In the year 1630 B.C., on the sun-drenched coasts of ancient Greece, lived a twelve-year old boy named Phaistos. The salty breeze of the Aegean Sea filled his lungs, and the golden sands warmed his feet as he ran along the shoreline. The vibrant colors of the sunset painted the sky with shades of orange and pink, a sight that never ceased to amaze him.
Phaistos was not born wealthy or noble, but he had this intrinsic feeling that he was destined for great things. Some called it arrogance, but to him, it was more than that. It was his will to exist and leave his mark on history. He often gazed at the horizon, imagining the adventures that lay beyond the sea, feeling a mix of excitement and longing.
While waiting for his destiny to unfold, Phaistos lived a peaceful life. Every day, he helped his father with nets filled with fish and repaired the boats eroded by the waves of the Aegean Sea. Despite his young age, he had managed to earn a great reputation as a fisherman. In his village, he was called "The Beloved of the Sea." However, Phaistos never felt a particular connection with the sea; he considered himself mostly lucky. He only felt the moments when he needed to take action that would benefit him.
Phaistos was the only son of Euripides and Callista. In the village, Euripides, a respected fisherman, was admired for his wisdom and quiet strength. His father had become a fisherman after a career in the navy where he was distinguished by his understanding of the celestial map. This passion for the stars is something that has always been part of this family. Their family legend says that their ancestor was born directly from the stars. To honour this legend, the members of this family are called Astraeus. Phaistos' mother is named Callista, a sweet and loving woman who brought warmth to their home with her culinary talents and unconditional love.
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One evening, after an extremely prosperous fishing day, Phaistos and his father returned home, loaded with fish. Callista received them with a bright smile and organized their evening meal. At the table, the family gathered to listen to each other's tales about the day and share experiences.
"Tell me, Phaistos," asked Euripides, looking at his son with affection, "what did you learn today about the stars?"
Phaistos, eyes sparkling with excitement, said, "Father, I saw a new star in the sky. It's brighter than the others - perhaps it has some significance."
"Stars have enchanted humankind, my son," Euripides smiled. "They hold within tissues ancient stories and mysteries we still know nothing about. Keep observing, and perhaps one day you will find something extraordinary."
After dinner, Phaistos decided to visit his grandfather, Helios, to listen to one of his stories. As he stepped through the door, Phaistos called out, "Grandfather, I'm here. I want to hear a story."
Helios knew his grandson very well; he knew that Phaistos loved the stories of the various Gods and heroes of their religion. That evening, he decided to tell him the legend of Astraeus, the Star Titan. When Helios told a story, he never missed a detail. He began by explaining the celestial origins of Astraeus, his descendants, and even his connection to the famous Titanomachy.
As the story came to an end, his grandfather said something seemingly ordinary that would unknowingly change Phaistos's life forever. "Never forget, Phaistos, each god uses a medium to convey his will. Zeus uses lightning to rule, while Ares manifests when blades taste blood. For Astraeus, it is said that his will is embodied in the stars, so always keep an eye on the sky to never miss a divine command."
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After talking a bit more with his grandfather, Phaistos decided to head home but not without stopping by his favorite spot. It was a beautiful clearing situated atop a hill. From this spot, one could see the entire village. It offered a breathtaking view, but that wasn't the highlight of the spectacle. Indeed, when night fell, and the observer looked up at the sky, they could see a myriad of stars.
Every night when Phaistos was at this place, he couldn't help but dream of becoming a god himself, able to traverse the path of stars and assert his supremacy in celestial battles like the ones his grandfather described.
"I wonder if I can manage to find that mysterious star I saw this morning," Phaistos mused.
As this question occupied our protagonist's mind, he searched the sky in vain for that star, as if it could herald a great change. However, it was to no avail; the sky remained unchanging. The starry vault stood with pride, immutable and eternal through the ages.
After a long search, Phaistos realized that his time had not yet come. Before leaving, he shouted to the sky, hoping Astraeus could hear him: "I don't know if we are bound by blood or by fate. But one day, I will sit beside you as a hero, and my adventures will become stories, then legends that will, in turn, shape heroes."
With these words, Phaistos left. This prevented him from seeing a star appear in the sky. Over the seconds, it began to shine brighter and brighter. As the star took a central place in the sky, it directed a beam of pure light onto Phaistos.
"What is this…" Phaistos exclaimed.
And then, everything went black!
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After a time Phaistos could not quantify, he woke up in a completely white room. As panic overwhelmed him, he heard a voice that paralyzed him. In all his life, he had never heard such a voice. It exuded a sense of coldness and objectivity, as if what was speaking was not human at all.
[Phaistos Astraeus]
[Male, 12 years old]
[Human from planet 28456 of the Milky Way]
[First trial - not started]
Phaistos was completely bewildered. The situation made no sense, and his first reflex was to pray to Hypnos, the god of sleep. "I beseech you, Great Hypnos, bless me with your splendor and allow my dream to turn into a gentle vision."
After waiting for a minute, Phaistos, seeing no change in his situation, started his prayer again, believing he had not shown enough sincerity. However, the result remained the same. The situation did not change, so Phaistos had to resolve to calm down and try to analyze the situation logically.
First, he noticed a screen sparkling with thousands of stars in his gaze, displaying various information. What struck him immediately was that despite the use of a foreign language, he could understand the meaning of the noted elements. The first two lines were familiar to him, as they contained personal information.
However, the next two lines meant nothing to him. Fortunately, while he was pondering the significance of these elements, the cold, inhuman voice reappeared.
[Analyzing host's memory in progress....]
[Analysis concludes that the host comes from a lower world that has not yet learned all the components of its solar system. Due to academy regulations, we can only explain that you were born on one of the many habitable planets in your galaxy.]
The terms used by the voice were complex for him, but they helped him understand the main idea conveyed by the voice.
[It is now important to explain that you have been selected to enter the Ætherion academy. Several trials await you throughout your curriculum, but your priority for now is to be accepted. To do so, you must become a rank 1 magician within a week.]
[To do so, please step near the crystal ball in the center of the room.]
At that moment, in the center of the room, an altar with a deep violet crystal ball appeared as if by magic. Panic and confusion pushed Phaistos to approach the center of the room. When he was in front of the crystal ball, he felt a strong attraction to it. He couldn't resist placing his hand on it. From that moment, the ball lit up with a golden and bluish glow.
[Phaistos Astraeus]
[Magic Power: 5]
[Combat Power: 10]
[Magic Affinity: Light and Water]
[Spiritual Origin: B-]
[Lineage: ???]
[Talent: ???]
[Magic power is the representation of your ability to manipulate the spiritual energy of the universe. The more magic power a magician has, the further they can advance in the ranks of apprentices and eventually become an immortal magician.]
[Combat power is a measure of an individual's physical strength. For an average adult human of your species, it corresponds to 10. Combat power is calculated based on 3 criteria: physical strength, speed, and endurance. Each of these criteria is composed of sub-criteria such as explosive strength and grip strength. This explains why two people with the same combat power may not exhibit the same real effectiveness.]
[Spiritual origin is the representation of your talent. Spiritual origin can be ranked from F- to SSS+, the higher your spiritual origin rank, the more talented you are. This means faster improvement of your magic power. Your talent is within the average range at the universal level.]
[Now that you have received the information, it is time to embark on the path of a magician. Whether you succeed or not, that's your problem.]
At the same time, in other white rooms, far from Phaistos' concerns, there were also 4 other isolated young Earthlings. Freya, a Scandinavian princess, Kibi, an African hunter, Zara, a pharmacologist from the Atlas Mountains, and Miki, a Japanese martial artist.