Normally, Astor never prayed to the Gods, but today was special.
Today, he was finally going to say goodbye to his old life of living in a room the size of a carriage, eating stale bread every day, and stealing for a living.
Today, 7th July of the year 983, was the Annual Gatebearer Selection ceremony across many cities in the Velmir Kingdom, hosted by the Ember Sanctum.
Right outside the city hall was a young man, gasping for air.
"Am I late?? No, I made it just in time. Thank God!!" Astor spoke softly as he opened the door and stepped in. For a second, everyone looked at him, but after he slowly made his way to an empty chair, everyone returned to what they were doing.
A short moment later, a person with long blonde hair, wearing a white regal outfit, stepped up onto the stage in front of everyone.
A few knights surrounded him as he looked down at a piece of paper in his hands. Everyone, including Astor, had their eyes sparkling after seeing the blonde man.
The blonde man was a Gatebearer of the Ember Sanctum. A human who had his Gate bound to an Artifact — a person capable of wielding elemental powers and powerful artifacts.
The same kind of Gatebearer that everyone here had gathered to become. And today was the day their talents would be put to the test.
If you have a very high talent, you won't only get a golden ticket to Belleville University, the most prestigious university in the Velmir Kingdom, where even royals and nobles go, but you might also get a chance to become a member of the Ember Sanctum!
Well, Astor wasn't dreaming this big, but it was a possibility worth keeping in mind.
After taking the stage, the blonde-haired man began to give a speech about how glorious the legacy of the Velmir Kingdom is, how powerful King Velmir was, and how powerful the Ember Sanctum is, compared to the other Holy Churches.
After the overseer's speech ended, the knights surrounding him stepped down and handed everyone a booklet.
Astor glanced down at it, and after a second he realised that it was a contract... But without even flipping a page, he picked up a pen and signed it. It was either becoming a Gatebearer or living as a thief in the Sink.
"Now, follow the knights as they lead you to the Library of Artifacts." As the overseer spoke, two massive doors behind him started to open slowly.
Was there always a door behind him...? Astor thought, but couldn't come to a conclusion.
He slowly got up and followed everyone else as they went inside the gates, but what he saw inside instantly made his jaw drop.
***
This was it — the legendary Library of Artifacts.
The place the door led to was flanked by towering wooden spires, connected to each other by narrow stone bridges, with rows of shelves holding all kinds of strange objects.
He couldn't understand whether he was indoors or outdoors, as the ceiling of this infinite place was covered in a thick layer of glowing golden mist. Even looking past a few hundred meters was impossible due to it.
It was always rumored that the so-called Library of Artifacts was infinite, but it was only when he saw it with his own eyes that he understood its sheer infinity...
"Aspirants, welcome to the Library of Artifacts. Here, the only thing that can decide which Artifact binds to your Gate is your talent." Astor turned towards the overseer's sharp, echoing voice.
At the heart of this endless maze lay a vast circular platform of white marble, etched with intricate runes and symbols that were pulsing faintly. This was the platform that the overseer was standing on, and it was also the place that was going to decide the fate of many.
The overseer was handed a stack of papers by a knight, and after glancing over it once, he said, "Now, I will call you one by one for the ceremony. Darion, step up onto the platform — you're first."
After Darion made it up the platform, nothing of interest happened for a minute, but then suddenly a pulsing silver light slowly made its way towards the platform, emerging from the golden mist above.
Only after it was within Darion's grasp was Astor able to make out what it was. A bracelet. A golden bracelet.
"A Tier 4 Artifact of the Inferno Element. The potential to become a tier 4, Bound, Gatebearer. Congratulations on becoming a Dormant Inferno Gatebearer, Darion."
Well, isn't he a lucky one... Astor thought as he saw the joy on Darion's face from afar.
A Tier 4 Artifact is two whole tiers higher than average. With training and hard work, Darion can change his life and become an Apprentice in the Ember Sanctum, a life that most can only wish for.
After praising Darion, the man looked down at the list once again and called the next name. "Mirae, step up onto the platform."
A young girl made her way towards the platform. After exchanging a brief dialogue with the overseer, she stood in the middle of the circle and closed her eyes. And then, a faint silver light slowly made its way towards her, emerging from the endless golden mist above.
This time, the light coming from the Artifact was a lot dimmer.
"A Tier 2 Artifact of the Aqua Element." And without saying anything else, the man looked down at his list and called out the next person. "Astor, step up onto the platform."
After a few moments, a young dark-haired boy began walking towards the platform, walking past the girl who was on the verge of bursting out in tears.
And after a few seconds of climbing, he was standing atop the platform, in front of the overseer.
"Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax your body." Spoke the overseer in a dry tone — Like he was rehearsing a script he had already said a thousand other times. Astor nodded in agreement and did as the man said.
Right now, Astor was just as scared as he was excited. His heart was beating faster than ever — after all, this was the moment he had been waiting for, for almost half of his life.
Please be something higher than tier 2. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Astor had no care for money, fame, or power. All he wanted was something good enough to make his life decent. So when he looked up and saw that there was nothing there, he was left in shock
"W-What? Where is it?" Astor looked down towards the golden-haired man, but he was just as confused.
"Hmm, perhaps you should try again — before we jump to any conclusions."
And after hearing that, Astor closed his eyes once more — this time, it was a lot harder to focus because he could hear all sorts of echoing murmurs coming from the crowd behind. But after a moment, he opened his eyes and looked up once again.
And just like before, nothing was coming down...
"Hmm, well, this is interesting... The contract doesn't specify anything about this situation, so you are free to leave."
W-What?! This was unheard of. Everyone gets some sort of an Artifact, even if it's the absolute weakest Dormant artifact. He had never heard of anybody not getting an artifact at all.
"Alright, Lux Mire, step up onto the platform." The overseer said as he looked down at his list once again.
Lux Mire climbed up the platform. But Astor had yet to move, so the overseer glanced towards him with an angry face, making him instinctively take a few steps back and step out of the marble circle.
L-Leave? This moment was supposed to change my life! How can I leave?? Gritting his teeth, Astor stepped into the circle once again. But this time, something different happened.
The runes engraved into the white marble lit up, and the golden mist that filled the library started to glow faintly. When he looked up, he saw it — a bright, glowing star descending from the ethereal mist and glowing even brighter than Darion's Tier 4 Artifact.
T-This is?!
***
"T-This is?! Magnificent, Lux Mire! A Tier 6 Artifact! The potential to become a Cardinal!"
The light was slowly descending towards the person standing behind the overseer...
Seeing this, the final bit of spirit left in Astor's heart was crushed. And Astor realised the sheer weight of the words the overseer had said to him.
He has no talent. This was his destiny. And all he can do is accept it.
His hands trembled as he turned and bolted down the stairs, pushing through the swarm of teenagers until he spilled out of the city hall.
After deeply exhaling once, he started to run in a random direction, bumping into many strangers as he did. His feet stopped only when he reached the mouth of a narrow, shadowed alley.
He stepped inside and fell on the cold stone floor. Then, he drove his fist into the brick wall to his right until his knuckles split open, and there was blood streaking down his fingers. And after that, he just sat there, breathing hard in the dark.
"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Curse this world!" A tear flowed down his cheek as he slammed his fist into the stone floor.
He had waited for this moment all his life, only to be disappointed in the worst way possible.
"I understand your pain — To not have a talent at all." A soft voice said to comfort Astor.
"You do?" Astor responded instinctively. But then he realized something... He was the only one in the alley.
So he immediately looked up and tried to find the person who spoke to him. But he couldn't find anybody, he was still alone...
"W-Wait... What? Where are you?" Astor said in confusion as he wiped away his tears.
"Where I am doesn't matter, but what you want does. Your looks remind me of a great man, but your actions certainly do not. Crying over an Artifact, how unsightly." The mysterious voice echoed faintly within the dark alley once again.
Astor gritted his teeth, ready to respond in anger, but then he stopped.
"What does it matter now... my destiny has already been decided, I'm going to be stuck living this life of dishonesty until I die." He responded in a tone filled with grief, looking down at the puddle of blood that had formed where he was sitting.
And he was right. The only way a human can become a Gatebearer is through the Library of Artifacts. But he had been deemed unworthy of getting even a Dormant Artifact by the Library.
"And what if I tell you I can change that? What are you willing to do then?"
Astor looked up to glance at the mysterious man's face, completely forgetting that the voice was coming from an unknown source.
"What are you talking about? It's Impossible!" Astor's voice echoed within the alley. But even after the echo faded away, the voice did not respond.
W-Wait... Does he actually know something??
"Tell me your name, human child."
Astor gulped before saying, "Astor... My name is Astor."
For a brief moment, the voice remained silent, as tho the man behind it was taken aback after hearing his name.
"Then tell me, Astor, do you want me to change this destiny you speak of? Will you overcome any challenge thrown at you?"
But Astor began doubting the voice.
No, it can't be... It sounds too good to be true. He must be lying! ...but what if he isn't?
Astor fell silent for a long while, thinking, thinking carefully of his next actions. And then a moment later, he closed his fists firmly and looked up once again.
"If it can truly change my destiny... I will do anything."
Ethereal rays of golden sunlight spilled into the alley, chasing away the lingering gloom. The shadow of a cloaked figure took form before Astor, blocking the surreal evening sun, casting darkness atop him. Then, slowly, the man behind the voice extended a hand towards him.
"Then prove it! Overcome this trial!
Show me your worth, Astor! Follow your soul and show me that you are worthy of becoming a—" Before he could completely hear the man's sentence, the world went dark. And in the darkness, he heard another voice...
[Wake up, Astor.]