live here. Many different members of the various Mage Associations live here as well, usually having their city headquarters within. It’s also where the Harken University of Magic sits. While not as famous as the Willowbrush University, or even the Astral Ascendance Academy, the Harken University is considered to be the third greatest University for magical study in the Empire, and eight greatest in the world.”
This was shocking to Ezekiel, as he hadn’t thought that he would have the luck to have been reborn into such an advantageous position so as to hopefully grow in power more quickly. It looked more and more like he would be getting the magic he wanted sooner, rather than later.
“Of course, that’s only for much, much later. For right now you still need to awaken your Mana. This will allow you to interact with ambient mana safely, as well as grant you some protection from the elements. Then after you reach Tier two, we’ll see if you can get into a University.” Warren said as he started to calm down.
By this point they had entered the inner city. There was a surprising amount of space not being used by buildings and roadworks. Much of it seemed to be ideal for the promotion of a peaceful environment. The difference was quite shocking, and Ezekiel couldn’t help but wonder if they had entered into an entirely different city altogether.
Then his father’s words registered in his mind.
“Tier one? Tier two?” Ezekiel asked as he looked up at his father.
Before his father could answer, Evelyn grabbed his father’s ear and pulled.
“Now, now, dear, he’ll learn about that after he has his awakening. For now, let’s hurry up. We don’t want to be late.” Evelyn said as she hustled her family along. She stopped briefly, however, and put a hand to her mouth before taking a deep breath and moving on.
“Mother, are you alright?” Ezekiel asked. He recognized the signs of someone trying not to throw up and was worried that his mother had gotten sick.
Warren got a concerned look on his face as he held his wife close, but Evelyn pushed him away with a huff.
“I’m fine, but we really need to hurry. If you’re so worried, then I’ll be sure to get a checkup after the ceremony. When you go to your first class, okay?”
With that reassurance, both Ezekiel and Warren nodded in confirmation, although Ezekiel still had a worried look on his face, and Warren a contemplative one.
As they walked through the streets of the inner district, encountering more and more people, all dressed up like they were, they soon approached the large and grand cathedral. With ten sides, each depicting the visage of a different Ancient, and the main entrance placed between the opened and welcoming arms of a starry cloaked humanoid, Ezekiel couldn’t help but be reminded of his last moments of life on Earth. Gritting his teeth at the unpleasant memories of his death, Ezekiel took a deep breath to calm himself down as he and his parents entered the large building.
Within the large building was a large crowd of people, all dressed nicely, but many still less so than Ezekiel and his family. The common thing with all these people was that there was a child of roughly the same age as Ezekiel within every family group. Each of these families were walking up to officials of the church who were directing them to different areas where they would be tested according to their area of residence.
As Ezekiel and his parents walked up to one of the officials, his father held out a badge that the official looked at before gesturing for them to go along to one of the side hallways leading to another wing of the large cathedral.
“Father, what was that?” Ezekiel asked as his family walked out of the central gathering area.
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“Nothing much. Just another piece of identification given to me due to my position in the city guard. You see, most people who live in the middle or outer residences like us tend to be grouped together in the large communal areas for their child’s awakening ceremony. However, as an official member of the city's protective forces, even if only as a support member, I can get us into a slightly more private, and therefore faster, awakening for you.” Warren explained while showing the badge he held that denoted his position in the city guard’s forces.
The badge was an intricately designed coat of arms in the shape of a heater shield emblazoned with a delicate looking harp crossed over with a pair of spears pointing towards a sun and crescent moon in the top left and right corners of the shield. The badge itself was made of a single metal, glossy silver with a somehow golden sheen.
“The color of the badge denotes my position as an officer in the guards. Silver and Gold indicate officers, whilst base colors indicate soldiers and guardsmen. Those with silver are those who have attained their position through merit of their capabilities, specifically as a non-combatant member. Gold indicates a higher authority, as well as someone who takes place directly in combat. As someone who focus on healing magic, I am automatically given an officer's position due to my usefulness out of combat, or as a support for those in combat.” Warren’s tone turned proud as he bragged about his job to his son.
He didn’t get to spend much time with his family due to his duties, but thanks to his position in the city both he and his family were able to take advantage of opportunities that not many people were able to get. “The light that gets reflected off the badge indicates what element my magic is, and thus an idea of the skills that I am most adept in.”
Amazed at the privilege granted to his father for his ability to heal, and surprised at the number of benefits, Ezekiel felt an even greater desire to awaken his magic. He knew that the only way he’d be able to make something of himself in this world would be to show that he has powerful magic that can prove that he’s a useful person to have around.
As they continued walking down the hall, a thought came to Ezekiel that hadn’t occurred to him before. If there was a magic that was more useful than others, like the versatility of light magic, was there any magic that was either very useless or looked down on?
“Father, if your magic is considered very useful, is there any magic that is considered useless?” Ezekiel asked. The more he thought about it, the more dread he began to feel as they got closer to the room designated for the group where his awakening would take place.
Both Warren and Evelyn paused for a moment, having noticed their son’s concern as he asked this question. They quickly shared a look, a silent conversation flashing between their eyes. Finally, after a second or two of consideration, Warren shrugged his shoulders. Before gesturing to Evelyn to answer Ezekiel’s question.
Narrowing her eyes at her husband’s lack of concern, Evelyn turned to Ezekiel as they continued walking down the hall.
“Well, there’s really no magic that is useless, as each magic stems from the Ancients, and not a single one of them was weak or had powers that were pointless. But unfortunately, not all their magic has been replicated, as such, there is some magic that is considered to have... no way to use that we know of.” Evelyn said, trailing off as she realized how hypocritical her statement was.
“What do you mean, ‘that we know of,’” Ezekiel asked.
“Well, you see, magic stems from the Ancients, but not all the magic of the Ancients was understood by humanity before they left us, so much of the magic we have actually come from innovations made by humans from previous generations. However, of all the elements of magic, there is still one that no one has ever been able to cultivate.” Evelyn explained.
The dreadful feeling in Ezekiel’s gut grew stronger as his mother continued to talk. “What element is that?”
“The Void.” Evelyn said quietly. The void element... It has no uses that are known, other than being the rarest when it comes to mana gems. Void mages also tend to be less affected by direct magic effects, but this also means it’s tougher for them to be healed with magic as well.”
There was a feeling of worry in her tone. Not prejudice, but there was a sense of taboo in her tone. Like the void was something that wasn’t spoken of in the open public. The clenching of Warren’s hand as his mother mentioned the void was another thing of note.
An image of a humanoid figure composed of a myriad of stars and galaxies spanning the entirety of its being flashed behind Ezekiel’s eyes. He was shocked to find out that his patron’s magic, his own magic, was considered to be useless in the eyes of society.
“What if I’m a void mage?” Ezekiel asked in a hushed whisper. He already knew he was going to be a void mage; how could he be anything else? But the fear of being ostracized by his family was something he was just realizing to be a very likely possibility.
Sensing their son’s fear, but his parents had looks of shock cross their face before bending down to give him a hug. The warmth of their embrace helped to alleviate some of his fears. But even so, he was starting to feel like an actual five-year-old, with the worries that any child would have when faced with thoughts of rejection from his parents.
“You will always be our son Ezekiel. Being a void mage will not change that. But I won’t lie to you; being a void mage will bring you difficulties in life. Difficulties that are better not thought of, not unless you find yourself in such a position in life.” Warren said as he held Ezekiel and Evelyn tight. He had his own reservations regarding void mages, but even if his son was a void mage, that would not change his opinion of him. Ezekiel was his son, and nothing would change that.
Evelyn didn’t say anything, but the way she held Ezekiel tighter as Warren spoke showed that her thoughts were the exact same. Which brought tears of joy to Ezekiel's eyes, happy with the knowledge that he was not going to be rejected by his new family.
As the family separated, splitting up their embrace, Warren cleared his throat as they stood up.
“Ahem, we should keep on going then. Don’t want to keep the officials waiting. Don’t want to keep your new peers waiting either, do we?” Warren said as he grabbed Ezekiel’s hand in his and began walking. Evelyn smiled in agreement before grabbing Ezekiel’s other hand as they the last few meters down the hall to the closed door that led to where Ezekiel would undergo his awakening.
As they approached, a sense of apprehension settled over Ezekiel as the door was opened. This was not the first step in his new life, but it was certainly the biggest step he had taken so far. Excitement and nervousness warred within Ezekiel as he and his parents crossed the threshold to the private room where his awakening ceremony would take place. There was no turning back now, and Ezekiel had no choice but to keep moving forwards towards the future.