Ojero and Orpham stared at each other for a moment, neither of them moving.
His brother's eyes were glowing with the radiance of a lit torch. Yellow energy illuminated the room around them.
Orpham looked almost alien as if he had become more than human.
"I look pretty sexy, don't I brother?" He said, a smirk on his face.
"But- What- How? What happened? Why are your eyes glowing?"
Stepping forward, Mr. Dan pushed his glasses up on his nose and brushed his long gray hair over his ears to see better.
"Perhaps, I should explain that one."
Turning to Ojero, he continued.
"You see, during the last shipment of trinkets from the capital, they happened to have included an epic rarity elemental gem known as a Guiding Light gem. Seeing the opportunity for what it was, I spoke to your father and asked if I could present it to one of you two as a chance to bond before you arrived at the academy. The capital does not care enough to double-check inventory logs, you see."
The aged man suddenly coughed into his hand, sheepishly looking away.
"I had initially hoped to wait for both of you to arrive to see who had a greater affinity to it, when it seemed to have… chosen your brother, for lack of a better term."
Ojero stood there a moment, his mouth dropping open, confusion flashing through his eyes.
"What do you mean chose him? Why wasn't I allowed to see it for myself!" He said, his voice rising.
He felt cheated out of something valuable he never even knew he had.
"Well, you see young Ojero, elemental gems have strange characteristics. They are both living and not, and can exercise a certain amount of choice about who they bond with. And it just so happens this particular gem was so emphatic to bond with your brother, it lept at him and bonded on the spot."
His embarrassed look gave way to blatant curiosity and passion for his craft.
"It has been known for such things to occur, but this is the first time I have witnessed it for myself. Gems are mercurial, and very few are so blatant with their wishes. If you two were anyone else, I would have documented the entire process and published it to the public archives! However, due to the secretive nature of nobility and their abilities, I will graciously keep my knowledge hidden."
He finished with a pointed statement as if inferring they would owe him for this 'favor'.
"What Mr. Dan really means is dad gave him some rules to follow, and his greed is beaten by his fear of an angry Magos."
Orpham said, stepping around the man.
His eyes were naturally magnetic, and it was hard to look away from them. It seemed even the iris had turned yellow.
Ojero watched as his brother approached, his disappointment settling in his stomach like a rock. His shoulders were slightly hunched, and his face betrayed his thoughts.
"Hey, chin up brother. We both know you'll get a gem of your own soon enough! Probably before we finish our first semester at the Academy even!"
The younger brother chuckled.
"Honestly, it'll probably be something incredible like Legendary or Mythical, knowing you. You never fail to impress Mom and Dad, this won't be any different. Besides, it's not like anything is different! I was always the better-looking one, this just makes it more obvious!"
Ojero responded by half-heartedly shoving his brother, a small grin breaking out on his face.
"Oh shove it you human street lamp."
"That's not all it does, ugly brother!"
Orpham stuck his hand out for Ojero to shake, and without prompting he took it.
For a moment nothing happened, until he felt a small amount of energy strike his palm, causing him to jolt.
In front of him, a screen appeared.
Status Offered.
With a mental assent, the screen disappeared and a far larger one took its place.
{Elemental Gems}
{Orpham Guestino}
Element: Guiding Light
Tier: Epic
Class: {Unchosen}
Rank: Initiate
Abilities: [Eyes of Light]
Aspects: [Light] [Revelation]
______________________________
Ojero read it all, each piece of information was like gold.
He had seen his dad's status hundreds of times, but it was still strange to know that this status was his own brothers
Most of the information was locked for now, he would gain access to it as he increased his rank, but it was all very interesting.
Focusing on what was currently available, he mentally selected the only ability Orpham had.
[Eyes of Light]
[Passive]
[Peer into the paths that cross around you and see the one that guides you toward the everlasting light of hope.]
'What the hell is this? This ability seems like something a hero would have! And what does it even mean the everlasting light of hope? Is this thing just full of allusions?'
Shaking his head, he focused on the two aspects his brother currently had unlocked.
[Light]
[The power of energy unbound by form, illuminating all paths to let those who are blind see clearly.]
[Fate]
[A tapestry is woven throughout the stars that connects what was, what is, and what shall ever be.]
'I should've expected as much. More vagueries, more allusions, and more questions. I wonder if this thing draws power from the befuddlement of its readers.'
Dispelling the screen, he turned to his brother with a smile.
"Looks like we have ourselves an oracle on our hands!"
"That's what I thought too, but Mr. Dan disagrees."
Remembering the old man was still there, he shot him a glance of confusion. Always eager to explain things, the curator happily obliged.
"I have read about a great many abilities, and have seen even a few of the same stripe as your brothers. Users of such abilities usually turn out to be officers in the army, being able to use their abilities to lead their troops to the best possible result. Light usually offers its wielder some combat capabilities as well."
"There is even a great story about the Spellblade Octavius who wielded a powerful form of light magic! You see, he would fuse the light into his blade to blind his opponents while also blessing his allies' physical capabilities! He was quite successful in both the First and Second Erostic War, where the Empire of Tehirgut faced off against the Stormborn Pirates!"
Finally noticing the two brothers' forced smiles, the old man petered off in his storytelling.
"Oh… I see I have droned on again. My apologies." He said sadly.
Seeming to suddenly remember something, he stuck his hand in into the pocket of his long dusty coat and took out a small wooden box. Giving it a quick wipe to remove some of the dirt and debris, he presented it to Ojero.
"Now, I may have only found one gem, but I did have something else for you!"
Taking the box with a very heartfelt thanks, Ojero pulled it close to his face and opened it.
Inside he saw a very simple shard of what looked like sapphire.
Injecting some mana into his eyes, he tried to analyze it.
[Stone of Unlocked Potential]
[Use when bonding to an elemental gem. Unlocks a second ability after bonding.]
The description was simple and to the point, with no references for once.
"Yeah, it's the good stuff, isn't it? He only showed it to me after the gem bonded to me, so I wasn't able to use it. Once you get a gem, it'll put you ahead of me, lucky bastard." Orpham said with a shake of his head, his smile never leaving.
Ojero closed the box and put it into his pocket before wrapping Mr. Dan in a big hug.
"Thank you so much, this means a lot."
"Stop it stop it, get off of me! You'll dirty up my coat!" The old man responded, backing away from Ojero.
He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the man's coat, but let him still get out of the hug.
'Dirty the coat? He means the tattered rags held together through hopes and dreams alone?'
He was about to thank him again when a loud crash echoed from the far side of the storage.
Mr. Dan's eyes widened as he began running in that direction.
"That rotten brat! I'll catch him this time!"
Once he was out of sight, a short dark-haired boy of 16 crawled out from behind the nearby shelves.
"Hey! Orpham, Ojero! Let's get out of here before he comes back! I want to show you two something!"
"Roger?" Ojero said out of reflex. "What about Mr. Dan? What did you break!"
"Oh relax, it was one of those unbreakable jars he has been obsessing over. I wouldn't cause the half-dead airhead any real issues! Now let's go!"
The boy then set off, leaving through the white door and returning to the exhibits, Orpham sparing only a second before following.
Ojero paused for a moment and glanced in the direction where Mr. Dan was, before shaking his head and also leaving.
'I'll make it up to him later, I promise!'