As we stand up, Mallorc looks at me soberly. “Tomorrow is the day, Cam. Go straight to sleep tonight, and the first thing you do in the morning is run through Three Infusions Breathing. As soon as you finish your meditation, come find me in the shop. I believe I have the perfect tea to match your affinity for the technique. I think your chances of getting the Tea Sage class are high—you have surprisingly strong compatibility with the meditation—but I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I plan to flood you with mana before the selection and not give the System any justification to refuse you the class. I am taking this as seriously as you are, so follow my guidance…okay?”

  I nod solemnly. “Master, I am eternally grateful for the guidance you have given me. I will do my best not to disappoint you tomorrow.”

  He shakes his head. “Boy, you really can be thick-skulled sometimes. There is nothing you could do tomorrow to disappoint me. I am incredibly proud of the work you have done. I’m an old man, and you’re not the first apprentice I’ve ever taken. You are, however, my first student. You’re the first person I’ve found to be worthy of this class, and nothing that happens tomorrow changes the fact that I look upon you solely with pride, Son.”

  I notice the tears forming in his eyes before feeling my own roll down my cheeks. Mallorc has never spoken his pride aloud before—let alone called me Son.

  My voice cracks. “I wouldn’t trade being your apprentice and your student for any class in the System. Thank you for everything, Old Man. I’m excited to continue learning from you after tomorrow.”

  “Good, now listen to your master and go get some rest. Don’t go blaming me if you sleep in tomorrow and miss your life-changing Sowing Day.”

  He shrugs, shuffling off to clean up the last of the tables. I wipe the tears from my eyes and walk calmly to my room. Mallorc has given me so much and has always been there for me. The last thought I have before drifting to a dreamless sleep is that no matter what, I will make him proud tomorrow.

  I’m awoken by the sliver of pre-dawn light sneaking through the window. I remember the Old Man’s words and hop out of bed – immediately launching into the First Infusion’s movements. With the pattern’s first breath, I am transported to the court garden’s pond, lantern light dancing across the water’s ripples. Mesmerized, I feel my body match the firelight’s rhythm. As I reach for the first breath of the Second infusion, my focus finds the lotus flowers drifting along the surface – chained deep to the pond’s bottom. I begin to grasp the comprehension Mallorc has been trying to bestow on me, but I can’t put it into words before the last breath of the pattern blends into the Third Infusion, and I am the willow branch blowing in the dawn’s wind.

  The meditation isn’t three separate arts at all, but one unified practice built around tea’s primary element: water. The First Infusion reveals the passion of fire as it meets water. The Second unmasks the steadfast strength born from earth and water. The Third channels wind and water — the lightness that rises from a steaming cup of tea.

  The euphoria from enlightenment starts to wane, and I leave my room to find Mallorc in the tea shop. When I enter the room, he is sitting at the table we talked at last night.

  He looks up and waves me over energetically. “Good morning, Camden, and Happy Sowing Day. Almost everything will change for you in a few short hours, but before that, I want to celebrate you and your twenty years of life to this point.”

  He slides a cup across the table. “This is a mana-enhanced Tra Sen tea. It is a beautiful green tea packed with lotus stamens, and I believe it aligns well with your inherent affinities.”

  I bow to Master and reach for the cup. As the hot liquid runs across my tongue, I can taste a soft, floral sweetness with light honey notes coating my palate. There is a freshness to the tea that flows through my limbs and settles in my core. Each breath flows through me smoothly, and my body radiates a lotus aroma.

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  “Thank you, Master. This tea is delicious. It reminds me of the images from my practice this morning. I had visions…”

  “Camden.” He stops me before I can continue, “That is not what this morning is about.”

  “I understand, but I was enlightened this morning on the purpose of the meditations…”

  This time, he raises his hand to stop me. “We only have thirty minutes before you need to go check in for your Sowing Day.” He lifts a box from under the table and hands it over to me, “Open your present, and then we need to go.”

  I take the box from his hands and am surprised by its weight. As I pull away the lid, a finely crafted clay teapot, cups, and a metal cylinder sit on a bed of paper shavings for protection. Prying the top off the metal cylinder, my senses are immediately assaulted by the heavy lotus notes of the Tra Sen tea we are currently drinking.

  “After you get the class, having one or more mana teas you’re attuned to will drastically improve your practice. It should help you push through the skill slump that is inherent in this class.” His blush betrays the pride he took in the gift: “Also, it’s always nice to have a good tea set for when things are hard.”

  A smile tugs strongly at my lips. “Thank you, Master. You have already given me so much, I can only graciously accept this gift as I continue down the path you are helping me carve.”

  His face quickly flashed stoic. “This is only the beginning – and proof of my pride for you, regardless of how today turns out. If our hopes are realized and you get Tea Sage, there is a whole new world that I can open up to you.”

  I stand and give a deep reverential bow to Mallorc. I don’t hear him stand, but I’m brought into an embrace. Surprised by the physical show of emotion, I squeeze him back. For me, the moment is profoundly significant. In the last fifteen years, the number of times the Old Man has hugged me can be counted on one hand — and in the last five, it hasn’t happened at all.

  A few seconds later I am released, and he lightly wipes away a solitary tear from his wrinkled cheek.

  He coughs awkwardly. “Well let’s not be late. I’m sure you're anxious to get there and get checked in so we’d better head out. I’ve informed all of our regulars that the shop will be closed today and have left a note on the door.”

  A brief walk later we arrive at the plaza in the center of the outer court. Even though we are still about fifteen minutes early, a crowd of about a hundred other individuals are already queued up. Mallorc gives me one more smile before nodding his head in that direction and taking a spot with the others in the audience. Before I can stand in the line, a guard quickly checks my status card to confirm my eligibility for Sowing and waves me through.

  The fifteen minutes drag on as time has come to an anxiety driven crawl. I stare up at the podium set up for Sowing Day where three crystals sit protected by fully armored guards. As the minutes slowly tick away another thirty or so people queue behind me.

  Eventually a minister from the Classes and Skills Ministry addresses the crowd. “Welcome all to this April’s Sowing Day for Verdance. I’m sure you are all very excited to begin so I will make this short. When you approach one of the System Crystals, you will tap your status card against it. After doing so you will be transported to a mental room managed by the System, we remind you that your body will remain here in the plaza no matter how real it feels. In the room, the System will offer you at least one class, but there is no maximum to the amount of classes offered.”

  He takes a deep breath and continues looking over the crowd. “When you pick up a class, you will receive a brief description of it, as well as, one of the cornerstone skills of the class. When you have made a decision, you will pick up the class of your choice and say ‘selection made’. You will immediately be transported back to the square with no time having passed with your status card being updated with your class and skills. All status cards must be presented to the Classes and Skills Ministry before you leave the plaza. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action.”

  He pauses as that final sentence sits heavy on the crowd. Finally he smiles, “Let Sowing Day begin!”

  The guards start signaling forward the first three individuals at the front of the line. I watch the first one to approach take out his status card and tap it to the crystal. His body stiffens for less than a second before he lifts the card up and smile broadens across his face. He walks off the stage to the ministers recording classes and skills and the next group of attendees are waved forward by the guards.

  The entire process taking only a handful of seconds per group. Within a few minutes, I’m at the front of the line – the guards waving me forward to my destiny. I approach the System Crystal. Before tapping my status card to it, I look out to the crowd where I make eye contact with Mallorc.

  The last thing I see before I tap my card is his smile and a short nod.

  Then the world goes white.