"Mike! Zephyr!" I shout as I spot them in the midst of the crowd. I hurry to join them without pushing too hard on the people around me.
My friends turn around and see me heading towards them, so they stop and wait for me. Despite the crowd of people all moving towards Steelwall Academy, I can always rely on Mike. Standing at 6 feet tall with shaved hair and a bear-like build, he looks like a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean. Zephyr is just as remarkable, but for different reasons. She is small, with pale green hair and eyes and little pointed ears!
After joining them, we make our way to the gates of Steelwall Academy. Legends say that the academy was built as a fortress, a bastion to counter the waves of monsters during the Dark era. 15-meter-high walls fortified by defensive runes surround it. The academy is considered impregnable.
"Hey Heol! Still absorbing everything you see, huh?" says Mike, laughing.
"He's always been like that, Mike. Heolstor is always learning and absorbing everything he can, even when it's useless!" adds Zephyr, sighing slightly.
"Hey! That's not true!" I say, trying to defend myself.
"Oh no? Do you remember when you wanted to know how to wear a corset and your sister ended up forcing you to wear one all day? Ha ha, I'm pretty sure you regretted that!" says Mike, laughing out loud.
"Yeah... maybe it's not always useful to want to assimilate everything..." I mumble, defeated.
The entrance to the academy is packed with people since all the 16-year-old children are here. Space is scarce and we can hear the buzz of dozens of conversations around us. Nevertheless, we can still clearly hear the guards shouting their orders to pass and move forward.
After about twenty minutes, we managed to reach the central pavilion of the academy where the welcoming ceremony was taking place. The building is gothic-style with arches on the side and stained glass windows. The scenes undoubtedly depict significant events such as battles or ceremonies, I can't say. History has never been my strong suit! In the reception hall, dozens of rows of seats are arranged. Mike, Zephyr, and I have decided to sit close to each other.
A little further ahead of the rows, there is a stage where a few empty chairs and a microphone can be seen. I imagine that's where the teachers will sit.
Meanwhile, the room fills up, and we can see about a hundred young people. The majority are humans, and the rest are divided among elves, dwarves, and a few half-humans…
"Heol! Look over there, isn't that Nicole Furet by any chance?" asks Mike, pointing to a young man dressed in a shiny black suit accompanied by a multitude of servants.
"At this distance, I can't say, Zephyr could you confirm?" I ask, knowing full well that she has better vision than us as a half-elf.
"Affirmative, it is him, and it seems like he still doesn't think he's shit," she says, seeing that Nicole is busy insulting and ordering his servants.
"No wonder, he's the type of noble who sees the normal world as plebeians. He's not malicious as such, but his attitude is extremely arrogant and haughty. In my opinion, he probably doesn't even realize it, and that's what prevents me from hating him."
"Yeah, well, I don't like those damn rich kids. I just hope he won't have a unique profession or, better yet, that would be the end for us. He already doesn't like us..." adds Mike with a hint of concern.
In the meantime, the teachers have arrived and taken their seats. One of them, a tall old man with a very long white beard that reached down to his knees, stood up towards the center of the stage. As he walks, his pointed hat and his coat, colored with strange symbols, flutter with each step, giving him the impression of being a mad wizard. The old man finally took his place at the microphone and began to tell us:
"Attention, attention, everyone please take your seats! I would like to thank you all for being here today on this welcoming day! My name is Vikckson Rosenpowell, director of the Steelwall Academy..."
Upon hearing this, I automatically raise an eyebrow, surprised by this declaration. I didn't know if everyone saw the same thing as me, but that man is surely not all there, I think, seeing him fondle and stroke what appears to be a crow statuette.
Vikckson, who hadn't stopped talking, continued:
"Today, I will give you some explanations about the welcoming ceremony. I know it must be stressful for you, but don't worry, I did well, didn't I?" he said, smiling with his head tilted to the side. Seeing that no one laughed or seemed to understand, the director continued his speech.
The ceremony is meant to test all 16-year-olds with a profession stone to awaken their profession.
To put it simply, each individual awakens one or more professions, but can only choose one. A list of these professions will appear in front of you when you touch the stone. Professions are often related to each person's interests or talents. For example, a person who likes fire, embers, destruction, or who has suffered burns is more likely to awaken a profession related to fire, such as Fire Mage, Pyrokinetic, Sapper, Blacksmith, etc. While a person who prefers water, swimming, or simply rain, could in turn develop a profession like Water Mage, Aquamancer, Shaman, Mermaid...the list and examples are endless.
Again, if the person awakening their profession is more interested in abstract subjects such as reading or stars, they could well awaken a profession as a Librarian, Astrologer, or even Summoner!
Interests and talent play a role in awakening, but so does lineage. A family of Mages is more likely to have a child who awakens a Mage profession than a family of Laborers.
In addition, there are two types of professions: common professions and unique professions. Let me explain, for example, Civilians, a common profession that thousands of people have, as opposed to a profession like mine: Puppeteer! "
Saying this, the raven he was holding in his hands flew into the air, made a few turns around the room, and quickly returned to rest on the director. After collecting his puppet, he continued:
"Even if the name of a profession seems impressive to you, take the time to read the description that accompanies it when you select it. You will also notice that each profession has a rank: ordinary, rare, legendary, mythical. Once awakened, you obtain skills related to your profession. On this last point, I leave it to your teachers to give you the details during your classes. Now, it's time to start the awakenings," he finished, clapping his hands with excitement.