The scythe bit into the wheat with a satisfying swish, and Elias Thorne allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. Three more rows and he'd be done with the eastern field. Then maybe—maybe—his father would let him head into the village proper before sunset.
"You're rushing again."
Elias looked up to find his father standing at the field's edge, arms crossed, that expression on his face that somehow managed to be both stern and fond at the same time.
"I'm not rushing," Elias protested, even though he absolutely was. "I'm being... efficient."
Marcus Thorne raised an eyebrow—a skill Elias had never quite managed to replicate despite seventeen years of trying. "Efficiency leaves stalks half-cut and wheat on the ground. I can see three bundles you missed from here."
Elias followed his father's gaze and winced. There they were, scattered stalks lying sadly in his wake like accusations of hasty work.
"Right. I'll get them."
"See that you do." Marcus walked closer, his boots crunching on the dry earth. He was a tall man, weathered by years of farmwork, but his eyes were kind. "You know, when I was your age, I couldn't wait for my Awakening either."
"I know, Dad. You've told me. Seventeen times. This month."
His father laughed, the sound warm and familiar. "And I'll tell you seventeen more before tomorrow's ceremony if you keep giving me that look." He clapped Elias on the shoulder. "But seriously, son. One more day. You've waited this long—try not to bounce out of your skin before the ceremony actually happens."
Elias couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd be fifteen by the old reckoning—seventeen by common years—and old enough for the Awakening. Old enough for the System to recognize him. Old enough to choose a class.
Old enough to start becoming something more than just another farm boy in Millbrook.
"What class did you pick again?" Elias asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.
Marcus didn't seem to mind the repetition. "Farmer, first thing. Your grandfather nearly cried with pride." He gestured at the fields around them, golden wheat swaying in the afternoon breeze. "Served me well all these years. Got Carpenter later, when the farm needed less tending and I had time to learn. Two classes is enough for most folks."
"Most folks," Elias echoed.
"Most folks," his father confirmed, and there was something knowing in his smile. "But not adventurers. They tend to collect classes like your mother collects recipe scrolls."
"I heard that!" Anna Thorne's voice carried from the direction of the house, and both men turned to see her standing on the porch, hands on her hips. Even from this distance, Elias could see she was smiling. "And I'll have you know my recipe collection is perfectly reasonable!"
"You have seventeen different ways to cook potatoes, love!"
"Eighteen, actually. I found a new one last week."
Marcus shook his head, but his expression was pure affection. "See what I deal with, son?"
Elias did see. He saw his father, who'd chosen Farmer and never regretted it. He saw his mother, who'd taken Cook and Herbalist and made their little family more comfortable than half the village. He saw the home they'd built, the life they'd made.
And he saw the road that led out of Millbrook, winding past the fields toward distant places he'd only heard about in stories.
"I'm going to miss this," Elias said quietly.
Marcus's hand tightened on his shoulder. "We'll miss you too. But—" He paused, and when he continued, his voice was gruff. "But you're meant for more than wheat fields, Elias. Always have been. Your mother and I, we knew it the first time you climbed the old oak to 'scout for monsters' when you were seven."
"I was being helpful!"
"You gave your mother a heart attack and me a premature gray hair." Marcus ruffled Elias's already-messy brown hair. "But you found Old Man Hemmel's lost cow up in the north pasture from up there, so I suppose it worked out."
They stood together for a moment, father and son, looking out over the fields that had been Elias's whole world for seventeen years.
"Finish up here," Marcus said finally. "And don't forget those stalks you dropped. Your mother's making honeyed bread for dinner—your favorite—and if you're late, Lily will eat your portion. She's been practicing her Mage skills all afternoon and working up quite the appetite."
Elias's stomach growled at the mention of honeyed bread. "On it!"
He threw himself back into the work, this time actually paying attention to what he was doing. The repetitive motion was soothing, familiar. Swing, cut, gather. Swing, cut, gather. He'd done this hundreds of times, maybe thousands.
After tomorrow, he might never do it again.
The thought was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.
---
Dinner was, as promised, honeyed bread with herb-roasted vegetables and a chicken stew that made Elias seriously consider whether taking Cook as a class would be so bad after all. His mother had a way with food that the System clearly recognized—her [Cook] class was level 35, which was impressive for someone who'd never left Millbrook.
"So," Lily said around a mouthful of bread, "have you decided yet?"
"Lily, manners," Anna chided gently.
Lily swallowed, then immediately asked again. "Have you decided yet?"
Elias stabbed a potato with perhaps more force than necessary. "I'm thinking Scout."
"Scout?" Lily's eyes—the same hazel as his own—went wide. "That's so cool! You could explore everywhere, find hidden things, track monsters—"
"It's also practical," Marcus interjected, the voice of reason as always. "Scout's a good foundation class. Movement skills, perception bonuses, pathfinding. Useful whether you're adventuring or not."
"But boring!" Lily protested.
"Boring keeps you alive," Anna said, though her tone was mild. She looked at Elias, and he could see the worry in her eyes even though she tried to hide it. "Scout is a good choice, sweetling. Sensible."
"When have I ever been sensible?" Elias tried to joke, but it fell a bit flat.
Anna reached across the table and took his hand. "You're sensible when it matters. That's what counts." She squeezed his fingers. "And wherever you go, whatever you do, you'll always have a home here. You know that, right?"
Elias felt his throat tighten. "I know, Ma."
"Good." She released his hand and pointed at his bowl. "Now eat. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."
Lily, because she was thirteen and had the attention span of a excited puppy, had already moved on. "Hey, Elias, do you think you'll meet any dragons?"
"Lily, dragons don't live near Millbrook—"
"But they're out there! Master Edwin told us in school. Seven continents, and at least three of them have dragons. Maybe four if you count the drakes in the Shattered Isles, but he said those don't really count because they're more like big lizards with delusions of grandeur—"
"Lily," Marcus said, amusement clear in his voice. "Breathe."
She took a breath. "I'm just saying, if Elias becomes an adventurer, he might see dragons!"
"Or he might just see a lot of mud and uncomfortable sleeping situations," Elias said. "From what the adventurers who pass through say, it's mostly walking and camping and occasionally running away from things that want to eat you."
"Don't forget the part where they get paid to do it," Marcus added. "That seems to be the main draw."
Elias thought about the few gold coins he'd managed to save up from helping around the village. By adventurer standards, it was nothing. Barely enough for basic equipment, according to the last group that had passed through Millbrook. They'd needed supplies and had paid well, but they'd also casually mentioned that their gear was worth more than Elias's entire house.
The wealth disparity between a farming village and the wider world was... significant.
"I'll start small," Elias said, more to reassure his mother than anything. "Local quests, easy stuff. Work my way up."
"That's my boy," Anna said. "Slow and steady."
"Boring and steady," Lily muttered, earning her a look from both parents.
The conversation drifted to other things—village gossip, Lily's progress with her Mage class (she could create sparks now, which she demonstrated by accidentally setting a napkin on fire), the upcoming harvest festival. Normal things. Family things.
Elias tried to memorize every detail.
---
That night, Elias lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling beams he could barely see in the darkness. Tomorrow would change everything. The System would Awaken in him, and he'd finally see what everyone else saw—the status screens, the class options, the quantified proof that you were growing stronger, better, more.
He'd dreamed about this for years. Literally dreamed—he'd lost count of how many times he'd woken up disappointed to find no glowing screens in his vision.
Tomorrow, that would change.
He thought about Scout. It really was the sensible choice. Movement skills would help whether he stayed near home or ventured further out. Tracking and perception would make him useful to any party. It was safe, practical, and his parents approved.
It was probably the right choice.
So why do you keep thinking about it? a voice in his head asked, sounding suspiciously like Lily in one of her know-it-all moods.
Because it was a big decision, Elias argued with himself. Once you picked a class, that was it. You could add more classes later, sure, but your first class would always be your foundation. The thing you built everything else on.
No pressure or anything.
He rolled over, punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape. Through the window, he could see stars scattered across the night sky like someone had thrown diamonds onto black velvet. Somewhere out there were the continents he'd only read about in books. Zenthara with its martial artists and beast tamers. Noctheim with its frozen kingdoms and giants. The Shattered Isles where supposedly every island had its own mystery.
And here he was in Millbrook, where the most exciting thing that had happened this month was when Old Man Hemmel's cow got loose again.
(It was the same cow from ten years ago. That cow was a menace.)
Tomorrow, Elias thought, feeling a flutter of anticipation in his chest. Tomorrow everything changes.
He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep. Tomorrow would come faster if he could just stop thinking about it.
Naturally, this meant he spent the next two hours wide awake, mentally going through class options he'd already memorized.
When he finally did sleep, he dreamed of roads and distant cities and glowing blue screens that showed him he was Level 1 in everything and that was okay because everyone started somewhere, right?
He dreamed of becoming more.
---
The rooster's crow woke him at dawn, which was typical. What wasn't typical was the way his heart immediately started hammering in his chest.
Today.
Today.
Elias threw off his blanket and nearly tripped over his own feet getting to the window. The sun was just peeking over the eastern fields, painting everything in shades of gold and pink. It looked the same as every other sunrise he'd seen from this window, but somehow it felt different.
A knock on his door. "Elias? You awake?"
"Yeah, Ma."
"Breakfast in ten minutes. And for the love of the gods, wear something nice. It's the Awakening ceremony, not mucking out the stables."
Elias looked down at his usual work clothes, already half-pulled on. "Right. Nice clothes. Got it."
He heard his mother's footsteps retreat down the hall, probably to harangue Lily into proper attire as well.
Elias turned to his small wardrobe and pulled out the one set of "nice" clothes he owned—a simple brown tunic and darker pants that his mother had made for special occasions. They were clean, well-made, and only slightly uncomfortable.
As he dressed, he caught sight of himself in the small mirror on his wall. Same messy brown hair, same hazel eyes, same scar on his left forearm from when he'd fallen out of that damn oak tree at seven.
Same Elias.
By tonight, would he still be the same? Or would the System change him somehow?
Only one way to find out.
He headed downstairs, where his family was gathering for what might be the most important breakfast of his life.
Tomorrow had finally become today.
And Elias Thorne was ready.