Grandell City was exactly what I expected, and yet it was completely overwhelming. As our cart rolled through the massive stone gates, I felt like a bug looking up at a skyscraper.
The walls were thick enough to have small houses built inside them. Once we were through the gate, the quiet life of Arnett Village was gone. It was replaced by a wall of noise and motion.
Thousands of people were packed into the streets. I saw people in rough tunics, some rich people in fine silk, and several beasts I hadn't seen before with tails that twitched in the crowd. It was a chaotic mix of cultures.
The market stalls lined every inch of the main road. I saw piles of bright vegetables, stacks of tanned leather, and even some stalls selling glowing crystals in wooden crates. There were street performers everywhere. One man was juggling balls of water that he held together with a simple spell. Another was blowing smoke into the shape of tiny dragons that flew around his head. It was a carnival of casual magic.
Despite the excitement, I had some complaints. The city was filthy. There were piles of garbage in the alleys and the air felt heavy and thick. I could tell the medieval city life was not pleasant for someone used to the clean streets of Tokyo. I stayed close to my mother, holding onto her dress while I took everything in. My internal monologue was a mess of excitement and annoyance.
This is amazing, I thought. I can't believe I am actually here. But why is there so much mud? And why are the people so loud? This city needs better zoning laws and a proper sanitation department.
We eventually reached the center of the city. The Mage Guild was an imposing stone building that looked more like a fortress than an office. It had several tall towers with floating lanterns that circled the tops like moths. Above the main entrance, a large, translucent crystal was embedded in the stone. It pulsed with a steady, deep blue light. I watched several mages walk in and out. They wore long, clean robes and carried themselves with a lot of pride. They were clearly the elite of this world.
Inside the guild, the lobby was even more impressive. The ceiling was high and painted with maps of the stars. The floor was polished marble. We walked up to the reception desk, which was a long slab of dark wood. A tired looking woman was sitting behind it. She was buried in stacks of parchment and didn't even look up when we approached.
"How can I help you?" she asked. Her voice was flat and bored.
Grace stepped forward, looking a bit nervous. "We are here for our son, Cid. We want to have his magical aptitude evaluated properly."
the woman finally looked up. She glanced at me and then at my parents. She saw our simple village clothes and sighed. " Aptitude testing for commoners is five silver coins. Sign the ledger and wait in the lobby. We will call you when an examiner is free."
Daniel paid the fee. It was a lot of money for us, and I felt a twinge of guilt. The receptionist's bored expression suggested this was a common occurrence. Dozens of hopeful parents probably brought their children here every day, hoping to find a genius who could lift their family out of poverty. Most of them were probably disappointed.
We waited for two hours. My parents sat on a hard stone bench, but I spent the time exploring the lobby. I stayed within their sight, but I observed everything. I saw a mage using a small wand to sign documents with glowing ink. I saw another mage floating a stack of books behind him as he walked. I was cataloging every spell and item I saw. I wanted to understand the mechanics of their magic.
Finally, a man in a gray robe appeared at a side door. "Cid Arnett?" he called out.
We followed him into a small, windowless room. The man introduced himself as Gerald. He was middle aged and had a very professional manner. He didn't look mean, just very busy.
"I understand he was tested by a village priest," Gerald said as he prepared some tools on a table.
"Yes," Daniel said. "The priest said he only had eighty seven mana units."
Gerald nodded. "Wandering priests use Holy Light Catalysts. Those are basic tools meant for religious blessings. They only measure raw volume on the surface level. They are often inaccurate for children with unusual mana structures. Here, we use Aetheric Resonance Conductors. We look at the flow, the regeneration, and the efficiency. It is a much more thorough process."
I felt a spark of hope. This was the logical reason I needed. The priest was a hack. The guild had the real technology.
Gerald picked up a crystal orb that looked much more complex than the one the priest used. It was filled with tiny, swirling clouds of silver mist. He placed it on my chest. I felt that cold, probing sensation again, but this time it was much more intense. It felt like a needle was tracing the path of every mana vein in my body.
The orb began to glow. As expected, the light was dim and pathetic. It flickered like a dying lightbulb.
"Eighty seven units," Gerald muttered. He checked a gauge on the table. "The priest was correct about the capacity. That is a very small pool. Below the initiate standard."
Grace's shoulders slumped. She looked like she wanted to cry. But Gerald wasn't done. He picked up another crystal. This one was dark and shaped like a prism. He held it near my hand.
"Now, Cid, I want you to try to move your mana," Gerald said. " Just push the energy toward this crystal."
I knew this was my moment. I didn't hold back. I used my secret training. I focused on the vibration. I pulled a tiny amount of mana and made it as dense as possible. I pushed it into the prism with perfect precision.
The crystal did something I didn't expect. It didn't glow white or blue. It began to pulse with a color that I can only describe as a deep, light absorbing violet. It was so dark it almost looked like a hole in the air. The light in the room seemed to dim around it.
Gerald stared at the crystal in confusion. "What is this?" he whispered. "It has never done that before."
He pulled the crystal away and looked at it. He tapped it against the table. Then he ran the test again with a replacement. The second crystal did the exact same thing. It glowed with that strange, dark intensity.
Gerald's boredom was gone. He was leaning forward now, his eyes wide. He realized his standard tools couldn't properly measure what was happening. He went to a locked cabinet and pulled out a much larger, more robust artifact. It was a heavy silver frame holding a piece of black glass.
"Try again," Gerald said.
I pushed my mana into the black glass. Numbers and symbols began to appear on the surface of the artifact. Gerald watched the readings with a look of pure shock. He looked at me, then back at the glass, then at my parents.
"This is unprecedented," Gerald said. He wiped some sweat from his brow. "Most mages have a resonance efficiency between five and ten percent. A true genius might reach fifteen or twenty percent. Only a rare few have an efficiency of thirty percent. Your son's resonance is approximately twenty-seven percent."
Grace and Daniel looked confused. They didn't understand the numbers.
"What does that mean?" Daniel asked.
Gerald sat back in his chair. He looked at me like I was a strange new species of animal. "It means he's incredibly efficient, he can achieve the same results using only a fraction of the mana compared to other mages."
Gerald paused and looked at the capacity crystal again. "But his pool is still only eighty-seven units. That is the problem. It is like having the hands of a master weaver but only a finger-length of silk to work with. He has the precision of a master, but he lacks the raw essence to create anything of scale. He will never weave high-rank spells."
Gerald stood up and paced the small room. He looked torn. Finally, he looked at my parents.
"Your son has the smallest mana pool I have ever seen in someone who can consciously manipulate mana," Gerald said. "But his efficiency is on a whole different level. It is a complete anomaly. He might be able to become a decent mage if he focuses on small, intricate spells. But he will always be limited by his capacity. I honestly don't know if this is a gift or a curse."
Grace looked worried. She probably heard the word "curse" and panicked. Daniel looked proud, but he was also clearly confused by the mixed message.
I, however, was having a completely different reaction.
GIFT! I was internally screaming at the top of my lungs. IT IS DEFINITELY A GIFT! I DON'T WANT TO CAST MASSIVE FIRESTORMS! THAT SOUNDS LIKE HARD WORK! I WANT TO BE THE GUY WHO USES ONE DROP OF MANA TO DO SOMETHING COOL! I AM GOING TO BE AMAZING!
I maintained my innocent child expression. I blinked slowly and looked up at Gerald.
"Can I have a cookie now?" I asked.
Gerald laughed, the tension in the room breaking.