Professor had expected to see an ordinary color from the stone. The boy standing before him was not particularly memorable; neither his appearance nor his presence gave off any aura that would make the professor think twice about the possibility of some unusual talent.
The Faculty of Swordsmen trained all types of warriors, both ranged and close combat fighters. Of course, the faculty was not nearly as significant or prestigious as the magical one, since even children born with the slightest affinity for magic could enter any of the six academies.
Swordsmen, as mages called them, were completely deprived of magic. They could not even sense its fluctuations unless those fluctuations were particularly strong. But unlike mages, who in close combat were little more than sitting ducks, swordsmen excelled there. They could suppress any mage or monster in melee combat. Many mages had fallen because of their overconfidence in magic when facing close-range opponents.
After approaching the table and handing the stuphon a healing pill, waiting until he stepped away, the professor stared at the stone. It was red-black, and inside it were faint tiny white dots scattered here and there. The professor shut his eyes in shock, then opened them again, only to see the exact same stone before him.
"Impossible. The stone has never shown such a reaction to talent before. I need to contact the dean of our faculty. Stuphon Trey, you will remain here and wait for my return. Do you understand?" the professor said quickly as he headed toward the exit of the room. He glanced at the stuphon, waited for a nod, then left and closed the door behind him.
Watching the professor leave, I could only let out a long sigh. The pain in my hand had disappeared after taking the healing pill. Looking around the room and at the weapons hanging on the walls, I couldn't help but occasionally glance at the stone, which still remained the same color after my blood had touched it.
I understood the test had not gone as the professor expected, but I was curious what had shaken him so much. Was it my talent, or had the stone simply malfunctioned in displaying it? I did not know.
As I examined the weapons, some I recognized, while others I was seeing for the first time.
A few minutes later, the door opened again. The professor entered, followed by the dean. While the professor was a human whose name I still had not learned, the dean was a light elf dressed in loose dark blue robes. Like any light elf, he had blue eyes and golden hair. There was elegance and strength in his movements. If the professor had given off the aura of a dragon, then the dean radiated something much subtler, yet even that small trace made me feel as if I were underwater, threatened by the possibility of drowning.
The dean approached the table, placed a hand to his face, muttering something under his breath. Then he took out a vial and poured water onto the stone, after which it returned to the same white color it had before my blood touched it.
"Stuphon Trey, my name is Ama'Lein, and I am the dean of this faculty. Take the knife and let your blood fall on the stone once more. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them," Ama'Lein said in a calm, polite voice as he handed me the knife.
I looked at the dean, then at the professor. Taking the knife again, I stepped up to the table where the stone rested. Pressing the blade into my hand until blood began to flow from my palm, I returned the knife to the dean. Clenching my hand over the stone, I watched as blood dripped onto it and gradually turned it red-black once more, with tiny white dots.
I could feel the gazes of both the professor and the dean on my back.
After the stone settled into the same color as before, I stepped away. The professor handed me another pill, and after taking it, I felt the wound on my hand begin to close.
Shifting my gaze from the professor to the dean, I noticed his lips moving, though I could hear nothing.
"Stuphon Trey, you are probably curious what your talent is called, and why the professor summoned me to confirm it," the dean said, his voice carrying clear interest as he examined me.
I nodded. There was no point in hiding it, as I was indeed curious about what the dean had to say.
Ama'Lein touched the ring on his finger, and three chairs appeared. With a gesture, he invited both me and the professor to sit. Once we were seated, the dean's gaze passed over me, then returned to the stone.
"Tell me what you know about the War of the Five Races, or as it is also called, the Exodus of the Five Races," the dean asked calmly, staring directly into my eyes, causing me to instinctively lower them and think.
The War of the Five Races had happened so long ago that only stories and legends remained. The teacher in the castle had, of course, told me about it, but only in vague terms, since history is written by victors, and in that war, there were none.
"The War of the Five Races began because of events related to magic. Everyone capable of using magic sensed that it was becoming thinner and weaker over time. The light elves, forest elves, dark elves, and high elves united to study this phenomenon.
Humans, noticing that the once-feuding elves had united, also decided to create an alliance with orcs, dwarves, and anuels.
In time, humans also noticed the thinning of magic and began to fear that the elves were responsible. Peace between the two alliances was fragile, and any event could trigger war—which is exactly what happened.
During the war, the forest elves, high elves, anuels, orcs, and dwarves vanished from the world. After the war, only light elves, dark elves, humans, and a few remnants of orcs and dwarves remained. A pact was made between the survivors stating that no power should hide information about magic or anything else that might threaten the other races."
After finishing, I felt my throat dry. The elf slowly nodded at my words, gazing off into the distance.
Taking a deep breath, the dean looked again at the stone, then at me, and began speaking slowly.
"What you said is true, but also not entirely true. Before the War of the Five Races, magic was far stronger. Everything mages study now is no more than the tip of what magic once was.
All races worshipped their own gods.
The light elves had the goddess Teyn'Lu, who granted healing and restoration magic.
The forest elves worshipped the god of the hunt, Meg'Shu.
The dark elves worshipped the goddess of death and decay, Sheng'Mo.
The anuels worshipped the god of wind, Lun'Gi.
The orcs worshipped the god of fire, Fel'Mu.
The dwarves worshipped the god of earth, Shin'Go.
And you humans worshipped the goddess of chaos, Ges.
Then one day, all races ceased to feel the support of their gods. This caused panic and fear.
Each race had chosen ones who received power directly from the gods. They were called differently among the races, but their role was the same.
These chosen ones conspired together during the war—or perhaps the gods themselves ordered it, we do not know.
All chosen ones activated an ancient spell that allowed them to open doors into another world.
The other races knew nothing of this and continued fighting each other.
Then one day, the earth shook, the sky unleashed terrible lightning, and a portal opened in the heavens.
The forest elves, high elves, dwarves, anuels, and orcs were lifted into the sky and vanished into that portal.
When the remaining races learned of this betrayal, a meeting of all rulers was organized, and a blood pact was signed.
After the Exodus of the Five Races, chosen ones stopped appearing, and all remaining races accepted that the gods had abandoned this world and its people.
And if the gods turned away from us, then we too would turn away from their chosen. We gave them a new name: cursed swordsmen."
Ama'Lein finished speaking. There was sorrow and grief in his voice, but in his eyes I could see anger.
"You are probably wondering why I told you this history of ancient days?" Ama'Lein asked, looking at me.
I nodded, as I did not understand what my talent had to do with chosen ones or gods.
"Your talent is the mark of a chosen one, specifically of the goddess of chaos, Ges. If you accept her, you may gain not only a swordsman's talent, but perhaps magical abilities as well," the dean explained, watching me closely.
I tried not to break eye contact as I thought about his words.
If what Ama'Lein said was true, did that mean other gods could also choose their own champions? And what were they planning? Another war, or something else entirely?
So all those dreams I had been having—it was her, the goddess Ges.
But why now?
And the question that troubled me most: why me, and not someone else?
All these questions I could ask the goddess Ges herself, but I had no idea how to trigger that dream.
"How do I accept her mark? Do I simply say, 'I agree to become your chosen one,' or what?" I asked.
Ama'Lein laughed at my question, leaning back in his chair.
"No. Simple words will not help here. You must undergo a ritual, and if she accepts you as her chosen, you will establish a connection with her and receive her power.
But be warned: if you agree to undergo the ritual, you must be prepared to hide your abilities until you are strong enough to stand against all races. Otherwise, the fate awaiting you will be that of a slave," Ama'Lein said seriously.
His eyes were sharp as daggers, piercing straight through me, and I swallowed nervously while deciding my answer.
"I am ready to undergo the ritual. But how am I supposed to arrange it if I know nothing about any of this?" I asked seriously, understanding that once I took this step, there would be no turning back. And if anyone learned about me, I would become a target for every race.
"I will help you complete the ritual. But in return, you must ask the goddess Ges where the other gods are, and whether they intend to return. That will be my price for helping you," Ama'Lein answered.
As a light elf, he knew how the ritual was performed. Even if he had not lived in those times, records had likely survived.
I nodded at his condition.
I would ask the goddess why she had decided to return, where the other gods were, and one personal question: why had she chosen me and not someone else?
My intuition told me this was no coincidence.
But another issue arose.
What was I supposed to do with my talent for now? Until I spoke with the goddess Ges, I had no idea what type of swordsman I was inclined toward. I had not even met my class yet.
As I remembered, placement was based on talent, and the core of training involved mastering one's specialization, alongside theory classes. The academic year had only just begun, so I should not have missed much.
I could feel a headache starting, and I realized I still had not fully responded to the dean's request about asking the goddess about the other gods.
"Yes, I will ask the goddess Ges about the other gods and report back to you. But I just realized there is another problem—I won't be able to study until we perform the ritual. If I understand correctly, without completing the test, I won't receive a uniform indicating my swordsman specialization, which means I won't be able to attend either practical or theory classes," I said thoughtfully, glancing between the professor and the dean.
The dean and professor exchanged looks, then studied me carefully. The dean pulled out some papers, looked them over, and stored them back into his ring.
"You need not worry. This week you will only have introductory lectures, since not everyone has arrived yet.
Unlike other swordsmen, you will also need to attend magical classes, though that may prove difficult, as not many swordsmen specialize in the use of magic.
We will perform the ritual tonight here.
For now, your talent will be listed as Mage Hunter. That will help explain why you must attend magic classes. I will explain everything to the dean of the magic wing," the dean replied, watching me carefully.
"Mage Hunter? The professor never mentioned such a talent. What is its role in battle?" I asked, tilting my head.
Judging by the name, it sounded like someone specialized in countering and killing mages through speed, but it was better to clarify.
"The role of a Mage Hunter is to oppose mages by blocking their skills and spells. In many kingdoms and empires, they are hired to eliminate dangerous mages who violate the law.
A Hunter can nullify or redirect spells back at the caster.
They specialize in medium armor, a longsword, and a round shield," the dean answered, then continued.
"And now, Stuphon Trey, you need to head to the storage hall to receive your uniform and room assignment. Since you have not participated in any ranked battles, you will begin with a basic room.
Over time, the higher you climb in ranking, the better your room will become, and the more currency you will receive.
Return here tonight at midnight for the ritual."
Nodding, I bowed to both the professor and the dean, then headed toward the exit of the room.
Taking the map in hand, I began studying it.
I needed to get to the storage hall to receive my uniform and room key, but the academy was so confusing that I suspected I would have to ask other stuphons for directions along the way.