'Gods I hate carriage rides'
Ojero was currently cursing the carriage, the horses, the driver, he family, the trees the carriage was made from, and everything in between.
It kept bouncing up and down unceasingly, allowing him no rest nor possibility to enjoy the view.
Luckily, soon enough the great walls of Litenvail city came into view. They towered high above the surrounding plains, giving the city a perfect view of any incoming armies.
As they approached the gate, many other drivers quickly pulled off from the road, noting the white and gold exterior coupled with the Guestino family emblem: A golden lion roaring into the sky with a white background.
The reason they all knew the emblem? Ojero's father was the duke, a very well known one. He is of course from a well known family of lightning mages, and some claim he has the power to even claim the seat of king.
Are these rumors true? In Ojero's opinion, yes. Father is a full magus, whereas the king is only a journeyman mage. Not to mention the king only had a rare power: air mastery.
It was quite a let down when that news became public, the kings father was a very popular air lord who knew the Guestino's very well. Quasar Guestino has only stayed away from the crown due to respect for the previous king, and he did not want to deal with the entire kingdoms issues. He was happy simply as a duke.
As they pulled up the gates, a very nervous looking guard stopped their carriage.
"R-reason for c-coming, my l-lord?"
The man stuttered out his words, keeping his eyes on the ground the entire time. Ojero's father moved towards the door window, and spoke to him cleanly and professionally.
"Myself and my family is participating in the Magi Day events."
"O-of course, my l-lord. Go on th-through."
The guard stepped back very quickly, and noticeably, from the carriage window and waved to the other guards signaling them that the carriage is safe to pass.
They quickly moved off the road, and the carriage continued on. Inside, a great sight was revealed to them all. Long streets with hundreds of commoners milling about, carriages moving this way and that, stalls selling goods and services of all kinds.
There were festival items, showcasing great mages of past and even a few people selling low tier magi crystals. Foods of all kinds were brandished like swords, their exotic smells making Orpham's mouth water like a fountain.
However, being nobles, they were not allowed to simply stop and smell the roses.
The further on they went, the cleaner the buildings looked. They started to see better paved streets, more exotic goods, and the people dressed much better.
Soon, they approached the upper district gates, which for this one day a year was open to everyone. They drove on in and inside there was an even bigger spectacle.
Papers of all colors were floating in the air, horses and fairies made of water flew through the air, and tents dotted the streets. In one, a mans griffin familiar was attempting to dance, as his master made strange art forms with fire magic.
At the very center of it all, was the glistening High Temple, where all 14 year olds today would gain their magic crystals.
The carriage pushed onward, till they arrived into the nobles section. Although not clearly marked, the commoners and nobles separated themselves into two areas. One that was full of the carnival tricks and tents, and the other full of men and women dressed in luxurious robes, suits, and long dresses.
Next to all of these was a veritable wall of carriages that the nobles left, making a makeshift wall to "keep the rabble out."
The Guestino carriage too pulled up, extending the wall. Seeing this, Orpham called out.
"Father, why are we blocking off the commoners?"
"Well son, we must keep to our own. Both sides are safer if we are on different sides of the wall."
"But father, wouldn't we be stronger united?"
Their father decided to stay quiet at this, and quickly stepped out of the carriage once it stopped. Mother followed, and so did the two young boys.
On the street, they moved as a group, going from conversation to conversation. Mostly noble posturing, making sure they all know that their family is still strong and is not an easy target.
As the night wore on, more and more magi appeared and showed off. One did a show with wind, making the entire sky appear as if it was moving through time. Another group used water, fire, air, and earth magic to create some kind of elemental hybrid monster, as it charged across the stars towards the another groups image of tribal warriors, trying to show how strong the Kingdom of Riote is compared to the nomads fighting themselves in the South.
Eventually, it was time, and all the 14 year olds were gathered. They were taken into the High Temple, in a room full of other children. Everyone there was nervous, though half of them were focusing very hard on hiding it.
In that room, a priest came out and gave them a few orders, telling them that when it was time for all of them to move in a line onto the stage. There, they would be told what to do to awaken their mana.
Not five minutes later, the signal was given, and all of the kids quickly lined up with the help of the temple servants.
It was from this that Ojero noticed just how many kids there were, hundreds if not thousands.
As they were moving onto the stage, Ojero could smell the kids next to him, and wrinkled his nose. He had hoped to be next to Orpham since at least he cleaned himself when forced, but these street kids never did.
'Humpf, all of this rabble should stay away from me. Do they not know how insulting it is to be so unclean on this day?'
As they marched on, he heard the first sounds of the audience, and then he passed through the doorway. A huge open room was on the other side, with the ceiling hundreds of feet above them. They were walking on white marble on a raised platform, which too was hundreds of feet long.
In front of them was the audience, and thousands of commoners could be seen. Above them all in raised seating booths, often used for nobility watching the services, could Ojeros parents be seen alongside the various counts, barons, and other minor nobles.
The priest, an elderly gentlemen without hair and wearing a white robe, walked onto the platform in front of all the children. When he waved his right hand, suddenly a golden light danced above all the commoners, and they all fell silent.
"People of the Riote, today, this first day of Retnor, these children of the young age 14 shall reveal the hidden strength within their mana cores!"
"We wish them all the greatest of luck in whatever shall happen, but to remember no matter the result we can all still serve this great kingdom!"
He then lowered his hand and turned to the children.
"Children of Riote, today is the day to determine your future! Here we have many representatives of the various academies both in our borders and throughout the continent."
"Are you prepared to harness magical energy, this mana flowing inside you? Today you shall see what truly lies within yourself, what your true strength is!"