The Arcane Field was a place of order disguised as chaos.
Created to serve as an independent training zone, the Field operated without direct supervision. Only one mage, the legendary Ardan, resided there, but he rarely intervened. His presence was almost mythical, and many believed his sole purpose was to ensure no one destroyed the place.
Thus, the hierarchy was maintained by the students themselves.
At the top were the advanced students, those with two baptisms, who dominated most missions and organized teams for more complex challenges. Just below them were the intermediates, mages with one baptism, still working to perfect their cores through simpler missions. And at the base of the pyramid were the beginner apprentices—like Evan and Cedric.
The system was cruel but efficient: the more baptisms a mage had, the greater their prestige and influence. Each baptism was a milestone that refined the core, better channeling the mage's power. However, achieving a baptism was no easy feat, requiring not only experience but also a minimum mastery of spells aligned with the core.
Evan Tharann, however, was stuck at the lowest level. And he wasn't alone.
Cedric walked beside Evan, carrying a small leather pouch tied to his belt. His core, called Phantom Bridge, was a constant source of jokes. It allowed Cedric to create small connections between spiritual planes, but its effect was limited.
After months of exhaustive practice, Cedric managed to align his core to summon spiritual objects, like stones or nails a few centimeters in size, which disappeared within seconds. The effort required to summon anything larger than a copper coin was almost unbearable.
Despite that, Cedric never gave up.
"The other day, I managed to summon three nails at the same time," he said proudly.
Evan gave him a sideways glance.
"And what did you do with them?"
"They disappeared before I could decide," Cedric admitted, laughing. "But it's the idea that counts, right?"
Evan gave a short laugh, but silence quickly followed. They both knew what it meant: cores like Cedric's were considered weak. He was a mage whose potential always seemed out of reach, someone destined to remain at the bottom of the Field's hierarchy.
Even so, Cedric refused to be discouraged.
"Hey, at least my core has a name," he said, teasing Evan with a grin.
Evan rolled his eyes. It was a recurring joke between them.
The pair arrived at the central square, where the stone structure for missions stood like an altar for the skilled. At the top, Jonas, an advanced apprentice with two baptisms, analyzed scrolls while his group surrounded him.
The glowing symbols of his core—Solar Explosion—were visible on his arm, showing that his core was activated. It was an impressive and intimidating sight, but also a display of power.
"Next!" Jonas shouted, handing a scroll to a group of intermediate apprentices. The Arcane Field operated at a fast pace, with missions being continuously distributed. Every apprentice needed to complete tasks to earn merit points, which served as currency for training, acquiring items, or even maintaining their stay in the Field.
When Evan's turn came, Jonas didn't hide his disdain.
"Ah, Tharann," he said, emphasizing the surname as though it were an insult. "The Nameless Core himself. Let's see what we've got for you..."
Jonas pretended to analyze the scrolls for a few seconds before tossing one at Evan.
"Collection mission. Rune fragments. Beginner level. Don't get lost in the forest, alright?"
The group around Jonas chuckled briefly but soon returned to discussing their own missions. In the Arcane Field, no one had time to truly humiliate someone; the constant pursuit of progress left little room for anything else. Even so, Evan felt the sting of shame.
Cedric, standing beside him, observed everything with a restrained expression.
"At least no one asks you to pull nails out at impossible angles," he said with a faint smile, turning his reality into a joke.
Evan didn't reply immediately. He grabbed the scroll and walked away quickly, with Cedric following close behind.
As they headed toward the forest, Evan thought about the Field's reality. There was an obsession with progress here. Every student had a clear goal: to level up, achieve new baptisms, and refine their cores.
Cedric, on the other hand, had a different role. His core, Phantom Bridge, allowed him to summon small, short-lived tools. Thanks to his core's alignment, he could perform these summons with minimal energy, making him a versatile apprentice.
He was often assigned missions involving minor repairs or specific tasks: pulling nails from awkward angles, pruning oddly shaped magical plants, or even crafting stamps to authenticate Field documents.
"You're like their handyman," Evan once commented.
Cedric laughed at the memory.
"Better than doing nothing. Besides, I save energy. It's a unique talent, you know?"
Evan knew Cedric tried to make the best of his situation, but it wasn't easy. Many apprentices saw him as a mere assistant, someone without ambition or potential to stand out. But Cedric seemed determined to prove that even a simple core could have value.
"Your core is your destiny," Cedric murmured, as if reading Evan's mind. "Those guys say it like it's easy."
Evan shrugged.
"It's easy for those born with a clear path. Look at Jonas, for example. Solar Explosion. He knows exactly what to do."
"Yeah, blow things up," Cedric replied sarcastically. "Very sophisticated."
The joke drew a faint smile from Evan, but it wasn't enough to lighten the weight he felt.
Among the students, rumors circulated that cores like Evan's were defective—imperfect fragments born from some cosmic error. Though no one said it outright, the notion hung over him like a shadow.
Cedric, despite his core's limitations, had found a path. He could efficiently complete small, mundane missions, ensuring his acceptance in the Field as a "jack-of-all-trades." Even so, his practical utility didn't earn him prestige, and he was rarely taken seriously by the other apprentices.
"You know you'll need me for this mission, right?" Cedric said, trying to sound confident.
Evan raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're going to summon a translucent key to unlock a tree?"
Cedric laughed, shaking his shoulders.
"You never know when a key might come in handy."
Evan smiled faintly, but his gaze soon grew distant. Despite the jokes, he knew the Field's reality was relentless, and Cedric was one of the few people who still treated him as an equal.
"See you later," Cedric said, patting Evan's shoulder before turning away. He had received another mission, something about fixing stakes around the Field's perimeter. As Cedric walked off, Evan realized his friend was more than just company: he was a reminder that even with a limited core, it was possible to find purpose.
Evan, however, still had to discover his own.
Public Information: Cedric
Summary: Cedric summons tools that disappear before they become useful—a jack-of-all-trades who achieves nothing.
Core: Phantom Bridge
Ability: Facilitates rapid object-summoning spells.
Energy Consumption:
- 50% less than a regular mage to summon pre-existing items.
- 70% less to summon non-existent items (forms created directly from his imagination).
Limitations: Summoned items last, on average, 60% less time in the material plane compared to other mages' creations. Maintaining items for longer requires disproportionate and dangerous effort.
Appearance of Items: Always have an astral aspect, appearing translucent and surrounded by a faint glow.