On a compact dirt path in the forest of Cyproabinn, Leo walked quietly, admiring the mountains in the distance, and listening to the gentle sound of the river flowing nearby, he reviewed his goal: First try to find a public library, if not, find the Adventurers' Guild, if there is one.
The forest of Cyproabinn was located in the southern part of the kingdom of Satlatam, there were five villages in this forest: Sanorddiala, the southernmost village in the kingdom, Riveryl, a village of fishermen and cooks built on the Miltiltilt River, Yoekloert, a huge village near the dungeon of Architane in the easternmost part of the forest, Cypreol, a village of lumberjacks and houses made of cypress wood, all cypress trees near this village were rich in mana, and finally Tsmilordi, a small town in the northernmost part of the forest, and the only place in the forest where you could get a ride to the capital.
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After approximately 18 hours of walking, Leo reached Tsmilordi.
He was greeted by walls that were seven feet high and made of the mana-rich cypress wood of Cypreol, a delicate scent of lavender and freshly baked bread, and the sounds of chattering and clattering. Two guards in iron armor stood by a large door of sand birch wood, engraved with a delicate silver crest infused with light affinity.
"Who are you? Where are you from?" one of the guards asked Leo.
"My name is Leo. I'm from Sanorddiala," he replied.
"Why are you here?" the other guard inquired.
"I'm here to do some research before my trip to the capital."
"What type of research?"
"History of the kingdom and theoretical knowledge of magic."
"How old are you?"
"I'm fourteen years old. Why?"
"So, you are here to study for the exam at the Academy next year."
"Yes..."
"Good luck!"
"Thanks?"
Leo finally entered Tsmilordi. He was on the main street. On his left were many shops: blacksmiths, alchemy shops, grocery stores, and many others. On his right was a huge building made of white bricks, quartz columns, and large logs and planks of wood, with the crest of the Adventurers' Guild engraved on its facade. The entrance was a huge, open manasteel door. Large stairs built with monster gems led to the door. It was a breathtaking sight for Leo who had never seen such buildings before.
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He decided to enter the guild building.
Inside, the golden floor shone with silver highlights. Long, deep blue strands of manastone were visible in the floor. A huge magical candelabra hung from the ceiling, emitting a pure white light. Seven wooden boards, one for each adventurer rank, floated just in front of the wall on the left. The first had a copper border, the second an iron border, the third a silver border, the fourth a gold border, the fifth a manastone border, the sixth a jade border, and the seventh a manacrystal border. On the right, ten enchanted wooden desks with administrative officers behind them. Facing the entrance, at the other end of the room, was a large blackstone stairs with a gold framing.
Leo went straight to a desk and was greeted by a young woman.
"What are you doing here, young boy?" she asked.
"I'm here to register as an adventurer."
"Really? Fill out this form."
> First Name:
>
> Last Name:
>
> Age:
>
> Soul Core:
>
> Rank:
>
> Lvel:
>
> Affinities:
Leo filled out the form.
> First Name: Leo
>
> Last Name:
>
> Age: 14
>
> Soul Core:
>
> Rank: Basic
>
> Lvel: 1
>
> Affinities:
"You are young. I can tell that you have recently forged your soul core. Don't you know your affinity?" She said.
"No, I don't know my affinity, but I know my blessed gift," he answered.
"You have a blessed gift! Which one?"
"Nightmare of the Void. I've found out when I was attacked by a nightmare-builder."
"You're a lucky boy. Which one of your parents has this gift?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"You don't know? It's a blessed gift passed down through the bloodline."
"What did you just say?"
"It. is. a. blessed. gift. passed. down. through. the. bloodline."
"Ah! So... my father does not have a blessed gift. That leaves only my unknown mother..."
"Poor boy..." she murmured. "Would you like to know your affinity? We always test adventurers' affinities to avoid forbidden affinities and false declarations".
"You just you always test affinities, so yes, I want to know."
"Place your hand on this," she instructed, placing a white crystalline sphere on the desk.
Leo placed his hand on the sphere and his consciousness drifted to his soul.
In his soul, on the plains, in the center, he saw a strange ball of black and white rotating energy stream, his soul core. Somewhere in the background, he saw a new light appear, a deep blue light accompanied by the sound of a flowing river. He approached this light and saw a lake forming beneath it, after one minute, the lake was formed and the light started to fade, leaving behind a strange symbol. A symbol made of an ocean blue swirling line and sharp polygonal shapes made of the azure sky color. It was his affinity, he read "Lake".
After another two minutes in his soul, he tried to leave this place to return to the real world, but he was interrupted by another light. A bright green light that slowly began to fade, leaving behind her an intricate symbol made up of strands of forest green, a swirling line of vibrant green, and circular shapes of pure light green. It was a second affinity, an affinity called "Heal".
Suddenly, a scream brought him back to the real world.
"Dual Awakening Affinities! With one unknown affinity! And two blessed gifts!" the woman shouted. "Who! Are! You!"
"T-Two b-blessed g-gifts?"
"Yes! Two! Nightmare of the Void and Dream of Peace. You basically have no cost for the first one because the second one makes you immune to nightmares and allows you to have a better sleep, and a sleep with some magical healing properties."
"I'm more than lucky at this level!" he exclaimed shocked by what he just learned.
And he passed out.