Valthar held a book open,staring at the familiar lines of magic theory as his mind daydreamed of the future.
Hard not to when today was the day he would awaken his elemental affinity… Well technically he probably had already awakened his elemental affinity, but today was the day he would touch the crystal of truth and have it revealed for the entire family.
A tradition that marked the moment he would stop being a kid and become a true Manaborn mage.
A knock at his door pulled his attention, in moments the one knocking opened it himself.
"Ready for today?" His cousin asked, words are light and confident.
He too would awaken today but not a single shred of doubt could be seen in his stance.
"Born ready." Valthar half joked.
The two had been born in two of the main lines of a family of noble mages, THE Manaborns, their parents, grandparents and even further up the bloodline all had affinities that were either special, strong or both.
In a way they truly were born ready for this very day.
"Let's go then, the elders must be waiting, we are the last of our generation after all." Caelor said before turning around, the two had been friends long enough that he knew Valthar would follow.
A generation in their family would span a three decades and each time only a single mage is chosen as the family head.
Their criteria is straight forward, the one with the rarest elemental affinity and highest talent.
Even Caelor and Valthar themselves could become the next leader of the Manaborn family by sunrise tomorrow.
Valthar couldn't help but day dreams as his steps fell beside his cousin.
Granted though not as glamorous Valthar could accept becoming an elder or a powerful mage at the Adventurer's guild too.
And as for having a shit elemental affinity and having to change paths? Impossible.
Everyone in their family, especially the main lines, were married, bred and trained to be the best elemental mages both in the empire and beyond.
*
In a large ball room nobles gathered and chatted, all counts, marquises, dukes and archdukes with even a few royal members sprinkled here and there.
Their clothes were both imposing and flashy, with scales that shined in metallic color, furs so dense they absorbed light and in their hands bone carved gauntlets that covered all the way to their forearms.
The last one a special piece that had been growing in popularity lately, a fashionable way to amplify your magic spells without having to carry a staff.
The price was obviously prohibitive, but no one present was a mere commoner or shallow pocket baron.
Here on this day, only the most powerful had gathered to watch the awakening…
And of course, though the Manaborn's were a pillar of the country and one four archducal households, these powerful men and women didn't come here for a simple awakening of a handful of young adults.
Instead they waited for the event after that one, the announcement of the next Manaborn family head.
A thing that unless a dark horse appeared today most nobles already knew the answer.
A girl with her triple elemental affinity and purple level talent had awakened a decade or so ago.
Talent goes from weak to strong: White, Grey, Green, Blue, purple, red.
The selection for next Manaborn family head was both open and direct, with everyone knowing who their most talented mage was.
The Manaborn's were proud like that in a way the power behind their name was built behind their relentless goal to reach the pinnacle of magic.
And that was not arrogance, since of the higher level mages in the empire there were few who couldn't be traced back to the Manaborns, to the point there was even a saying in noble circles.
'If you want your kid to be a mage, marry a Manaborn.'
Talk and polite laughter echoed in the room till suddenly the musicians at the corner slowed to a stop, the magical runes in the ceiling dimmed and an old ancient voice boomed through the air.
"The sun has hidden below the horizon, so the last five of the 106'th generation of the Manaborn have been Awakened!"
An aura of a high level mana ring spread to the room, powerful and imposing even without maliciousness.
Then a white haired and white bearded old man descended from somewhere in the ceiling.
The nobles parted from the center of the ball, having already been instructed to do so beforehand.
"We've seen the Manaborn ancestor!" Dozens of voices echoed in unison, no doubt members of the family.
"Step forth young Manaborns! It is time to repay the family and show your worth in front of the crystal of truth." A crystal sphere was pulled from the Manaborn ancestor's pocket before growing to a massive size and landing in the center of the room.
There every single one in the room could see it.
One by one five young adults walked up to the open area, their movements slow and theatrical as their family had taught them to do, two of those five were Valthar and Caelor.
The oldest one walked forth to the crystal placing her palm against the sphere.
Within moments a cloud formed inside the construct and from it rained water and ice, the representation of her element.
Then a blue pulse spread through the room announcing all her talent.
"Ice and water, a blue double affinity! You have brought honor to the family name!" The ancestor yelled loud with dozens of other Manaborns echoing the second sentence throughout the ballroom.
Blue was rare, being fourth on the sequence of rarity, the girl stood proud basking in the approval.
For most families she would be a generational talent and even here she was above average.
The next two stepped forward, one had a fire affinity the other a metal one both green, both receiving the family's approval though much more subdued.
Then it came Caelor's time, an order he and Valthar decided beforehand since both had been born on the same day twenty years ago.
"Goodluck." Valthar whispered as his cousin and best friend shot him a smile and walked to the crystal of truth.
Seeing his cousin walk forward, a pang of expectation ached in his heart, Valthar knew how gifted Caelor was in magic and mana.
And though admittedly a bit biased towards his best friend, he was more than willing to call it unparalleled.
In excitement he watched as his cousin's robes flustered after each step and as his tall back stood in front of the crystal sphere.
With a slow motion Caelor's palm touched the surface and at that moment the ballroom seemed to shake, the mana in the air started to vibrate.
The Manaborn ancestor's already happy smile from playing the powerful mage in today's ceremony widened even further.
He was here when the current runner up for family head awakened, but even then the crystal of truth hadn't shown such a reaction.
Inside the crystal a dozen grids merged into a matrix, its shape complex and strange.
Many of the nobles looked confused, not everyone here was proficient in magical theory.
For those who were however, the view was shocking.
"The space element." Valthar mumbled with his mouth wide, as a pride bubbled in his heart.
That was his cousin up there, with an elemental affinity so rare it could be counted in one hand in the history of the empire.
"I guess Caelor has a shot at the family head huh." He chuckled to himself, unaware of how right he was until the next moment.
When a pulse of deep crimson red spread from the crystal of truth, marking today as the birth of a legend.