Stepping out of the portal, Ethan wore a mask of deep frustration. "What the hell does that old man mean?" he muttered under his breath. "Who accepts students and just throws them to the dogs? Where's the guidance? The 'welcome package'? Where's my golden thigh to hold onto?"
"Arghhhh!" He kicked at the floor, a purely childish gesture of annoyance that felt oddly satisfying in this bewildering new reality.
He was so wrapped up in his internal ramblings that he almost missed the retching sounds behind him. He turned to see Alan, who had stumbled out after him, now bent over and violently emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor.
Ethan stared, his own irritation momentarily forgotten. A thought, cold and analytical, cut through his anger. Thinking about this... why do I only have a slight dizzy feeling that barely lasts a moment? .
The disorientation from the portal had been fleeting for him, a minor inconvenience. For Alan, it was a physically debilitating experience. There's just so much I don't know about... myself. About this body. About this soul.
He watched as Alan finally straightened up, wiping his mouth with a trembling hand, his face pale and clammy. The boy managed a weak, embarrassed smile.
"Ummnnnn, Ethan?" Alan said, his voice shaky. "It's, uh, nice to properly meet you."
Turns out this kid wasn't shy at all. Was the master just that scary? Well... Ethan thought, observing Alan's quick recovery despite the sickness. He stretched out his hand. "Ethan. And likewise."
As they shook, Ethan's eyes darted around the crowded plaza. "Put that card away for now," he said in a low voice, his gaze flicking towards the silver card in Alan's hand. "Before anyone sees." He quickly slipped his own into an inner pocket of his simple, yet strangely torn, tunic.
His attention was then captured by the colossal structure before them. A building of stark, imposing grey stone, it was dominated by a huge, starkly simple sign that read "ORDER HALL." It loomed, its sheer scale designed to make any who approached feel utterly insignificant.
Stepping into the vast, echoing interior, Alan leaned closer, his voice a hushed whisper. "Tell me, Ethan, are you from a noble family or something? I'm having a hard time putting it together. Your clothes look expensive from what I can tell, but how are they so ripped all over?"
Finally looking down at his own attire for the second time since arriving in this world, a wry smile touched Ethan's lips. The fine fabric of the young Alerion noble's clothes was indeed evident, but it was now torn and stained from his tumble in the alley and the general chaos of the day. "Well," he said, the smile turning slightly bitter, "I guess you could say I'm from a noble family... let's just say something crazy happened on the way here."
Alan nodded slowly, a look of understanding dawning on his face. What crazy thing could happen to a noble, though?... he might not want to talk about it, he thought, wisely deciding not to press further.
Ethan's eyes scanned the bustling hall, quickly identifying a potential source of information. He spotted a woman sitting behind a counter, her eyes closed as if in meditation. "Let's go there first," he said to Alan, pointing and starting to walk.
They approached the counter. "Ummnnnn... hello there..." Alan said softly.
The woman's eyes snapped open, revealing a deeply pissed-off expression. "What do you need?" she asked, her voice sharp with impatience.
Ethan, seeing the clear annoyance in her eyes, decided blunt honesty was the best policy. "Please, we are new 'Ascendants', and we don't know what to do?"
The look of impatience on the woman's face vanished, replaced by a neutral, assessing gaze. She'd been at this desk long enough to know it wasn't worth offending recruits—at least, not until she could determine their potential and backing. Standing up, she came out from behind the counter and gestured toward a door beside her.
"Come on," she said, her tone now brisk and professional. "Let's get you registered and determine the rank of your affinity."
Walking into the room, Ethan saw a familiar sight: a circular array etched into the floor, similar to the one used in the Awakening Temple, though the runes seemed more complex. "I'm sure it's not your first time seeing an array like this," the woman said, her tone now efficient. "Please step on it. Any one of you can go first."
Alan, without even waiting for a signal from Ethan, immediately stepped forward. It was as if he knew Ethan, with his cautious nature, would hesitate. The woman began her explanation, her voice taking on a rote, practiced quality. "Now, I'm sure you don't know this, but all the temples have an agreement never to check an ascendant's affinity rank in the Awakening Hall. It's to avoid immediate conflict over the most promising young ascendants."
As she spoke, the array began to glow. Ethan watched intently, noting there were ten concentric circles. The light started at the innermost ring and began spreading outward. It passed the first circle, then the second, but stopped dead the moment it reached the fifth.
Ethan looked at the woman. Her previously neutral expression had vanished, replaced by sparkling eyes fixed on Alan. "The higher your affinity rank, the better the 'Elemental Breathing Art' you can apply for from the Order," she explained, a note of genuine excitement in her voice. "And you, mister, have a Low Gold Rank Lightning affinity. That is exceptionally rare, even among the Inner Order ascendants." Noticing that both of them were still confused, she continued, "The affinity rankings are divided into five. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Mystic, and Supreme ranks, respectively, and each of these ranks has a low and a high rank."
Her words earned a broad, proud smile from Alan, who puffed out his chest slightly.
"Okay, you can step out now, Sir," she said, her voice noticeably warmer. "Please, you can go next now," Ethan noted the instant shift in her politeness, a direct result of Alan's displayed potential, but he kept his thoughts to himself and slowly stepped onto the array.
The array immediately identified his element: Illusion. The woman gave a slight frown. Then, the ranking process began.
The inner circle lit up. Then the second. It flowed seamlessly into the third circle, then the fourth. A look of pure shock wiped all other expression from the woman's face.
The highest rank she had ever personally recorded was a High Gold Rank Fire affinity a decade ago. Now, she was witnessing not one, but two newly awakened Gold Rank ascendants. The light continued, unwavering, past the fifth circle; the glow finally slowed, moving into the sixth circle.
The woman stared, her mouth slightly agape. The Illusion element... at the High Gold Rank? It was unheard of.
She was sorely mistaken if she thought that the "Gold Rank" was the only thing she was going to see today.
The light did not stop. It climbed past the sixth circle, then the seventh, its radiance filling the room with an almost physical pressure. Her professional composure was completely shattered.
"Impossible..." she whispered, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and terror.