Author's Note: Howdy, this is my first story of which I have many chapters written. If there is any feedback or comments, feel free to message me at shineyfabian@gmail.com
"What would you like to accomplish in your next life?", a loud, booming and commanding voice asks. A boy's soul trembles as the vibration of sound runs through his mind. He can't feel his body and although lacking the ability to see without a physical form, the presence in front of his soul is blindingly bright. Without hesitation, he responds, "I want to be able to help others. I'll give anything I have to be a savior, a hero." His soul feels as if it's pushed away from the large light and in the blink of an eye, he is pulled from the tight space and out into a cool room. His eyes open, looking up at a large naked woman. His body is sticky and wet with everything looking much redder than he remembered. But he remembers it all. His life before this, his failures and successes, and the promise to save others this time around. "It's a boy", a voice above him says though his neck can't turn to see anything and this body isn't as responsive as the last. He feels himself being placed in the arms of the large naked woman. "We'll name him, Kort.""My name is Lain, I'm 10, I live in Quilles. Nice to meet you all.", sleek, straight, black hair covered the boy's face. The sun reflected off the hair making it seem dark blue in parts. One large innocent brown eye peaked between the hair. Pale skin and light pink lips contrasted against the black outfit despite the blazing heat. He was shorter than the other kids and his meek, polite voice cut through the room. There was an awkwardness to the way he stood, feet facing in, knees bent and one hand holding onto his elbow, blocking his chest. He was as lanky as most kids his age yet his demeanor made him seem even moreso; frail at best. The boy sat down, his head immediately looking down to avoid eye contact and hide his pink-flushed face.
"I'm Kort, I'm 11 and I also live in Quilles. Lets all be friends!", the bright smile on Kort's face was endearing and earnest. His loud and crisp voice brightener the room instantly in contrast to Lain's. They have been sitting side by side and even visually, they seemed like polar opposites. Kort had stood up quickly and with energy to properly captive the room. His short bond hair and green eyes brought out his bright attitude even further. There was a peculiar glow in his eyes, trusting and wise, something that made him stand out among the group and made him seem otherworldly, special.
The two were neighbors. Lain, the only child of a cook and a builder, who lived in a sturdy, average home, perfect for the three. A bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen was all they needed with a herb and vegetable garden plus a few small animals which provided meat, eggs and enough self sustenance for the family.
Meanwhile, Kort was the 25th child of his 25 siblings. His mother was a homemaker and his father, an ex-adventurer, worked any available jobs in their village. The house was twice as big with no yard yet, the few times Lain had been invited inside, it all felt much smaller because of the sheer mass of children and teens. It was accurate to say Lain and Kort were friends though technically, Kort made friends with everyone. Even Lain's parents had a positive and friendly relationship with Kort who offered himself to help at any notice and this was true of anyone from the village of Quilles who knew Kort. Unfortunately, despite the appreciation for the singular friendship Lain had, the large groups of people constantly surrounding the blond boy kept the introvert neighbor from being close-by.
"Alright, if that's everyone, let's begin.", one of the children among them said. She had initially told everyone to introduce themselves, wearing a purple dress with gold lining. Lain could tell she was from a rich upbringing just from the use of gold in her clothing, her off, white hair and brows and the way she spoke. Every one of the 20 children there had introduced themselves already and sported a similar, skeptical look of confusion as she brought herself to the front of the group and up on the desk where one would imagine their mentor would be but this girl, not only seemed too... short to be their mentor, she also seemed at least 3 years younger than Lain when he was sure all children learned about their abilities during their 5th scholar cycle.
"Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on.", she sat up on the desk to tower over the room with a presence that was one of either complete cockiness or vast wisdom.
"My name is Liv, I have the gift of exchanging time. I'm currently 300 years old, I can't exactly remember the amount, and I was born here in Bedstead, though we were just a few farms at the time, now it's such a big city, huh?", a large silence fell in the room. From what Lain knew, abilities or gifts were much simpler than that. His mother could heat or cool water with the aftereffect being that she would feel cold when heating too much and heat up when cooling. His dad could harden any material and turn it into a brick. The aftereffects weren't explained to him as he was told that he'd understand better when he was older. Lain's hand shot up in the air and when pointed to by Mentor Liv, he asked: "How does that work and what are the aftereffects?"
"Good question.", Liv said, earning a smile for the curiosity. "Know that when others ask you this, you don't have to answer as it's your greatest strength and you the biggest weakness. Almost everyone knows mine so I will tell you. I can control time in exchange for my own time. What I can do depends on how old I am at the moment; the stronger the effect, the larger the quantity of time it takes from me and while you might think this is strong, like many of you will find, there are limitations. For example, if I use my gift too often, I theorize, I will turn into a useless baby, so reserving my gift for when it is needed is what is best." She paused to let the words sink in. Though there were many ooo's and Ahh's, Lain felt the sadness in the ancient mentor's voice and though he couldn't fully grasp all the downsides, he imagined living so long meant more time to experience negative situations.
There was chatter among the room for a few seconds. Some saying how cool their mentor's gift was, some boasting that their gift would be better and others, simply excited about learning more.
"Alright," Liv said with her squeaky, child voice, yet there was authority now. The group of kids knew who she was and could only guess at how capable someone so old would be. "This process will be quick and yet, it will lay out where you will go for the next few years as you understand your gifts...", she went on to explain the process which many children already knew from gossip or their parents. A stone of knowledge would be used, smooth rocks from a magical lake which answered one question before dimming and turning into ordinary rocks. The location of this lake was unknown to most and the secret well-kept and guarded, both in secrecy and manpower. It was said that golems were made to safe-guard the area alongside powerful beasts. The rocks would simply be used to directly ask what someone's ability was in an orderly fashion and in private. Afterwards, they would be assigned with a mentor from a nearby village that would allow each person to further their growth and explore their limits or even establish a living using their gift. It was obvious that most people wanted the thrills of being adventurers, exploring the world, making justice and of course, the fame and gold in the craft was enviable. There were still many artifacts, monsters and locations that were either unknown or undefeated.
The group sat on the floor and waited for each of their turn, going in the same order as they had introduced themselves, from left to right, meaning Lain would be second to last and Kort would finish it off. At first, everyone sat in silence but the noise levels went up as each person stepped out and spoke about their gift. One girl boasted about the gift of obtaining anything in the world in exchange for an equivalent currency. Another boy badly faked a smile as he mentioned that he could break a target's bone in exchange for breaking a bone of his own. A girl with a flushed, bright red face said she could 'carry' as many children at once in exchange for seeds but no one really knew what plants had to do with children and the girl didn't elaborate. Another girl mentioned being able to chop any tree instantly, in any way or shape she wished but having to plant another tree. The abilities varied greatly but to Lain, it was fairly easy to tell who would be an adventurer and who would be a normal villager. He had been sitting apart from the others but it was hard not to listen in and either way, it was entertaining to listen to others as he waited for his turn. Like anyone else, he dreamed of adventure. Learning about the world, seeing what not many could, stretching the limits of what i meant to live.
After what felt like hours, he knew he was up as the boy who had introduced himself before him walked out. His name had been Kynn, and he had been from a village even further out than his own, one Lain had not even heard mentioned before.
They had similar builds; lanky, thin and pale yet, Lain knew his was genetic. His father and mother both were pale despite spending much time outside daily and everyone in his family was well-fed. This boy, Kynn, seemed sick. His pale skin was almost shades of green and purple, his clothing hung tight to him as if he had outgrown the clothing and his bony frame were concerning. Kynn's skin was dirty all over too. Spots of old grime and dirt on his arms and neck. It made Lain feel guilt in his gut, and he didn't understand why. It was a situation fully out of his control. Lain walked past Kynn as he offered a polite smile and though Kynn's expression hadn't changed much, his eyes glimmered in a way they hadn't done before knowing his gift. Kynn's eyes followed ain as the darkly clothed Lain headed to meet with Mentor Liv.
At the front of the room, near the desk, there was a door that led to a small office which fit two chairs and a small table between the chairs. Liv sat on one chair writing on a parchment, too occupied to look up. Approaching the room and closing the door behind himself, Lain sat on the other chair and waited. Once the mentor had finished writing, she looked up quickly and fetched a white, perfectly round stone which almost seemed to give off its own light.
"Alright, we will each hold the stone to hear the answer and you will ask out loud: 'What gift has been bestown onto me'. The rocks are very picky with phrasing and what they answer so ask exactly that. In case you forget, it is written out here.", she slid a parchment with large, bold font. Almost everyone knew how to read at his age through schools though he did know that there were still exceptions, even within his own village.
Taking a deep breath, he put his hand over the mentor's small hand which held the pearly white circle and repeated the words out loud. A voice was heard in his head, so deep and low that it almost felt like the Earth was vibrating yet, it was not. It was barely a whisper, yet he could hear it like it was the only sound in the world and it said...