Swords could be heard clanging as they struck one another. A choir of yells and grunts filled with passion and determination permeated throughout the air. The orchestra of sounds was grounded to a halt when a scuffle broke out. As everyone around began to encircle the cause of the disturbance. A rather large boy who appeared to be over 20 years old with dark brown hair and had to be 190cm (6'3") tall. He seemed like the kind to use brute strength over dexterity or brain for that matter. As most of the recruits were wearing the gear that suited them best, he was wearing heavy chain mail that covered his torso and some steel plated leg guards. At the center, wearing light armor that only covered her torso and her extremities, she stood with absolute confidence. Even with the man towering over her she wasn't short by any means herself as she stood around 178cm (5'10"). Her rose gold hair shimmered in the sun's rays and her blue eyes mirrored that of a crystal blur lake. Her body was muscular and toned from all the years of hard work. She appeared older than she really was, looking to be in her late teen or early twenties, she was around 17. The large boy rushed his opponent hoping to crush her with his hands. It was over as fast as it had begun. When she was just within his grasp, he was flung upside down landing on his back with a loud thud. Using the man's own momentum against him she was able to throw him.
"That's enough!" Yelled a middle-aged man with a buzzed head and a short goatee. His brows were sharp, his eyes sharper as he glared at the recruits before him. "Recruit Valencia. Explain yourself. What's going on?"
Some in the crowd began to murmur as the girl stepped forward. She spoke with the same confidence that she had when she stood in the center of the circle.
"Knight Captain Luthar sir. After besting recruit Samual so many times while sparring he must've been unhappy with losing and lost himself to rage and charged me. Sir."
The Knight Captain looked down at Samual "What do you have to say for yourself Recruit Samual?"
"Sir. You told us to spar without using our marks and rely solely on our weapons technique. I believe Recruit Valencia to have been activating her mark. Sir"
The Knight Captain looks over and examining each of the recruit's face.
"Well did anyone see anything?" The question was only met with silence. He could only sigh as he looked at Recruit Valencia and Samual. "Alright that's 15 laps for everyone."
His statement was met with groaning and came from all over as the sounds of buckles were being loosened to remove their gear.
"That's 15 laps with your gear on and weapon in hand. Move!"
These were the Meta Knights in training. The most promising recruits From the Kingdom of Sumire, they protected the kingdom from invasion and its citizens from the scourge. Dangerous creatures that feast upon everything in their way, known for single handily decimating kingdoms and depleting the country side of all resources.
Not too far away was a scrawny boy that looked like her never had enough to eat. For being 15 years old he was quite tall, standing in at 175cm (5'9"). His hair was disheveled and matted with mud and dirt, but you could barely see the hints of some crimson gold hair. His most notable feature was the huge smile he had on his face as he watched the Knights train through a hole in the wall that must've been caused by someone's mark that must've gotten out of control during training. You could see him swinging a stick trying to mimic the sword swings from the knights. Sneaking up with a smirk on his face was another young boy that was much shorter being 167cm (5'6"). He has green and wore a pair of glasses that were cracked and looked like they might hinder his sight more than helping him to see. After watching him swing his stick for a few minutes and realizing that he wasn't going to be noticed he spoke up.
"How much longer will you be training today?" He asked.
The boy turns around finally noticing the boy behind sitting on the ground.
"Yeah Finders I'll have just for a few more swings and I'll be done for the day."
Finders laughed and said, "You always say that but if I leave you be, you'll swing that stick all day." Finders continues by saying "Fenix if you want to eat today then you better help me this time."
"Yeah Finders I know" Fenix replies with a heavy sigh "but you know I don't like stealing."
"We don't have a choice Fenix. We got to do what we have to do in order to survive."
Fenix visibly upset, hung his head and continued forward.
"Hey man, don't look so down. Think about it this way. If you want to be like the knights that you watch every day, then you need to get bigger and stronger and you can't do that without eating. Once you grow some more, I know you're gonna be a strong knight!"
Fenix hearing this had perked up a bit.
"So, what has your mark found this time, Finders?"
Every person born in this world has a Gods Symbol placed on their back. These are blessing that Gods have bestowed upon the people either on a whim or for their own enjoyment in watching them live their lives. These marks could provide a wide array of powers if one is able to understand their mark. Finders mark was a looking glass in the middle of his back. This allowed him to search for whatever it is the he wants to find the most.
Finders grinning looks at him and replies "Sausage!" with enthusiasm.
Fenix's smile immediately disappears from his face. "Sausage?! From Old Man Frank's store? Last time he caught you, he beat you to within an inch of your life!"
Finders still grinning ear to ear tells Fenix "That's why I need you this time. I'll distract him and have him chase me away from his store and while he's gone you can go and grab them. See? This plan is perfect!"
Knowing their destination had Fenix scared and nervous.
He asked Finders "Hey. What do you think my mark means? I still haven't been able to activate it no matter what I do."
The mark that was on Fenix's back was a small wing on his left shoulder blade. Fenix was always worrying about what his mark could mean or if he would ever be able to activate it to see what kind of powers laid dormant within him. It wasn't uncommon as every other person might never find out what their mark means or what their blessing is. What was more uncommon were people receiving powerful blessings. They could come in the form of moving mountains and rivers. The most common outcome for people that have discovered their blessings were those whose gifts lifted some of their daily burdens such as allowing someone to conjure cold water not having to go to a well. Or maybe to create a light so they no longer need to carry a lantern with them. People with stronger blessings normally enlisted into the military or entered the academy for the gifted under a school of specialization. This doesn't mean that those without knowing what their marks do or those with weaker marks didn't join either the academy or the military. This is because their marks could later evolve through several different ways. One such way is if they uncover the true mark of their blessing, for what reason did they receive the blessing. Another is if they accurately match the nature of their mark becoming one with their mark. And lastly if the person has put in a massive amount of time using and practicing control over your mark.
"Maybe it means you're the leader of all chickens with that chicken wing on your back" Finders laughed at Fenix.
"How am I supposed to join the knight squad with a chicken wing?" Fenix asked.