Trinity of Magic [Progression Fantasy]

Chapter 5: Fatebringer.

Ezekiel walked towards the crystal, his heart racing with anticipation. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, determined to make the most of this opportunity. As he approached the dull crystal, he could feel the eyes of the other students and the members of the great families on him. He heard the whispers of those around him, speculating about his potential affinity. The thought of being a powerful Fire mage filled him with excitement and confidence. He reached out his hand and touched the crystal, focusing all of his energy on summoning his magical abilities.

Ezekiel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew that the Fatebringer crystal would only glow if it sensed a strong affinity within him. He concentrated hard, focusing on the image of fire and the desire to control it.

Seconds passed, and Ezekiel could feel sweat forming on his brow. He opened his eyes and saw that the crystal was still dull and lifeless. His heart sank.

But then, suddenly, the crystal started to glow. It was faint at first, but it gradually grew brighter and brighter, until it was almost blinding. Ezekiel could hardly believe what he was seeing. He looked around and saw the shocked expressions on the faces of the other students and the Arch Mage.

"This is most unusual," the Arch Mage declared, his voice full of surprise. "Tri-affinity, and one of them is even a perfect affinity."

The Arch Mage realized that most people didn't know about perfect affinities and went on to explain that an affinity was the measure of a person's magical ability and was ranked on a scale from minor to perfect. A minor affinity was anything below 10%, a lesser affinity was between 10% and 30%, a regular affinity was between 30% and 70%, a greater affinity was between 70% and 90%, and a perfect affinity was anything above 90%.

Ezekiel could hardly believe what he was hearing – he had never even heard of a perfect affinity before. As the Arch Mage continued to speak, Ezekiel was filled with a sense of excitement and possibility, knowing that his magical potential was limitless. He had always hoped to have the talent for magic, but to have three affinities was a dream come true.

He looked over to the Fire section and saw Alexander Feuerkranz, the leader of the Fire students, staring at him with a mixture of shock and jealousy. The Arch Mage's expression was serious as he gazed at Ezekiel, causing a sense of unease to wash over the young man. The whispers and murmurs of the crowd fell silent as they waited anxiously for the Arch Mage to continue.

When he finally spoke, his words were met with confusion and disappointment. "Unfortunately, Ezekiel's perfect affinity is not Fire," he said, causing a ripple of surprise to go through the audience. Ezekiel's heart sank as he realized that he would not be able to join the Fire faction as he had hoped. He had never truly considered that his primary affinity could turn out to be anything other than fire, so he now regarded the Arch Mage anxiously, waiting to hear what his future would hold.

The headmaster continued to speak: "In fact, he does not have an affinity with any of the four main elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air, at all."

Like many red-haired individuals, Ezekiel had always hoped for a fire affinity, but to be told that he had no affinity for any of the four elements at all was a shock. The headmaster waited a moment for the crowd to calm down and then went on to explain to Ezekiel, not unkindly: "The big red part of your core is your perfect affinity – that's your Blood affinity."

Murmurs could be heard from the crowd, this news seemed not to be well received.

"Fucking Valorian Blood Mage scum!" someone yelled from the fire section.

"The gray part swirling around the red core is your first greater affinity – the Mind affinity. And those stars you see all over are your second greater affinity – your space affinity."

The crowd hushed, clearly taken aback by this revelation. Ezekiel struggled to process this information, trying to understand what it meant for his future as a mage. For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then someone started to laugh, and everyone turned towards the sound.

The scene was filled with the sound of Alexander's laughter echoing through the hall. People around him started to laugh as well, causing the room to become filled with the sound of chuckling and snickering. Despite the headmaster's attempts to bring silence to the room, the laughter continued for a few more moments before gradually dying down. Eventually, the hall fell quiet once again, leaving the headmaster to stand in front of the crystal with a stern expression, looking out at the assembled students.

The headmaster turned towards Ezekiel, his brow furrowed with concern. "Ezekiel, your situation is quite unique," he began. "Most mages who choose to attend the Elementium have a primary affinity, a connection to one of the four main elements. If even one of your affinities was of the four main Elements, you'd been a star here today. But you, you have three secondary affinities, you have a perfect affinity for Blood magic, a greater affinity for Mind magic, and a greater affinity for Space magic. These affinities are unique and powerful, but they also come with their own set of challenges."

"Let's start with Blood magic. As you might know, this affinity gives you the ability to heal yourself, which can be a valuable tool in battle. However, I must caution you that there are no offensive spells for Blood magic taught at this academy. You will be able to heal yourself, but you will be nothing more than a punching bag without any offensive capabilities."

The headmaster then said in a voice so quiet that only Ezekiel could hear it: "Also, you won't make a lot of friends in the empire by having a perfect affinity for blood magic. You better be ready."

Ezekiel nodded, taking in the information.

"Now, let's talk about Space magic. This is a very powerful and sought-after affinity, but it is also one that requires a great deal of skill and control to master. At lower levels, you will not have the ability to teleport yourself or anyone else. But with practice and dedication, you will be able to manipulate space and travel through it."

Ezekiel's eyes widened in excitement at the thought of the possibilities.

"Unfortunately the resources necessary for training space mages are very limited. It might be a challenge to get your hands on Space affinity materials if you are not a dedicated space mage."

"Lastly, we have Mind magic. This affinity grants you telepathy and enhanced brain functions. It is a very powerful affinity and is known to run strongest in the family of the emperor himself. However, the true secrets of Mind magic are not taught at this academy, for they are too dangerous to teach to just anyone. Only mages from the most trusted of families are privy to them."

Ezekiel stood in front of the crowd, excitement and anticipation written all over his face. The Arch Mage had just informed him of his three affinities, and Ezekiel couldn't wait to learn more about them and how to use them. But as he looked around the room, he noticed that the crowd was not reacting in the way he had hoped.

Instead of excitement and congratulations, he saw smirks and laughter on the faces around him, many of the older looking students also seemed to look at him with distrust. Confused, he turned to the Arch Mage, looking for an explanation.

The Arch Mage looked back at Ezekiel with a mix of pity and regret as he noticed the confusion and hurt in his eyes. "Ezekiel, I can see that you are confused by the reaction of the crowd. Allow me to explain. Having three affinities is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because you have the potential to become one of the most powerful mages in the land. However, it is also a curse because it is much more difficult and costly for you to advance as a mage."

Ezekiel looked at the Arch Mage, his expression still one of confusion.

"You see, advancing into the later stages as a mage is very costly. It requires resources, time and dedication. For someone with one affinity, it is already a significant undertaking. But for someone with three affinities, it is three times as costly. It requires three times the resources, three times the time and three times the dedication."

The Arch Mage sighed and continued, "You must understand that most noble families are not willing to invest in a mage that is three times as expensive with no additional benefit. It would be a waste of resources for them."

Ezekiel's heart sank as he realized the implications of what the Arch Mage was saying. "So, what does this mean for my future as a mage?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"It means that you will have to work harder and be more resourceful than any other mage to advance. It will not be easy, but I believe that with dedication and hard work, you can overcome this obstacle," the Arch Mage replied.

Ezekiel looked up, a fire in his eyes. "I understand, I will do whatever it takes."

The Arch Mage smiled and patted Ezekiel on the shoulder. "I have no doubt that you will, young student. Remember, your affinities are gifts, but they also come with responsibilities. Use them wisely, and for the betterment of all."

Ezekiel looked around the room, the laughter and smirks of the crowd now ringing in his ears. He didn't know if he could do this, but he knew one thing for sure, he was not going to let them laugh at him anymore. He straightened his back, determination set in his eyes, and he walked off the stage with his head held high.

He scanned the room for a place to sit, but saw no designated area for Blood mages or Mind mages. No group cheered for him or beckoned him over. Finally, he noticed a small group of people sitting together in the corner, their robes bearing the symbol of the Space element. Unsure of what to do, he hesitated for a moment before walking over and taking a seat amongst them, feeling devastated and lost. His mind was in turmoil as he tried to process the headmaster's words and the reactions of those around him. He felt alone and out of place, not sure how to fit in with the other students, who all seemed to have a clear path ahead of them.

Ezekiel was lost in thought, completely unaware of the commotion around him as people congratulated each other or mourned their lack of magical ability. He mechanically followed after the small group of Space mages as they made to leave the hall after the conclusion of the ceremony, not realizing that they were ignoring him. His mind was filled with confusion and disappointment as he struggled to come to terms with the revelation that he had three unusual affinities, none of which were associated with the four main elements. He felt like he didn't belong anywhere and was unsure of what his future held.

As he walked through the hall, Ezekiel could feel the eyes of the other students on him. He heard snickering and whispers as he passed by, and he knew that they were laughing at him. He tried to ignore them and focused on catching up to the Space mages, but it was difficult. Furthermore, he couldn't help feeling embarrassed and ashamed as he walked through the crowded hall and imagined that everyone around him was looking at him with disdain.

When he finally reached the Space mages, they gave him cold looks and ignored him, making it clear that they didn't consider him to be one of them. Ezekiel sighed and grabbed the bag with his uniform and school token from the staff member that passed by before sitting down in a corner, feeling more alone and out of place than ever before. After a while, one of the staff members walked up to Ezekiel and explained to him that only the major faction had student dormitories for the first-years and that he needed to find a place to stay on his own until he was a second or third-year.

Ezekiel was surprised by this information and had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had not considered the possibility of not having a place to stay. One of the Space mages told him that there were inns and boarding houses in the city that catered to students, but they could be expensive. Ezekiel nodded, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden change in plans. He thanked the mage and decided to head back to the square where the carriage had dropped them off, hoping to find his friends and figure out a plan.

As he walked, he couldn't help but feel disappointed in himself for not being the powerful mage he had always dreamed of being.