Zorn ran through the streets of the city. He dodged around and slid under various transportation golems carrying various goods. Some merchants shouted after him to be more careful, but he didnt care. It was his big day. The wind felt amazing as it steamed past him, and as he sprinted forward the wind seemed to encourage him. Urging him to go even faster. Zorn obliged and picked up his pace even more.
It only took him a couple more minutes before he arrived at the step of the temple. When he finally did stop he wasn't even breathing hard. All thanks to Lazarus he had been conditioning Zorn’s body ever since he was a boy.
With only a couple of minutes to spare he rushed up the temple steps. He was immediately greeted by one of the acolytes. “Young Master Gale, we have been waiting for you. If you would please follow me I will lead you to High Priest Fuildes.”
Zorn just nodded and silently followed the acolyte deeper inside of the temple. This wasn't the first time he had been in the massive temple that was near the center of the city. However the temple's winding corridors still made no sense to Zorn. If it wasn't for his guide he surely would have gotten lost in this massive structure.
After several more twists and turns they arrived in a large stone domed room. There was also a massive blue crystal floating in the center of the room above a stone dais. On the Dais directly below the crystal stood the high priest of Camindon city, High Priest Fuildes. He was an older man who looked to be in his late sixties or early seventies, but with magic that could prolong the longevity of a person who knew how old the priest really was. He was wearing a plain white robe with no adornment, and as Zorn got closer he could see a faint white aura of radiance exuding from the man. Fuildes stood with perfect posture, his head held high and his shoulders back.
When Zorn arrived in front of the dais the high priest finally responded to his and the acolytes' presence. “You are late.” it was not a question, but a statement directed at Zorn.
“I am sorry High priest Fuildes, I have no excuses to give.” Even if Zorn could have given some excuse to the priest he knew such things would only irritate the man more, so he chose not to do so. Even if he did he would still receive some kind of speech about his tardiness regardless of whatever excuse he chose to give.
Fuildes let out a condescending snort. “Well, don't make it a habit. Your mother gave quite a hefty donation to the church for you to undergo your awakening ceremony alone, and away from the other supplicants. Arriving late only shows poorly not only yourself, but your mother as well. Make sure that it doesn't happen again.” Fuildes said with only a hint of condensation in his voice.
Another thing his mother had meddled with; his own awakening ceremony. That small spark of anger flared again. Why did she even have to meddle with the most important day of his life? He would have been perfectly okay with going through with the awakening ceremony with all of the other boys and girls who had turned eighteen today. But now his mother had arranged for him to undergo his own private ceremony. He knew intellectually that many young noble sions had their own private ceremonies, but it still irked Zorn a bit. He also knew that his mother meant the best for him, but sometimes it was hard for him to remember that.
It was clear to Zorn that he had been standing there locked in his own thoughts for slightly too long when Fuildes let out a light cough to get his attention. Zorn quickly gave the best bow he could and responded. “Of course, high priest. I will make an extra effort to ensure I'm not late to such important meetings again.”
“Good, now let us begin.” With that He gestured for the acolyte that had guided Zorn here to leave. “Now, Lord Gale, would you please join me up here on this dais and touch the affinity crystal.”
Zorn walked up the smooth marble steps of the dais. He could see no seams in the stone steps as he climbed which made him think that maybe this whole thing was carved out of one massive piece of marble or some kind of stone magic was used to fuse the pieces seamlessly together. Either Way it was masterfully carved and he was in awe at the pure scale of the thing as he climbed the 20 or so steps to reach the top and stand next to the high priest. Fuildes gestured to the floating crystal and Zorn complied and approached the crystal and placed both of his hands upon it.
The crystal was almost ice cold to the touch, but he didn't have time to consider that before something started to push into his body from the crystal. It didn't feel bad per say but it was definitely uncomfortable. It almost felt like someone trying to fill his body with more blood than it could hold. It felt like his body was trying to not burst under this increase of pressure. Then as suddenly as the sensation had started it ended and all of the built up pressure in his body drained away. Nothing happened in the crystal for a second before it suddenly turned a vivid yellow in color. Almost like the color of wheat just before harvest.
"A wind affinity, rare. Although I'm not too surprised given your mothers air affinity, although given how much of the crystal changed color you must have a very strong affinity for wind." The high priest remarked.
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Zorn wouldn't say he was too surprised either, he thought he might have gotten an air affinity like his mother, but deep down he had always known that he would get a wind affinity. Ever since he was very young the wind had always called to him in ways he couldn't explain. At some moments he could almost swear it was trying to speak to him. Even here in this massive room he could feel the wind moving and brushing his skin like a soft caress. "What's next high priest Fuildes?" Zorn inquired of the man.
"Now that your affinity has been revealed you will enter the awakening bath, so that your abilities will finally be revealed to you. This way." With a gesture he began walking off. They went down several more corridors before they finally arrived in a long rectangular room with what looked like a flawless sheet of glass covering the floor of half of the room.
"Is that it?" Zorn asked in a reverent voice.
"Yes it is. This is the awakening bath where many of the originators gained their powers. Now this pool is by no means unique, for there are hundreds perhaps thousand more if these are scattered around the world.”
Zorn of course knew all of these details. He had been taught well by the scholar his mother employed, but reading from a book and seeing it for the first time in person was completely different.
"Now, go submerge yourself in the water and become more deeply connected to the world around you."
With a hesitant step forward that quickly gained more confidence the closer he got to the pool, he quickly arrived at the edge of the completely still pool and hesitantly dipped one boot tip into the pool. The disturbance that one tap of his foot caused the whole completely reflective surface of the pool to become transparent for just a second and he was able to see all the way to the bottom of the pool which was roughly five feet deep in the center. After the small disturbance he had made to the pool went back to complete stillness eerily fast. After another brief moment of hesitation he firmly took his first step into the still pool.
The liquid was freezing to the touch and it felt like his whole foot went numb after he stepped into it. Gritting his teeth he took another step this time with his right leg and his leg almost buckled when all sensation left it all the way up to his calf. He quickly took several more steps until a new problem presented itself. Being a man in cold water. After psyching himself up for a few moments he took another step… and immediately regretted it. He could feel nothing below his waist and had not idea how he was even still standing let alone moving his legs. Still he somehow managed. After only around ten more steps he was in the middle of the pool with the liquid all the way up the the base of his neck, and with a few more deep and calming breaths he dunked his head underneath the surface.
His mind immediately went blank and there were no thoughts in his mind. He just floated in a void of nothingness with the cold as his only company. He had no idea how long he floated in the void until something new intruded itself into his world of nothingness. It was a screen. A pale blue that had some kind of words on it. He had no idea what the words said but he knew that must be important, and then all at once his head broke the surface of the pool and the spell he was under was. Boken. He took in a deep and shuddering breath and quickly failed his way back toward the high priest and the safety of dry land. It was only with a passing notice that revealed that his clothes and skin were completely dry. Not even one drop of the liquid had stuck to him, all of it staying in the pool he had just come from.
"Congratulations, on ascending as you should well be aware not all successfully ascend on their first try, and have to wait another year before they can try again." The priest remarked. "Now tell me did you get anything interesting."
"Waa--." Zorn coughed a bit before continuing. "What do you mean?"
"You abilities. Their very nature should be carved into your very soul. Did you get any interesting abilities?" Fuildes questioned
Without replying be quickly turned his sight inward and began to visualize how his soul had changed. Then he translated what he felt from his soul into something his mind would be better able to comprehend.
Racial ability gained 1 of 2
Elemental Body of Air: Because of your heritage of being the offspring of an elemental queen of air your body has become partially elemental in nature. A natural wind matching your affinity rages through your body only held in by your skin. Your partial as an elemental gives you greater resistance to damage and a natural affinity for wind magic. As you already possessed an affinity for wind magic your natural affinity grows deeper.
Racial ability gained 2 of 2
Avatar of the wind: Because of your heritage of being the offspring of an elemental god of wind you have gained the innate ability to speak to the winds you can innately control. Because of your nature you also gain an innate understanding of wind magic and your control of the wind is almost second nature to you. As you already possessed an affinity for wind magic your natural affinity grows deeper. You love the wind and the wind loves you in turn.
Innate ability 1
Storm Surge: You are able to draw strength directly from the wind to cast spells or empower your physical attacks. The stronger the air currents are around you the more strongly you are able to pull power from the wind to increase your own prowess
Innate ability 2
Locked
Innate ability 3
Locked
He almost told the priest about what he felt, but he held himself back remembering what his mother had told him. He had expected his questions to be answered by his awakening and his mother once he got back. He didn't expect his awakening to give him more questions than answers. He needed to head home immediately and speak to his mother. If she even was his mother at all.