Death, Devotion, Dissonance

Half an hour later, Evin and his father were walking through the better parts of town, heading towards a tall, lavish building that stood at the center of town. A rectangular five-story building that was extravagantly built with polished white limestone; had a roof shaped in the form of three elegantly shaped cones; and probably possessed more windows than half the town's wooden houses combined. Of course, this was the Mage Academy that was built three years ago in the city of Ankelite under the orders of the current King of the West, Seth.

Evin remembered the city's residents all coming over to see the new building being built by a fancy group of mages. The authorities had even allowed the 3rd grades and 4th grades to be allowed in the 2nd grade only areas so everyone could enjoy the magnificent sight. Evin also remembered joining in on the fun, dazedly looking towards the mages, imagining himself as one of them.

Well, the fun times didn't last long, as his father locked him inside the house when he realized what Evin was doing. But he did hear later that the entire thing only took two weeks to complete.

Truly a miracle of the mages.

"The extravagance of mages really knows no bounds. To think people actually want to become one of them is a thought I cannot comprehend," Evin's father commented, "Truth be told, I'd rather you stay at home and not even bother coming to this place, but since it is the order of the kingdom, I can only comply."

<The walk must have sobered him up. He's in his preachy mood again,> the voice tsked, <Well, at least he's not going to start hitting you till he drinks again, so I guess there's that…>

Evin had learned his lesson for the day and didn't react to the voice in any way. He followed his father silently at the side, listening to the usual rant about mages.

"You know? I've been like you, dumb and young, hoping to become one of the mages myself. Of course, as I was a simple 3rd grade at the time, I wasn't allowed to take the test like you all did. Now that I think about it, at the time, the amount of mages weren't anything much, really. And that humongous building wasn't there either."

It was expected, as Evin's father was almost 45 now. King Roland had implemented the Mage Acceptance Law in the year 1463, and it was currently the year of 1493. At that time, the man would've been only 15, too old for the changes to include him.

"It was a good thing I wasn't included. I used to idolize the mages, but since then, I've met and seen enough of them to make my own mind about the group," Evin's father cleared his voice, "Listen, boy, mages are not the glorious race of perfect humans you expect them to be. In fact, I'd say they're much, much worse than us. Arrogant, cowardly, selfish, greedy, and so easily angered; it's as if all the negative aspects of humanity gather inside those precious mana-cores of theirs… It's much better to possess a simple heart… It's the best thing that the Empress has gifted us."

Evin nodded automatically. He was more concerned about the thoughts in his head: two sides which were arguing on whether Evin would be revealed as a mage or not. Every step closer he took towards the Mage Circle, his little heart would beat one step faster. Or perhaps it was a mana-core beating in his chest, and not a heart?

"It's a pointless thing, this trip here. Me and your mother weren't mages, so as our blood, it's impossible for you to be one. But," the man went silent, before sighing, "Well, let's just get this over with."

The two then walked over to the giant building's doorsteps before they were stopped by the guard. Evin's father explained the situation, and the latter let them through after taking a glance at Evin.

Evin looked around the interior of the building, shocked by the cleanliness and hugeness of it all. The smoothly refined walls and floors, the tall and imposing pillars, and the ceilings which held the most beautiful paintings that Evin saw in his life.

For him, who lived his entire life in a wooden house held together by mud and water, this building, which was built using only the most precious of materials, was the symbol of power.

<Guess about 20 kids in town had birthdays this last month, huh?> the voice commented, sounding completely unimpressed by the spectacular building they'd just entered, one that dazed even his stubborn father.

Evin then looked around and found two dozen kids were already waiting in the giant hall with their parents or guardians, all of them dressed in the fanciest way they were allowed to. 4th grades wore their best knitted brown tunics, 3rd grades wore their prettiest cotton shirts, and of course, 2nd grades wore their most eye-catching set of colors. Of course, there weren't any nobles or 1st grades in the mix, since they were a different breed of people compared to peasants like Evin.

Of course, the group noticed Evin's arrival and briefly looked over… before turning away their heads with a frown. They all seemed to scoff at Evin's untidy state, who hadn't even washed himself after wrestling all day with an oily pot.

'They must be wondering why a 4th grade is allowed to wear the clothes of a 2nd grade… They must think I'm a pampered slave of some sorts, the favorite of his owner…' Evin thought in shame.

In his mind, only the lowest of the low would dare come to the Mage Circle in such a state. Not to mention he'd come at the latest time allowed. Usually, on such a monumental day, every child would be hurrying towards the Mage Circle at the first sign of sunlight.

But Evin didn't have time to bury himself in shame, as a fancily dressed woman came out of somewhere and looked around at the children with a nod. Her silk dress was dark-blue colored, but was loose and short enough for her to wear daily, and a carefully picked set of jewelry and accessories decorated it.

The biggest one among them was a seal of some sorts that was on her chest, which was a half-and-half mix of some silver looking metal and a light blue jewel. Evin guessed that it was her Mage Seal.

"21 one kids in all. The books say that's all we have for this month, so let's get this started. My name is Leanne Lanesbreau, though you may just call me Leanne."

After her brief introduction, she led the children to one of the rooms inside the building, which contained a series of pictures on the walls. Most of these drawings contained a certain person inside it – a tall old man with lustrous white hair, clad in majestic silver armor.

<Looks like a mural about your hero… Guess we're getting the obligatory dose of patriotism,> the voice murmured.

"As you all probably know, this here is the depiction of our late king, His Majesty Roland Arcwall, and his legendary feats," Leanne started.