"Charles Liam Flameworth! Step on the platform and detect your mana affinity!"
Finally... It's my turn.
Slowly and deliberately, I stride forward. My steps cautious and resolved.
"What? Is he a Flameworth? That black-haired child?"
"Yeah, they say his mother was a maid."
"Pfft, this will be quite the sight."
The murmurs from the people in the crowd increase exponentially as I slowly ascend the platform.
As soon as I climb the platform, the announcer bows his head slightly.
"You may proceed."
I nod my head once and I face the large crystal.
This is it, the beginning of my journey.
Breathe in.
The nervous thumps of my heart.. they're getting a bit too fast.. and loud.
Calm yourself Edward.
Breathe out.
My left fist clench, and I raise my outstretched right palm to meet the surface of the crystal.
This is it.
My right palm meets the hard but smooth surface of the crystal that seems to pulse with life.
...
Silence.
The silence... it's thick and pungent.
Their intense gazes dig holes on the back of my head and all over my body– they're all looking at me. The ones that want to see me fail, even the ones that don't care about me are all focused on me.
The crystal gives no reaction. Not even a faint flicker of light.
"Pfft"
The silence is broken by the blurted laughter of the people.
"As expected of a bast–"
Shwaaaaaaaaaaa
Everyone freezes, their eyes widen and their jaws slack. And on their faces– a mixture of awe, shock and fear.
Immediately, they close their eyes instinctively to avoid the blinding shower of light.
My eyes are wide open, staring at the magnificent beauty that graces my presence.
They're burning from the brightness of the light, but I don't care.
Tears are rolling down because of the pure intensity of the light, but I still don't care.
I– It.. it's like a rainbow.
The light engulfs the surrounding environment of the training grounds, leaving no shadow in its domain.
My eyes reflect the sublime light in front of me.
It's glorious... and a harmonious mixture of red, blue, green and yellow light!
"W–W–W... Wha– no, that's i– that's impossible!"
The announcer's matured and confident voice breaks, shaken by disoriented awe.
He falls, his butt hitting the wooden platform as he slowly crawls back.
"Alert the Patriarch! Alert the Matriarch! Alert the elders! Alert everyone! This calls for a meeting!!"
A familiar cold voice echoes with a pressing command.
The person shouting is just outside the training grounds.
Ah, I know that voice. It's Sin Morderego.
My eyes narrow, and zoom in on the crystal.
There's something there. Something different from the bright lights, but no one seems to notice it.
What the hell?
It– it's that darkness.
Faint, and tiny– like a string. It lingera and slithers around the crystal like a snake.
The sweat on my palm increase, my heartbeat which I had barely managed to calm, surge intensely.
Immediately, I withdraw my hand from the crystal. Causing an end to the light show.
My breath hitches.
What is that darkness and why was it manifested in my affinity test?
"Hoooo."
A quiet exhale leaves my lips, and I clench my fists.
Now isn't the time.
My heartbeat still echoes faintly in my body, but I choose to ignore it.
My gaze flickers to the crowd of people, each with stunned expressions and almost dropped jaws.
With a swift movement of my neck, I pinpoint the location of the mothers that I glared at earlier.
As my red eyes lock with theirs...
My lips curl into a wicked smirk.
They shiver, their faces growing more pale as their eyes dart widely, avoiding contact with mine.
My hands slide into my pockets, and I slowly descend the wooden platform.
My head's held high, and my back is straight.
And as I walk down the platform; toward the crowd of people– they all divide, making a straight path for me to pass.
I earned this. Nobody here has ever experienced their skins shedding.
And I exit the training grounds.
____________________
(Round Table)
In an unidentifiable room in the mansion of the Flameworths, a group of people gathered at a round table– discussing the massive event that had occurred in the training grounds a few hours ago.
"This is unprecedented."
An old, bald man with a low, raspy voice spoke up. His hands caressed his white, long beard slowly.
"Truly unprecedented. He has an affinity with all four elements! How is that even possible or supposed to make sense?"
A short, red-haired old man with a husky voice spoke up with a loud voice. He slammed the table as he spoke.
"Huhuhu... this is a good thing."
Stilia, the Matriarch, the first wife of Alexander spoke. She wore a black hat and a veil that covered her face, giving her a seductive look as she held her handfan.
"It is not! The other elements are useless to the Flameworths! A household of flame mages giving birth to a child that controls all elements? How does that make sense!?"
The short, red-haired old man yelled, veins bulged out of his forehead.
Every other person present at the round table were debating this topic, and then an old woman with stretched and wrinkly skin, bright red eyes and red hair that reached her waist spoke up;
"Did Sin shut all the mouths of the commoners and pay the nobles off? We must make sure that this news never leaves our dukedom. Even if we have to kill every witness. Every. witness."
"You foul old woman. Always thinking evil things, that's why your husband left you."
The old bald man with a long white beard shot a bullet at the old woman.
She gnashed her teeth, her face tightened as she sank the intense feeling of burning him to ashes for daring to bring out a past painful memory of hers.
"You should focus on yourself and your talentless grandson, Jayad."
Her voice was hollow and pseudo-calm, her under tone evident that she was forcing herself to endure.
The old man retorted, "Why wo–"
"That's enough."
A cold voice spoke up, and immediately, everyone present in the room felt the weight of its presence.
The old man and the old woman comported themselves swiftly and focused on the source of the voice. The other people who were debating also went silent as soon as the heard that voice.
He had heard them all. Their debates and speculations. But he said nothing, he kept watching, and thinking.
They all had mixed thoughts and feelings about the terrifying quad affinity that Charles detection displayed.
But Alexander? No, he didn't have any mixed feelings. Instead, his heart pounded for the first time in ages. It stirred with a primal feeling of excitement. What he felt on the day Charles returned from the pool was true. Charles wasn't just another Flameworth.
When Alexander first heard the report of what happened at the training grounds. A wide, mad grin stretched his lips, going ear to ear.
He really is an entertaining child, an affinity with four elements? His growth would be impeccable!
Those were his thoughts– inside of him. But on the outside.. He had a stern posture, a solemn facial expression, and a cold red gaze seemed to Pierce the hearts of every elder present at the round table.
"Charles.. He will begin training as a flame mage. Immediately." He paused dramatically, letting the message sink in and waiting to see their expressions. "The other elements? I don't care about them. When he comes of age to enroll in the Imperial Academy he can learn them there." He paused again, eyes scanning the room, hoping that at least one person would oppose him or try to cut him off.
He wanted to burn some faces. It was the best way to calm his thumping heart.
"And on the case of news about his talent spreading? It doesn't matter... No one can do a thing to a kin of the Flameworths."
He declared. His voice echoed loudly in the silent room. No one dared to oppose the ruler of fire.
Alexander gracefully stood up from his chair, "The second anomaly after Krian the great has been born."
And he walked out of the room, leaving the other people drowning in silence and relief from the pressure he emitted.
As the Matriarch watched him leave, a warm, intrigued smile spread on her face.
He just does whatever he wants huhuhu.
She thought to herself, her smile growing wider as she stood up to leave too.