Death, Devotion, Dissonance

Kon and Evin curiously held their hands over each vial, and soon, the verdict became clear. Kon was clearly compatible with the World of Air, Seyethe, while Evin was clearly more compatible with the World of Darkness, Exivear.

Evin really wanted it to be Lumiaris, the same world as King Roland, but even he noticed that the World Shard's light dimmed a bit when Evin's hands hovered over it, as if it was trying to hide its presence in fear of getting into this unlikeable fellow's mana-core.

"If you want a World Shard, that's not reacting to you, it's fine. You can still pick those World Shards. The reactions are there to just tell you how easily you can use the Worlds' energies in the future. Even if you pick a slightly incompatible World, with some hard work and effort, you'll be casting magic in no time," Leanne reminded.

<Good. Now you won't have to pick Darkness as your main World. I was really dreading the idea of us forever scurrying in the shadows until we get our 2nd Shard. If you want advice, Irratas, Tenarak and Seyethe are pretty good Worlds. Fire, Air and Earth have tons of potential and use. The others are fine, with Lumiaris being the worse of the two. The ability to shine really doesn't feel very epic to me,> the voice said with a calm tone.

Evin didn't want to, but he found himself agreeing with the voice for once. He really wanted to pick the shining orb, but Evin knew to give up on some things for the greater good. His heart wanted him to pick the World of Darkness, but his mind was strongly opposed to the prospect. Hiding out of sight really wasn't the ideal image of a mage in his mind. And besides, Leanne said they could find other Shards later on, right?

But there was something he didn't agree with the voice and it was the fact that the World of Water was worse than the World of Air. What the hell was one supposed to do with Air? Blow someone away? Evin remembered the strongest wind he'd ever encountered, yet even that wasn't enough to topple him over.

So, the choice was narrowed down to Fire, Water, and Earth.

"Pick the one for fire. It might be useful for blacksmithing," Evin's father said from his side.

"The child will make the decision himself," Leanne said sternly.

Evin didn't like his father's reasoning, but he agreed with the choice.

"I'll pick the World of Fire… please," Evin said.

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"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you for asking, Lady Leanne."

On the other hand, Kon had already picked the World of Air, as it seemed to resonate a lot with the girl as well.

"If your decisions are final, then it's time for me to help you absorb it… He-he, don't look so scared. It's nothing scary. In fact, I'd say you two picked the simplest two Worlds to absorb."

Just like the woman said, the process wasn't anything complex. Especially so for Kon, who simply had to breathe in the World Shard. It was still pretty simple for Evin, but he really didn't like a certain part of the process.

"Please drink this in a single breath," Leanne said, as she held a small glass in front of Evin. Inside it, the World Shard was burning atop a liquid, which Evin suspected was a hard alcohol of some sorts.

<He-he, who knew World Shards were served as a shot in this world?> the voice said carelessly, <Just take the drink, maybe you'll like the process.>

"Don't be afraid about the World Shard burning up your insides. Right after you drink the shot, you'll feel a burning sensation in your throat, but that's because of the alcohol, rather than the Shard. After it's inside your body, it will immediately go towards the mana-core and settle inside it. You'll feel comfortably warm for half an hour or so, and the process will be over by that point."

"Ha-ha, don't be such a wuss, boy. Just take the shot and get this over with," Evin's father slapped his shoulder with a laugh. The act obviously riled Evin's fears through the roof, as physical contact with his father almost always ended up with him hurting all over.

<You alright? Just make sure to drink it with a single breath. You'll be fine after that.>

Evin picked up the shot glass, staring at the burning orange flames with a hint of fear. He held it near his mouth, closed his eyes and gulped it without thinking much. For a second, nothing really happened, but the next moment, his throat started burning up. He started gagging and coughing, as someone started gently stroking his back.

Evin flinched forward in shock and fear, worsening his coughs even further.

"It's already at your mana-core and is currently settling down. You'll be fine... Can you feel the warmth spreading through your body?" Leanne said gently, though she wasn't trying to touch Evin again.

Soon after, Evin stopped coughing and started to become aware of the violent pulsations that his mana-core emitted, alongside the blood flowing around his body. But something told him that other than blood, his mana-core started to spread fire through his veins. These fires would violently invade every little corner of his physique, molding and reforging parts of his body. It was weird and scary, yes, but Evin felt extremely comfortable in this state, empowered, even.

Some time passed and right as the weird feeling ended, Leanne woke Evin from his daze.

As Evin got up from his reclined seat, he looked all over his body, trying to understand what made it feel so different from before. His body wasn't as hot anymore and the beating of his mana-core had stilled to normal levels. But something was definitely different now.

<Can you feel it? This… thing in the air?> the voice asked.

Now that it mentioned it, there definitely was… something in the air. Evin was never aware of it before, but now that he possessed an awakened mana-core, he couldn't help but notice this thing. Was he feeling different because of it?

"Are you perhaps wondering about the thing you're suddenly aware of? Then congratulations, the result of the Awakening is an astounding success. What you're feeling now is the thing we call mana," Leanne explained.

"Mana?" Evin asked.

"Exactly. The reason why the Awakening is called so is because aside from giving you access to a World energy; it awakens your mana-core's ability to feel mana. And after a few years or so, you'll even start to see it with your eyes!" Leanne said, her eyes tracking something invisible in the air.

Evin tried to follow her eyes and sure enough, he could feel the thing's presence there.

"Lady Leanne, I don't feel anything, is that wrong?" Kon asked timidly.

"No-no. It just takes a bit of time for some. Here, let me help you with it a bit," Leanne said and walked over. She held her hands next to the girl's heart and started chanting… before long, Kon's thin lips mouthed a wow.

"It feels… so mighty…" the girl muttered.

"Isn't it? Anyway, I have another thing I need to teach you two," Leanne replied smilingly. "You two are going to cast your first spells. Or at least, attempt it."

"First, try willing the mana to gather inside your mana-core. You don't have to think of anything hard, just think of the mana you're feeling around you to enter your body and reach where your mana-core is located," Leanne said, pointing at her left breast.

Evin did as she instructed, and just as he had the thought, the mana inside the room suddenly started to become active. He felt some of it burrowing into his skin before eventually reaching his mana-core. The process didn't require any effort from him, as if everything was done for him.

"Easy, isn't it? Now, Kon, you shall order the mana to turn into Air energy, while Evin will think of the mana turning into Fire energy."

Evin did as instructed, and the mana that was swirling inside his mana-core started undertaking some changes. His chest area heated up due to what Evin assumed was Fire energy, and after that it started flowing throughout his body. It felt wrong to Evin, as his mind was constantly telling him that some part of his body was on fire or worse.

"This step's pretty easy as well. Kon should be feeling, well, breezy, while Evin should be feeling hot all over. If you're feeling a bit weird, or anything, don't worry. Let the energy stay inside your body for a while, and you'll get used to it in no time. In the meantime, I'll explain what you should be doing next."

Hearing this, Evin calmed down, and let the Fire energy inside him do whatever it wanted.

"As you could experience just now, these previous two steps will happen naturally to you, or any other mage for that matter. As the Empress intended, they both happen with just a single thought and there's nothing else you need to do. But now comes the tricky part: you two need to do something with these energies inside you. I won't ask you to create a giant tornado, or a glorious bonfire yet," Leanne said, ripped a piece of paper and put it into two piles on the fancy desk, "Kon will try to blow these papers away, while Evin will try to set them on fire."