Damian sat slouched, resting his head in his hand while gazing deeply out of the window next to him. Watching the many diverse buildings zip by as they seemed to improve in quality the further he got from the outer ring of the city, he could only curiously look past the man-made structures and gaze further into the heart of the city. Far in the distance, an astronomical mountain of coal-black stone stood before the impressive city—clouds obstructing its cosmic height.

From anywhere you stood in the city, a colossal black mountain could be seen with ease, obscuring half of the world from human eyes. At the base of this incredible mountain, humans were able to develop in safety for hundreds of years without issue, although it was never exactly explained why the mountain was so vacant. While the location was infinitely safer than the rest of the world, no one could figure out why.

The black mountain was large, abnormally large. Far beyond the city walls, the strangely enormous mountain eventually lowered in height, merging with relatively smaller mountain ranges leading to the east that, while incredibly huge, are not anywhere near the height of the stone behemoth that towered above the city.

None of the other mountains even came close to its pitch-black color either. No other mountain even came close to its bizarre and incomprehensible verticality, size, and color. One of humanity's many wonders of the vast and explored history of the world.

To Damian, it didn't even feel like a mountain, all he could see was a black wall of stone stretching in all directions without an end in sight. It simply felt like a wall created by god in order to divide the world.

'Why do people call this place the ringed city? The city isn't even a circle, it's more like half a circle. They could just call it the layered city, but then again, it definitely doesn't ring as well, does it?'

As the train passed through the many walls circling the city, he felt a familiar loud rumbling, and howling whistle of the train signaling his arrival.

***

Damian stood observing the impressive city hall, awing at its intricate stone carvings, and tall pillars. After his heavenly train ride, he found himself spending the day walking through clean middle-class districts settling a few walls further into the large city. During his sightseeing, he eventually landed himself at the city hall Klaus had mentioned, leaving him quite intimidated.

Surrounding the noble architecture, stood simple guards each clearly showing a sign of alertness, yet also boredom for their jobs, as no one ever dared to act out near so many Imprinted. Further toward the building was a set of pale stone steps leading to its grand entrance. As time passed, Damian would also see men and women in luxurious clothing occasionally enter and exit through the glass doors.

Taking in the sight, he then made his way up the grey stairs before opening one of its tall entrances. Hiding the surprise on his face, Damian carefully made his way to one of the many allotted desks where he finally spoke to one of the women seated.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Standing before the desk worker, Damian gazed questioningly.

"Is there anything you need, sir? The lady asked.

"That…is a great question," Damian replied, unsure.

After a moment of confusion, he described his situation to the female employee, hoping to get an answer.

Understanding his struggles, the lady calmly explained.

"No worries, the trial room for Imprinted is down the hall and to your left. Outside the room, you may take a seat and wait for their call."

Glancing further into the hall, Damian nodded before following her directions.

As Damian walked through the hall, his eyes gravitated to the many windows to his right, showing off its beautiful inner garden. The entire facility had been built with a hollow outdoor middle where numerous plants grew on display, fascinating Damian as he passed by. Eventually, he came across a few wooden seats sitting opposite to the garden with a door situated nearby. Finding himself a seat, Damian continued to watch the garden in quiet interest.

"This piece of shit…who does he think he is.."

Not long after he had sat down, someone near his age exited from the nearby door with a bitter expression, cursing under his breath. Damian glanced at the young man curiously, as he stormed out in anger.

'...What's his deal?'

Taking in the sight, he was then called into the room himself.

Walking in, he quickly sat at a large wooden carved desk where a sharply dressed man opposite could be seen managing paperwork.

Unsure, Damian greeted the man.

"Uhh…hello, sir."

The man then set his work aside and subtly smiled at the boy.

"Greetings, young man. Not too long ago, I had been informed that an Imprinted would be visiting my office today. Originally, I thought my co-workers were attempting a silly prank on me, but to think it's actually true."

The sharp man continued with a relaxed face.

"To have acquired runes at your age is quite remarkable, congratulations."

Awkwardly laughing off the praise, Damian replied.

"Thank you, sir, I had heard from a friend that I needed to register at the city hall in order to find opportunities in the city, so here I am."

The man nodded understandingly.

"Of course, you've made the right move. Unlike average humans, Imprinted are always guaranteed a place to go regardless of test results, so rest easy young man."

Caught off guard by the statement, Damian furrowed his brow.

"I have to take a test?"

"Of course, it is a requirement for all who wish to achieve their goals." The man vaguely spoke.

Damian hesitantly nodded at the man.

'I don't like this guy… there's something about him that really annoys me.'

"Now, in the interest of time, I believe it's safe to say that we most likely don't need you to take the intelligence test as it's clear from your attire that you were a slum kid before coming here. It's best we just mark you as inadequate in this category." The man spoke with a neutral grin.

Damian's brow further creased at the brazen words.

"Wha-?"

The sharp man interrupted, "In terms of the physical test, even for your scrawny and weak build, your runes still may give you some kind of advantage that could possibly bump up your rating even if it's only by a minuscule amount."

Damian slowly grew more irritated as the man spoke.

"Lastly, there's the psychological test which has nothing to do with capability, so you shouldn't be underperforming there at least. So, just to clarify, while you will not be taking the intelligence test, you will be taking the physical and psychological tests. Once we have all your information, you should be free to go." The man finished his explanation, maintaining an unchanging relaxed smile.

'How would it feel to strangle this man I wonder? God, I just know I would feel nothing but euphoria if I could.'