The morning sun poured through the dorm window, its warm rays dancing across my face and dragging me out of sleep.
The morning sun poured through the dorm window, its warm rays dancing across my face and dragging me out of sleep.
I jolted upright.
My shirt clung to my back, damp with sweat. My breathing came in short, uneven bursts as I stared toward the window, trying to separate the unfamiliar dorm room from the memory still lingering in my mind.
I had dreamed about that night again. The night my parents left and never came back...
***
I was only four years old. My parents dropped me off at my Aunt's house.
"Where are you going?" I asked, my voice squeaky.
"Just a small errand, sweetheart. Aunt Vierma will be here for you. By morning, we'll be here," My mother responded.
"Bu-B-But that's so long, and I don't like sleeping," I said, pouting my lips and crossing my arms.
My mother chuckled, "How about we invite Toho over the weekend?"
My eyes lit up, and I nodded, folding very quickly. Aunt Vierma put me to sleep, tucking me in. My childhood wasn't very rough before this; therefore, I never had any worries during these times... until I woke up.
The sound of soft cries from downstairs woke me up. I checked the window, and the moon was still high. I sneaked down to find my Aunt Vierma bawling while this older gentleman was comforting her. He was tall with a slender figure, but judging from his appearance, he held strength. He wore a black suit with a tall top hat. He carried with him a cane.
He noticed me immediately and warned my Aunt. She put me back into bed while still crying. I never understood what happened until the next morning.
My parents never came back from their errand. They were attacked; the attacker was strong enough to kill both my parents. Hearing this news from my Aunt broke me heavily. I didn't understand the concept of death very well at this age, but I understood it enough to know it means I'll never see my father and mother again.
The same gentleman came home later that week to give me more details. My parents held a huge fortune as a noble. The gentleman told me I was to inherit the fortune once I turned sixteen, regardless of whether I became a Sorcerer or not.
None of those details mattered to me; I would give anything to go back that night and stop them from leaving. From that day, my aunt took care of me. My Aunt became my everything, and she taught me most of what I know. I cherished my Aunt dearly, and I had lost all contact with the rest of my family, such as my father's younger brother or any cousins.
***
I continued thinking to myself, deep in thought, before being interrupted by Toho.
"Come on, Zero! First real day!" he shouted, way too energetic for this hour.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. My mind was still foggy, but the reminder of yesterday snapped me back to reality.
After quickly getting dressed in our Academy uniforms, we rushed toward Room A001.
The hallways buzzed with energy; students chattered about the announcement on the news, about Seraphis Valor, about what the discovery of the Wonders meant for everyone— especially Sorcerers.
When we entered the classroom, Johan was already standing at the front, arms crossed, his presence heavy.
"Good," he said as the last student slipped in. "You're all here. Today, we begin.
Not just with your studies, but with your path as Sorcerers." His voice dropped, serious: "You were all accepted because you have potential. Potential is meaningless without discipline."
Lucian scoffed from the back, arms thrown lazily over his chair. Johan ignored him. He clapped once, and a glowing glyph appeared behind him, expanding outward to fill the air with golden runes.
"Today, you will all undergo your first Essence Evaluation. We must know your current aptitude before I can tailor your training.
This is just a school evaluation. Your official Sorcerer evaluation will happen once you're sixteen and decide to pursue your Sorcerer career."
Murmurs spread through the room. I felt my heart race. An Essence Evaluation. That would show everyone not just our strength, but also our control, affinity, and potential.
Essence is the fundamental energy that flows through everything in the world. It is the core force that gives life to all beings, objects, and natural phenomena. It exists both within the physical realm—which can be seen as energy or power—and within the spiritual realm, where it connects the mind and soul of every living being. Essence travels through and is used through passages in your body called Essence Veins.
If one's Essence Veins were to be damaged, it could prove fatal. If they were to survive, their ability to channel or use Essence would vanish.
Every individual has an Essence Pool, a reservoir of energy they can draw from to perform various techniques or manifest their abilities. This pool is finite, and the more Essence a person uses, the more they deplete their reserve. To prevent exhaustion, balance is essential when wielding Essence.
There are different Essence Types, each tied to a specific aspect of life or natural force, such as fire, water, wind, earth, or even more abstract concepts like light, shadow, time, or spatial.
Techniques are abilities that can be used via Essence. Innate Techniques are techniques you are born with. Everyone commonly has one, except the rare few with two or more techniques. There is another type of technique: Learned Techniques. They are techniques that can be learned. During fights, Innate Techniques are typically used to give an upper hand, but we often fight by coating our bodies with Essence and Learned Techniques.
Coating our bodies with Essence increases our physical prowess; the better your Essence control and the more Essence you have, the better you can bend Essence to your will. Learned Techniques are mostly how we fight in battles; they can be learned by anyone, and many are more powerful and harder to learn. They're often considered spells as well.
Essence is both a source of power and a reflection of harmony. It can be manipulated to create, destroy, or transform, but it must always be controlled carefully. Overuse or improper handling can lead to the draining of your Essence, where the user's life force is depleted from overusing their Essence Pool and reserves, resulting in exhaustion, injury, or even death. Mastery of Essence requires physical strength, mental clarity, discipline, and a deep understanding of the world around them.
It's important to note that any common civilians have Innate Techniques and the ability to use Essence. What differentiates Sorcerers and civilians is that Sorcerers have better Innate Techniques, most of the time. Furthermore, being born with a large Essence Pool, or better Veins, also plays a big factor; therefore, genes themselves are a big factor. Hence, some civilians spend their lives wanting to become Sorcerers, but can't, simply because they're not gifted or born with weaker genes.
"Line up outside," Johan ordered. "One by one, you will enter the Evaluation Chamber."
The class moved hesitantly, excitement and fear mixing in the air like static. Toho clapped me on the back.
"This is it, man," he whispered. "Time to show them what we're made of."
I nodded. Inside, I felt the steady confidence in my ability. In fact, part of me was looking forward to this. As we lined up outside the chamber, I caught sight of Terra a few places ahead. She glanced back, offering a small smile.
The door to the Evaluation Chamber opened with a loud clang.
"Caelan Rook," Johan called.
The silver-haired boy stepped forward confidently. We waited, tension thick in the hallway. After a few minutes, a loud hum echoed from the chamber. A display above the door flickered to life:
Essence Pool: Above Average
Control: Good
Affinity: Metal / Earth (Strong)
Potential: B-Rank Candidate
A wave of murmuring broke out among the students.
"How the hell did this kid make it in?" Toho muttered, almost causing me to lose my straight face.
Caelan returned, face unreadable, but a small glint of pride in his eyes. One after another, students entered, each revealing their capabilities. Some scores were above average, while others were much more impressive.
It seems the evaluation only shows a vague result for each category. More detailed information must be hidden and reviewed separately by instructors to prevent students from knowing.
Finally, Johan's voice rang out again:
"Lucian Wraith."
The hallway seemed still. Many students in my class seemed scared of getting on Johan's bad side; I shared that same feeling. Lucian smirked as he strolled toward the chamber; while he did, many rolled their eyes.
Finally, the display lit up:
Essence Pool: Excellent
Control: High
Affinity: Spirit / Fire
Potential: A-Rank Candidate
I caught Johan's expression, which wasn't anything unusual. He appeared the same as he always was. Lucian returned to the line, throwing a smug glance directly at me.
"Top dog already," he muttered just loud enough for me to hear. I ignored him. Or at least, I tried.
He has an affinity for Spirit Essence?!
Spirit Essence tended to be higher on the list of Essences that were harder to control or even use.
It makes some sort of sense considering his Innate has to do with spirits, if I recall correctly...
More students were called. Terra went too; her scores were solid, she had a strong affinity with Wind, and impressive control, but her Essence Pool was marked as Average. I could tell she wasn't pleased about it, but she masked it well.
Then...
"Zero Langham."
My name echoed down the hallway like a hammer strike. I stepped forward, my legs moving before my mind could catch up. Every pair of eyes drilled into my back.
The Evaluation Chamber was large and circular, glowing with ancient glyphs embedded into the floor and walls. In the center, a smooth crystal pedestal awaited.
"Place your hand," a voice said from nowhere. Probably an automated recording. I took a breath, steadying myself. This was it. The first step toward everything I planned to become.
I pressed my palm against the crystal. For a second, nothing.
Then, the chamber reacted.
A sudden surge of pressure radiated outward. The air shimmered. Energy roared through the glyphs on the walls. Although the noise was loud, it seemed it could only be heard by the one being evaluated, not any bystanders. The crystal flared, blinding gold.
The display snapped to life:
Essence Pool: Excellent
Control: Advanced
Affinity: Light / Spatial
Potential: A-Rank Candidate
I stared at the readings, a quiet exhale escaping. This was close to what I expected, and it left me satisfied. Most students, including me, already had a good grasp of what our evaluation would say from our years of training.
I must say that reading my Essence Control as "Advanced" did leave me puzzled. I had expected my Essence Control evaluation to be higher; however, that could just be my ego talking.
I withdrew my hand before returning to my place. A few murmurs here and there. I caught Terra giving me a warm smile along with a thumbs-up.
Lucian studied me with a calm but annoyed look, then shrugged me off.
I returned to my spot and stood in line.