Cain arrived back in the council room, and noticed the group was present, along with Andromeda. Andromeda saw Cain walk in and smiled. "You must be the last member. I heard you're mute, so would you like any help communicating with us?" She gestured to her left, where a timid girl stood, cloaked in a robe that covered all her features, seemingly quite nervous in the situation. "This is Ella, a telepath. She can read minds, although only through touch, and she was born with it, as it is an inherent skill." The group were collectively shocked, and Andromeda laughed. "Oh, I forgot Earth doesn't have any form of magic. Well, let me give you an introduction to it."
A blue wisp of energy coiled around her hand, shifting forms rapidly. One second, it was a coiling snake, the next, a running wolf, and then it turned into a ball. The ball rapidly began to bulge, and it exploded in a blue flash, causing little blue lights, like a firework fly everywhere. The blue light faded, and the group was awed at Andromeda's little show.
"This is mana, the energy used for magic. Mana is found everywhere on Titan, whether it be in the people, the animals, the environment, and even the air! It's always around us. It comes in many different forms, such as my water magic, and Ella's more specialized type. We humans typically learn it, as we aren't all as blessed as Ella to be born with a special type." Ella shook once again at the comment, and looked down. "We will be testing your affinity, which will also help determine how you should advance going forward. If you agree to it, step forward.
Most agreed quickly, seemingly excited to get into magic, something that was just a dream in their old world. Cain, on the other hand, was more interested in Ella, and her peculiar ability. Feeling his stare, she looked up, and a pair of shockingly pink eyes greeted him. Just as fast, she was looking away. Andromeda called forth a ball of water again, and it soon solidified into a white ball, as shiny as a pearl. "This is a magic stone, and will help us read your affinity to magic. I'll explain what different reactions mean as we go on."
The first person to step forward was Noah. "Just put your hand on the ball, and it will feel strange at first, but don't worry. It's just pulling out a bit of the dormant magic in you." Noah placed his hand on the ball, and after a second, the ball shone a brilliant red, illuminating the room. Andromeda seemed pleasantly surprised, and looked at Noah with newfound respect. "You have a very high affinity to fire magic. Congratulations!" Noah seemed proud, as he flashed a confident smile. The rest of the group went, but no one had a similar phenomenon, all of them being quite dull, although they still got a reaction. Only Theresa had a similarly bright assessment, a deep blue.
Finally, Cain went up, and put his hand on the ball. He flinched and shut his eyes as a strange feeling emerged in his palm, and as he opened his eyes, he saw many fantastical lights, floating everywhere around him, a myriad of different colors. He looked down at the ball, and was shocked when it had no reaction, in stark contrast to the suddenly vibrant atmosphere around him. But just as quickly as the lights appeared, they disappeared, as everything turned back to normal. Confused, he looked at Andromeda, who had a trace of disappointment flash in her eyes. "Oh well, two high grade talents in water and fire are already great. Cain, it seems you have no talent in any particular magic, but that's fine. We'll find something for you."
Cain turned back to the group, and noticed many gazes laced with subtle disdain were directed at him. Thankfully, it wasn't everyone, but seems to be more the people unsatisfied with their low magical affinity. As Andromeda began assigning people jobs, based on their power, Cain wondered about the strange phenomenon that had just taken place. It looked like various different types of mana floating around in the air, a very strange sight for someone who had been working a dead end job on earth a few hours ago. As he pondered why this ability to see mana didn't elicit any reaction from the ball, Andromeda called him. "Cain, unfortunately, as you have no magic, it doesn't seem to be a great idea to put you in any jobs that require it, such as the guards. However, we have the mines. It doesn't require magic, but it is quite grueling down there. That is the best path for you, as any of the smaller jobs wouldn't help you in the long run."
Cain directed his gaze at Ella, and Andromeda called her over. "Ella, why don't you help Cain communicate his thoughts with me. she reluctantly nodded, and placed a hand on Cain's shoulder. A cool sensation flooded his body, as he heard Ella's voice in his head.
"Can you hear me?" She said,
Cain shuddered, as shock filled him. Even knowing what she was capable of, it was still somewhat shocking having it actually happen. He hesitantly tried to reply back, and managed to shakily reply. "H-hello?"
"Good. I can hear you. Do you have any questions for Miss Andromeda?" She said, without missing a beat.
"Uh, yes, I was wondering how dangerous the mines are and what I'll be mining." Still somewhat shocked, Cain managed to form a sentence together. Holding a conversation like this was a whole new experience for him, and he was having a hard time digesting what was happening.
Ella relayed what he had asked to Andromeda. Cain, still internally excited and awed by the brief exchange he had with Ella, was shaken out of his reverie as Andromeda said, "The mines are indeed somewhat dangerous, such as due to collapses or monsters that appear infrequently in the caves. Frosthaven's main export is magic stones, found in the mines in the mountains around us. The magic stones are nowhere near as pure as the one we just used, but are much more unrefined. I recommended this to you because I know the chief of the mine is in need of new workers. Would you be open to trying it?" Cain nodded his head, and Ella retracted her hand. "I'll guide you to your job areas in the next few days, but for now, just rest and familiarize yourself with Frosthaven. I understand this is quite the ordeal for you all to adjust, but this is for the best. I will see you later." Andromeda left the room, with Ella soon leaving after her.
The group began discussing their job assignments, excited to start learning magic. Cain was silent, as always, and wondered what his apparent lack of magic and mining job entailed for him. Lost in thought, he barely noticed Noah appear in front of him, accompanied by Theresa. "Cain, you have a mining job, correct?" As Cain nodded, Noah looked at him with pitying eyes. He then addressed the whole group, saying, "No matter what job, we are all from Earth, and must stay together. I saw many of you looking down on him for his lack of magic. We are all in this strange place, and now is no time to start causing conflict! We should be sticking together. If you ever need help Cain, just come find me. I will be glad to assist you." Cain nodded as Noah's position in the group's heart seemed to reach a new level. Many of the younger women looked at him with excited gazes. He was quickly caught up by many people asking him about his magic, leaving Cain alone with Theresa.
She regarded him with a chilly gaze, and warned him. "This isn't Earth, and the same rules don't apply. Noah and I are destined to shine on this stage, and I don't want a magicless bug like you dragging him down. Just stay in the mines if you know what's good for you." With that, she rejoined Noah talking to the other group members. Cain was somewhat shocked by her bluntness, but soon brushed it off. Magic was everything in this world, and Cain understood that having none was equivocal to a disability here. As if being mute wasn't enough. Cain shook his head, and returned to his room.
Cain sat in his bed, looking through the metal bars out at the rapidly dimming sky. His magic sight, as he'd begun to call it, was working well, showing him all the different types of mana that surrounded him. He'd found out that he could activate it by concentrating, and trying to replicate what he'd felt before. It took all night, but he'd managed to activate it once, for a second, before it shut off again, and his vision had briefly darkened. With more practice, he was sure he could make it become a valuable ability he could use at will. Although he realized he had to be careful, because he'd seen in his mirror in the split second he'd used it that his eyes had turned bright gold when he used it. It seemed like a bad idea to let people know about this ability this early on. He still didn't entirely trust Frosthaven and the council, much less his fellow new arrivals, who seemed to be aspiring for something greater in this world. Cain wondered if Andromeda had caught anything, but dismissed the thought, for it was such a brief activation that only the briefest change would've been visible. He turned his thoughts back to the magic sight.
He'd wondered why this didn't register with the magic stone, but recalled Andromeda talking about beings inherently born with magical capabilities. For example, beings like elves and spirits had an innately high affinity and comprehension of magic. Others, like a gorgon, had the ability to turn things that looked into its eyes to stone. Many abilities didn't strictly fall under the category of magic, just like his eyes. He'd learned this from the few books set aside for him in his room, which included magic theory and a basic introduction to magic, although unfortunately, they didn't have any records of anything like his eyes. Among other things, he'd learned that humans used magic primarily through verbal chants, adding on a further hurdle he had to face, should he ever try to learn magic. He planned to spend the few days of time he had before he went to the mines making use of the extensive library in the Spire to learn more about Titan.
Back on Earth, he'd been an avid reader, and easily retained everything he read. This was coming in handy on Titan, as he became more knowledgeable about the general state of this world. As the others grew familiar with some of the residents of Frosthaven, Cain continued to learn, but he wasn't alone. One night, as Cain came in to start reading, he noticed a dim light in a distant corner of the library. Upon walking over, he discovered Ella, the telepathic girl, sleeping in the midst of a pile of books. Cain looked at the books, and noticed they were all about records of variant magical abilities and other information based on variants. He'd originally thought she was just a girl, but upon a closer look, she seemed closer to his age, although still small and frail-looking. Cain found a blanket on one of the couches in the library and draped it over her shoulders. He wasn't a saint, but it wasn't a big deal to do this much, and the library grew quite cold at night. He dimmed the light, and walked back to his room. As soon as the library door shut, a pair of vibrant pink eyes slowly opened, staring at the door.
For the following days after, Cain noticed Ella more in the library, but he continued researching Glacias, and Titan as a whole. Unfortunately, he didn't learn much of anything concerning the origins of his ability, but some of the books helped him learn to control it better. He could now control it for 5 seconds with ease, and didn't have any ill effects until he grew close to the 10 second mark, at which point his vision began tunneling. Cain hoped this ability, upon more practice, would become more useful, but for now, he'd have to wait.
Every night at dinner, he heard Noah telling the group about he and Theresa's magic training. As the top talents of the group, they'd already begun practicing, and Noah could already make a fireball. He perfectly fit the protagonist type. Cain inwardly snorted at the thought, as he continued to through section after section in the library. Perhaps due to the mana in the air, Cain's reading speed and comprehension ability seemed to have experienced a qualitative change, as he read faster and faster, absorbing all the information like a sponge.
One evening, Cain was so immersed that he didn't notice Ella's presence until she sat down next to him. Looking at him through her cloak, she asked, "Can we talk?"
Cain nodded, and she placed her hand on his shoulder, starting the conversation.
"Thank you for the blanket a few days ago. I've been wanting to thank you for a while,``she began.
"No problem. It wasn't a big deal, and I can attest to how cold the library becomes at night." Cain was happy to have a conversation with someone, and was grateful towards Ella's ability.
"I can agree with you there. I'm still not used to how cold this place is."
"Wait, are you not from Frosthaven?" Cain questioned.
"Of course not. I came from the capital. Long story short, when my ability was discovered, my family sold me off at the drop of the hat, and I ended up in Andromeda's hands. I was brought by Andromeda, though I still don't know why. I didn't have much of a choice in the matter," Ella replied.
"My condolences." Cain was somewhat speechless, not knowing what to say. He was once again reminded of how different Titan was from his past world, as Ella basically sounded like a slave. "So was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about other than the blanket?" He asked.
"Oh yes! I wanted to know about your world! You are the first arrivals in 2 decades, and the last humans from Earth came centuries ago. The most recent arrivals were lizardmen, but they were killed before anyone could reach them, so I haven't seen any arrivals before you all. I've only ever seen the capital in my life, as I was born here." As Ella spoke, she gradually grew more excited.
"Ok, but in exchange, tell me more about Titan, and this continent. After All, there's only so much I can learn from these books. Deal?
Cain and Ella talked well into the night, comparing their lives, Ella commenting on how boring Earth was, and Cain on how outrageous the capital was. Ella talked about the towering castles of ice in the capital, and the luxury, while Cain talked about the metal metropolis he lived in, with poverty everywhere. They made an odd coupling, but they soon grew closer under the shared feeling of being in the same situation; thrust forcefully out of their homes and brought to this cold, barren place. As the night grew darker, and they grew increasingly more drowsy, they eventually drifted to sleep, leaning against each other.
ーーーーーーーーーー
Meanwhile, in another room in the Spire, the 5 council members stood. "Andromeda, what do you think about these new arrivals? This is unprecedented, and I've heard similar instances have happened in the other 3 continents." Brutus spoke in a rumbling voice that seemed to make the whole room shake.
"We've been posted here by his Imperial Majesty for so long with no action that I'd thought he'd made a mistake. To put people of our stature in a rundown place like this? And searching through this barren place for whatever it is we need to find? Preposterous." In a venomous tone, Erin, the dream spirit, spoke. His lilac eyes were scrunched up as he glared at Andromeda and said, "Captain, why don't you tell us why we're here. It's been a few months, and we still don't know why we're in this frozen shithole. All we know is to look out for things that stick out."
As the other members nodded in agreement, Andromeda frowned, but relented. "Fine. Considering the time of the new arrivals, this may be connected to our mission. As you know, we are near the ruins of the old empire. His Imperial Majesty wanted us to dig around and try to find the ruins. That is the basic mission, but his biggest hope is to find "his" tomb and inheritance. If found, it could, without a doubt, sway the current power system between the continents entirely in our favor. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything even after scanning the surrounding 1000 miles with my magic. However, when the new arrivals showed up, I could have sworn I felt a magical resonance somewhere else. I have a feeling the new arrivals have some tie to this, and may be the lucky break we've been waiting for." As Andromeda smiled, the other members seemed shocked at what they'd just heard.
Leena asked in a daze, "By "him", surely you don't mean-"
"Yes I do. We have found traces of his tomb in the surrounding area. Unfortunately, as his tomb will be heavily guarded, it is entirely possible we will face casualties going in unprepared. I plan to use the arrivals and some townsfolk to scout it out. A pity, those two newbies could have become outstanding mages given time. Oh well, we can just find some more."
As Andromeda so nonchalantly talked about the fates of the townspeople, she suddenly whipped her head towards the door and shot a burst of blue light at the door. It splintered, and an injured cry could be heard, as a cloaked figure was revealed peeping through the door that lay ajar. The figure threw something, and with an explosion of green light, vines rapidly grew out of the stone floor, entangling the council members. The figure made a quick getaway while the council members were incapacitated, and broke through a window, disappearing into the city.
Brutus roared, and with a burst of brute strength, snapped all the vines holding him. Similar scenes followed, as Leena's vines were cut to pieces, Kree's were disintegrated, Erin's melted from a cloud of purple smoke, and Andromeda's were burned to a crisp. Andromeda looked at the surrounding members, and said, "As the peeping tom was escaping, I saw something. They were wearing a uniform of the Ventus imperial guard. It seems they will soon know about our mission if we don't stop them. Quickly, his Imperial Majesty placed great importance on the secrecy of our mission. We must stop them before they reach their comrades." The members shot out of the Spire, fanning out across the city in pursuit of the intruder.
As events that would soon shake the world of Titan began to grow closer, the city of Frosthaven slept peacefully.