In a magical world that evolved over time to become very similar to our own, many people were born with completely unique magic, with no person having magic identical to another's. Due to this fact, many people ended up with no magic at all, and these individuals were labeled as "normal" or "anti-magic." Normal people are not allowed to join guilds or fight against those with magic; the same rule applies to those with magic, with even a penalty for those who initiate such fights.
In the center of the city of FireYork, many people were trading goods, buying merchandise, and strolling through the area until a man riding a bar of soap with a showerhead used as a propeller at the back started knocking down citizens. You could hear some people shouting: "Get off the street, you lunatic!" "What the hell are you doing riding like that in the middle of the crowd?"
The man's most apparent features were his brown hair, being shirtless, and wearing pink shorts with some patches. He also had a rubber duck and a towel on his left shoulder, and in his right hand, he held a bath brush.
"Sorry about that, but I don't have time to walk. Sliding on a bar of soap is way cooler than walking," he said.
As he continued knocking people down while sliding on his soap, a stone was thrown at him. On that stone, a word was written in black: "Explosion."
"That won't—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the stone emitted a loud sound and exploded, knocking him off the soap. As he stood up, he looked ahead and saw a man with black hair, wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and black shorts.
"You shouldn't run people over on the sidewalk," said the man, lacking confidence.
The man who was riding the soap approached the man in the long sleeves, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him close.
"Are you crazy? I'm going to beat you so bad you'll change ethnicities."
"Your tone of anger doesn't match your outfit. Aren't you cold, being practically naked?"
"What? Whatever. But damn, I'll just walk; I'm close enough anyway."
Both followed the same path until they arrived at a rather striking stadium-like building. It was the magic guild, where adventurers enlisted to undertake missions, hunting beasts or mages who terrorized the city. They also dealt with dungeons, which could become harmful or dangerous in the future.
"So, you're here to enlist too?" asked the man with brown hair.
"Yeah, I'm here to enlist. I didn't think bad people like you could enlist here," said the man in long sleeves, yawning a bit.
"If you say I'm bad again, I'll kill you!" said the brown-haired man, already irritated, with veins bulging on his hand and face.
"Typical villain talk," replied the man in long sleeves.
After finishing their conversation at the guild's entrance, they entered the building and went to different counters, where each registered. After both registered, they would wait until 5:00 PM when the cards would be announced. They sat on nearby benches.
"Why the hell does it take so long to announce these stupid cards?" said the brown-haired man, his right eye twitching as if he had an impatience tic.
"Hey, troublemaker, I didn't ask your name. What is it?"
"I already told you I'll beat you up if you keep talking like that. It's Koru, that's my name."
"Oh, nice to meet you, Koru. My name is Haru."
"At least it's better than my name."
A loud sound echoed through the area; it was the announcement that the cards were ready. Everyone headed to the counters where they were called. At each counter, you could see two people, as if they were paired up. So, Koru and Haru were called to the same counter, where they received their cards.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Now that you've received your cards, proceed through the door and prepare for the test. I recommend you read each other's cards since you are a pair."
"Alright, give me your card, Haru, and I'll give you mine."
They exchanged cards and walked toward the door. As they opened it, they saw a rather strange portal; it was impossible to see where the portal would lead. Despite his hesitation, Koru took the lead and entered, and Haru followed him in, and the door closed.
End of the chapter.