“Ow.” Seungwoo winced, feeling a brief, hot pain when the gem’s light began to emit. It was a small noise mostly out of surprise. Everyone watched on as the Stone, which was already a paling yellow, fade out to white and then started to change color. Seungwoo shut his eyes, the light blinding him temporarily. He felt the energy bathe him and it made his skin prickle.

A few moments passed before the warm white light began to deepen in color. Seungwoo heard the audience’s astounded exclamations and he tentatively opened his eyes. He panicked momentarily because he was bathed in a tilleul, leafy-green aura. The light receded and the Revenant Stone shone pea-green.

“75612099, by the Stone’s judgment, you have an affinity for wielding the mighty bow and arrow. You will follow the path of an Archer.” Aria clasped her hands together and the crowd silently waited for Seungwoo to react. The boy took in the words like a sponge.

“An archer? AWESOME!” He exclaimed, and the Hall broke out in a cheer. Seungwoo held up a fist as if triumphing over a great war. He wore a silly, giddy smile on his face, even as he turned, bowing his head to Aria and Sol. The elven boy was escorted to the side, down an alternate row so he can find a seat again. He squeezed into the first row, elation pumping through his veins.

But how exactly was I judged to be an archer? Seungwoo thought of his seemingly ordinary merchant father. But it took him little time to realize that he was also half-elf thanks to his mother. He hasn’t seen her for years. The half-blood boy remembered his mother staying with them in the city for some years of his childhood, but she had to leave urgently. Somehow, Seungwoo never doubted that his mother was safe, no matter where she was.

Elves are naturals at handling bows. I must’ve inherited that from her, Seungwoo thought, grinning impossibly wider. He was filled to the brim with pride, appreciation, and excitement to follow the path the Stone had set for him. Everything seemed to be falling in place for the elven boy, who wasn’t sure how exactly he would fit into society. He picked up some sewing, embroidering, and sales experience from his father, but he would have to set that aside for a bow and arrow.

The remaining three friends were anxiously anticipating their numbers as more and more people were called. They saw a handful of colors on the Stone. They were surprised at Seungwoo’s result but that made their own anticipation and antsiness grow by the second. Another number was called.

“75612097!” Hyemi stared at her Ticket in disbelief. It was her turn! The other two noticed, peering over to confirm. Sookyung clicked her tongue at Hyemi who was frozen in place and nudged her. The girl snapped out of her trance and people cleared the way so that she could get out of the row. Hyemi felt all eyes on her as she ascended the stage. Aria offered her a sunny smile and the herbalist's daughter flushed.

“Nice to see you again! Just stand in front of the Stone, touch it with your fingertips, and have faith.”

Hyemi nodded at Aria’s instructions. She timidly walked over to the Revenant Stone, which was at least two heads taller than her. She stared at the gem, which was pale blue due to the person before her being judged as a mage. Hyemi met the eyes of Sol, and then immediately cast her eyes to the Stone again out of meekness. She in a deep breath, and reached to touch the slab.

She felt a flick of pain on her middle finger, and although she jumped, she didn’t withdraw her hand. Soon, a weird feeling washed over her as the Stone commenced its judgment. Hyemi kept her eyes shut now, not wanting to see the color meld, blend and suffuse before her. Images of her family, especially her mother and father, appeared in her mind.

Please… let me make my family proud.

Hyemi opened her eyes immediately after hearing mixed noises from the audience. She saw through a lens of red. The girl began to panic, because she remembered seeing someone get judged as a Healer, and that was a soft pink colored light. This was a glowing red color. She caught sight of Sol casting a look towards Aria, who referred to her book in hand. Hyemi slowly turned around as the pink-haired woman spoke. Wait, Hyemi recognized what red meant after countless others before her were also judged for this path...

“75612097, by the Stone’s judgment, you are to follow the path of a Warrior.”

Hyemi felt the blood drain from her face when everyone took in the sight of this petite, gentle-looking female. She spent so much time learning medicine and healing from her mother, and yet… yet this hunk of mineral showed that she would be a Warrior. How could this be?

Jinyoung, Sookyung, even Seungwoo from the front row were gobsmacked by their friend’s judgment. True, Hyemi could be pretty physical and violent when they joked around or made her angry, but her following the path of a Warrior? Sookyung was truly skeptical at the decision because she remembered Hyemi not being too bad at light swordplay during school times, but Hyemi would always put down the blade in favor of medicines

and potions.

Hyemi dragged her feet as she exited the stage. As she blankly ambled down the row, Seungwoo tapped her and urged her to stand next to him before she went further back. Finally the two met since last night. They began chatting about what just happened, and that somewhat helped Hyemi de-stress, though the weight of her judgment was still heavy on her mind.

Soon, Jinyoung’s number was called and he was eager yet nervous on his decision. After the judgments of his two friends prior to his, he didn’t know what to expect. He turned back to try and see if he could spot his father in the far back, but there were too many faces around. He sighed and went up to the stage. He nodded a greeting to Aria, who remained courteous as ever, and made eye contact with Sol, who regarded him neutrally.

Jinyoung could feel his heartbeat accelerating even before the judgment began. He stared at the menacing Stone, red from the last person called who was also judged as a Warrior. One thing was for sure; if Jinyoung was judged as a Warrior too, he’d be flat out terrible at it. Swords were not his friend and he hated lugging around a heavy blade. He outstretched a hand and tapped the Stone experimentally. Then he rested his fingertips there upon the smooth yet rigid surface.

I just want to explore and experience new things, Jinyoung hoped. But please, let me follow a path that I will actually be good at. For some reason, the Stone’s crimson tint was comforting, and he strangely trusted it. He closed his eyes as the Stone started to light up. The prick from the gem made him cry out softly.

Jinyoung was surprised when he heard noises from the audience a lot quicker than he thought. Was his judgment that swift? He actually kept his eyes closed even when he heard Sol cough to reobtain his attention. In a weird fashion, he waddled and turned around, keeping his eyes closed still.

“75612096, the Stone judges you to be rightly suited as a Mage. Thus, you will follow this path.” Jinyoung was shocked, eyes flying open. He turned behind and saw the Revenant Stone a familiar pale blue hue. Is this for real? He raised a hand, just to acknowledge his decision, as people routinely cheered.

Jinyoung was deep in thought even as he slowly ambled offstage. I’m going to follow a Mage’s path? He couldn’t help but be curious why this was so. Strangely, the boy was relieved not to be chosen as an Assassin.

Near the entrance, Jinyoung’s father saw and heard his son’s judgment. Right when he was judged as a Mage, his blood ran cold. He knew it. Sighing softly, he lamented the endless training he convinced his assassin connection Jinsu to offer to his son.

 

“I guess we can’t change destiny,” he murmured, looking down at his bag and patting it in bemusement.

“No, we cannot.” Jinyoung’s father was surprised by Hyemi’s mother’s reply as she continued to watch the ceremony. The two stood in silent regard, knowing they would have to part with their children after it ended.

“75612098!” Finally, Sookyung’s number was called. She was the last of her friends to be called, but in actuality she wanted to get it over with. Suspense annoyed her and she was curious of what laid in store for her. She blankly regarded Aria whose peppy countenance didn’t damper since the start of the ceremony. Sookyung exchanged glances with Sol and she shivered, thinking the man looked a bit creepy.

At once, she touched the Stone and kept her eyes glued to it when Sol began to chant. Instead, Sookyung began pondering random questions in her head as her judgment commenced. She wondered how much energy this sapped from Sol, and figured he must be really powerful to keep it up nonstop like this. She thought of Seungwoo and tried to imagine him with a bow. He’d have to work on his biceps to work the bow, she decided in her mind. She imagined Hyemi trying to lug a big sword and almost chortled out loud. But she realized her friend’s violence and savageness she inherently had would come in handy for combat.

The light from the gemstone became too harsh for her eyes and she finally shut them. Finally, she thought of Jinyoung’s verdict. Well, him being awkward and terrible at handling even tiny, lethal weapons made him an unlikely candidate for the Assassin route after all. She could see him as the magical type and wondered how powerful he could become when he began training.

It’ll be interesting nonetheless. Her ears perked at the confused noises she heard from the audience. It didn’t sound like noises of awe or admiration. It was more like dispute or unsurety. Sookyung reopened her eyes and noticed she was bathed in a pearly, light gray light. She took her hand off of the Stone when Sol nodded at her.

She turned around and Aria reared her head back to glance at her with a mischievous grin. Sookyung did not see a gray color in a judgment before her. So what was the meaning of this? People were discussing in the audience and Aria looked like she was looking over her book twice, thrice, to be sure.

“7561208, by the Stone’s judgment, you are of no singular, set path. The Stone has decided you will be Multiclass until further discretion. You will develop a more focused path when you are trained in your group.”

Multiclass? Group? Sookyung was left with more questions than answers. She raised an arm, and people hesitated before breaking out in a cheer that was oddly louder. She had much to learn. What made her so different?

She walked offstage and saw Jinyoung flagging her down in a nearby row. People made way for Sookyung and the friends were reunited once again. Soon, when it seemed like everyone was called and judged, and Aria had closing remarks. This was bound to be important, as she would tell them what to do next.

“Now that everyone has been given judgment from the Stone, we will move on. Everyone will file out of the Hall. Over the course of the next three days, you will acclimate yourselves to Zenith. Based on your judgment, you will be designated to certain buildings for classes. For example, students who will follow the path of magic will have classes in the Magicae building. It is your job to learn how to navigate yourselves here. You must claim your rooms for housing by tonight, though. You can explore the grounds, but be sure to visit the housing area. You will learn more about your groups from there.”

Everyone was dismissed. The four friends exited the Hall and now had to decide what to do for the rest of the day. At least, in what order they would spend the rest of the day. Sookyung, being the most navigational member, wanted to memorize the map of the school and where all the buildings were. Jinyoung hoped he could see the aforementioned Magicae building, where his future classes were going to be. Seungwoo was fine with anything. Hyemi was oddly quiet. Before everyone could go anywhere, Hyemi caught sight of her mother, who was alongside Jinyoung’s dad.

“I’m going to see my mother really quick,” Hyemi announced before running off. Jinyoung followed for obvious reasons. Sookyung stayed with Seungwoo. She asked where his father was.

“He had to go do business outside of Taza again. So he didn’t make it.” Strangely, the boy didn’t seem very bummed out that his father didn’t see his judgment. The two went on, chatting about their judgments.

“Mother,” Hyemi called, stopping in front of her. She looked at her mother’s face, which was filled with a sort of joy and mischief. She could only slump her shoulders at her mother.

“What’s wrong?” Her mother asked, laughing at Hyemi’s pouting.

“I didn’t get to be judged as a healer. So I can’t dedicate myself to medicinal herbs now, can I?” She questioned. Her mother put a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, don’t be so silly. You didn’t have to be a healer, no matter what. I said I’d be proud of you anyway.” Hyemi looked up and met her mother’s kind visage.

“But I was going to follow in your footsteps,” She half-sobbed. Hyemi was on the verge of tears already, which made her mother laugh.

“It’s your life. You’re going to make your own path. I’ve taught you well, I know you’ve learned a lot. So you be sure never to forget what I taught you about different herbs and what can be combined and used for medicines. You just focus on becoming the best warrior you can be. And don’t you forget, your father was a great warrior too so you have to make him proud as well.”

Hyemi slowly nodded. Maybe her mother was right. She was the daughter of a famous herbalist who knew how to make great medicine, so great that they boasted much more potence than healing by magic, as well as a dedicated soldier of the Taza Royal Army. Her mother taught her about medicines and healing, now it was time to fulfill her father’s reputation of being a noble and respected warrior. This was her destiny. She embraced her mother, emotions surging because now it was going to be hard to even see her. She doubted she would see her for a while now.

“Bye momma,” She sobbed, feeling like a child again. Her mother laughed, hugging her daughter reassuringly.

“We’ll miss you, but you won’t have to worry about me or your father. We have your sisters still, after all,” The older woman reminded, inciting laughter from the emotional daughter.

“So you’re going to study magic,” Jinyoung’s father said once they had walked further down to speak privately. His son nodded.“I know I didn’t get to be chosen for the Assassin’s path…” He started, but his father cut him off.

“That’s all right. I should’ve known.” The boy was startled by the response. He asked why. The blacksmith sighed and opened his bag.

“You must promise me to treasure this. Put it in your bag immediately.” The boy’s eyes widened when his father withdrew a book the color of the sea, complete with intricate, foreign-seeming spiral designs on the cover. He took the book and at once, felt a weird, almost overwhelming sensation.

“What was that? When I touched it, I felt something…” Jinyoung queried, but his father quickly scolded him to pocket the book. He did so.

“You can probably sense the magical power from that book. Listen, this grimoire belonged to your mother.” My mother? Jinyoung’s mind was racing. His father rummaged in his bag again and took out a tattered, age-ridden scroll with an equally blue seal.

“These were the last items from your mother,” His father explained.

“She told me to give this to you when the time comes. And I think now is the best time to do so. Since I don’t wield magic, I can’t open the scroll nor the grimoire. But I think you should open this when you become more versed in magic.” Jinyoung was feeling very dazed, but he took the scroll and pocketed it as well.

“Why did you only tell me this now? It belonged to mother? I barely remember her… was she a Mage?” He interrogated, but his father merely shook his head, his face quite grave.

“I’m sorry, but it was for the best. I have no doubt that you will find out things for yourself as you get stronger. I have to get going now, and you have to learn so much on your own. I won’t get in your way. Just give it your all, okay?” The older man assured. Jinyoung was upset, but he had to respect his father, because he did give him these precious items after all. They said their parting words and he was off.

Hyemi’s mother also left, and now the friends had a new path to walk. They converged and asked each other what they should do now. Seungwoo wanted to settle in a little by finding where they would be living on campus.

“So you guys want to head to the housing area?” Sookyung confirmed, with everyone nodding in agreement. Thankfully, Zenith posted multiple copies of the layout of the school, so they looked at the map and went accordingly, with Sookyung leading the way.

After navigating to the housing area, which wasn’t as complicated as they thought, they talked to the kindly, informative elf receptionist. Sookyung was up first and the elf receptionist spoke to her with rapidity, so she had to listen carefully.

“Since you have checked in for your housing, you are now eligible to either start or create a group affiliated with Zenith. You can visit the Missions house and show them your key to show that you receive housing through the school. From there, you can join a group or form one. If you choose to form one, a Leader will be assigned to your group. This Leader will work directly with the Missions house to handle all of your missions. This is a requirement for Zenith.” Sookyung nodded at the elf’s words and she soon told her which floor and room number to go to. They all went to the 7th floor, but by that time, they were already suspicious of each other because of this coincidence.

“So we live on the same floor, that’s pretty funny,” Seungwoo commented.

“We’ll just get settled in our rooms, but I want to check out the Missions house as soon as possible. Should we form a group with all of us?” Sookyung asked, and everyone approved. Sookyung stopped in front of her assigned room and the boys trekked down the hall, turning the corner. She noticed that Hyemi was next to her, looking at the room numbers near her.

“Is something wrong?” Sookyung asked, fetching out the room card the elf gave her earlier.

“I think this is my room too…” Hyemi trailed off, squinting at her card and rereading the number on Sookyung’s assigned room.

Sookyung saw the post on the door saying that it belonged to 75612097 and 75612098. The girl rolled her eyes once Hyemi confirmed that was her number as well. Coincidences were just too much, but at least it was working out for them. Sookyung opened the door and the two went to settle in for a bit before going off again.

Seungwoo went into his room and noticed that his roommate was sprawled on his bed, just lounging. He was really tall, and his legs hung off the edge of the bed. He found this boy attractive, with his short, trimmed chestnut-colored hair that was brushed with a lavender tint. A bright emerald-colored quiver caught the boy’s eye. It was propped next to his roommate’s bed. He didn’t want to disturb him, so he tried to creep quietly to his side of the room. However, a few steps in, the boy stirred, eyes snapping open and he sat up immediately. In a blur of motion, the boy withdrew a small dagger from under his pillow, holding it at the ready. Seungwoo made a noise in surprise.

“Who are you?” The purple-haired boy asked.

“This is my room! I’m assigned here!” Seungwoo shouted, panicking.

“Ah, you’re my roommate, not an intruder. Sorry about that.” The boy laughed loudly.

“Do you always keep a knife under your pillow?” Seungwoo decided to ask, putting down his things. He calmed down, the event exciting him way too much.

“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared. My senses are trained to detect even the slightest motions around me.” The boy seemed to be bragging.

“Okay then. My name is Seungwoo. Nice to meet you,” He mumbled, trying to arrange some of his belongings in his space.

“My name’s Jihun. Don’t expect too much from me, all right? That’s all I ask.” The boy grinned as he said this, probably loving to joke.

“Sure.” Seungwoo had to play it cool, he wanted to be cool with his roommate, even if they were pretty hot. He also needed to go meet the rest of his friends.

 

Jinyoung inserted his key and opened the door to his assigned room. He was a bit disappointed that Seungwoo wasn’t his roommate, but not everything could be a coincidence for them. He entered the room and saw a rather handsome man reading a book on his bed. Jinyoung was startled at how aesthetically pleasing this man was.

He had a thin face, but he was rather slim in general. He had inky dark hair that fell particularly on the left side of his face, the lack of bangs exposing his forehead on the right side. He also had thin eyes, but his gaze was sharp when he looked up and stared at Jinyoung once his presence was known. The newcomer tipped his head.

“Hi, we must be roommates. My name is Jinyoung.” The other man was silent, still holding his book. Without answering, he began reading again.

What the?! Jinyoung was raging inside of his mind at the man’s silence. He didn’t even say a word to him in response! Jinyoung started to unpack his things, but made sure to keep the grimoire his father bestowed upon him in his bag. He slid his bag under the bed for extra security and made sure he was ready to go out again. He certainly didn’t feel like staying longer in the room with his seemingly mute roommie.

If only you weren’t so hot, it would be harder to despise you, Jinyoung grumbled mentally. As he headed towards the door, he heard a soft chuckle from behind him. He reared his head and saw the tall boy chuckling to himself on the bed. Confusedly, Jinyoung left the room. He needed to be with his friends or he’d go crazy from this new roommate of his.