The four heroes turned to the king, bowing to his words and adjusting their postures to meet the device in front of them.
Compared to the god sphere, it was far less elegant in its appearance, a medium sized crystal ball resting atop a cubical machine etched with a great plethora of runes.
Each rune thrummed as if it was solely conscious, playing with the motes of aether floating in the air and even playfully stringing them along like the bow of a violin toward its center.
"What is this," Rowan asked, his mouth agape--not from the crowd or big ceremony. No, that he could understand.
Little purple dots surrounding the box swirled in the air to form a double helix that extended into the sky.
Beautiful, he thought, the aether sparkling like thin stars in the morning sky. It was akin to glitter being spread in the air, except far more surreal.
"We call assessment of our resonances a commencement, and--actually, let me start from the top. This is a resonance matrix, the device used to measure how your vessel best resonates with the Way. I have called for your summons so that you may present yourselves to its detection and show the world proof of your status as hero. Commencement is something we highly value in our society, and it would be the greatest pleasure for not only my people, but also myself to witness yours--if you may allow it."
The king threw his arms in the air as he spoke, talking to the heroes as if they were fifty feet away from them.
However, once Rowan noticed the large projection situated hundreds of feet, realization struck his eyes, the sound between Viral's words and the loud booming voice emanating from the screen delayed but the same.
"But why'd you only tell us last night," Elias asked, rubbing at the dark circles enshrouding his bottom eyelids, "and why did it have to be so early in the morning? I don't really appreciate my circadian rhythm getting thrown off."
"Ah, I apologize Sir Elias, but you must know that it was not my decision to wake you up needlessly. The people were restless, practically begging to see you heroes. Can't you see?"
He pointed back down towards the crowd of people, their chants turning from a roar to a shrill, loud to the point that their words were indecipherable.
"Now, it would be rude to keep them waiting, wouldn't it?"
Again, the heroes bowed, contrasting Rowan who stood completely straight.
Getting violent glares from a couple of his companions, he awkwardly tipped his head down, jumping into the pace of his companions.
"Okay, then," Lucien added, turning to the other heroes, "who wants to go first?"
The heroes were silent, their eyes jumping between one another as if anyone other than themselves had been urged to answer the question.
Lucien sighed, looking back towards the device as his eyes narrowed and mouth widened, revealing the newfound resolve supplanting his nonchalance.
"Then I suppose I'm up first," he said, stepping forward to meet his hand to the machine, "but you guys owe me."
There were quiet sounds of affirmation from Elias and Kaia, egging him on with comments of 'come on, you've got this!' and, 'we believe in you.'
Lucien's eye twitched, annoyed at their willingness to throw him aside into the unknown, but he withheld the urge to curse them out in lieu for his practiced composure.
"So, how do I use this?"
He was turned, facing the king while feeling for the ambient aether hovering over the device. It was a pleasant feeling, he thought, but still a lingering fear of failure clung to his chest.
"You simply reach out your hand toward its direction. The Resonance Matrix will complete the detection for you--no strings attached, or, rather, no soul tether."
The king's abrupt snippy remark was a cold testament to Lucien's previous mishaps regarding his soul tether.
Still, that made it all the more hilarious, the heroes behind him all laughing along with the king himself.
"Ah, so you can joke," Lucien said coldly, attempting but failing to smile along with them, "but anyway, I just hold my hand out like this?"
As soon as his hand stretched to meet the device's aetheric whirs, light began to shoot out from its crystal ball, blinding both Rowan and the crowd.
The luminosity was insane, causing the floor below to bubble and froth with a 'glrrgggg' from its heat. It was enough to make anyone choke, the hot air clinging to your throat and depriving you of moisture, but Lucien stood, unmoving.
The lights shifted to crackle into the air, four bright orbs swerving around ten feet above the crystal ball in a cyclical movement.
The king's eyes were wide open, the extent of his surprise stunning his words. But he only allowed this for a moment, quickly posturing himself to look again at the four orbs circling in the air.
"H-he's a quadra-resonant just as legend foretold..." he muttered quietly, but not too quiet so as to ensure the crowd could hear him, "Lucien, hereby denounced as a practitioner of the Seven Arts of The Way. He possesses Ryudo, Kaido, Kaizen, and Nendo, the arts of flow, boundary, change, and creation!"
The crowd was quiet, their movements still.
Rowan was the same way, something tugging on his limbs to withdraw their animation. It was surreal what'd just happened in front him, and it was even more surreal that he would experience for himself.
"Lucien!"
The ground rumbled from their shout, knocking Rowan off-balance and forcing him to cling onto the person next to him.
Lucien looked up in shock, only moving once the lights had retracted into the crystal ball to remove the light brightening the entire castle ground.
"Hm," he hummed, turning back to step in line with the other heroes.
"Well, wasn't that something," the king asked, patting Lucien on the shoulder once he'd returned to his spot, "then, may the next hero present themselves for the commencement?"
The person whom Rowan rested his arm on raised their hand, stepping forward without so much as glancing back at him.
It was Liora, her muscles tense with anxiety.