"Though the Old God known as Carekosm was absolute, he was far less powerful than his brethren such as Gaia and Galem, for he did not exist in either the mortal plane of the Axis or the immortal plane of the Void. Therefore he could not be properly called alive or dead, which is the reason he needed his offspring, the moon, to hatch and produce a host for him even if it had to die in the process. However, one thing was definite in Carekosm's nature. If he gained form in either of the planes of existence, he would have the power to destroy everything that has ever come to exist, even the Old Gods themselves."
-History of the Gods, by Ethan Smith
From what could be seen from Daniel's sleepy eyes and the dusty, small window of his bedroom, Alandriel had grown quiet in the early hours of the morning. The bustling streets and the endless coughing and spurting of the city dwellers and the monotonous chimes of the White Church and the crackling of the corpse-filled carts against stone roads had all but vanished. Now, it was like any other city, even if Daniel did not know any other city, and it felt uncannily like home, maybe even quieter than it. Breakfast in the 'Birch Estate' was not at all modest, like the dwelling's appearance suggested. Boring, tasteless porridge. At least at home, Daniel could put a splash of honey in or even some sliced fruit, due to the variety of the farm he lived in and took care of. But no; his old family friend, Igo, didn't even have an apple to slice up and put in. At that point, it was hard to tell if Igo was actually poor and just had a nice home or he was just being a bit obtuse. In reality, the classic breakfast in Alandriel was plain porridge, something the city took great pride in and took extra care in the manifestation of the various flavors of oats that could create a complex and delicious flavor, with it being considered disrespectful to the maker of the porridge to add additional flavouring; Daniel was just spoiled.
"How are you feeling, kid?" said Igo, breaking the awkwardness of the dining room table.
"I-I'm not sure to be perfectly honest. I applied to the Guild thinking I was going to have some training then thrown into the wild, not having a year or two of academics then told I was at the bottom of some sort of system," replied Daniel, adding soon after, "What even is a porcelain anyway?"
"Initially, I'd hoped the academy would explain it to you themselves in the opening ceremony, but I might as well take it on myself, now its cancelled and all that." said Igo, before clearing his throat to continue, "The Guild is split up into a ranking system, going from the top, the Platinum Rank, to the bottom, the Bronze Rank. Yet below that are the Porcelains. This group of people are those enlisted in the academy, with their rank undecided, and considered extremely 'weak' in terms of the rest of the Guild, and, I'd say, your testing group would be considered very 'weak' even among the Porcelains themselves, as my co-examiner pointed out."
"Wait. Since when did the Guild have a ranking system, I thought it was all about exterminating the redcaps not having some sort of a competition!"
"The ranking system was established for two main reasons. One; to help classify the types and capabilities of each Guild member to judge how well equipped they are for a certain expedition. And, Two; to help boost morale and encourage growth in the Guild, and a sense of overcoming past difficulties. If you look at the ranking system in that sense, it is a perfectly reasonable decision, and it just so happens to have also been turned into a 'some sort of a competition' "
To be fair, Daniel thought, I was hearing about the upcoming bout between two platinum rankers when I first entered the city, but I didn't know this is what it meant, thought Daniel, the Vileblood and the Brawn... I should try to remember those names if they were the two platinums. Before long, Igo spent what felt like forever searching and having Daniel try on various clothes to find which would be the 'nicest', but in the end the boy himself gave up and stuck with his clothes he came to Alandriel with; a simple leather jacket and cotton shirt, with black trousers that he remembered sowing himself when he was little, when his father was supposedly still alive. With a light ruffling of his hair from Igo and an exaggerated opening of the front door, the young farm-boy from the countryside finally went out and began to pursue his dream; finding out what was so special about the Guild that made his father abandon him for it.
Rather than descending into the poverty of Alandriel as the guard had done so yesterday, Daniel was guided up into the peak of the great-city passing all the signs of the plague, all the misery and torment, to what seemed like a completely different place; no, it wasn't different, rather it was the Alandriel that was told in the stories of it, and now he realised they had simply omitted the unsightly parts of it. Passing by the magnificent and colourful markets and stalls, they had all seemed happy, like the plague had never existed in the first place, and the only ones who wore a frown on their faces, where those who couldn't afford something from the stalls or those who couldn't get any traffic for their business; though that last face was reserved for a single man on the side of the road with barrels and crates of foreign and exotic goods. But he wasn't human. He was a Lyrim. A short yet stout fellow, around half the size of his competitors, and puzzling on how the people passing by didn't know of his strange merchandise, such as his 'Rejik Coffee'.
"Now thatsa' rare site, isn't it!" exclaimed Igo, "A Lyrim! Unless he was born on the Beggar's Road, there's no way he could still be alive with his age an' all that!"
"What do you mean, Igo?"
"It don't concern you now, but I feel sorry for the unhappy sod. Nowadays, anyone who ain't human is treated like a Fraeru, and a carrier of that accursed plague. Very unfortunate indeed... Well at least it'll be over for him soon; lets carry on!"
At first, Daniel was confused at what that could mean, but he wasn't even given the time process it, as usual, before getting hurried along, higher and higher up the city, higher and higher up the brick paths, higher and higher up past the nobles luxurious home, until he finally arrived at the entrance to the Guild. A huge, detailed, gothic archway, reaching high into the heavens, before opening up into a great cathedral, where it seemed like the Gods themselves were singing the hymns and the hustle of the small, dotted crowds below that echoed throughout the whole grand structure. Igo dragged the small, disorientated boy through the main floor and towards the left branch of the Guild; the Academy. It was smaller in scale than the masterpiece he had been 'guided' through before that, yet it still exerted that powerful and overwhelming sense of emotion that had rung through everyone who laid foot there. A small and compact structure accompanied it, but still retaining that breath-taking architecture, which housed the accommodation for the Porcelains.
"This is as far as I'm permitted to go, Daniel."
"What do you mean 'permitted', I thought you were a Guild Member!"
"Its complicated, Daniel. To put it short, I was a Guild Member. Since I'm retired, I don't really count as one anymore... I only have the privileges of one. But, to help with the safety of the new recruits, any non-Guild Members are forbidden from the Academy building."
"B-But!" he argued, yet he knew it was useless against Igo, so he submitted, saying, "Well then... I guess its goodbye, for now at least."
"Don't worry 'bout'it, Daniel. Everything will become clear to you, sooner or later. Have a nice day, kiddo."
"You too! D-" Daniel broke off before finishing, almost disappointing in something he only now realised. Igo wasn't his Dad, but it didn't matter, for he would always be his Uncle, "You too! Uncle Igo, ~you too..."
For the first time, Igo couldn't even respond, and Daniel turned away and plunged into the unknown of the Academy.