Chapter 1: A Young Cultivator

“Liz, I don’t want to do this.” ____ said.

Elizabeth gave a warm smile.

“It’s just fortune-telling, ____. You’re going to be fine.” Liz said.

___ stopped walking.

“___, we’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up,” Liz said, turning around.

____ shook their head.

“I-I can’t! Liz, what if something bad happens?” ___ asked.

Elizabeth sighed.

“Come on, ____. I said everything will be fine. It’s just a little bit of fortune-telling. How could that go wrong? Look. Zane’s fine, isn’t he?” Liz asked, turning to face a slightly older boy with short black hair and an emotionless face.

Zane crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought.

“Zane, you had your fortune told last year. There’s nothing to worry about, right?” Liz asked.

“Liz, it’s not just fortune-telling. It’s an evaluation. I can understand why ___ is so nervous. Besides, there’s always something that can go wrong. For example, the church could catch fire with us inside.” Zane said.

“Fortune-telling, evaluation, whatever. Same thing. They just tell us our jobs and magical affinities, right? I don’t see how it’s that big of a deal. We can live just fine without magic, so it really isn’t that important.” Liz said.

“That’s not why it’s important. They tell us what class we have, and our abilities. I agree that we can live without magic, but some jobs require a certain class or magical affinity to apply for them in the first place. Even some schools have prerequisites. Our entire society depends on what our evaluation is. But if it’s ___, I think everything’s going to be fine.” Zane replied.

“See, ___. Even Zane said everything’s going to be fine.” Liz insisted.

“But…” ____ mumbled.

Liz walked up to __ and lifted their arm. 

On their wrist rested a small, silver chain bracelet. 

A crescent moon, a full moon, stars, swirls, and a gem as dark as night itself hung off of it.

“___, you remember our promise, right?” Liz asked, holding up her own bracelet.

_____ nodded.

“Don’t give up. Never give up.” ___ said.

Elizabeth ruffled ___’s hair.

“You can do this. It’s not hard. If something does go wrong, I’ll be here for you anyway. If you can’t take care of yourself, I’ll take care of you. But you have to at least try. So let’s go and give this a shot.” Liz said.

Liz woke up, drenched in sweat.

“Tss...ow,” Liz said, panting.

She clenched her head.

“That dream again.” Liz sighed.

She shook it off and got out of bed.

She stared out of a window and watched the dew-covered flora sway in the morning winds while she got dressed.

“Morning, huh? Xin should be coming back soon.” Liz said.

She stretched and headed into the room next door.

“Hey, Yin! Wake up!” Liz shouted.

A young boy roused from his slumber and rubbed his eyes.

“Master? Is it time for us to cultivate?” Yin asked, yawning.

“Cultivate? You haven’t even mastered the basics of training. Of course it’s not time for that!” Liz said, crossing her arms.

“Tch. Boring.” Yin muttered.

“Do you seriously want your body to explode?” Liz asked.

Yin frowned.

“....no. But can’t you at least teach me something that isn’t boring?” Yin asked.

“Boy, it’s rare for me to willingly train someone. You wanted to get stronger, didn’t you?” Liz asked. 

“Yeah, but this is boring!” Yin whined.

“Ungrateful brat... You aren’t even 12! Do you have any idea when people normally start their cultivation journey?!” Liz exclaimed.

“In their 20s…” Yin said. 

“Correct, and when did I say I would start to teach you?” Liz asked. 

“In a few years. But I don’t wanna wait a few years! This is so boring!” Yin said. 

“Then you can just stop. Master didn’t take you in as a disciple just to listen to you whine.” A voice said. 

“That’s not fair, Xin! You were already cultivating when you were my age!” Yin shouted.

“Xin’s talent is leagues above yours, Yin,” Liz said.

“Master, Yin doesn’t have any talent in the first place. His meridians are all wilted looking. At least, the ones that he does have. He has a bloody crimson-colored aura, too. I’ve never even seen that before. I don’t understand why you train him in the first place. He’ll never be able to cultivate.” Xin said, shaking her head.

She turned to face Yin and stared him in the eyes.

“Yin. You’re a smart boy. But you don’t belong in the world of martial arts. I’d feel much better if you became a merchant or something. Otherwise, I would never be able to stop worrying about you. Besides, if you get rich you can live a much more comfortable life. You don’t need martial arts.” Xin said.

Yin gritted his teeth.

“I’ll show you that I can do this! I don’t want to be a stupid merchant! I want to protect you two, not the other way around! I’m not useless enough to need your protection!” Yin shouted, running out of the room.