Essence aptitude

"Yawn~"

Seth stood amid a small group of young trainees, all arranged in formation as they waited for their instructor. Beside him, Emily stood in silence while he stifled several yawns from time to time. His jet-black hair glistened under the bright sunlight, creating a stark contrast against his pale white skin. It was precisely because of his pallor that the dark circles under his eyes stood out so prominently.

Seth had stayed up late at the training grounds to practice with the crossbow. Naturally Mira and Emily were not pleased- especially Emily, who was particularly annoyed since he had tricked her into staying behind for that very reason. So it was no surprise when Mira firmly forbade him from ever repeating the same.

It wasn't that his overprotective guardian disapproved of his training; rather, she was concerned for his health. As an inheritor of the reptilian beastman lineage, Seth was naturally cold-blooded and highly susceptible to low temperatures. Coupled with his weak constitution, prolonged exposure to the chilly night air posed a serious risk to him. 

But none of that really mattered now- he had achieved his goal. After several grueling attempts, he had finally improved his aim. It was far from perfect, but to him, it was still a victory.

'It's always the little things…' he thought with a small smile.

Although unlike his thoughts, this was no small feat since he had only picked up a crossbow for the first time the previous day.

Glancing at Emily who stood beside him quietly, Seth let out a small sigh. It was clear she was still upset about being deceived and had decided to give him the silent treatment.

The excited whispers and murmurs grew louder as the instructor arrived. Even Seth, who usually masked his true emotions behind a nonchalant façade, couldn't help but break into a clear grin at the sight of him- and the other instructor following closely behind him.

But it wasn't the instructors themselves that excited the crowd - it was what they had brought with them, a wooden table. Ordinarily, a mundane table wouldn't have stirred such excitement, but at its center rested a mysterious object: a transparent crystal, only slightly larger than an adult's fist.

'Essence stone!'

Seeing the strange rock, Seth instantly recognized it. It was an essence stone, something he had seen multiple times in various books he had read. Essence stones are special gems that contain concentrated essence energy even more pure and potent than what is found in the atmosphere. These stones are usually found in mines or dungeons where they naturally occur.

But this one had been modified to perform the specific purpose of measuring magical affinity, yes today was the day they get their magic aptitude appraised.

At the very sight of the essence stone, the crowd grew even rowdier, their excitement becoming almost tangible- and rightfully so. It wasn't every day that a commoner had the chance to be tested for magic. Simply determining whether one had the potential to use it was expensive, let alone hiring the necessary instructors to master it.

Seth had fallen victim to this harsh reality. With his inability to use internal force, magic was the only path left to him- but the cost remained a major obstacle. Mira had tried teaching him the few simple spells she knew, hoping they shared the same magical attribute, but luck wasn't on his side.

His luck was finally about to change- he was about to be tested for magic, and he couldn't help but feel elated. Yet, buried beneath that excitement was a seed of doubt. The reality was that only three out of ten people typically had an affinity for magic, and there was a good chance he wasn't one of them.

After setting up the platform, the instructor began speaking, instantly drawing silence from the trainees. He gave a brief speech- one that wasn't nearly as impressive as Sir Vince's- before proceeding to explain the essence stone and it's attributes.

Although this was common knowledge to trainees from noble households, many commoner children were unaware of it. Seth would have been among them if not for his love for reading, which had led him to a book on the subject. Still, the young half-blood listened attentively.

Essences are powerful energy sources that permeate the world, often manifesting in natural environments like mountains, forest, rivers, and deserts most time even being the cause of extreme or peculiar weather conditions. These Essences represents different aspects of reality, and only those with the ability to "weave" them can manipulate their power.

 The major essence attributes were as follows:

Solaris (Essence of fire and light)

Terran (Essence of earth and metal)

Aquaris (Essence of water and ice)

Aeris (Essence of wind and storms)

Umbra (Essence of shadows and darkness)

These were the most common forms of magical essence, although they were other unique forms of essences only a few people in the world were known to possess such. Each of the major essence attribute represented the five fundamental elements which were light, mineral, water, air, and darkness.

With the explanation complete, the testing began. Unsurprisingly, the noble children were the first to be tested.

"Boyle Claremont" the instructor called the first name on his list.

"Yes sir!"

Stepping out of the crowd was a stout boy who had dark grayish hair and the striking red eyes characteristic of the Blackthorn lineage.

Seth recognized him as the boy whom Emily had defeated on his first day at the training grounds. Wasting no time, Boyle stepped on the platform and followed the instructor's direction, gently placing his hand on the crystal.

The essence stone immediately emitted a gentle glow as the trainees watched with bated breath. But after only a brief moment, the light faded, and the stone returned to its usual state.

"No aptitude." The instructor announced.

Boyle walked away indifferently, seemingly unfazed by the result. Judging by his lack of reaction, Seth figured the young noble had probably already been tested at home.

'Lucky bastard… or was it unlucky?' Seth mused, unsure.

With that, the testing kicked off in full swing as many others were tested for their aptitudes.

"No aptitude."

"No aptitude."

"No aptitude."

"Aptitude Aeris."

"No aptitude."

"No aptitude."

"Aptitude Aquaris."

"No aptitude."

"No..."

After several hours of testing the noble children, only a couple dozen were found to have the ability to wield magic. This outcome didn't surprise most, especially given that the Blackthorn clan was known for producing knights and swordsmen rather than mages.

"Casper von Blackthorn!"

Wrapping up with the noble trainees, the instructor called out the final name on his list.

Stepping on the stage was a boy with brown hair and dark crimson eyes. he walked with confidence as he placed his hand on the crystal.

He was the noble who had mediated between Emily and Stev. Seth had always found him a bit strange, and that feeling only deepened as he watched Casper. 

Unlike most nobles here, Casper had no qualms about interacting with common folk without the usual haughty arrogance. In fact, he was greatly respected for his approachable nature. But it was precisely that quality that made Seth see him in strange light. The thought of a good-natured noble was almost alien to him. 

Casper placed his hand on the crystal which immediately assumed it usual white glow, but it didn't stop there as the white slowly transitioned to deep yellow.

"Aptitude, Solaris!" The instructor announced.