My father looked at me and said nothing. But he wasn’t the scary one… My mom grabbed my ear and started pulling on it.

  “What’s this? Is this how we taught you to behave?”

  “Ow, ow! Ow! Let go! Let gooo!!” I yelped. ‘What is it with moms? They have the strongest ear twisting and inflict the most pain…’

  The girl looked at us and started laughing… Thank god mom also let go hearing her.

  “Gah… I think my ear got lengthened…”

  My father picked the fallen instructor off the ground as another one came over. I remembered this one. He was also on the last caravan for the Academy. His name was Garrick I think… He had a big muscular figure and grizzled hair, like me he was a warrior type mage with his aether concentrated in his lower body.

  “Good to see you again, Rhys, I’ll take Vane off your hands, I’ll make sure he doesn’t escape a punishment this time… Such a boot licker… I’m sorry for the unsightly display he’s caused Miss Cassia.”

  “No matter, but he did make me curious. Did you prepare any third grade tester?”

  “No. I did not imagine that Cato would progress so much… gathering is already a lot at his age, Core Formation requires quite the strong will… Actually most of the graduates are at Core Formation, I’m not sure you would benefit that much from attending the Academy at this point, Cato…”

  “There’s still a lot that can be learned there. Might without knowledge is hollow.”

  Garrick raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Rhys, your son inherited the wit of your wife, aside from looks he seems to take after her, I lost out on the fun on tricking him.”

  “He’ll be better for it… I never liked your jokes...” Answered my father weakly with his face darkening, his mind probably wandering back to some dark history he had with Garrick. “Don’t be deceived though. This little guy has plenty of my traits just doesn’t show them often…”

  I quietly tried to slip away, or at least as far away from my mother as I could… Unfortunately, my movement alarmed her and her reaction was to pull me back by my ear again…

  ‘I guess this is what they meant when saying that you won’t escape that which you fear…’ I thought as tears started flowing out… I could’ve reinforced myself with aether, but then I would only anger my mom more… I could resist everything while awake but if she plotted something while I slept… Besides it would sour the relationship so I could only endure the pain…

  Why did I not try to just act as if I’m in pain while reinforcing myself? I tried, but my acting talent is poor, and my mom told me that it was to obvious due to the texture and resistance she felt… So that was a no go… What else could I do.

  My pain did not last much longer, Garrick was the one in charge for the final decision in the evaluation, so he threw Vane into a carriage, no, seriously, he threw Vane like a sack of potatoes… and went back to overseeing the preparations and then the examination.

  The process was pretty straightforward. No fighting on skill and no fighting ability was tested. The only tests run were on one hand the quantity and density of aether controlled by the kids and on the other hand on the strength of the body. I was a special case since my aether realm was already very high, the tests were meaningless.

  For a few minutes I observed the process with interest, but seeing it enter routine rhythm I lost interest for it. Cassia, as the noble lady seemed to be named, already entered back in the carriage. She told me I should get in after I get bored of watching, inviting me to some tea and biscuits. This was a very attractive offer… Tea was something I hadn’t drunk in a long time while an explicit sweet like a biscuit was a rarity in this village. All we had were fruit pies and occasional honey ones. They were rare and usually required some preparation and making arrangements with the baker beforehand.

  I quickly got in with all the above mentioned reasons as motivation. There was an older lady inside. She looked about 20-30 I couldn’t be sure since there was little change in appearance within this age range. She was wearing simple clothes of different beige shades. Very neat and clean, however they also signified her status as an attendant or maid. As she saw me enter, she poured tea in a cup. There was a small table in the carriage separating the two opposing banquettes. I decided to sit next to the maid.

  This decision had many considerations behind it. On one hand I was in theory of lower status and birth. On the other hand, I did not want to show too much closeness to this girl nor to the force behind her. I had no idea about her, or her family’s intentions and I was sure to grow into a domain powerhouse in the future and become even stronger. This table here came in good as it signified a separation, and my choice expressed my stance I had no need to curry favor but that did not mean I wanted to attract animosity.

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  We sat in silence. I had nothing to say, and the lady was simply drinking her tea. I did not know if it was a custom to not talk during teatime or if she simply had nothing she wanted to talk about. As such I continued to assess the surroundings and the build of the carriage.

  Small nails were driven into the roof to hold a fabric cover. The colors inside were revolving around red, brown, gold and yellow. The red came in either darker shades or in bright light nuances. The seams were golden, the roof was in light shades combining bright light shades of red and yellow while the lower part used leather with more visible wood endings and a dark red floor.

  I was happy there hadn’t been any rain during the past few days or else I would have carried some dirt inside, and I knew from experience how hard it was to remove from lining. Had my fair share of car washing and it was not a pleasant experience. The banquettes or the seats seemed to be the top of chests, so the luggage was probably stored in there. The table was pliable, and it would fold in on to the side of the carriage.

  If anything, the design was ingenious, but it seemed to lack a consideration for safety. There was only one door. Meaning only one safe way out. With two doors the ones inside could escape on the side opposite to the assailant and this would buy them some time… It was a meaningless effort if there were more than one attacker but otherwise…

  I closed my eyes and felt the aether around me. I identified the teapot as an artifact. It was made to heat up water and seal the vapor inside… It was a pressure tea maker… I guess that would enhance the flavor? Anyway, the girl finally finished her tea as I started investigating any enhancements instilled in the carriage itself. I doubted she realized what I was doing as I didn’t think there were any others that could get a read on aether like I did. Or perhaps chest core mages could?

  “Ahem…” She seemed annoyed I was more interested in the carriage than in her.

  “Vane is a troublesome opponent you made; I think you’ll find good use for this…” She placed a ring on the table. It had a sigil on it, similar to the one painted on the carriage. It looked like a sun whose rays intertwined around a landscape engraved on a yellow gemstone. The craftsmanship was… exquisite. The surface was flat so it could be used as a wax stamp. However, it felt… overbearing, it was big and looked chunky… Let’s not talk about the fact that its gaudiness did not suit my taste, but its size was definitely too big for me.

  “So… What is this supposed to mean and do?” I asked raising my eyes to look into hers.

  “No one will dare find trouble with you if you wear it. It’s a sign.”

  “So it’s a glorified collar?”

  “NO! It’s a shield, political protection!” She shouted angrily. “Are you wrong in the head?” She slammed her hand on the table, making the tea in my cup churn. The maid was unmoved. I didn’t know if she was simply used to such reactions or if she was trained to not interfere. “How could our Aurelian signet compare to a collar?”

  “Heh… It represents your favor and favors can’t go unrepaid. I have no reason to bind myself to a master. I refuse.”

  She looked at me as though I was an alien, a strange existence she couldn’t comprehend.

  “And how do you think you can resist disciplinary trials and unfair treatment? I’ll tell you now, but nobles make quite sure that the best resources go to their progenies. You’re just a commoner! If they’re bent on giving you hardships, you won’t have it easy.”

  “Let them do it. I’m not one to be fazed that easily and if they try force… Well, you’ve seen how that ended… So please take it back.”

  “You are making a big mistake! I don’t know why I must trouble myself to such an idiotic and backward commoner like you… All the problems and suffering you’ll face will be deserved!”

  “But you don’t. You don’t have to. So go find someone else that likes barking on command and wagging their tail. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Thanks for the tea!” I still thanked despite never touching the cup.

  “Go, GO, you stubborn fool! I’ll see how smug you can be later!”

  I opened the door of the carriage and stepped out. I closed the door behind me and went to Garrick.

  “How’s everything going?” I asked to initiate the conversation.

  “Well, it’s going well, the average talent rate is higher here. Quite a few of your fellows have passed the criteria.”

  “That’s good, I guess…” The news had no real effect on me, which in a way made me a bit sad. But I shook it off. “So, in which of these carriages, carts do I get in to wait for departure?”

  “Oh? I thought you’d be taking the Aurelian carriage. Something happened?”

  “She offered a ring.”

  “She WHAT!?” He asked dumbfounded.

  “What’s the deal? I refused anyway.”

  “You have no idea what you just turned down… I’d be surprised if she wasn’t mad and fuming. But this is good too getting involved with that sort of stuff would be more trouble than it’s worth for you.” He said after he regained his composure. It seemed that he approved of my choice. “Especially troublesome with your father’s background.”

  “Oh yeah, you seem to know about it, what’s the deal with it? Do you know more of the story? My father won’t tell me anything and neither will my mother…”

  “It’s not my place to interfere… But I can tell you that you are no less than that lady, the name of your household is Blackwood.” Seeing me ready to ask more he promptly said. “No more, your father will shoot me in the head if I say more. You’ll naturally find out more after you enter the academy.”

  “Cowardly…” I scoffed playfully. “But alright I guess I’ll wait. Thank you!”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  As I started walking to the back of the carriage line he shouted again.

  “No really don’t mention it, I like my head with no arrows sticking out of it…”

  I laughed but promised nothing. I never brought it up again either, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

  Soon I was boarded in a carriage and the caravan started moving, I waved at my parents together with the rest of the recruited children. I didn’t know when I’d see my parents again, but that was not worrying me at that time. Finally, I was stepping into the larger world… New sights await me, new paths to walk and new, real challenges to face. I couldn’t wait to see the Academy!

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  Jane never planned on surviving the apocalypse, let alone doing it with a nine-year-old kid in tow.

  When over half the population disappears in an instant and magic begins to flood the world left behind in violent surges, Jane finds herself stuck with a stubborn game system in her head and a new title of apocalyptic babysitter.

  The animals are mutating into monsters. The Game changes the rules based on the suggestion of a nine-year-old. Jane’s days are spent chasing after magical surges to give her party a chance to survive. And somehow, despite never wanting to be a leader, Jane finds herself slipping into that role.

  Jane can get used to battling the wildlife, dealing with magic, and even arguing with the Game in her head. The real challenge is learning to trust the people around her, building a community she can count on, and worst of all, finding purpose in the apocalypse.

  Because somehow, that's exactly what she seems to have found.

  A slow-burn progression fantasy/light LitRPG with a unique System, community building elements, and strong supporting cast. Updates posted every M/F.