Under the dimly lit sunset, Levi pulled the garbage bags along the floor without the least excitement in his eyes. He kept tripping over rocks, as if the universe itself was taunting him.
"Ugh! Why does life have to be this boring," he mumbled as he threw the garbage bags overhead and into the dumpsters in a field way too large for a commoner.
A ray of light hit his eyes and soon the sun was out of sight. The moon made its way up, its lunar light a reflection of Levi's sad reality.
"Asher-ton! I warned you not to come home late! Your dad must hear about this," his mom, Sia yelled in rage, rushing upstairs in the direction of his dad.
Their family was somewhat royal, dressed up in elaborate attires once in a while to fulfill the royal tradition of their country. Every year, a new heir to the throne would be appointed queen and Sia was the next.
"Levi! Don't make your mom repeat herself!" A thunderous voice echoed from upstairs and Levi quickly evaded his dad and went into his own room.
"Yes! The ceremony is tomorrow, right?" He snapped his fingers as he suddenly stood up from his bed, walking back and forth like he just caught an idea.
"Yes the ceremony! That's my ticket to getting a better life," he concluded, jumping on his bed, as he chuckled himself to sleep.
He filled his mind with deep thoughts about his future life and soon he found himself flat on the floor, face-first and soaked in sweat.
"Wha-, where am I?" He questioned, his throat tightening and his eyes trying to readjust to the sun's rays.
He could hear the noisy strikes of his mom's heels on the floor. He threw his blanket aside, trying to gain balance before he stormed into the bathroom.
As the door tilted open, he was met with a mirror that reminded him of his boring life. He quickly brushed it aside and freshened up, ignoring the aggressive footsteps of his parents.
"Mom! Dad! I'm done," he said breathing heavily. His parents — two tall figures — stood before him, a displeased expression on their faces.
"Get to the car now." Sia commanded as she jogged into the car in her elegant dress.
The Selection Ceremony was today, a chance for Levi to be chosen by either legendary magic or just a common one.
He brushed the dirt off his trousers and after the long ride, he was met by a large building, towering into the skies with walls larger than he could ever imagine.
His eyes widened with joy, his lips loosening as he casually walked into the building. Numerous 16-year-olds filled every spot in the building.
"Hundreds? No thousands!"
He looked around and spotted his mom already assuming her position behind the empty throne. She stood on an elevated spot in the building beside a man dressed in a white robe.
"Welcome to the ceremony young ones," a voice echoed through the mask of the man clothes in a long white robe.
"I assume you all are aware that this tradition is way too archaic for our present time; the coronation of our queen, a large ceremony held in a grand hall. It's getting too old, and I'm honestly sick of it."
The man dropped his hands beside his hips, his head lowering in pity as if irritated by his own thoughts and words.
"So see this?" He stated, pointing his finger at the air.
At first nothing visible could be seen, Levi squinted over and over and so did the other teenagers. They didn't know what to expect and tried their best to visualize anything.
But, not even the slightest thing could be seen.
Suddenly, 5 white balls slowly became visible, as if slipping from another dimension, each ball gradually alternating between colors like a rainbow.
Levi was tensed, his muscles tightened and an unexplainable sensation surged through him.
"Don't tell me I'm getting a fever on my big day!" He thought, slowly losing excitement.
A faint light glowed before him, his face a mix of red and blue hues. He looked up and slowly extended his arm, and a small ball rested on his palms.
His legs immediately burst into a short jump and a smile grew on his face. He looked at others and they were also experiencing a similar occurrence.
"Is it over? Have I been granted overwhelming power?" He whispered to himself, aware that others could hear him.
"Or is it just a common one? So this is how fun gambling feels."
"If you have been successfully been accepted by a magic system, you should now be seeing a Mirage which is the personality of your magic system," the Mage explained, his words almost meaningless to the teenagers enveloped in joy.
While the magic balls of others shone deep tones of teal, purple, yellow, and red, Levi's ball began shifting to a faint flickering white glow.
His smile quickly faded, as he wrapped his palms around the ball in an attempt to restore it's color as though he was rekindling a dying flame.
Short breaths, intense bursts of air, even flapping his hands around didn't do anything — it wasn't like a flame, it was something more complex.
As he tried understanding what was happening, he was instantly flashbanged by a vivid image of a staircase, it's highest and lowest points non-existent or probably just beyond his line of sight.
"A staircase? Is that my Mirage?" He muttered as the ball dissipated into nothingness.
A scream echoed from neighboring teenagers. "Woah!!! I just saw a mythical beast."
"Well, I saw a sick dude with earrings and piercings all over!"
"Cool, mine was nature itself, green and filled with thriving life just like those videos of the earth without humans," the others voiced out, their joy evident through their words.
As all the balls disappeared, the Mage vanished into the dark room behind him and the coronation of Levi's mom, Sia began
It was short and brief just like the Selection Ceremony, but that single event was the foundation for Levi's future.