The ceremonial hall, it smelled faintly of incense and burning sage. Sunlight, it streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting shifting patterns of fire and water and earth and air across the marble floor. Kaelen Veyra stood at the center. Heart hammering in his chest. Today, it was supposed to be the day his destiny revealed itself.
Rows of robed mages watched from their seats, eyes filled with pride and expectation. And at the far end sat the High Magister, Kaelen's father, Lord Aric Veyra. Tall man, stern and unyielding, Aric was. His mother, Lady Serenya, sat beside him. Her lips? Pressed into a thin line. Seems like she wasn't very happy.
A silver-robed elder stepped forward. The elder held the Crystal of Affinity. It's a relic, said to awaken the elemental bond hidden within every mage.
"Kaelen Veyra," the elder's voice echoed through the hall, "present your hand." And it was a voice that commanded attention.
Kaelen's palm, it trembled slightly as he placed it on the crystal's cool surface. The hall fell silent then. Usually, within moments, the crystal would blaze with the color of the mage's element – crimson for fire and blue for water and emerald for earth or white-gold for air.
Nothing happened with the crystal. It just remained dark.
The crystal, it remained dark. That was unexpected. Seems like something should have happened, right? Not sure why it didn't.
A murmur rippled through the audience. Kaelen's pulse quickened, it really did. He pressed harder, trying to will the magic out of him, but the crystal stayed lifeless. Seconds stretched into an eternity, felt like it anyway.
"Again," the elder ordered. He was frowning. A deep frown, actually.
Kaelen obeyed, but the result, it was the same. No light showed. No warmth. No magic, either. Just… nothing happened.
Lord Aric's voice broke the tense silence. It was sharp, like a blade.
"This… is impossible, I guess. He carries the blood of Veyra!"
The elder lowered his head. "The crystal, it does not lie, my lord. He possesses no elemental affinity."
And a gasp rose from the assembly. Some whispered, others looked at Kaelen with open pity – or worse, contempt. His mother, she turned her gaze away from him entirely. Seems like a harsh reaction.
By the end of the ceremony, the decision was made. Kaelen, in the eyes of the Veyra clan, he was no mage, no heir… no son. That night, no warmth of farewell, he was exiled from the grand halls of Astravelle and sent to the Outlands. A place… even seasoned warriors feared it, really.
As the gates closed behind him, Kaelen gripped the worn strap of the satchel. It was slung across his shoulder, that satchel. The wind, it carried the distant roars of unseen beasts. Somewhere far behind those walls was the life he had known, yeah.
Somewhere ahead? Only danger and hunger and shadows.
But Kaelen walked forward. Because what choice did he have?