III

  Kaz looked at the piece of parchment that was slowly rolling out in front of him. The roll began from the left and slowly unraveled to the right. Once it stopped rolling, elegant writing started populating, appearing in gold lettering. It appeared so quickly he wasn’t able to read it, feeling overwhelmed by the situation. The writing stopped and a very meek silver beam of light shot into the sky from the ring he was standing on. The beams that he had seen earlier were way brighter and gold, but his was weak and silver. The resentment in himself only grew. And before he could dwell on it any longer, the words turned from gold to black, and then finally he was able to focus on the wording that had appeared before him. It read:

  Congratulations Kazimoriel, you have been bestowed a Calling. The Mage has spoken. During the Awakening, it was difficult to assign you a Calling that fit your current physical, mental, and magical capability. There is only one reason you have been assigned the Calling of the Mage, and that is that there had been three mana variants detected circulating through and stored within your person. The Mana of the Mage, your own personal mana, and an unknown variant of mana. Due to the lack of your physical form, the lack of mental fortitude, and your low mana capacity, you were Awakened with Mage - ? due to the presence of three variants of mana. You have been given the base Skill Ability: [ Mana Burst ]. You may view your ability and more information from your [ Archive ] at a later time. May the voice of your Calling never fade from within you, Kazimoriel.

  He read this message quickly and then read it again. He was filled with relief that he had Awakened a Calling, but the main emotion that overpowered him was confusion. What did it mean that he had three variants of mana currently circulating within him? How did he have the Mana of the Mage in him? Was it from his exposure to the power of the Originators in this Temple? But the part that struck him the hardest was, “Due to the lack of your physical form, the lack of mental fortitude, and your low mana capacity…” He was so disappointed in his lack of, essentially everything. He wasn’t proficient in any area; he was below average in everything.

  “Young Kazimoriel,” Elder Celron paused, trying to phrase his words carefully, “Have you Awakened the blessing of a Calling?”

  It was then Kaz realized he was slumped over, still on the floor, just looking straight ahead. He also quickly realized that Elder Celron wasn’t able to see the parchment that appeared before him. He quickly replied to him, “Yes, honored Elder Celron, I have Awakened a Calling. I have been assigned the Calling of the Mage, one star.”

  “That is a relief, although it is a bit concerning that you summoned a silver beam, a weak one, but nevertheless, a silver beam. This one has never seen such a beam in all of our years of service to the Temple. This one will have to gather the Elders, and we shall investigate this new occurrence. Now please, Young Kazimoriel, follow me outside so we may continue the Awakenings of the other young ones.”

  Elder Celron POV

  In all of his years in serving the Temple, he has never witnessed a series of events that were more confusing and concerning. It all began when they were in front of the doors leading to the inner Sanctum. He noticed the young one losing composure when the magical Mana of the Mage was released to begin his Awakening. Others fidgeted, eager to obtain their Callings. Others waited patiently, remaining stoic to be prepared for their Awakening. Some were awestruck and still maturing, unable to hide their childish reactions.

  But he has never seen someone become so… unstable. It was difficult to put it into words.

  He has heard stories of ancient times, during the war between the people of the world against the Demonspawn. Demonspawn would have a severe reaction to the Mana of the Mage, which gave the People the edge, and ultimately the victory against the Demonspawn. But they have been eradicated from essentially was the beginning of time.

  Then came when young Kazimoriel entered the rings. He was unable to move, and the strain against him was so overwhelming. He almost looked pathetic as he tried to go down the stairs. But when he turned to look back, he saw eyes that he had never seen before. Eyes that have been burned into his memory.

  The glow of bright silver eyes.

  The magnificent glow from his eyes almost hid the pain that was hidden beneath it. Pain that he himself had never experienced. The pain that would cause anyone to give way to the end.

  And that same silver glow appeared in the Statues and then beamed into the sky. Was this an omen, was this young one, this Kazimoriel, a savior for times to come?

  Or was he a harbinger of doom, heralding the end of all things?

  Kaz POV

  He reached the end of the hallway and was led outside on the other side of the Temple. Kaz was already nervous to see what they thought of him, hoping they weren’t disappointed. He scanned the crowd and found his group of friends. They were deep in conversation, their body language seemed off. Even the energetic Meisha and the calm and collected Viragor seemed tense.

  Kaz also noticed people trying to approach Syvis, and some congratulating her from afar, noticing she wasn’t interested in them. She must’ve gotten a high star Calling. Syvis made eye contact and quickly whispered something to the group. They stopped their talking and looked over to Kaz, as he was making his way towards them.

  As he was walking past the crowd of people, he noticed everything seemed to get quieter and people moved out of his way. He heard some whispers and saw some pointing his way, but his anxiety was already spiking through the roof. His blood was rushing to his ears, he felt lightheaded, and his heart was beating erratically in his chest. Something was wrong.

  He approached his friends, but stayed a couple steps away from them, seeing they haven’t moved from their spots or walked over to him. He asked them nervously, “Hey guys, what’s going on?” Each of his friends looked lost for words, but surprisingly it was Syvis who spoke up.

  She curtly shot back a question to him, “I don’t know, the better question is what happened to you? Why was your beam silver, and why was it so… weak? Did you Awaken a Calling?”

  Shocked by her response, all his emotions came crashing down. He was a disappointment, even his friends doubted him. He meekly said, “Yeah, I Awakened a Calling. I have Awakened the Calling of the Mage.”

  “Pfft, alright,” Syvis rolled her eyes and turned around, starting to walk away.

  “Wait, Syvis, you can’t just…” Meisha called out to her. Meisha frantically looked between Syvis and Kaz, not able to keep up with what just happened. After some quick thinking, she awkwardly explained herself quickly, mumbling her words, “I’m sorry Kaz, I’ll… see you later.” And she ran off after Syvis.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Kaz looked helplessly at Viragor. He merely looked at Kaz and just let out a deep breath. He winced slightly, then spoke in his usual calm voice, but this time it seemed strained, “Don’t worry Kaz, everything will be alright.” And with that, he walked away, looking for his kin.

  Kaz looked after them, rooted in place, his mind and emotions a jumbled mess. The people around him were waiting for his reaction. More urgent whispers were spreading through the crowd, spreading like a wildfire. Kaz starting to feel embarrassed by his shortcomings, unable to handle the shame piling up on him, ran. He ran as hard as he could. He ran to the one place where he felt safe. To his home. To the orphanage. To Miss Astreta.

  Earlier POV of Syvis

  Syvis reached the door to the inner sanctum of the Temple. She marveled at the craftmanship of the intricate carvings, the perfectly arranged gold, outlining the brilliant white marble. She felt warm inside, knowing that her Calling will be revealed to her shortly. She was hoping for a Calling that would grant her the ability to participate in combat. She always enjoyed watching Mages and Fighters, the power that they wielded. The Elder performed his ritual to open the doors, and in she walked.

  She walked down the stairs to the inner ring, in front of the Statues of the Originators. She felt a light breeze coming through, calming her nerves. She would exit the Temple with a Calling. She will be someone, someone her family will accept. She will bring honor to her family, the way it should be. She shouldn’t have to be outcast by her family for their lack of power, like her parents before her.

  Syvis felt the Statues, power surging through them. Her Awakening has begun. Her eyes widened in amazement at all the stones lighting up, bright golden light filling the room. Each Statue did their cycle. And then they all shut off. She held her breath, awaiting her results.

  Three statues lit up, but one of them glowed brighter than the rest.

  Two stars lit up on the Statue of the Fighter. She was overwhelmed with joy, she had her Calling that she wanted.

  Then, two stars lit up on the Statue of the Mage. She was shocked. Two stars in two separate Statues? Was this a common occurrence? She had to think about this carefully. Both Callings were the ones she dreamt about Awakening. It was whether she wanted to fight from a distance, wielding the power of mana, or fight in the front lines, wielding the power of her blade.

  Something appealed to her using weapons, it would allow her to truly be who she wanted to be, she wanted to be reckless, to show emotion. Her family always taught her to be composed, to not show emotion, because the strong do not falter, their strength comes from how others perceived their image.

  As she was about to select her Calling, the Calling of the Fighter, the glowing lights suddenly dimmed. Panic started to rise inside of her, was she too late? Did she take too long to decide?

  Then a new Statue started to light up. The Statue of the Defender. One star filled up…

  Two stars filled up…

  Three stars filled up.

  Immense light floods the inside of the Temple. She stood there, unable to process the situation. Was she dreaming right now? But why, why the Defender?

  Before her eyes, a semi-translucent parchment rolls out. She knew this was the [ Archive ], the voice of her Calling.

  Golden writing filled the parchment, then it turned black, and she read the text that was written:

  Congratulations Syvis Grerona, you have been given a choice of three Callings to Awaken. The Defender offers his Calling to you, The Fighter offers his Calling to you, and The Mage offers her Calling to you. Please select the Calling you wish to Awaken. It is highly recommended you Awaken the Calling of the Defender, as your potential is unlimited in the ascension of that Calling. Select wisely:

  [ Calling of the Defender - ? ? ? ]

  [ Calling of the Fighter - ? ? ]

  [ Calling of the Mage - ? ? ]

  Without hesitation, she Awakened [ Calling of the Defender - ? ? ? ]. Her mind, her body, and her soul screamed at her to choose it. She could not resist the pull.

  Immediately, the brightest beam of golden light shot up in the sky, along with black flakes drifting through it, disappearing up into the sky. The sign of a three-star Calling being selected. The highest potential talent had been uncovered.

  The text updated on the piece of parchment, Syvis, now getting giddy from the rush of thoughts and emotions running through her, read the text eagerly:

  Congratulations, Syvis Grerona, you have Awakened [ Calling of the Defender - ? ? ? ]. Due to your willingness to be at the front of a battle, your want to experience overwhelming amounts of strength, and your desire to protect others, you have been offered this Calling. You have been given the base Skill Ability: [ Defensive Stance ]. You may view your ability and more information from your [ Archive ] at a later time. May the voice of your Calling never fade from within you, Hero of the Future, Syvis Grerona. A warning, be careful who you side with in the upcoming future, as those you view with trust, are not to be trusted.

  So many thoughts and questions were running through her head, causing her to get dizzy, having to stabilize herself. Desire to protect others? Was the [ Archive ] referring to her family, to her friends? Hero of the Future? Why was she destined to be the Hero, what was the threat she would have to face

  But the biggest question, one that will cause her to lose sleep for many nights, who will betray her, who is not to be trusted? It couldn’t be Meisha, as she was the only one who she viewed fondly. Well, she liked Viragor, he was a decent Dwarf. Kaz, the little Gnome got on her nerves, but he was the most harmless person, even though he is weird one. She left the Temple and waited for her other friends to join. She was immediately swarmed by the people, asking what her Calling was, did she really Awaken a three-star Calling? What were her plans? She ignored everyone, putting on her very well practiced stoic demeanor. But they didn’t know the turmoil that was going on inside her head.

  ? ? ?

  “Syvis! I got a two-star Calling! I got Calling of the Archer!” Meisha yelled at her friend, unable to contain her excitement. She managed to cause Syvis to crack a grin on her previous stone-cold face. She felt extremely happy for her best friend, she deserved a good Calling after everything she had gone through, and she honestly thought Calling of the Archer fit Meisha very well.

  “What did you get, Syvis?” Meisha asked her, bouncing on her feet and tugging on her arm, dying to know what her friend got.

  “Calling of the Defender, three-star,” she replied nonchalantly. Meisha stood there dumbfounded. Her bright green eyes blinking rapidly as she processed that. In her state of shock, Viragor managed to find them and approached their group.

  “Why is everyone crowding around you two?” He asked confusedly.

  “S-s-s-she got a three-star Calling. A three-star Calling of the Defender!” Her voice rose with every word.

  Viragor took a moment to collect himself, and then shook his head, getting rid of the shock at the surprise. He grinned and simply said, “Congratulations are in order, Syvis. Can’t wait to see what you achieve with your Calling.”

  “Thank you, Viragor. I appreciate your words,” she responded, but the warmth of her voice slipped through along with a small smile. Her true feelings were starting to come out in her jumbled emotional state.

  Meisha quickly asked Viragor, which made Syvis glad she switched the topic, “What did you manage to get, Viragor? Did you get Calling of the Fighter, or Calling of the Craftsman?”

  “I actually Awakened the Calling of the Cleric, two-star, weirdly enough. I got offered Calling of the Fighter and Calling of the Craftsman, but they were both at one-star,” Viragor replied, although his emotions seemed unsettled.

  “To be honest with you all, I have no idea how my kin will take it, as everyone has either taken the Calling of the Fighter, Craftsman, or Defender. I am the first of my line of kin to Awaken the Calling of the Cleric,” he revealed shortly afterwards.

  Syvis felt bad for him, because she knew the pressure that one’s family can put on someone before and after their Awakening. Especially when one’s family, or kin in Viragor’s case, had such traditions for many generations.

  “Don’t worry about it, Viragor. We already know you will become one of the best Clerics to ever come out of our realm. You will make your kin’s name known across all the Realms!” Meisha boldly stated, trying to raise his spirits. Classic Meisha, always trying to bring the mood up.

  And then a weird dim silver beam shot into the sky, causing everyone to pause and look at the never before seen phenomena.