"Come on, Jianyu! You should be celebrating with us; we're finally free of this prison of a school. Our Magic High School entrance exams are done as well! Have a drink, c'mon!"
"Somehow, I'm no longer in the mood after what just happened. And you know how I feel about alcohol."
I'm attending a graduation party at a bar with my friends. Xu Zhaoting is up to his drunken shenanigans yet again: just now, he vomited all over the table.
"Hey, I wonder what Elements we're gonna awaken on the first day at Tian Lan Magic High School."
"Fire, for sure!"
"Dream on. The best you'll get is Earth."
"Better Earth than Water!"
I chime in. "Earth is not much worse than Wind; both Basic spells are focused on evasion."
Houzi exclaims, "I want to awaken Shadow!"
We all glance at him, questioning his naivety, and burst into laughter.
"In that case, I'll awaken Summon!"
"I call Space!"
"The Psychic Element is too overbearing, it's mine!"
I sniff. "You all are half-wits at best, ignoring the most powerful Element there is."
They roll their eyes at me, waiting for me to continue.
"Obviously, I want Chaos. Bending the laws of the world with Basic spells, returning attacks back to your foes with Intermediate spells, cleaving through space with Advanced spells? A strong Advanced Chaos Mage with two additional synergistic Elements can challenge even Super Mages."
"But the strongest Mages of any level can challenge Mages above their level; the Element doesn't matter as long as they've mastered it."
"Bah, there's no convincing you lot."
"Hehe, remember when we were bruised and battered by the Rabid gang almost 2 years ago?" Zhao Kunsan laughs. "I can't wait to get my revenge once I can cast my first spell."
"Their group disbanded a few months ago after Jianyu beat them up for the umpteenth time. Plus, it's beneath you to target civilians as a Mage." Mu Bai disdainfully leans back in his chair.
"They haven't extorted or even assaulted anyone for ages. Take your anger out on the magical beasts if you're so tough," Xu Zhaoting quips.
"Fuck you!"
…
…
It's the entrance ceremony at Tian Lan Magic High School. The campus is far bigger than Lingyun Middle School: more than half a kilometer across in either direction and boasting numerous 6-story buildings and an enormous grassy field.
1500 students, neatly divided into 20 classes, are scattered across the green expanse. All of us are facing a large platform with a podium, behind which is our headmaster.
"Class of 2018, congratulations on admittance. Presumably, many of you have been waiting for the awakening ceremony, but before that, there are a few things I need to say to everyone.
"Students, do you know what it means to become a Mage?
"No matter what kind of Mage you turn out to be, do not forget that we magicians exist to secure mankind's future. Outside of this safe city, there are countless magical beasts watching us, waiting for us to make a misstep so that they can pounce. Our mission: to defend against their assault, to preserve the cities' peace, and to foster humanity's growth.
"With the awakening ceremony today, I hope you will become rising stars in the future world of magic! Push the frontiers of your Elements and hammer back the demonic creatures!"
As the old Headmaster's words trail off to a finish, the students on the grounds explode in cheer and clap wildly. I join the applause half-heartedly, a brute statistic dampening my spirits: most of these students will end their careers without ever glimpsing the Advanced level.
Still, nescience of the overwhelming odds preserves the flame of hope, and that's the primary force driving most Mages to continue advancing.
…
…
I'm number 1 of 75 to receive the awakening in the 8th class: a ranking determined by exam grades. After me is Mu Bai, then Houzi a few spots later, then Zhao Kunsan more than halfway through the list. Xu Zhaoting was sorted into the 7th class, despite Mu Bai's best efforts to pull strings and get us all into one class.
The homeroom teacher, who is also our class' Magic Advisor, Xue Musheng, is already standing at the very front of the classroom. The awakening preserves not a shred of dignity or privacy; a student's name is called out, and then they go up to place their hands on the Awakening Stone in front of the Magic Advisor and the entire class.
It is actually possible for the awakening to fail, rendering me incapable of becoming a Mage, so my palms are rather sweaty from nervous anticipation.
The process of awakening involves a thrum of Elemental energy from the Awakening Stone eliciting the formation of a Stardust in one's Spiritual World. The 1500 Awakening Stones prepared for the freshmen are of the lowest quality, filled with the energy of multiple Elements. Increasingly expensive Awakening Stones contain higher and higher proportions of a single Element, increasing the chance of awakening that Element. Around 1 in 100 people will fail the awakening when using any kind of Awakening Stone on their first try, though thankfully this probability drastically decreases in future awakenings.
Despite my feelings of trepidation, I'm curious to see whether I'll awaken an Innate Talent: rare, powerful effects that remain with a Mage their whole lives.
"Yang Jianyu!"
And that's my cue. I stroll up to the colorful, glassy Awakening Stone, placing my right hand steadily on the rock. After a nod of approval from our homeroom teacher Xue Musheng, I peer into my Spiritual World. No additional process is necessary to enter it aside from keeping my mind blank, and as usual, it remains empty and dark.
Wait. I see yellow sparks of light emerging from the void, forming a dusty region containing 7 bright yellow stars. They excitedly whiz around in their new home. It's a Stardust!
Aside from the Stardust, it feels like my Spiritual World has undergone a subtle, invisible transformation. I can't quite place my finger on exactly what it was, but it feels… almost like dipping one's hand in some mud. But instead of the remnants of mud on the hand drying into a crust, it just vanishes, leaving behind a pristine hand.
My attention shifts to the stone when it begins emitting blinding rays of light.
"Our first student, Light Element!" Xue Musheng announces.
I hear scoffs of derision from every corner of the class. They're certainly right to mock me. The Light Element? Really? No offensive or evasive prowess. Not even a defensive spell like Water Shield. The Basic spells for the Light Element are Illuminate: Cleanse, Flare, and Blindness. All utility, with Blindness barely counting as a combative one.
The secondary Element awakened at the Intermediate level allows for a lot more flexibility, as by then one might be able to afford an expensive Awakening Stone to increase the chances of getting an offensive Element like Lightning or Fire. Therefore, the primary Element of a Mage is the predominant litmus test for determining how far they'll go: offensive Elements allow Mages to rack up resources with haste, facilitating their advancement to the Intermediate stage. Most rural Mages who awaken the primary Element of Light remain stuck as Basic Mages their whole lives, useful only for flares and the occasional purification of dark substances and creatures.
Still, I remain unperturbed. The only variable that concerned me was the possibility of failure: that was entirely out of my control. Now that I have surpassed that obstacle, nothing bars my path to becoming a powerful Mage. So what if the others awaken Fire or Lightning? Will they then be able to solo Soldier-class magical beasts?
Furthermore, there's the matter of physical enhancement. Each successive stage yields incredible changes to a Mage's physique. A Basic Mage is stated to be stronger, faster, more perceptive than any regular person, and it's certainly the case that my body feels far lighter yet capable of more force than before. There's a spring in my step as I head back to my seat next to Houzi.
"Jianyu, just ignore those guys. The Light Element is still useful, and if I get an offensive Element, we can help each other reach the Intermediate level," Houzi whispers to me as I sit down.
I don't say anything. Only a select few in the military and Hunter Union are privy to the fact that a non-mage was out in the wild killing magical beasts, and my friends are not of such privileged status.
"Mu Bai!" Xue Musheng calls out.
Mu Bai nonchalantly walks to the front and stands before the homeroom teacher, poised and rigid.
"Go ahead."
Mu Bai nods, and slowly places his left hand on the floating Awakening Stone, a new one that replaced the one I used. Every student consumes one of them during the first awakening.
Thanks to his bloodline, the possibility of him awakening the Ice Element is fairly high, exceptional circumstances notwithstanding. However, if he awakens the Water or Light Element, then the Mu Family is unlikely to continue placing any importance on him. After all, there's no way they'd waste their finances just so they could find resources suitable to a different attribute.
The Awakening Stone suddenly emanates a bright cyan radiance. This radiance turns into strips of star marks that land on Mu Bai's left hand. A sudden frosty air curled itself around the Awakening Stone. The air rapidly condenses, and the surface of the Awakening Stone begins to freeze over.
"Ice Element! It really is the Ice Element!!!"
Suddenly, a person behind him began yelling. Following this yell, a few girls start to screech. As Mu Bai hears the ruckus, he opened his eyes, exuberant.
"Very good. It is a pure Ice Element. I believe an Ice Element Stardust should be appearing within your Spiritual World. Cultivate harder, and make it grow even stronger!" the homeroom teacher praises.
"Next, Qiu Yueying!"
A girl with a somewhat confident look on her face comes over.
"Alright, Earth Element."
"Next, Xu Qinglin!"
"Also Ice Element."
"Next, Lu Xiaobing."
"Hmm, Water Element!"
"Next, Zhang Xiaohou."
He places his hand on the Stone, and a small wind vortex appears alongside a bright green radiance, ruffling Xue Musheng's clothes slightly.
"Excellent, Wind Element!"
[Wind. Not bad, Houzi!]
"Next…"
"Next…."
"Next….."
A red fire suddenly lights up on top of the Awakening Stone, startling the entire class.
"Fire… Fire Element!!!"
"Shit! It turned out to be a girl. What's her name?"
"Her name is Zhou Min. It seems like she's the daughter of some teacher," someone murmurs.
"We should get to know her better."
"We had better be cautious. This Zhou Min looks like she's very quiet and obedient, but in reality, she's very short-tempered and violent. How could a meek person awaken the Fire Element?"
"That makes sense."
"Next….. Wind Element."
"Next….. Light Element."
"Heavens, I'm going to the roof. Don't stop me," the Light Element student bemoans.
"Next….Water Element."
"Classmate with the Light Element, wait for me! I'm coming with you to the roof."
"Next….."
…
…
"Now that you're all done…"
The classroom is abuzz with hushed conversations, students murmuring about their Elements and even discussing future plans. Luckily, there aren't any poor souls who failed the awakening.
"Ahhhemm." Xue Musheng clears his throat. The hubbub dies down.
"Thank you. Now, a quick overview of your Stardusts and your daily responsibilities as Basic Mages. There are three ways to interact with one's Stardust: meditation, control, and activation.
"Meditation generally means finding a peaceful location, sitting down, and focusing on keeping one's mind clear to display the Spiritual World. Looking within the Stardust, experiencing the movement of the 7 stars, and attempting to agitate and brighten the cloud of dust are the core facets of meditation. Over time, the agitation expands the Stardust, steadily taking a Basic Mage from the 1st tier to the 2nd, then the 3rd, unlocking a new spell each time.
"Control, on the other hand, is less gentle. Most students can only last an hour practicing control, since it involves straining their will, trying to align the stars into a fixed Star Path, halting their natural motion. When beginning as a Basic Mage, stars feel extremely fussy. Some respond well to coaxing, others require force, still others will only yield to some mix of the two, etc.
"After you're in control of one star, you then have to divert your focus and do the same thing in order for you to firmly control the second one. If you accidentally put too much attention on the second star, and discontinue placing the same focus on the first one, then the originally obedient star will immediately orbit away. Additionally, it'd also take away the second star that was in the process of being controlled, and waste the entire effort.
"If, after a long period of time, you're finally able to control all 7 stars, you can align them into a regular heptagon to form a Star Path, releasing a spell into the world. This is activation."
To embellish his short lecture, gusts of air buffet the cuffs on his sleeve while 7 bright green stars arrange themselves into a regular heptagon above his outstretched palm. Then, his body becomes a bit hazy, and he suddenly blurs into motion, sprinting back and forth the front of the classroom a few times.
Finally, he ceases his movement and performatively brushes his sleeves to flick away some nonexistent dust. "Wind Trail: Swift Current."
A few cheers and claps signal the rest of us to briefly applaud the display of magic. He curtly bows in jest, then proceeds with his lecture.
"Before we discuss meditation in further detail, any questions?"
A hand shoots up, belonging to that Fire Element girl named Zhou Min.
"Why is the Star Path a regular heptagon for every Element and for every Mage? I mean, isn't it possible to cast different spells if you arrange the 7 stars into other shapes?"
"That is a fantastic question. The short answer is yes! I'll give the long answer if the class wants to spend a bit of time on this subject. What do you all say?"
The class responds with a chorus of assents and nods.
"Excellent. So, who here knows the brilliant figure responsible for the standardized Star Paths, Patterns, Constellations, etc?"
"Euclid," Mu Bai declares.
"That's right! Before Euclid, each person might spend years and years stuck at every level before finding an arrangement of stars that suited them. Euclid found THE arrangements, the ones that worked universally because they were so stable."
"But are there other arrangements that might work better?" someone asks.
"Definitely. As far as I'm aware, there exists a unique most suitable configuration of stars for each Mage. But the trial and error to find such a configuration does not pay off. There's a reason why our ancestors, who used to toil away for years to find their configurations, immediately switched to Euclid's standardized system once he discovered it."
Xu Zhaoting raises his hand. "So our spells would be stronger than normal if we found the arrangements of stars that suited us? How much stronger?"
"Eh, the new spells would be around 20% stronger, if I correctly recall the results of some investigative studies. But especially at the Basic and Intermediate stages, what the spell does can often be way more impactful than its base power in comparison to other spells. It's likely that you'll be very happy with the new set of spells, but can you imagine spending a few years on trial and error, only to find out that you liked the standardized spells more than your unique ones? My goodness!"
…
…
A jubilant girl in a pale green dress frantically wheels out of Mingwu Magic High School, an all-girls school with a much smaller campus and fewer students than Tian Lan. It starts and ends later than Tian Lan and it's between there and my home, so it's very convenient to leave after classes are finished and walk over to Mingwu.
Amidst the traffic of excited students reuniting with their families, she spots me instantly.
"Jianyu! Guess what I awakened?!"
Infected by her enthusiasm, the corners of my lips tug upwards. I inquisitively stare at her.
"Healing!!! I awakened Healing!"
[What?!!]
I wrap my arms around her and squeeze tightly, my heart pounding harder than when I awakened.
"Seriously?! How is that even possible?"
"I don't know! Oh my god, you should have seen the look on our homeroom teacher's face," she giggles. "Still, I can't blame her. What are the chances, like 1/1000?"
I commence pushing her wheelchair. "Those are the odds for Lightning. From the lowest quality Awakening Stones, Healing is around 1/10000, so it's an extremely rare occurrence even in all of Bo City. The only Elements rarer than Healing as your primary Element are Blessing, Curse, and the dimensional Elements."
"I'm just happy I can cure your wounds now. I won't have to bandage you up anymore after you return from the wilderness!"
"You know you don't… ehhhh, forget it."
…
…
"Uncle Mo! Uncle Mo! I'm a Healing Mage!!!"
Having just walked into our dwelling, he lifts his brows in shock. "Congratulations, Xinxia! You're going to be the pride and joy of our family."
She squeals as he scoops her up and whirls her around before setting her down. I lightly snort, returning my gaze to the book on my lap.
"Finished with 'A Tale of the Warring Warblers' so soon? That's a new textbook." Uncle Mo plops down next to me on the couch.
"Yes, I read the latter half during today's lecture."
"Ignoring teachers again, are we?"
My eyes dart to the side, glimpsing a countenance full of mirth. "Very funny. Honestly, he was surprisingly well-read. I did not expect the homeroom teacher to be familiar with literature beyond the basics."
After a moment of silence, his lips fall into a flat line. "Jianyu, are you disappointed with your Element? You haven't brought up your awakening at all."
"It's not the Element," I sigh, snapping the book shut. "Awakening Light is better than failing to awaken anything. I don't know, this process feels a bit overwhelming."
"What process?"
"Meditating, of course. I'll have to spend every waking moment keeping my mind blank. I tried diverting my attention to the Warring Warblers, but I failed to continue agitating my Stardust."
"That's it?" Uncle Mo laughs. "And here I thought it was something serious. Jianyu, you've been nose deep in books for three years. Won't meditation be a good change of pace?"
"I guess. Yeah, I don't know why I'm disappointed, it's not really possible to process information while keeping your mind blank to view your Spiritual World," I admit.
He claps a hand on my right shoulder. "Chin up. Also, we have plenty of money now, so focus on your magic and stop heading into the forest."
"...Fine."
Xinxia cheers, "Yay! Let's play some poker, to celebrate!"
The upbeat evening flashes by.