“Come on, Ethan, quit stalling!” The loud voice echoed around through the room, causing dust to float from the wood beams of the Frog’s Mead Hall.

 You got this, just ten steps forwards, and two to the left. Nothing to worry about Ethan, you have this.

He drummed his fingers against the bar, raised a foot, then…lowered it, again. He in fact, did not have this. His blood rushed through his ears, drowning out the sounds of the crowd. Even though he was in a crowd of people, he felt more alone than ever.

“Come on, Ethan, you have this down, you will show them who you are.” A light voice came from behind the bar. Along with the light voice, came an even lighter feeling in his chest.

“Rena, you scared me.” Ethen put a hand to his chest and turned around to face her. “So, What do you think?”

“What do I think about what? Your outfit? The party? What aptitude will you get?” she spoke with the confidence Ethan could only find in his dreams.

“the first and last.”

“ Well, the outfit could use a little work, and you will get whatever aptitude you want, I know it.” she reached across the bar to straighten his shirt a little.

“Ethan, get out here, NOW!” his dad yelled from close to the awakening crystal.

“Go quick, you don't want him too mad. You will do great.” Rena squeezed his shoulder lightly and gave him a wink that turned his knees to jelly.

Ethan returned the wink and turned to walk through the crowd of commoners. Rena's vote of confidence turned his knees from jelly to Moonsteel. He took one step, then a second. Soon he was walking through the crowd like he owned the place. with his family, he might own this tavern sooner rather than later. A few seconds later, Ethan was standing before the altar where his future would be decided.

“Step up to the awakening crystal and open yourself to the cosmic vibrations.” one of the priests recited while picking up a leather satchel of different alchemical components.

Ethan–-taking one final leap of faith–-put his hands on the pulsing crystal. POP.  quicker than a blink of his eyes, all sound vanished. The priest reached into his bag and pulled out a smaller oblong crystal which tapered to a needle-like point.

“Repeat after me. By the endless stars and the boundless sea” the priest dragged the crystal along Ethan skin, leaving small red lines in archaic patterns.

“By the endless stars and the boundless sea.” Ethan's voice left his mouth before he realized it was moving.

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“Reveal the truth that lies in me” the priest's words pushed a strange calm to Ethan’s thoughts.

“Reveal the truth that lies in me.” Ethan's words brought a sudden, deep vibration coursing through his body.

“By the soul's truth and the heart's decree and the spirit's claim”

“By the soul's truth and the heart's decree and the spirit's claim.” The vibrations intensified, It was as if an unseen system was booting up, processing his essence, and cataloging his potential.

“Let my Resonance awaken the gift that bears my name.”

“Let my Resonance awaken the gift that bears my name.” with those final words, a wave of air rushed from the altar 

A collective gasp ran through the crowd as people stumbled back from the force of the wind, and even the closest few were sent off their feet. But Ethan noticed none of it. A translucent interface appeared in his mind's eye, sharp and geometric, filled with cryptic symbols that resolved into legible words. A notification blinked, glowing faintly

[Resonance Achieved: Fire Affinity Detected]

Aptitude Unlocked: Fire (Tier I)

Welcome, Ethan Blackwood.

Your Resonance Awakening has begun, This system will guide you as you discover your potential and grow stronger. As you progress, your status will catalog any changes you experience. 

To view your status, focus your mind on the Status Window. This will display your Level, Health, Energy, and any Aptitudes you’ve unlocked. As you grow, your Stats (Strength, Agility, Intelligence, etc.) and Energy will increase, helping you unlock new abilities. Your Energy is your soul’s connection to the world, used for activating skills or abilities tied to your aptitude.

Each time you level up, you will see an increase in your Health, Energy, and Stats. These changes will help you face the challenges ahead.

Keep in mind that some Aptitudes will give you unique abilities, while others may allow you to evolve and refine your skills over time. Every decision you make and every challenge you overcome will shape your journey and your power.

Your Level is just one measure of strength—how you choose to use your abilities and harness your growth will define who you become.

Ethan saw it before he felt it, the golden flame dancing up his arms were as radiant as the sun on a summer day. The small, flickering flames in the lanterns and sconces quivered before zipping over to Ethan's out outstretched fingers. 

The amount of information shoved in Ethan's head caused him to drop to one knee and clutch at his head, the flames on his hand winked out His father walked up behind him and helped him stand.

“Boy, you look like you just got hit with a dwarven battle club.” his dads gruff voice helped get his feet under him and he walked the few feet to the bar. “Hey, Rena, get my son an ale, preferable something strong”

“You got it, sir” 

I did it, I actually did it. I have an aptitude, and magic. That THING? said to focus on the status window, whatever that is.

Name: Ethan Blackwood

Level: 1

Class: none

Aptitude: Fire

Health: 100/100

Energy: 100/100

Strength (STR): 7

Dexterity (DEX): 8

Endurance (END): 6

Intelligence (INT): 9

Wisdom (WIS): 7

Charisma (CHA): 5

In that moment, the system spoke again, not in words, but in a feeling as old as time itself: This is your starting point. Evolve or falter.