The afternoon sun hung low in the sky as we all gathered in a large, open room with several other families. The air buzzed with nervous energy as we awaited the arrival of the person who would conduct our trials. My heart raced as I glanced at my family. My dad stood tall, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. My cousins whispered quietly among themselves, clearly as anxious as I was.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors at the far end of the room creaked open. All conversation ceased as a man entered. He was tall and imposing, dressed in long, flowing robes of deep blue. A long, white beard flowed down his chest, and his piercing blue eyes scanned the room with a calm intensity. Behind him, two soldiers in black and gold armor stood silently, their faces hidden beneath their helmets.
"I am Opras Windar," the man said, his voice smooth but authoritative. "I serve as a mage in His Majesty the King's service. Today, you will be examined, and your abilities will be assessed."
A murmur rippled through the gathered families. My stomach twisted into knots. I had used the Concealment ability I had seen, but what if something went wrong? What if I didn't do it properly? What if they discovered the truth?
Opras raised his hand, and the room fell silent. "The examination will proceed as follows," he said, his tone calm but firm. "I will first examine each family's bloodline ability. Then, I will examine each individual who possesses them, as abilities are not always present in every generation."
He turned his gaze toward the first family on the left. "The Hall family," he called. "Step forward."
I watched as the Hall family—an affluent-looking group—stepped up. They seemed far too confident, as if this was some kind of game to them. It was quite the sight compared to everyone else in the room, who were almost shaking and looked afraid. The mage muttered something under his breath, and suddenly, lights appeared around them, swirling in the air. The lights were soft, glowing green, before slowly fading away.
Opras studied them for a moment before nodding. "You possess the Ethos Garden skill," he said. "An ancient ability that allows plants to grow ten times their normal size, and five times faster. Four out of the seven of you possess it, which meets the minimum requirement. You pass to the next trial."
The Hall family smiled, looking smug as they stepped back into the crowd.
Next, Opras called out, "Thakur family."
Though they didn't have the confident look of the Halls, they still stepped forward, even though some of them were shaking. The mage repeated the same process, casting his spell and summoning the glowing lights. But this time, the lights were different—faint, flickering. Opras frowned slightly as he watched them.
After a moment, he sighed. "You possess the Instant Casting and Enchantment ability, an extremely rare skill that has sadly nearly disappeared from the world. However, only one of you possesses it, and the minimum requirement is three abilites holders. You do not pass."
The Thakur family visibly deflated, their nervous energy replaced with disappointment. Opras gestured for them to step aside, and they did so, moving like a line of defeated soldiers.
Then it was our turn.
"The Blom family," Opras said, turning his gaze toward us.
My heart skipped a beat. This was it. I held my breath as we stepped forward, my family moving in unison. Opras began his chant, and once again, the lights appeared, swirling around us in soft, glowing waves. I prayed that my concealment skill would hold, that they wouldn't see what I had hidden.
As the lights swirled, I felt a strange sensation in my chest—like a weight lifting off my shoulders, or something locking into place. A robotic voice echoed in my mind: Concealment skill activated. Appraisal skill failure. Displayed fake information successful.
Relief washed over me. The skill was working. Opras studied us for a moment, his expression neutral.
"You possess the Nine Paths skill," he said, his voice calm. "It allows the holder to specialize in a chosen field—whether it be wisdom, charisma, strength, or something else. It is a common but useful skill. Three of you possess it, so you pass to the second trial."
I breathed a sigh of relief, though my heart still raced in my chest. We had passed. I had remained undetected.
Opras nodded to the rest of the group. "The second trial will take place at the Great Hall where you were summoned. Only those with abilities may participate." He raised his hand, and once again, the air filled with glowing lights. "Those whose hands glow will step forward and state their names."I saw the hands of three of my family members begin to glow, and I breathed a sigh of relief—but something felt off. I could sense it.
I glanced down at my hands, fully expecting them not to glow.
But then I saw it—my hands were glowing.
My heart stopped. Panic surged through me. No, no, this couldn't be happening. I had hidden my powers successfully—they shouldn't be glowing.
Opras frowned slightly as he looked at me, stepping closer, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. Clearly, he didn't expect my hands to glow. "Young man," he said, his voice calm but probing, "Do you feel anything strange? Do you see anything... unusual?"
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "N-no," I stammered. "I don't… I don't know."
Opras studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Sometimes this happens," he said quietly. "The ability may exist in the body, but it wasn't strong enough to manifest. Do not worry—it is uncommon, but not unheard of."
I nodded quickly, my heart still pounding in my chest. He had bought it. For now, at least.
Opras then turned his attention to the rest of the family. He asked for the names of those whose hands had glowed. My uncle stepped forward first, his voice steady. "Samuel."
Next was my oldest cousin, Noah. "Noah," he said confidently.
Finally, my youngest cousin stepped forward, her voice small but determined. "Vivian."
Opras noted their names and gestured for them to step aside. The examination continued with the next family, but I could barely focus. My mind was spinning, thoughts spiraling out of control. I had been successful in hiding what I knew, but I had come far too close to being discovered.
As the rest were examined more closely, I couldn't help but glance at the Hall family. They were still smiling smugly; I couldn't fathom where their confidence came from. One of them—a young woman with dark hair—caught my eye, and when she saw me, she smirked in a childish way. I almost laughed, thinking how just a moment ago I had been so worried about being discovered. I had gone through all that effort to hide my abilities and information, but to them, it seemed like some sort of game. The irony wasn't lost on me.
Once the examinations were over, Opras dismissed the group, instructing those with abilities to follow him to the Great Hall while directing the rest to return to their rooms and rest.
When we returned to the third floor, I slipped away from my family and retreated to my room. Once I was alone, I summoned the status screen again, my heart pounding in my chest. There it was—the name staring back at me like a ghost from another life.
Aerithan.
I scrolled through the endless list of abilities tied to that name. Each one was more terrifying than the last—spells with fearsome names, powers that sounded almost god-like, and I was sure that if I made a mistake, I could cause immense devastation. I was terrified. I only understood some of the more self-explanatory ones, but most of them remained a mystery.
A soft knock at the door broke through my thoughts. I quickly dismissed the screen and called out, "Who is it?"
"It's your aunt," came the muffled reply. "We're heading downstairs. You should join us."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "Okay," I called back. "I'll be there in a minute."
As I stepped out of my room and made my way down the grand staircase, I couldn't shake the fear that gnawed at me. No one could find out. Not my family, not the mage, not anyone.
Because if they did…
It would put both myself and my family in danger.