It was a hot day, the sun bearing down on the large group of people gathered below.
They were all waiting in line, a podium up ahead where they would get their power checked.
It was the most important day in an individual's life.
It didn't matter what your status was before, if you got an F rank power, you were screwed and if you got an S rank power, you would be on top of the world.
Once you got your power, you would then apply to university.
Kaitlyn waited patiently in line, chatting with her friends next to her.
She was one of the most popular girls in the school, being both good academically and in terms of looks.
She had long flowing blonde hair and bright blue eyes and came from a middle-class background.
It wasn't all good though.
With her position, there were constant vultures lurking.
Especially that girl Lucie.
Kaitlyn was sure that she was eyeing her boyfriend, Daniel.
Even now, they were chatting further up the line, but Kylie couldn't prove anything beyond that.
She was currently getting in his face, being touchy, but noticing that Kylie was staring Daniel just rubbed the back of his hand.
"So, Kat, what power do you think you will get?" one of her friends asked.
It was her best friend, Elizabeth.
She was poor but incredibly nice.
"I don't know Liza, though people say it is linked to genetics," Kaitlyn answer back.
Her parents were both C ranks, so chances were high she would get a similar level.
It wasn't the best, but it was much higher than the majority of people.
Only 1 in 100 people even got to that level.
As people continued to get their power tested, Lucie finally had her turn.
She put her hand on the crystal tester, and it started to glow, faint at first, but brighter and brighter as time went on.
Kaitlyn frowned as the crystal seemed to refuse to stop.
Eventually, it gave of a cyan glow, the strength of its light telling everyone its rank.
"Lucie Ownes. B rank power. Ice Manipulation," the person next to the machine spoke out, his face full of surprise.
A shock spread through the crowd.
It was pretty much a 1 in 1000 chance of getting a power at that level.
A smug grin appeared on Lucie's face, who turned around to give Kaitlyn a challenging gaze.
Kaitlyn clenched her fist, but she reassured herself.
Up next, Daniel was called.
He repeated the same actions, his hands on the crystal.
This time, the glow was even brighter,
A massive ripple of gasps spread through the watching audience; many people's mouths opened in awe.
Even a donkey could recognize what such a glow meant.
"Daniel Klein. A rank power! Indestructible body!" even the person testing couldn't help but let out a shocked expression.
His face was normally emotionless, but this forced him to react.
He saw a couple B ranks every year when testing, but an A rank?
He had never seen one before.
It wouldn't be outlandish to say that it was 100 times rarer than a B rank.
Daniel turned around to face the crowd, a massive smile on his face.
Though Kaitlyn had mixed feelings, she still felt happy for him.
After a moment, he came right up to Kaitlyn, with the girl giving him a light peek on his cheeks.
"Well done, I knew you could get a great power," she said sincerely.
"Of course, was there any doubt? I will wait for you at the back baby," with a quick wave, he walked away.
There was contingent of students there who had finished their turns but wanted to still watch the rest.
There were also some agents from medium sized guilds watching, seeing if they snatch a new talent.
Seeing Daniel walk over, they instantly swarmed around him.
It wasn't necessary, but it was fun.
There Lucie was waiting, but Kaitlyn was too distracted to notice.
It was her turn coming up soon.
After some time had passed, Elizabeth had her hands on the crystal.
Her results were thus announced.
"Elizabeth Lawrence. C rank power. Healing."
As she stepped down, she gave a reassuring smile to Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn nodded back, a confident stride to her steps as she made her way up.
She had a secret that no one else knew, not even her parents or best friend, that gave her this confidence.
As reached the top, the reality of what was happening fully set in.
Just these short few minutes would decide what her future would be.
She proceeded to put her sweaty palms on the crystal, the object glowing as the magical energy inside it swept over her.
Slowly, the latent ability insider her was awakened.
Her eyes closed; she could feel her strength growing every second.
But just a second later, the feeling stopped.
Confused, she opened her eyes to see the dull glow of the crystal in front.
A thin purple glow tried to make its way out, but it was almost pitiful.
"Kaitlyn Coleman. F rank power. Cloning," The man had a dismissive tone in his announcement, as if asking the filth in front of him to get out of his sight.
But Kaitlyn stood frozen, the world feeling like it was crashing down on her.
"No! Surely there's a mistake," she tried to argue with the man, but he pointed outside the podium.
"There was no mistake. Now can you get out of the way. There are others I still need to test."
Feeling dejected, the girl walked off, her eyes barely processing her surroundings.
The people around her seemed to pull away, as if afraid Kaitlyn's bad luck would affect them too.
Even her friends didn't attempt to come over to comfort her, Elizabeth being the only one.
"Are you ok Kaitlyn?" she asked worriedly.
But Kaitlyn gave no response, her mind lost in her thoughts.
It refused to accept her new reality.