The village square of Elderwyn had never been so full.
Families packed the cobbled plaza, their voices a buzz of excitement and tension. Banners of the Tamer's Guild swayed gently in the breeze, painted with the sigil of a roaring lion entwined in vines. Today was Awakening Day — the sacred rite when every sixteen-year-old would discover their affinity, class, and the path that would define their future.
James Blackwood stood in the back of the line, hands deep in his coat pockets, doing his best to appear calm. He wasn't.
Around him, his peers fidgeted and whispered. Some were excited. Some terrified. Some already imagining the beasts they'd command and the glory they'd earn in the taming arenas.
But James?
He just wanted it to be over.
He glanced up at the Guild Stone — an ancient pillar of crystal nearly three meters tall, glowing faintly with pulses of blue energy. It was older than the village itself, passed down from a forgotten age when the world still remembered how to shape Essentia with will and blood.
"You okay?" Linna's voice broke his thoughts.
She stood next to him, her wild auburn hair tucked behind one ear, and her eyes gleaming with anticipation. She'd always been the brave one.
"I'm fine," James muttered.
"You always say that when you're definitely not fine," she smirked. "Relax. You've always had a weird connection with animals. Remember when that shadowcat followed you around the woods for weeks?"
"It also bit me twice."
"And still followed you." She nudged him. "You're going to surprise everyone."
James said nothing. He wanted to believe that. Desperately. But part of him feared the opposite: that there was nothing inside him to awaken. That he'd touch the Guild Stone… and it would stay silent.
A name was called. The first teen stepped forward and placed his hand on the crystal. The stone pulsed.
> "Tamer Class: Fangblade. Rank: Initiate. Affinity: Earth."
Cheers broke out.
The next. And the next. One by one, each teen touched the stone and received a class — a mark of their soul's connection to Essentia. Some gained elemental powers. Others earned summoning rights or specialized beast-linking abilities.
"Linna Thorne," the elder called.
Linna flashed James a quick grin, then strode forward. She placed her hand on the crystal, and the stone lit up in a swirl of green wind. It shimmered brightly, almost eagerly.
> "Tamer Class: Spiritcaller. Rank: Adept. Affinity: Wind."
Even the elder blinked in surprise. An Adept? On her first awakening?
The crowd burst into applause. Linna returned, breathless, cheeks glowing with pride. "Told you it wouldn't be bad."
James tried to smile, but the pit in his stomach only grew deeper.
Then came the call that silenced everything.
"James Blackwood."
He froze.
Whispers rose in the crowd. Some curious. Others pitying. A few mocking.
James stepped forward, feeling the weight of hundreds of eyes press down on him. He reached out to the Guild Stone and rested his palm against the cool, smooth surface.
Nothing.
Seconds passed.
Still nothing.
A dull, gray flicker pulsed once... and died.
The crystal dimmed. The crowd held its breath.
Then the voice of the stone, ancient and final, echoed across the plaza:
> "Tamer Class: None. Rank: Unranked. Affinity: Null. Designation: Talentless."
Silence.
Not even birdsong dared break it.
Then, somewhere in the back, a snort of laughter. Whispers bloomed like weeds.
"Null?"
"Guess not everyone's special."
"He's the baker's boy, right? Figures."
James pulled his hand back slowly, his face pale.
He didn't cry. He didn't speak. He just turned around and walked back to the edge of the crowd.
Linna reached for him. "James, wait—"
He brushed past her without a word.
The ceremony went on, but James didn't hear it. He stared at the ground as applause erupted for others who would be warriors, summoners, and heroes.
And he was nothing.
---
The sun was beginning to set when James finally made his way back home.
His house stood at the edge of the village, modest but warm. Stone walls, a wooden roof, and a small fenced garden where his mother grew herbs. He opened the door quietly, hoping to slip in unnoticed.
But the smell of stew and fresh bread greeted him immediately — and so did his little sister.
"Jamie!"
A blur of red hair and giggles slammed into his stomach.
"Hey, Lily," James said softly, ruffling her hair. She was only seven, with a big smile and an even bigger heart.
"You're back! Did you get something cool? Like a firebird? Or a shadow wolf?"
James hesitated.
His mother, a tall woman with gentle eyes and flour-dusted hands, looked up from the hearth. Her expression softened when she saw his face.
"You should sit," she said quietly.
James slumped into a chair.
His father appeared next — tall, bearded, and always quiet. A farmer by trade, though James had always found his eyes a bit too sharp for someone who just worked the fields.
His father didn't speak, just placed a hand on James's shoulder. Strong. Steady.
James swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I was labeled Talentless."
Silence.
Then, softly, his mother said, "That doesn't change who you are."
"But it changes what I can become." James's voice cracked. "I'm nothing. No class. No affinity. Not even a beast bond."
His little sister's brow furrowed. "That's dumb. You're still Jamie."
His father knelt down beside him. "Listen to me." His voice was low. "The stone doesn't decide your worth. The world doesn't know everything."
James looked up. "You don't believe it either?"
His father paused. Then shook his head.
"I believe in what I see," he said. "And I see a boy with more heart than half the fools in that square. We'll figure it out."
James didn't answer.
He went to his room that night feeling empty. Not angry. Not even sad anymore. Just… hollow. Like something had been taken from him before he even knew he had it.
He lay on his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling.
Then, it happened.
A pulse of cold light rippled across his vision.
> "Synchronizing host vitals..."
James sat up, eyes wide. A soft hum echoed in his mind.
> "Initializing Beastbound System…"
"Legacy core detected. Genetic match: 97.2%."
"Lineage confirmed: Draconis Primordia."
"Welcome, James Blackwood. System online."
A translucent interface blinked into existence above him, floating in the air like a ghost made of light.
> "Bonding permission granted. Beast Core unlocked. First summon eligible."
James stared in disbelief.
> "You are not talentless. You are chosen."
And somewhere, far away — in a realm beyond light and flame — something ancient stirred.