Special Affinity.

"What the heck! Another special affinity! Those are supposed to be rare, why are they popping up like flies, your the third one in the past century"

The old man looked especially taken aback at the purple light emitted from the orb.

"Why is it glowing purple, I thought you said there were only three colour, green, blue and white."

Ace was really confused, he had been so worried that the orb wouldn't light up at all, so when he saw the purple light he was really confused on how to feel.

Did purple mean something bad? Or. . .

The old man replied

"The bestowed aptitude light's up green blue or white depending on the affinity of those holding it, any colour outside that range are classified as special affinities"

"What is a special affinity?" Ace said as soon as the old man stopped talking, trying to learn as much as he could about his special affinity.

The old man annoyed at my meddling question, snarled at me.

"I was getting there, special affinities, are well, as the name says special affinities, Everyone has a core within them, and bestowed have cores with affinities with them, If a bestowed has one affinity the orb lights up with the light corresponding to it, If a bestowed has two affinities the orb lights up with two distinct lights, in laymans terms; if someone has an affinity for mana and spirit, It lights up with a separate blue and white light not cyan, those are called compound affinities.

If a bestowed had three affinities a qualitative change happens that makes it special, dyeing the aptitude testing orb a different colour from normal three colours, the specific colour differs from people to people.

People with special affinities are able to use three forces mana, vitality and spirit fluently, unlike the normal bestowed.

"So this means I'm an extremely talented bestowed?" Ace asked himself in astonishment, briefly unable to believe that, not only did he have the talent to become a bestowed but he also had a special affinity that made him an extremely talented bestowed.

When Ace was lost in thought the old man answered his earlier question, reminding him that he said the earlier statement out loud.

"Yes. That's exactly what it means, your a once in a century tale-, well thrice in a century talent, that appears in the city of Culmen, all I need is the application name you used to register online so I can give you your identity card for the academy and officially welcome you to Culmen Academy." The old man said wearing an excited smile on his face.

"The name is Ace Virvitanima from the city of Quintus"

"Ace Virvitanima from the city of Quintus, special grade talent, joined 476 AC, 7th of July."

The old man mumbled as he fidgeted with a device on the counter that looked like a computer.

Pulling out a crystal white rectangular card out of it, he said.

"This is your I.D card, It determines your social standing here in Culmen city, it also determines your resource allocation in Culmen city, don't ever lose it"

Taking the crystal card out of his hand all the while inspecting it, I asked him were the academy building was.

"Your class doesn't start till next week, the teachers just teach the basics of bestowal for this week, it's next week they actually start teaching, you can go around the city and have fun or something."The old man nonchalantly, picking up the newspaper that was on the table.

Ace slowly backed away from him, not daring disturb the old man from reading the newspaper.

After walking out of the old man's sight, Ace tried to find his way to the academy but struggled because he didn't know the way.

'Damn that old man, he didn't even tell me the way the academy when I asked'

After struggling for a while I spotted an ordinary wooden sign in that said pointed towards the academy. Normally, I would have spotted a wooden sign from anywhere else in Culmen city, as a wooden sign, in a city full of machinery, didn't fit, but in the academy it was hard to notice the wooden sign, because the academy was completely different from the outside city,

The academy was made out of wood and bricks a stark contrast to the metal like material commonly used in the city.

Ace followed the wooden signs littered across the academy district arriving at a large two story building four times the size of a mansion with the words Culmen Academy pasted at the top of the building, and above the clock.

Ace entered the academy and went to the reception.

"Hello, I'm Ace virvitanima and I'm here for the academy admission"

The red haired receptionist had a nonchalant attitude as she spoke in a monotone voice that begged for excitement.

"Have you taken the aptitude test"

"Yes"

"Then show me your I.D"

"Sure thing" I said as I brought my I.D out from my pocket.

She took the card from my hand flipping it around and checking it, putting it into a computer like a CD.

"Hmm ~ a special grade talent like Morris, how interesting."

The receptionist said in a monotone voice, conflicting with the meaning of the words she said.

Ace was unsure whether to respond or not since he didn't know if she was referring to him or just talking to herself, So he just stood in awkward silence.

"Since you're a special grade talent, the class you are designated to is class 1A, There is no debate about that.

She said as she gave Ace his I.D back, the same as it was when he gave it to her, except there was a new line of words;

Name:Ace Virvitanima

Talent:Special grade

Job:Student; Class 1A

Ace picked up an information brochure that had a map of the school off the receptionist desk, so he knew the exact way to the classroom this time.

...

"The first step of bestowal is to feel your cores, to have an intuitive grasp over it"

The class teacher whispered loudly to the rows of students sitting around him in a structure akin to that of a cinema.

Some of the students were listening attentively to his words.

While the others were not listening at all, relaxing in positions that seemed comfortable, those were the ones that had been to this lesson before and were attempting to feel their core.

Ace belonged to the former group of people, savoring the words of the teacher and trying to understand him.

"Cores are normally located within the heart or the brain, so try to picture a crystal sphere in your head or heart then imagine the essence of your existence is within it, flowing , rippling, trickling down into your body"

'The essence of my existence rippling through my body'

Ace chanted in his mind as he picture his consciousness rippling through out his body, Focusing nowhere in particular.

"The process of core sensing is a gradual process, It's okay for it to take weeks or months." The teacher said, his voice growing fainter and distant as his mind was drifting within himself.

Ace's breath became slow and rhythmic, almost as if he was peacefully sleeping. Time passed and the sun sank into the horizon making way for the silvery light of the moon, the teacher had long left, along with most of the other students, only a few students deeply engrossed in the act of sensing their cores were left.

Ace was one of those students, engrossed in sensing his core.

It was like moving in a dark cloud, sensing his core.

It was like floating through a stormy cloud searching for the sun's light.

But after hours of searching the sky he couldn't find the sun. Even though it was definitely somewhere in the sky it was as if it was night time.

But just as all things, night time didn't last forever.

After an umeasurable amount of time drifting in the dark clouds,

Ace saw the light, It was pristine purple, clearer than any amethyst in the world.

It filled Ace with a soothing sense of clarity,

Ace floated towards the piece of light, letting the beams of light shine their rays onto his sleepy mind, somewhat eradicating the fatigue he accumulated throughout his meditation.

Ace's mind merged into his core making the substance in it overflow into his body, Reinvigorating his body and spirit.

Ace stood up and stretched his body ending the session of meditation and getting his blood flowing.

Despite the refreshing feeling, sensing his core gave him. Ace was famished, The whole day he hadn't eaten anything.

'Thank goodness mum packed lunch for me to eat in my bag,' Ace thought, fighting through the pain in his stomach.

Ace unzipped the laptop bag and took the laptop out, only to find nothing in it.

Ace was briefly confused, until he remembered that his laptop bag got burned in the explosion, along with the contents in it.

"DAMMMIT!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N

. . . . . . . . . . . .

A.C means After Collission, As in the collision of parralel worlds.