The village's school wasn't much more than a domed, single-room structure built of sandstone and vine-laced timber. Red slate tiles covered its roof, faded and chipped with age. Inside, woven mats softened the stone floor, arranged in a wide circle where the children sat cross-legged, whispering with excitement.
At the center stood Elder Marn, his walking staff tapping the floor with firm rhythm. His long grey beard was braided with little copper beads that clinked softly as he moved.
"Enough," he said, voice gravelly but calm. "Noisy minds learn nothing."
The chatter settled—mostly.
Arin sat next to a stocky boy with a wide grin and messy brown hair that looked like it had fought a windstorm and lost.
"I'm Kael," the boy whispered. "You're Lyra's kid, right? The one with the silver hair?"
"Uh, yeah," Arin murmured. "I'm Arin."
Kael gave him a friendly nudge. "Sit straight! He's gonna bring out the crystal!"
Elder Marn turned and unwrapped a thick cloth from the stone pedestal before him, revealing a smooth, egg-sized crystal. At first glance it seemed clear—but then light caught the interior, and subtle swirls of color shimmered like a ripple beneath still water.
"This," said Marn, "is an Affinity Crystal. When a child's Soul Mark awakens, they may test their elemental resonance. The crystal reveals the element—or elements—they share a bond with."
He paced the circle slowly. "Most show one. A few, two. And once every few generations… something else. But let us not dream too far ahead."
He turned back to the crystal. "Today, we welcome a new soul to the circle."
All heads turned toward Arin.
He swallowed hard and rose. "I—I'm Arin Vale."
"Come," Marn said, beckoning with a nod. "Place your palm. Do not force it. Breathe. Let your mark listen."
Arin stepped forward, heart pounding. The dull warmth of his Soul Mark—still fresh from yesterday—throbbed lightly beneath his shirt. He placed his palm on the crystal.
For a moment—nothing.
Then, light.
A brilliant silver-gold glow burst to life inside the crystal, radiant and clear. Several children gasped. Kael gave a low whistle.
But then—just faintly—something stirred beneath the brilliance. A second aura, deeper, cooler. A muted violet-blue, swirling quietly at the crystal's edge like a shadow cast by starlight.
Marn leaned in, frowning. "Light Affinity. Rare indeed. But this second resonance…"
He fell quiet, studying it.
"Curious. It could be a mixed echo. Earth and water? Or perhaps something sleeping. Time will tell."
Arin stepped back, cheeks flushed. Kael grinned and patted his back. "Two? That's wild!"
Marn continued. "Let the others now show their sparks."
One by one, the children stepped forward:
Kael Thorn, bold and eager, placed his hand and the crystal swirled with rich brown, steady and deep. "Earth," Marn said with a nod. "Sturdy. Reliable."
Mirelle Anwen, graceful and quiet, held the crystal with a poised calm. A pale green glow danced inside. "Wind," Marn murmured. "Quick and clever."
Daren Voss, with a nervous grin, barely touched it before the crystal flared with fiery orange—and a puff of smoke rose from his sleeve. "Fire," Marn coughed. "Reckless. Be careful, boy."
Silen Veir, youngest of them all, stepped silently forward. The crystal bloomed with a cool blue, rippling like water in moonlight. "Water," Marn whispered. "Balanced. Centered."
A few other village children followed, some with faint glows, others with none. One girl, Fae, sighed as her test revealed no resonance—yet.
"It may come later," Marn told her gently.
---
Later That Day...
Practice began. The children paired off with old wooden staves and woven bracelets to help channel their early mana. Their task: spark a sign of their element, no matter how small.
Daren sneezed soot again. Mirelle's breeze scattered the mats. Kael cracked the ground with a stubby stone fist before falling over.
Silen calmly froze a tiny droplet in his hand.
When Arin's turn came, Marn watched closely.
"Feel your mark," he said. "Do not search outward. Bloom inward."
Arin closed his eyes. He pictured the light in the crystal, the way it had flared to life. He thought of his mother's lantern glowing in the dark kitchen.
A soft shimmer bloomed in the air above his hand—a small orb of gentle gold, flickering like sunrise caught in glass.
Marn's eyebrows lifted. "Hmph. Promising."
Kael whooped. "You're gonna be amazing at the academy!"
---
That Night...
Arin lay under his blanket, staring at the wooden ceiling beams. The scent of drying herbs filled the room. His mother sat nearby, mending a cloak.
He turned. "Mama… do you think Dad would've liked it?"
She looked up, eyes soft. After a pause, she leaned in and kissed his forehead.
"I think," she whispered, "he would've been more than proud."