About a half hour later, Eldon reached his house, panting. In his haste to go home, Eldon ran his hardest, something he rarely did. Within a minute and with the school still in sight behind him, Eldon couldn’t continue running. On the entire way back home, he ran, rested, and walked multiple times.

Wow, that was a bad idea. Angus thought as he went up to his front door. Indeed, Eldon was not one of the athletic types. Due to his preference to study inside instead of going outside and enjoying the sunshine. Eldon was a fairly frail child, in terms of strength. His skin was not pale, but it wasn’t as tan as Angus’s, who regularly worked alongside with his powerfully built father, Brutus Silver, one of the best blacksmiths within the Talis Kingdom. Angus helped his father out by going all around town obtaining materials and orders, and sometimes even went on journeys to find rarer metals or to meet with customers who were unable to travel. Angus was much more experienced with the outside world, and his tales of his journeys, albeit exaggerated, made Eldon somewhat admire Angus. He would never let Angus know that, though. Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile, Eldon thought. After resting a bit, Eldon opened the door and went inside.

“Mother? Father? I’m home!” Eldon shouted, taking off his shoes and putting on his slippers.

“Hey, Eldon!” A manly voice greeted Eldon. Soon, a man of well built stature entered into Eldon’s view. It was his father, Leonar, a retired soldier. Nevertheless, Leonar was still the captain of the guardsmen in the town. He had just arrived before Eldon, after having made sure that there were no problems with the recruiters.

“Didn’t you go to greet the recruiters? Where are they now?” Eldon asked.

“The town head, as usual each year, invited them to his home for dinner.” Leonar replied with a hint of envy in his voice. “Sigh...Madam Reyes’s cooking is unparalleled. Just thinking about it makes my stomach rumble.” Leonar briefly fantasized about the last time he ate her cooking. Eldon raised an eyebrow at him.

Leonar cleared his throat. “Anyway, don’t tell your mother I said that. Her cooking is just as delicious, if not better.”

“I thought you said that Mrs. Reyes’s cooking was unparalleled.” Eldon innocently said.

“...” Leonar coughed again. “Now that I think about it, you’ve gotten rather pudgy. It’s been quite a few months since you’ve trained with me, so part of that’s my fault. Why don’t we do some exercises right now, you know, to make sure you haven’t gotten rusty?” Leonar grinned, knowing how much Eldon disliked physical training. He had initially wanted to make Eldon follow his footsteps as a fighter, but Eldon had shown a clear distaste ever since he was a young boy. Leonar had tried to persuade and train Eldon, but eventually gave up when Roxana came along. Even since she could walk and talk, Roxana had shown a clear interest in physical combat.

Eldon frowned, knowing that he had been countered. “No thanks, dad. I’m sure Roxana would be glad to oblige, though.”

“Roxana isn’t here right now, so why don’t you accompany for some little exercise right before dinner?” Leonar gestured to the wooden swords lying in the corner of the room. “We can go-OW!” Leonar screamed as Veronica grabbed his ear. Leonar looked to his right, seeing his wife.

“Hello, my beautiful wife! I just wanted to make sure that our son is not only healthy of the mind but also of the body!” Leonar winced a bit as Veronica moved her hand slightly. “Um...Can you let go, please?”

“Why are you bullying Eldon, hm? What kind of father are you?” Veronica let go. She looked at Eldon. “Studying is good, but it doesn’t hurt to sweat a bit. Your father is right.” Leonar patted his chest, nodding. “However, exercising right before you eat is just foolish.”

“I was just joking around, you know. How much can a little exercise hurt anyway?” Leonar said. He looked in the direction of the dining room and took a sniff. “Seems like dinner is ready, no?”

The front door opened. “Hey mom, dad!” It was Roxana, having just ran back home also. Although her face was a bit flushed, it was nothing like Eldon’s when he came home.

“Hello darling!” Leonar laughed as he scooped her up in the air. Roxana scowled. “Dad, I’m not a little girl anymore. Put me down! I’m starving!”

Leonar smirked. “You will always be my little girl.” Roxana stuck out her tongue. Nevertheless, Leonar obliged, and gently dropped his daughter. Roxana promptly ran into the dining room. Eldon, his stomach growling, naturally followed her. Veronica turned around and looked at Leonar.

“So, what were you saying about Madam Reyes’s cooking?”

“Damn.”

____________________________________________________________________________

When the suns began to set, the Hearts had finished dinner, and were preparing to go to the Valis Institute’s Test. Eldon sat down on his bed, feeling a little bit queasy. He felt a cold flush go down his neck, and he shivered. He took deep breaths, one in, and one out. It’s almost time, Eldon thought again. He grew a little bit nervous. What if all my friends pass the test, and I don’t? Or they all fail the test, and I don’t? I hope Karis stays with me. Each year, approximately half of the test takers passed. It seemed to be a high passing rate, but in truth, many were unable to graduate. Most refused to believe it, and tried to hang on as long as possible, but the break to Rank 7 was what separated the talented from the normal. Each year, however, a few would return to the town, in sullen and dejected moods, having accepted their fate. Just last year, the 42 year old Radri Solens finally gave up, having been in the school for nearly thirty years.

Roxana peeked her head into Eldon’s room. “Eldon, we’re going.”

“Alright, I’m coming.”

____________________________________________________________________________

The test would occur in the town square, where there was enough room for everyone to see. While it seemed to intrude the tester’s privacy, nobody every mocked someone who failed the test. Instead, there would be applause and cheers, regardless or not if one passed the test. Virtually all the adults in town had taken the test before, and knew that this was just a glimpse into the world of magicians and swordsmen.

There were already quite a few people standing around in the town square by the time Eldon and his family arrived. Nevertheless, there were still about 15 minutes until the recruiters would come. A steady stream of people was flowing into the town square, and soon enough, most of the population of the small town had already arrived. In the center of the squarer was a medium sized platform, raised about 6 feet above the ground. A set of wooden stairs nearby allowed one to step up to the platform. The town head, Vincent Reyes, was already waiting on top of the platform. He greeted everyone who arrived with a smile, but one could tell that their was a tense atmosphere around him. This particular year, his daughter, Serene Reyes, would also be taking the test. If she was able to get in the Valis Institute, then she would have even greater opportunities to meet a boy who came from an influential family. Vincent hoped that Serene would find someone that she genuinely loved and met his expectations. Serene looked around the crowd, waving to her classmates. She saw Eldon and gave him a smile. Eldon slightly blushed and waved. Suddenly, two figures leaped upon the platform. The crowd quieted down.

One of the figures was a woman around in her thirties. She was quite a beauty, but everyone could see the powerfully built muscles on her body, pressing tightly against her light yellow armor. Nevertheless, her muscles complemented quite sexily with her curves (Author’s note: Just my type ;) ), and she made the hearts of men stir as she swept a slow yet piercing gaze across the crowd. A few pinches and kicks from their wives awoke the men from their arousal. On the woman’s back, there laid a large claymore. The other person was a middle age man, seemingly in his mid-40s. Nevertheless, there was a look in his eyes that indicated that he possessed knowledge beyond his outer age. He wore a rather plain green cloak, and held something that basically looked like a walking stick in Eldon’s eyes. Eldon didn’t really see anything particularly special about it, but what did he know? From their appearance, Eldon was certain that the woman was a swordswoman and the old man was a magician. The man coughed once, and opened his mouth to speak.

“Greetings, citizens of Aramore. It’s that time of the year again. As you know from previous years, my name is Ganon and my friend here is Lisa. We are from the Valis Institute, and we are here to recruit potential future swordsmen and magicians into our ranks. As you all should remember, the test consists of only one simple part, which is testing one’s aptitude. So why don’t we all get started right now with Ms. Reyes, who is standing besides me?” With a casual wave of his hands, a simple but long wooden table appeared seemingly out of no where. Seven crystal clear orbs of the same shape and size laid on the table, spread out across evenly. Ganon beckoned at Serene. Serene looked at her father, who smiled back at her. Taking a quick breath, Serene walked up to Ganon. Ganon then procured a small green crystal, from also seemingly no where. He pressed the crystal into one of Serene’s hand.

“Now, Ms. Reyes, would you please step up to the table.” He glanced at the crowd. “As you all should know, the requirements for passing this simple test is either to obtain a good aptitude or at least two neutral aptitudes. Weak aptitudes generally cause no reaction at all, while poor aptitudes may cause a visible but fleeting flicker. If color fills up the entire orb, then it is of at least neutral aptitude. From then on, the density, quality, and brightness of the color will tell me of the aptitude. I will be able to tell Mrs. Reyes’s potential when I imbue the crystal in her hands with a bit of my magic power. All she has to do is to stand in front of the orbs and hold the crystal out in front of her.”

Ganon pointed at the crystal. The crystal began to glow faintly, and then glowed more brightly. Suddenly, seven rays of light shot out into the orbs. The orbs became murky, and the light rays began fluctuating within. Four of the orbs, after being energized by the light, faded back to their original crystal clearness. Slowly, three of the orbs began to emit a faint color, causing gasps in the crowd. The colors continued to grow in size and brightness and eventually filled up all three orbs. One of the orbs let out a dull brown color, but it filled the entire orb. Another orb glowed a rich blue, and the intensity of the color was greater. The last orb shined brightly with a pure, white light, and it lit up the platform. The light in the orb also rotated slowly about. Ganon let out a surprised but pleased expression. With another wave of his hands, the color from the orbs slowly faded.

“Wonderful, Ms. Reyes, wonderful. Neutral aptitude for earth, fine aptitude for water, and high aptitude for light! You’ve done more than just pass the test. Just from your potential alone, I know that you will grow and thrive in Valis Institute.” Ganon let out a genuine smile.

“Thank you, sir!” Serene, bowed at Ganon, with her eyes gleaming. She gave back the no longer glowing crystal back to Ganon. Ecstatic, tears began to form in Serene’s eyes. Madam Reyes, unable to hold back any longer, rushed up the platform and gave her daughter a hug. Vincent Reyes’s face was beaming, and he trembled a bit from joy as he also went to hug his daughter. Shouts and cheers came from the crowd. Serene’s friends also rushed up to the platform, congratulating and hugging her. Angus made a slight movement, but then he changed his mind. It would be weird for him to go up, with Serene’s parents being there and that all her friends who went up were girls.

Ganon was quite pleased. Finally, a great gem has appeared in this small town, he thought. Although Lisa had not spoken once since her arrival, Ganon knew that she was as jubilant as he was. He looked towards the crowd.

“Now, will all the examinees please line up onto the platform.” Eldon was ready. Before Ganon finished speaking, Eldon already gave a signal to his parents and quickly walked up. On normal occasions, Eldon would have never taken the initiative, but he could not wait any longer. Ganon raised an eyebrow.

“Well, seems like someone can’t wait any longer.” The crowd chuckled, and Eldon blushed, visibly embarrassed. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath, and stepped onto the platform, with other children behind him. Ganon beckoned towards Eldon. He placed the green crystal onto Eldon’s hands. “Now, what is your name, child?”

“My name is Eldon Heart.” Eldon responded, his voice cracking a bit.

“Walk up to the table then, Eldon.”

Eldon stood in front of the table, overseeing the crowd. He could see his parents waving and smiling at him. Eldon glanced behind him. Serene, having calmed down, gave him a gentle pat on the back. “Good luck, Eldon.” She smiled. Eldon felt his heart flutter a bit. “Thanks, Serene.”

“Let’s go, Eldon!” Angus let out. “Whoooo!” He started clapping and whistling along with Brien, and some people laughed, causing Eldon to feel even more embarrassed. Ganon then pointed a finger at the crystal, and it began to glow. Eldon felt a strange but pleasant sensation originating from his body and entering into the crystal. Soon enough, seven rays of light shot out towards the orbs, filling them up with bright light. Eldon closed his eyes. This is it.

The orbs became murky and the light began fluctuating within, like it did with Serene.

Only this time, all seven of the orbs began to emit a faint color...