Roy stood at the edge of the bustling crowd, his eyes scanning the cluster of students flocking the merit list.
Students his age began to drift away from the board, some with bright smiles, others with downcast expressions.
Unlike them, Roy felt detached from the outcome. He knew he had done well in the written exams. Honestly, his gift wouldn't let him do poorly, even if he never studied ardently. His ability to memorize things was nothing less than cheating in this regard.
Since elementary school, his classmates had been chastising him for it. However, he always refrained from pointing out their body augmentation or super speed provided with a similar advantage in combat classes.
On another note, today was his birthday, though no one had wished him yet. His father had been absent for years, and as for his mother—she was busy with her work, but he was sure she would call, eventually.
As he waited, he noticed he wasn't alone. A girl stood nearby, her dark hair falling over her shoulders like a shadowy curtain. She wore glasses. With a button nose and pale complexation, she looked nothing short of a cute porcelain doll. A simple light blue dress clung to her slender frame, highlighting her delicate figure.
Sensing his gaze, the girl looked up and frowned. Roy responded with a polite smile before turning his attention back to the merit board. He waited for the crowd to thin, and then finally went to see his final term score.
Rank 1 - Aria Denaris - 95.7% Overall - 87% CA, 105% MT, 95% CS
Rank 2 - Madeline Adler - 92% Overall - 95% CA, 87% MT, 94% CS
Rank 3 - Roy Starvos - 90.6% Overall - 76% CA, 95% MT, 100% CS
Rank 4 - Ashu Patel - 86.3% Overall - 91% CA, 70% MT, 98% CS
...
Roy's eyes drifted to the top and found his name. The first name on the board was Aria Denaris, and just below it, he found his own: Roy Stavros, Third place, as always.
My Combat Assessment, though? Roy couldn't help but sigh. He had no excuse other than his [Memorisation] barely being a help in it. Thankfully, the instructor took what the student and their gift were capable of into account, or else even that score would have been abysmal.
He glanced at the girl beside him. "Congratulations," he said to the topper. I'm amazed at how you get 5% extra on Magic Theory.
Aria met his gaze and looked away, her expression devoid of emotions as always. "You too."
Roy could guess what cut 5% from his Magic Theory, but he had no clue what the soft-spoken girl did to warrant an extra 5% on the subject. Well, at least, she was not a topper in everything. Madeline beat her in Combat Assessment, while he beat her in Compulsory Studies.
Before Roy could say more, a heavy hand clapped down on his shoulder. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"The top three spots are reserved, as usual," Ryan said, slinging his arm around Roy's shoulders. "Aria and Madeline would never let you have the top spot, Roy."
Technically, Roy had topped the written exams, but it was the combat and magic tests that his score failed to live up to. Well, his gift let him memorise stuff without him putting any effort, so he had an unfair advantage in that, just like how Aria's gift made her the top of magic in their term.
Without even checking his own results, Ryan's gaze shifted to Aria, who stood silently beside them. Aria exchanges a nod with them before walking away.
"And you're still in the middle," Roy said.
Ryan followed her departure with his eyes before finally looking at the merit board. "I passed, and that's more than enough," he said, finally finding his name in the middle of the board, at the 71st spot. "All that studying feels like a waste now."
"That's rich coming from you," Roy said, a frown tugging at his lips. "Did you even study?"
"I actually did, not much, but it still feels pointless," he said. "Normal studies go over my head most of the time, much less magic theories. I only have my achievement in combat test to show in the Elite Academy."
Roy couldn't help but nod. While theories had their place, the guilds, academy and all the other organisations tended to take combat and magic more into account in their recruitment. Of course, that didn't mean they would leave someone like Roy.
No, a few years ago, they made it compulsory to attend the Elite Academy for anyone, even those born with the most insignificant of gifts. It was just that not even a fifth of them made it to graduation. Humanity had been on the back foot for the past decades. They needed more ascendant soldiers every year to fight against the demonic horde.
Roy had already got his enrollment notice a week ago, along with many others of his classmates. He just needed to wait for them to take him into the secret society of the awakened.
"By the way, Professor Alison was looking for you earlier. She asked me to tell you to see her before you leave. She's probably in the teacher's lounge now."
Roy frowned. "Why does she want to see me?"
Professor Alison was a part-time magic lecturer who had joined the institution a few months ago. Though she was well-regarded, Roy couldn't fathom why she would seek him out.
"You'll find out when you meet her," Ryan replied. "I'll fill you in on the rest later."
With that, Ryan left. Roy hesitated, then decided it wouldn't hurt to meet the professor. He made his way to the teacher's lounge, asking around until he was directed to where she was seated. However, it was she who found him first.
Professor Alison, a tall, statuesque woman with golden hair and striking eyes, sat at a table in the corner. She beckoned him over, waving her hands.
He took a seat across from her and opened his mouth...
"Happy birthday," she said with a smile. "Sorry, I don't have a gift for you."
Roy blinked in surprise. How did she know it was his birthday? Even his mother hadn't called yet.
"Thank you," he replied, his eyebrows rising in curiosity.
Without explaining, Professor Alison pulled out two packs of cupcakes. "I might not have a present, but I do have these," she said, tossing him one before unwrapping her own.
"How do you know today is my birthday?"
"Guess," she replied, not looking at him.
"Professor," Roy sighed, watching her slender fingers deftly work the wrapper, "why did you want to see me?"
She smiled at him, stuffed the cupcake in her mouth, and only spoke when she was done eating. "You're not one for small talk, are you? Shall I get to the point?"
Roy nodded, still holding his unopened cupcake.
"Have you heard of the guild Nova?" she asked, her gaze locking onto his.
Roy didn't flinch. "I recall seeing a documentary about them," he said, maintaining a neutral expression. While inside, all the information he ever knew about the guild surfaced from mis [Memory Palace]. While it was not a gold-rank guild, Nova was the rising star. It had reached silver in a record time of a mere twelve years.
Alison leaned back, resting her hand on the glass table. "Good, I won't need to start from the beginning, then."
She provided some basic information about the guild, things Roy already knew or could have guessed. But more importantly, he might be tripping, but it sounded like a recruitment talk to him.
Roy was flabbergasted. It wasn't the first time he was getting the recruitment talk. Most students who graduated tend to have one or two in which direction they want their life to be. It was just that the ones who tried to recruit him before weren't a top combat guild like Nova. They simply wanted him for his gift of [Memorisation] which could help with any kind of data analysis and logistics.
Wait, the combat guilds needed a data analyser too, didn't they? Roy forced his mind from daydreaming and focused on her words.
"Is this how you know today is my birthday?" he asked, sighing heavily. "You read my files?"
"Guilty as charged," she said, watching him closely.
"You're from Nova?" he asked.
Her smile widened as she nodded.
"And you want me to work for your guild," Roy replied, taking a deep breath.
"If you want to," she said, "sure."
"To what end?" Roy asked.
"That will depend on you," she said. "We'll provide you with resources and even sponsor you to the academy. Our guild will not interfere with what speciality you choose, but if you can make it to graduation, you'll have a job ready at our guild. Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but we can leave the matter of a contract for a later date."
Excitement buzzed in his veins, and Roy found it impossible to quell. His father had sung stories about the awakened and their adventures when he was a child, before disappearing eight years ago.
His mother had tried to make him forget, pushing him towards a more mundane career, but it was something he could never erase from his memory.
Roy sucked in a deep breath. This feels like more of a dream than reality, which only made him doubly careful. He wouldn't want to get entangled with some predatory contract without accessing all his choices.
"What's the catch?" he asked. "I don't see why you want to go out of your way to offer so much to me?"
"Mr Stavros, I haven't noticed before, but it appears you have a very low self-esteem of your worth."
His eyes widened in surprise. "Not really, I'm just being a realist. Guilds did not often recruit candidates off the bat, and definitely not with such gratuity.
Professor, or rather the guild's woman, Allison nodded. "True, Our policy has been trying our luck from the academy graduates. It is just that I'm very curious about your Gift. [Memorisation], you call it?"
"Curious enough to offer a contract?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
With a smile, she brought out a thick card from her purse and gave it to him.
Roy took it, inspecting the card closely. It was made of a fabric-like material that resisted his attempts to dent it. The card was white, decorated with black and gold runic patterns, and featured a five-star emblem—four smaller stars surrounding a larger one.
"There's still time for all this serious talk," Allison said as she stood up. "You can use it to contact me."
Roy nodded and exited the teacher's lounge. On his way out, he ran into Aria again. Their eyes met, and he noticed a glint in hers. Slowing his pace, he watched as she headed towards the desk where he had just been sitting.
"Don't tell me…" Roy shook his head, quickening his pace as he left.
The walk to his dormitory took only five minutes, though his steps were slower than usual. The conversation with Alison replayed in his mind. He was an adult now, free to decide for himself without his mother's consent if she tried to disparage him.
Lost in thought, Roy reached his dormitory and found a courier waiting for him. Maybe a birthday gift from Mom...
He signed for the package and took the papers, but to his surprise, they weren't from his mother. There was no sender's name, just a mysterious gift.
Roy entered his room, unwrapping the package. Inside, he found another box and a letter.
Curious, he opened the letter first. It contained only a few lines of readable text, the rest written in cryptic runes. But the signature at the end was unmistakable. Xavier Williams. His father's name. Roy gasped and sank into a chair. Could this really be from his father, the man he hadn't seen since he was ten?
Roy frowned, reading the first sentence aloud. "Open the box, and drop a bit of blood on the card."
He did as instructed, discovering an old platinum pendant first. Next, he examined the card. It was white, glittering faintly in the light with a crown emblem in the middle. Remembering it was from his father, Roy didn't hesitate. He retrieved a kitchen knife, nicked his finger, and let a small drop of blood fall onto the card. To his relief, the tiny amount was enough.
The card glowed brighter as a hologram of a middle-aged man appeared above it. Roy's breath caught. The man had black hair like his, and a face with a sharp nose and dark eyes.
"Happy birthday, my son," his father's voice rang in his mind. "You've finally reached adulthood. Got a girlfriend yet?"
"Dad?!" Roy cried, but quickly realised it was only a recorded message.
"You're eighteen now, but unfortunately, I couldn't be there to see it… All these years... I'm sure you have grown as handsome as me. Do girls throw themselves at you in school? If not, let me tell you, you're missing out."
"Yep, that's my old man, alright," Roy muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.
The first part of the message was just his father's greetings and regrets of not seeing him and talks that would make most teenagers blush.
"I'm sorry I missed your previous birthdays. I was in a place where sending anything was nearly impossible, let alone sending it across dimensions. You see the pendant? Consider it a birthday gift. It's my second most precious treasure. Keep it with you always."
"Old man, you must be joking if you call this your second most precious treasure," Roy said, inspecting the pendant again.
"Send the letter to your mother. I'm sure she curses me often."
"Of course, she did," Roy grumbled. "She even remarried."
"And please, try to forgive me if you can," the hologram of his father said, his voice breaking. "Forgive me for abandoning you in the past, and for what's coming."
As the hologram faded, Roy felt tears welling up in his eyes. Just then, something happened. The white card he was holding darkened, golden runes appearing across its surface. The emblem of a crown glowed faintly.
[Identity confirmed.]
[Binding with the Inheritance.]
[Congratulations! You'll soon be summoned to the Awakened world for your first trial.]