Chapter 20 - The System

  The System Priest raised his crystalline staff high above his head, and the murmuring crowd fell silent. The staff caught the sunlight and fractured it into a thousand dancing colors that painted the cobblestones in shifting rainbows. When he spoke, his voice carried across the square with an unnatural clarity, as if the air itself had decided to amplify his words.

  "Children of Knighthelm, families and friends gathered here today, we stand at the threshold of transformation." His free hand gestured toward the altar, where mana coiled and writhed like living smoke. "The System watches. The Integration awaits. Today, these young souls shall take their first true step into the world as it truly is."

  I watched from my position at the back of the line, counting heads. Eighteen children ahead of me. Eighteen chances to observe the process before it was my turn. My palms were sweating despite the cool breeze that had picked up, carrying with it the scent of incense from the altar.

  The Priest continued, "Each of you has been prepared. Each of you has trained your body and opened your mind to the possibility of mana. But know this, the System sees deeper than flesh and bone. It sees the truth of your spirit, the shape of your potential. What you receive today is not random chance, but recognition."

  He tapped his staff against the ground three times, and the altar flared with brilliant white light. The crowd gasped collectively, and I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end. Even without activating Lightning Lens, I could feel the density of mana in the air increasing, pressing against my skin like a physical weight.

  "Let us begin."

  The first child stepped forward, a girl named Mira, daughter of one of the local merchants. I had seen her around town but never spoken to her. She looked terrified, her hands clasped so tightly in front of her that her knuckles had gone white. The Priest gestured for her to approach the altar, and she moved with small, shuffling steps.

  "Place your hand upon the stone and open yourself to the Flow."

  Mira reached out with a trembling hand. The moment her palm made contact with the altar's surface, light erupted around her in a column that reached toward the sky. I squinted against the brightness, then activated Lightning Lens to see what was really happening.

  The world shifted into that familiar overlay of colors and currents. The mana around Mira was being drawn inward, pulled from the altar and the air itself, spiraling into her chest in threads of pale blue and white. The pattern was... orderly. Controlled. Nothing like the chaotic storm I had experienced during my own awakening with the Guardian. This was the System at work, carefully measuring and allocating power according to some formula I could not begin to guess.

  The light faded after perhaps thirty seconds. Mira stood there, eyes wide and glowing faintly with residual mana. The Priest leaned forward, examining something only he could see.

  "Mira Thornwell. Class: Apprentice Merchant. Rarity: Common. May your path be prosperous."

  The crowd applauded politely. Mira's parents looked pleased enough, though I caught a flicker of disappointment on her father's face before he schooled his expression. Common classes were exactly that, common. Useful, certainly, but not the stuff of legends. Mira stumbled back from the altar, still looking dazed, and her mother rushed forward to embrace her.

  The next child was a boy I recognized from the training yard where Sir Darvish took me. Garrett, built like a young ox and about as bright. He practically swaggered up to the altar, confidence radiating from every step. When he placed his hand on the stone, the light that surrounded him was noticeably brighter than Mira's had been, tinged with red and orange.

  Through Lightning Lens, I watched the mana flow into him with more force, more volume. The threads were thicker, the spiral tighter. Interesting. So the visual intensity correlated with something, power? Rarity? Both?

  "Garrett Stonefist. Class: Warrior. Rarity: Common. Affinity: Earth. May your blade stay sharp."

  Still common, but Garrett looked thrilled. His father, a blacksmith, let out a whoop of joy that made several people jump. Combat classes, even common ones, were valued. They meant adventure, dungeon delving, the possibility of real wealth and fame. Garrett flexed his arms experimentally as he walked back, as if expecting to suddenly sprout muscles.

  I felt my heart rate picking up as the line moved forward. Sixteen children ahead of me now. The Priest maintained his solemn demeanor, but I noticed he took a drink from a waterskin after the third Ascension. This was taxing for him too, then. Good to know.

  The fourth child, a quiet girl named Elsa, received Apprentice Herbalist, Common. The fifth, a boy whose name I could not remember, got Farmer—Common. The pattern was becoming clear. Most people got common classes. That was why they were called common. But everyone was still celebrating, still treating it like the momentous occasion it was. Because even a common class meant access to the System, to growth, to a future beyond mundane existence.

  Then Aoife stepped up to the altar.

  The crowd's energy shifted immediately. Everyone knew who he was, Andrei's son, trained by his father who was himself a renowned adventurer. Expectations hung heavy in the air. Aoife's expression was calm, almost serene, as he placed his hand on the stone.

  The light that erupted was different. Brighter, yes, but also more complex. Through Lightning Lens, I watched in fascination as multiple colors of mana swirled into him—blue, white, green, even traces of gold. The pattern was intricate, layered, like watching a master weaver at work. The column of light seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat, and I could have sworn I heard a distant sound like wind chimes.

  The Priest's eyebrows rose slightly…the first real emotion I had seen from him. "Aoife Windstrider. Class: Elemental Blade. Rarity: Uncommon. Affinity: Wind. May the elements guide your edge."

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  The crowd erupted. Uncommon! That was the kind of class that could make a real adventurer, the kind that opened doors to better guilds and more dangerous, more lucrative dungeons. Andrei was beaming with pride, clapping his son on the shoulder as Aoife returned, looking pleased but not surprised.

  Five children ahead of me now. My mouth was dry. I watched Slade approach the altar next, Scar's son moving with the careful precision of someone who had been drilled in proper form since birth. His Ascension yielded Vanguard, Common, but a solid combat class. Scar nodded approvingly, though I suspected he had hoped for better.

  Five children. Four. Three.

  Each Ascension was starting to blur together in my mind, but I forced myself to pay attention, to observe every detail. The way the mana flowed. The duration of the light. The Priest's reactions. All of it was data, information I could use to understand what was about to happen to me.

  Three children ahead. My hands were shaking now, and I clasped them behind my back so no one would notice. I was confident in my abilities, I had to be. I had already awakened, already touched mana in ways these other children had not. But there was a difference between confidence and certainty, and the gap between them yawned before me like a chasm.

  Two children. The ambient mana around the altar was so thick now I could taste it, metallic and sharp on my tongue. The spectral shapes I had glimpsed earlier were more defined now, eyes and figures of pure energy that circled the altar like sharks scenting blood.

  One child ahead of me. A girl I did not know, trembling so badly she could barely walk. She received Apprentice Seamstress, Common, and nearly collapsed with relief.

  Happy she found relief, but I couldn't stop a small thought from creeping through my head, Where was the ambition? The hunger for power? Especially in a world as barbaric as this.

  Then there was no one between me and the altar.

  The Priest's eyes found mine across the distance, and something flickered in his expression. Recognition? Curiosity? I could not tell. He gestured me forward with his crystalline staff, and the crowd seemed to hold its breath.

  I felt my parents' eyes on my back as I took my first step. Felt the weight of everyone's expectations, their curiosity about the Barons son. The boy who hardly left the Estate. The boy who stirred up trouble at his first outing in the Militia Barracks.

  The altar loomed before me, pulsing with barely contained power. The mana around it was so dense it distorted the air like a heat shimmer. I could see my reflection in the polished stone surface—a ten-year-old boy with too-old eyes, standing at the threshold of something that would define the rest of this life.

  "Place your hand upon the stone," the Priest said, his voice softer now, meant only for me. "And let us see what truth the System reveals."

  I reached forward, my hand steady despite everything, and touched the altar. Timing the micro-seconds before my hand touched down I moved my internal Mana and protected the Core within my Soul. Praying my training paid off.

  The world exploded into light. Ears assaulted with the Clap of Lightning. There was no controlled influx of threaded Mana from the System that entered by Body. No discreetness. I opened my Eyes to the same familiar TownSquare.

  The working folk with Beer mugs in their hands throwing their drinks everywhere in Cheer. Citizens jumping up with Excitement. It seems I got something good, I was still foggy though. Unable to hear and vision slightly blurry.

  I turned back to the priest but was instantly distracted by a blue little orb floating in my vision. Rubbing my eyes didn't make it go away. I moved it my head and twisted my neck and it followed.

  Before I could ask the Priest what was going on he yelled out, over the already deafening crowd. Wondrous joy plastered on his face.

  “Lance Loren, Heir to House Loren. Class: Tempest Knight. Class: Legendary, Affinity: Lightning and Snow. System Bound Bond: StormSoul. May Knighthelm be Protected, and Silara embraced.”

  I took in the new information that flooded my ears. I got a System Bond? And Legendary? I am not familiar with the whole class system? I thought it was strictly tier based. I need to talk to my father.

  Before I could even take a step from my stunned state, I was swept off of my feet from my Father who threw me in the air. Matching Cheers coming from the residents of Knighthelm as I came to be paraded around by my father.

  “Father please, I think I might be sick.”

  “Lars! Put our boy down, can't you see he is practically green!” I hear my mother start yelling at my father over the crowd.

  “How could I possibly put our son down honey, look at how happy everyone is our Town has gotten someone of prestige!” Father exclaimed, still holding me in on arm while pulling my mother close and giving her a kiss.

  “Yes well, we still have some things to talk to Lance about. Do not forget that. I will allow you to celebrate tonight, but at least take care of Lance.”

  I was finally set down, gathering my bearings. Once my feet touched the sweet ground again, I was instantly flooded with kids and adults alike coming to congratulate me over my Ascension Ceremony. All brimming with joy and smiles, such innocent kids couldnt display emotions like envy.

  I was happy for another reason, it seems the protection of my Core within my Soul worked. I Successfully hid my Presence as a Prime. I am safe…for now.

  The Town Celebrated late into the Night. Large Feasts and Barrels of Wine littering the streets around the Town Square. I finally had a few seconds to myself to address the contact blue orb within my Vision.

  “Hello, little dot.. Are you my Bond?” There were no words, but I felt a warmth spread through my soul. A feeling of Happiness. I entered my SoulSpace Observed my Core, seeing no major changes besides a brighter color of blue.

  Next to my Core, a small, very small almost Wyvern looking creature was wrapped up in a tight ball. Deep in slumber.

  When I pulled myself out, I noticed the blue Orb was gone… interesting I guess that must have been some way to confirm its existence before going away? Not sure. Either way, the fact I actually got a System Bond was way beyond my expectations. I couldn't be much happier, other than the fact I have access to the System now… and can ask my parents so many questions.

  Speaking of.. Lets see what this so-called system looks like. I got up from a side table near the old Lute player from earlier, and began to walk to a quieter area.

  A blue plan flashes in my face, words harassing my vision.

  ─── SYSTEM STATUS ───

  Name: Lance Loren

  Family: House Loren, Knighthelm Frostwall

  Tier: 1

  Level: 1 Experience: (0/100)

  Class: Tempest Knight (Legendary)

  Core: Dual Lightning/Frost Core

  AFFINITIES: Lightning: Touched // Frost: Awakened

  BOND: StormSoul (Variant)

  BLESSINGS: [REDACTED] (Ancient, Bloodline)

  -Effects: Cold-mana resilience, passive protection, Good Fortune, Increased Natural Healing when surrounded with Nature Mana

  SKILLS

  Lightning Lense - Common

  ─── SYSTEM STATUS ───