First Draft of a First Chapter of a Future Project... (Patreon)

Deyce sat anxiously on a hard-backed chair in the waiting room of his District’s office. The Purple District was always busy with new patents and malpractice suits, due to the extremely large number of doctors trying out new, highly experimental methods, and today was no different. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, he was at the Prime Office of the Purple District, which meant that his waiting time would be extremely short compared to what it might be in other locations. The only cases that normally came to the Prime Office were ones involving individuals that were either too important or too powerful to be handled by the offices of mere Vicars.

As a Ward of the District, he was given access to certain privileges until the age of majority, and one of those was the right to have his awakening managed by the Purple Ecclesiastic. It massively cut down on his wait time, and he was brought in mere days after placing his application, rather than the weeks or perhaps even months that others would have needed to wait. There was a catch, though.

Deyce had to face down the Purple Ecclesiastic himself: the most influential and wealthy man in the state.

A light cough, clearly given out of a desire to draw him from his thoughts rather than out of illness, originated from the receptionist. “Deyce Endrus, please report to the small meeting room.”

He stood, and walked towards the wall, glancing between a closed set of double doors and an open hallway. The left door had a plaque across it at about eye-level. It read, “High Purple Court Hall.” He entered the door on the right, which was labeled up top as “Meeting Rooms.” In the hall, there were four doors, each leading to their own meeting rooms, but only the nearest mattered to Deyce. It was the “Small” room.

He reached for the knob, then hesitated, and gave a knock instead.

“Ah, you may enter!” An eloquent- but not pompous- voice passed through the door.

Deyce opened the door slowly, creeping inside gradually. Inside, a man wearing a lab coat sat at a small, wooden table, glancing through a stack of papers with a look of focus on his face. He placed them down and gestured for Deyce to sit at the table across from him. Deyce’s eyes were immediately drawn to a device that rested near him.

It looked like a large, cut amethyst had been sawed in half and placed in the center of a small, circular stand with four legs. Oddly, it looked… fat, its bulk almost reaching the table. It was clear that there was a space within the object, just beneath the gem. The object itself was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, but the worth of the gem alone must have been immense.

A Waker, Deyce thought, his entire being vibrating with excitement.

“My, my, are we certain you haven’t already awoken as a Carnus, Mr. Endrus?” The man joked, looking over his muscles.

Deyce smiled faintly at his joke, but shook my head. “No, your Excellency.”

“Ah, none of that.” The man actually seemed flustered. “Some of those other hypocritical bureaucrats leading the other Districts might be into that sort of thing, but I am most certainly not. You can call me Doctor Purple, Doc, Purple, or any other derivative you might think of.”

Deyce gave him a nod, and he got on with what he had to say. “Now, kid, it’s my job to inform you of what’s going to happen here. I’m sure you already know, but it’s my job. Might get sued if I don’t do it right!” He chuckled, but his expression grew hard moments later. “Trinity knows I’ve got enough lawsuits flying around.”

He cleared his throat, and said, “Ah, well, you don’t need to worry yourself with that. We’re here for something far more important than that, after all.” He leaned forward and tapped the crystal at his side.

"Now, before we do this, I'm legally obligated to inform you of the possible classifications you might receive. First, we have the Carnus. The Carnus classification is granted to those who can channel Essence through their bodies. Essence is, effectively, the pure energy of life itself. Everyone has some of it, but Carni have much more, and can manipulate it to empower themselves. They can become smarter, faster, and stronger than anyone else."

Deyce nodded at him. All his life he'd had one dream: become strong. He desperately wanted to be a Carnus. All his life he'd worked towards that goal. He'd constantly worked to improve his nutrition and exercised as hard as he safely could, all in the hopes of increasing his body's Essence content.

Nothing else mattered, so long as he awoke to Carnus, rather than something stupid or nerdy.

"The next class is Ego. They can freely manipulate Aether; that is, the energy contained within all living things. The material world bends to the will of the Ego, and eventually, they can even become one with it. Golemancy is within the domain of the Ego; transmuting flesh to stone, metal, or even crystal.

"The final of the Ascended classes is the Mage. The Mage contains Mana within their soul. This Mana can be shaped into spells, the limits of which stretch as far as your imagination."

He cleared his throat before continuing. "There is also the Mortal class. While being a Mortal doesn't sound all that glamorous, it does come with certain perks. For example, non-Mortals aren't allowed to work in government positions, and receive no aid from the government. Also, while Ascended classes often participate in duels and tournaments, Mortals do not. Additionally, we have greatly reduced prison sentences and fines, and are able to declare bankruptcy without being conscripted.

"I am also obligated to inform you that your classification is a protected class under Decree 6. Any discrimination or unfair treatment on the basis of class- outside of what is listed in Decree 7- is illegal. If you're interested, I'd recommend taking a look at the Immortal Decrees."

He cleared his throat again, scooting the Waker towards Deyce. "Now, for the part you came here for. Place your hand on the gem, please."

This was it. Deyce's entire life had led him to this moment.

He slapped a palm down onto the crystal, and felt every part of him being examined.

First, he felt a surge of life enter his body, met by a substantial amount of pushback from his own. He assumed that the crystal was checking his Essence, but the feeling soon vanished of its own accord. Next, he felt a surge of something that chilled his flesh and gave him goosebumps across his body. It explored the inside of his naval for a moment. Then that, too, vanished.

Finally, he felt a scratching feeling. Not on his flesh, or bones, but rather along his mind, passing through to… something else. Something he couldn’t feel, or see, or touch, but something that was there nonetheless. The feeling traveled to his very soul before meeting some solid barrier. It poked and prodded at the barrier, and then it traveled back into the crystal just like the others.

Three energies clashed within the gem, flashing from emanating a great gray light, to giving off a powerful golden coloration, and, finally, settling on a light, baby blue.

Oh, Trinity no! A sensation of horror fell on Deyce’s shoulders. I’m a nerd!

The rest of the evening passed him by in a blur.

A Month Later

Deyce Endrus,

We hope that this letter finds you in good health. We extend our congratulations for achieving the classification of Mage. This letter has been sent to inform you that your application to Eterleon Academy has been accepted. A place has been reserved for you in our vaunted halls. If you no longer wish to attend Eterleon Academy, please send a letter stating such to this letter’s return address. Otherwise, the enclosed teleporter ticket will bring you to our gates. You are encouraged to leave behind all but the clothes on your back. We assure you, Eterleon will provide.

Indiana Ychall

Eterleon Academy Representative

Deyce read the letter over one last time with a sigh, still bitter about being a Mage. He was sure that attending Eterleon Academy would be great, but he’d originally planned on being a Carnus when he went to school. Still, Eterleon was the best of the best, and passing up on the opportunity just because he didn’t want to be a nerd would be beyond foolish.

A shove came from behind. He barely budged, due to his large stature, but it still got him to look up. It seemed that it was his turn in line.

He stepped up to the platform and handed his ticket up to the Mage-conscript running the line. The bored man, who was sitting in a lawn chair and reading a book, waved his hand, and Deyce, for the first time, left the Purple District.