United States. New York City.
Year 2800.
☆☆☆
Today is the kind of day where students picked destiny or destiny picked students—it just depended on how well they studied.
A young boy sat at the far end of the Government Beast Hall, peering at the blue skies that in his novice state only seemed to remind him of the fundamental reason he was here—the day blue rain fell seven hundred and fifty years ago.
And since then, Beast Taming had become a reality with Mana fused to everything.
"But why the fuck did the government have to tie it to our SAT?" Jayden bit his lips, his heart pounding subtly within his chest, and even the buzzing atmosphere around him seemed absent.
Good, bad, or mysterious, rulers always capitalised on every circumstance, and now, when citizens thought this was an apocalypse, the government had seen it from a completely different angle. Evolution.
Scientists began exploring, and humans started learning to contract mana-infused beasts. However, the government made SAT results determine the future for every citizen.
But Jayden wasn't any low-class student, in fact...
"I'm sure I didn't make any mistakes" he sighed clicking his tongue, "but who knows?, Math and English results can't be predicted. There is bound to be even the slightest mistake."
Students strove to please this day, but results had a way of always being surprising.
There shouldn't have been nervousness in his gaze, but is there anyone immune to being a victim of failure?
"With my luck, anything could happen—and by anything, I mean the worst possible outcome."
Jayden sank deeper into his seat as he noticed the event's moderator walking back onto the stage. The man had green, healthy plant veins protruding from his back and shoulders; his beast could be identified as a willow plant due to the thin, elongated leaves the vines carried. Judging from the rigidity of the vines, it must be at C rank tier 1 beast, and that's probably its maximum ranking. Yeah, these were the kinda jobs low-ranked beast tamers could secure in this age.
"The time you've all been waiting for is finally here" the moderator's voice echoed from speakers both within and outside the hall.
"YAYYY!" Everyone except the year twelve graduating students, hundreds of them seated in the front rows, shouted.
"Let's judgment day begin" Jayden muttered, letting the future worry for itself.
"You're all welcome to the coronation of the seven hundred and forty-eighth generation of beast tamers", the moderator's eyes scanned the pale faces of the students sitting in the first twelve rows.
"I can see the tension is palpable like always", he laughed, but it didn't take him long to know his joke went flat against the worries in many hearts.
Clearing his throat, he straightened his posture and said; "We would be starting now."
Immediately, trumpets began blowing and soldiers began marching in from the centre of the hall, each carrying a beast, either chained, bottled or plants growing in a vase.
The soldiers formed a line behind the moderator, each adorned with body markings that signified their status as elite citizens, comparable to a proper mammalian beast. Beside the moderator stood two others, each holding stacks of envelopes in their hands.
The moderator took the first envelope and tore it open; the sound felt like ripping reality in two, and tension immediately filled the air.
'Who could be first on the judgment list' Jayden thought.
"Remember the score ranking." The moderator said while scanning the results, "1600 for legendary beasts, 1200-1599 for mythic beasts, 801 above for elite beasts and 800 below for advanced beasts",
Then, "Arnord Allen"
To some part of the hall, there was relief, to another section excitement and to one particular boy who sprang up as if called from a nightmare, it was complete dread.
"Let's see if you kept the commandment of studying" Jayden whispered with expectations, and a sly smile tugging his lips.
The moderator scanned the result, then he gave a pleased smile that lifted negative thoughts from both Arnord and the audience.
"1300/1600"
Shouts and cheers filled the hall, and even the moderator's voice fell on deaf ears.
"Well done, son", the moderator patted Arnord's head, who was smiling and crying at the same time. "The government have granted you a mythic beast; a black leopard"
Another wave of shouts followed with a bit of envy this time.
'Yahh.... why wouldn't you call him 'son' when he did well? But anyway, congratulations, bro.' Jayden purred in thought.
A soldier stepped forward with a black chained beast in his hold. The beast was at its lowest rank now, but had the potential to evolve to A rankings tier 1.
The beast was harmless, having been injected with a mana control serum. Anrod bent low and poured mana out of his fingertips. In humans, mana flowed together with the blood, so all he had to do was transmit the mana through his skin, and immediately his mana and that of the beast made contact. For a moment everything went black.
Then the darkness was absorbed into Arnord's body with a whoosh. He had transformed—beast plus human, slowly descending to the ground. His hair was dark and longer, cat-like whiskers flanked his face, his fingers extended with long claws and a slim tail now extended from his hip bone.
That was mana bonding—a type of bonding that occurred when mana meets mana and at the beginning of every bond, beasts always started at D-rank, tier 3. The lowest.
More names were called, and to those beasts were contracted. Some were epic, being normal mammalian beasts, others were plants and worse, even insects. No one was fortunate enough to receive a legendary beast until,
"Jayden Logan"
Jayden immediately stood up with confidence, "Guess it's time for my POV", he whispered, avoiding the envious gazes of his fellow graduates while the cheers behind grew louder.
He was a public figure, a genius, an example parents used when speaking to their misbehaving children. Interestingly, he did not even like books, yet he had to strictly avoid failure.
"Guess you might be the first legendary tamer of the day." The moderator smiled as he unpacked the results.
Jayden smiled.
'Hmmm... that was always my goal, getting a dragon, but for that I need a perfect score.'
Dragons were extremely rare. Scientists could only bioengineer twenty-five smaller dragons from the tissues of four massive dragons that fell from the skies 750 years ago, and so only the exceedingly rich and influential citizens could acquire one.
Was Jayden going to be one of those?
Despite the effort put into anything, life might not always be a computer, garbage in, garbage out. But Jayden had learned to let time tell the story.
The moderator lifted an eyebrow, and Jayden tensed immediately.
"Did you take your English exams?" He said in a low tone.
Jayden's heart skipped a beat. "O-of course I did"
The moderator glared at him as if he, too, was scared to call out the score. The audience behind went stone still.
'No. You gotta be trolling me!' Jayden's eyebrow lifted as if asking a question while every part of his body trembled.
"The Government have granted you an ..."