With cramped fingers, I held onto the cold, smooth plastic handles of the magic analyzer. After all, I wanted nothing more than a successful assessment. As a mysterious force spread throughout my body, a buzz formed under my skin. This was magic, I knew.
Terrified of the results, I peeked at the analyzer’s small, digital window. This lifeless collection of circuits and plastics would pass judgement on my body's magic resistance. Even though my sister had become a mage two years ago, there was no guarantee I would be one as well.
As the numbers on the screen ticked up, my eyes widened in anticipation. Higher and higher the figure rose. With it rose my pulse, to force sweat through the skin of my hands. Soon those numbers reached the magic threshold which would prove my talents. This was it! I would be a true mage! I would finally meet big sis again!
Right in the middle of my fantasies, the lights in the room flickered. My eyes shot up to the sterile halogen lamps of the community hall, but a short beep from the machine reclaimed my attention. Reminded of my important moment, my view swung back onto the display. For the fraction of a second the machine's screen went blank, before it flashed zeroes.
Impossible!
I had been so sure of my grand moment! Something must have gone wrong.
My mouth dried up, I looked to the red-hooded Guardian of Peace sat across. Of course, I couldn't see any of my shock mirrored in the masked face, or any other emotions for that matter.
After a second beep from the machine had signaled the end of the test, the guardian checked his own screen. His verdict let my heart sink into the floor.
“Brayden Rovis, number LR-018447. No magic levels detected. Take your assigned social registration number from the desk at the entrance. You will receive your recommended employment offer within the next three work days. Good luck and have a pleasant day.”
“But... I...”
Frozen stiff, I stared at the guardian in disbelief. This must have been a mistake. Had no one else seen the lamps flicker? The stalwart figure of the guardian stared back at me in silence. Their eyeless masks had always intimidated me. Some light repositioning on his chair was enough to show his impatience. He wasn't interested in my opinion, not after a long day of work with no quick end in sight. I understood: For him, there were still many candidates to get through. I couldn't defy the Guardians of Peace, could I?
From behind, I could hear the grumbles of the other hopeful teens crescendo into audible complaints. I looked over my shoulder and past the long line formed behind me, made up of my fellow graduates. There was no excuse for standing in the way of everyone's dreams, just because I had considered myself special.
Of course I wasn't special. Even if I wasn't like big sis, there was no reason to make a scene. And yet, as mechanical steps led me past the queue and towards the clerk's desk, I couldn't help but sink into my own thoughts. I had failed.
Now I wouldn't be able to meet big sis, not for a long time. We would have to wait until she finished her training, and returned home a proper mage. I caught myself with a dark thought. Please don't let Amy be a mage as well. I was afraid of being alone. Of dying alone. We had always stuck together, the three of us. I didn't know if I could handle an empty house.
Out of nowhere, Eileen's voice popped into my head.
Good luck, little brat, she whispered.
I couldn't quite remember when she had said that to me. In my hypnotic state, it felt like she stood right beside me. Even now big sis still stood behind me, supported me. A deep breath drove away the gloom in my chest.
Maybe this isn't so bad, I thought. After all, I wasn't the youngest in the family. I was still responsible for our little sister. One more year for her to become an adult and have her own assessment.
No need to worry, at least for another year. Like the coward I was, I pushed my grim thoughts into the back of my mind, where I hoped they would rot into nothingness. Buried deep into my thoughts, I didn't even realize when I walked up to the clerk. I took my new ID on autopilot and carried it out of the community hall. As rays of light warmed my skin, I regained my presence of mind and looked up to greet the world around me.
Astralis was the marvel of the modern world. The pinnacle of human ingenuity. At least that was what my teachers always said. I strolled through the archway of the plaza and onto the wide street, surrounded by greenery. I had always liked the willow trees around the main plaza. Funneled by the long corridors of buildings around the square, the wind caught their branches and made them sway to show off their liveliness.
To me, the lush nature was a perfect foil for the clean streets and discreetly opulent five-story houses. Built in a classical style with pillars and grand arches, they exuded both the elegance and sophistication of the city's inhabitants. In contrast, the toned windows and synthetic building blocks spoke of their propriety and advanced nature, as did the glossy transport vehicle of the guardians parked next to the community hall.
With the city's ever-present birds chirping overhead, I walked down the street and toward the bus stop. Already this place was crammed with teens, all of them muted from the disappointment of the community hall. Their misery wasn’t something enjoyable, nor was it something I wanted to see. Thus I picked a quiet corner for myself and looked to the ground, towards the magic conveyor system.
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In the past, the old conveyors had transported everyone everywhere. Back then, no one had to walk. Unfortunately, even the wise Grand Mages of the City Council would make mistakes sometimes. The excessive convenience of paradise had caused a plague of obesity, and with it severe health problems. In reaction, the Council had decided to shut down the conveyors for the benefits of the common people. At least that was what our history books had to say on the matter.
I stared at the defunct conveyor and tried my hardest to ignore the dreary around. To my great fortune, no one else felt chatty either. So we stood there by ourselves, lost in our own gloom as we each pondered over our future. Our dreams had been crushed under the weight of reality.
Of course, there would always be some who couldn't handle their own frustrations and looked for unlucky targets to make themselves feel better. As usual, I would play the unlucky target.
At first I could only feel the changes in the crowd. Though it was subtle, there was something in the way they moved that alerted me to the danger. As if I had just declared myself an enemy to the City Council, everyone shuffled away to safety and turned their body so they could claim ignorance.
I knew the source of their distress couldn't be me. Throughout my time in school, I had gained far too much experience becoming invisible. With trepidation, I looked over my shoulder. My worry manifested into the figure of a stout, tall boy my age. In truth, 'stout' wasn't the right description. I would have rather called him fat, though never to his face. Rude as ever, the fatty walked into me and bulldozed away my shoulder.
“Hey, sorry. Didn't see you with how thin you are, Coaty,” he said with his usual smirk. That one I knew well. It meant he was ready to make trouble.
“Hi Les,” I squeaked, my eyes focused on Lester's cheap boots. As ever, I couldn't be myself with his intimidating figure around, even when he used that ridiculous nickname. Me knowing what he thought in that brutish head of his only made things worse.
“So, Coaty, you gonna tell us your results?” The big boy grinned from ear to ear and looked at his companions for validation. So he just wanted to humiliate me a bit, did he? That much I could do.
“Just normal,” I said, “like everyone.”
Nervous as I was, I had picked my words without thought, more focused on a brighter tomorrow away from my abusive classmate. It wouldn't be long, just wait for the bus and get back home to Amelia. Unfortunately, I hadn't expected fatty Lester to explode from my throw-away statement.
“What's that supposed to mean, huh, you scrawny brat?” His massive frame closed in to tower over my tiny body like a mountain..
“I didn't mean anything by it. Sorry,” I mumbled. Being meek usually worked for Lester. If I just said the right things and played along with his games, he would go away and look for a juicier target.
“You trying to say that I'm only ‘normal’ like the rest of you losers?” Again and again Lester poked at my chest. I tried to back up, but was soon stopped by the wall of the bus stop. “How would you know, you little bastard? Huh?”
This was ridiculous. To everyone at the stop, it would've been obvious that the fatty had failed his assessment. We were all from the same district and Lester was well known for his loud mouth. If he had been picked to join the ranks of the mages, he wouldn’t have even been here and we would still have heard his bragging. And yet, I knew what the right and wrong answers were. I chose wisely.
“Sorry Les. I'm sure you'll be a great mage. It's you after all.”
I raised my head a bit, just enough to read the fatty's face. If I wanted any chance to get out of this unbruised, I needed to gauge his reactions. From his nasty grin, it seemed my cheap compliment had been enough to satisfy Lester's vanity. They usually were.
“Well, yeah, of course you'd think that. Okay, you're off the hook.” After he was finished with me, the fatty looked around for more victims. That was how the world looked to Lester: Minions and victims, nothing else. Back in school, he had started fights out of sheer boredom, so now that he had an actual reason, how could he let the chance slip by?
“What are you all looking at?” he barked while his narrowed eyes scanned the crowd. In the end, he focused in on another of our classmates. Though I had seen him before, I couldn’t remember his name. As Lester’s look moved to his classmate’s feet, an ugly smile spread on his face.
“Aren’t those my boots?” he asked, and stared at the shoes of his victim. “Are you tryin’ to copy my style?” Lester’s minions were in position around the unfortunate student already, while the fatty moved closer.
“No, Les, I didn’t know-”
“Oh, you knew alright. All of you knew and just let him be. Don’t you think that’s a crime?” He looked at the victim’s group of friends, who had begun to sneak to the side. Now the center of attention, all of them shook their hands, heads and whatever else they could to prove they weren’t involved. Of course, I knew better. Lester wasn’t interested in an apology or a friendly resolution, he only wanted to blow off steam. Earlier, I had denied him his satisfaction once. No one would deny him a second time.
“All of you need to be punished. Here, I’ll make it quick.”
Worried, I looked over the faces of my classmates, as sweat formed on their faces and resignation dimmed their eyes one by one. This wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair. What had these people done wrong? Just like me, they had gone through the rejection of the system, the crushing confirmation that they were nothing more than ordinary. Yet now, they would have to suffer further, only because Lester felt like it. They didn’t deserve this. None of them did. Against my better judgment, I stepped up.
“What are you talking about, Lester?” Although my back shrank when all eyes at the bus stop focused on me, I didn’t step down. “I’ve seen those boots before when I was browsing the Aether. Those things are all synth, just three credits for a pair.”
“Coaty, you best shut up now if you know what’s good for you.” Lester growled as he turned towards me, but I didn’t care. I was ready to do the honorable, stupid thing.
“Those shitty boots are too cheap even for me, why would anyone want to copy that kind of ‘style’? Aren’t you just being a cheap bastard?”
“Oh, that sounds like you’re ready to buy me some new ones, doesn’t it? Okay, pay up then.”
A single twisted thought and the fatty's nasty grin turned sinister around his hanging cheeks. In the corner of my eye, the other members of Lester's gang moved in on me. I knew what would be next. The same scene had played out countless times in the past few years.
“You best pay up, Coaty. Or we'll have to go with corporal punishment,” the fatty continued.