Dining table.
I was feasting on the delicacies mom prepared on this special day of mine. Well, this kind of feast wasn't a rare occurrence in our house. But, today, that list was on a whole another level. As if mom made up her mind to make her son 130 kilos fatso.
If I didn't practice 'Vajrasana Body', my mother's wish would have been fulfilled. And I would have to quote like,
"I am fat, not because I eat excessively.
I am fat because My mom makes tasty foods."
But her evil plan would never come true, as my freaking body with dense muscles will just burn every calorie I swallow. So, being a foodie didn't make me fat- an enviable situation for ladies, I must say.
But my happy mood didn't last long as I felt, something deemed missing. This was something- that couldn't be fulfilled with enough exquisiteness- the presence of someone. Someone, close enough to miss him from great distances.
So, I couldn't help but ask,
"Mom, when will dad return? It's been almost a year. Won't he show up even on my day of awakening?"
But, I received silence as an answer. This stillness continued for a while before she reacted, "He might be caught in something important. After his core broke, he is no longer like he used to be. He also can't do the hunter's job anymore. It's really hard for him to maintain us, you know? Don't be hard on your father, OK?"
My heart ached as I recalled dad's situation. I heard from mom that his Elemental Core was injured by someone from the empire before my birth. His serious injury needed all our savings to heal. Which made my parents' lives miserable- socially, mentally, economically - in every way.
The feeling of being targeted by peoples' ridicule, feeling of being hopeless, feeling of being broke- wasn't something a person wanted to feel in any way. If someone wants to, I must say, that isn't a pleasant one.
But my parents didn't need my sympathy, nor did I try to console them. It will only make their mood sour. So, I could only remain silent and steel my resolve to become a great Elementalist.
After we were ready enough for a formal occasion, we set off for our destination by riding a mechanical vehicle. It was like a horse carriage but the horses were missing. Instead, it got a big metallic engine with a round core and lots of unknown parts. All these components were covered by a specially made wooden cover with pipes on both sides. These pipes work as heat sinks that pass down the excessive heat that the core produces.
I always wondered how these chunks of metal used Origin energy to run so fast. Too bad, I wanted to be an Elementalist, not a mechanic.
Our destination was the Elemental Association Branch in the nearby Redien City. The Redien City Association branch was located 20 km far from our home, Marlow town. These branches were responsible for organizing the Awakening Ceremony in different cities in the Council of South Armea.
It's a council of 5 ancient kingdoms which were forced to join together to fend off the behemoth Aslan Empire. Though the power isn't as centralized as it was in the past- every single royal and noble family was full of ambitions. Thus, making it one of the messiest political organizations on the Armea continent, which was another big arena of power struggle.
"These vehicles are sure fast for some metal trinkets." a passenger commented.
His companion responded, "Yeah, but they only serve as public transportation. They aren't really popular among Elementalists."
"Well, no matter how fast they are, they become rigid and useless in uneven terrains. So, of course, they aren't interested in these. And, let alone Elementalists, even normal people are more interested in Beast mounts. Some winged species could also fly carrying others. They can also serve as loyal companions and prove as great helpers in many unavoidable situations."
Listening to their discussion about beast mounts brought back childhood memories. It was a memory of a four years old child encountering an eagle with a 10 meters wingspan. A happy-go-lucky kid was playing in the garden when all of a sudden, a giant shadow covered him. As he looked upward, the view of a descending eagle scared the shit out of him. The terrified kid screamed for his guardian 'Mama' out of his lung as his index finger pointed at the intruder. But soon, fear became astonishment as he saw the heroic figure of a man riding that gigantic creature. And that was the first time he saw a beast mount, also his father.
That was also the very day he set on my life goal, of becoming someone like his father, an Elementalist who could ride beast mounts.
As I recalled the memory, my lips curled. I chuckled at my naivety of thinking my mother could deal with an adult Sapphire Eagle if it meant any harm to me.
While I was reminiscing, "Do you want one, Aryan?", mom asked all of a sudden.
"Hmm, beast mount. I would like to have one too." I replied with great enthusiasm.
"If you say so, I will ask your father to look for a good beast egg." Mom said with a smile.
Mom's assurance made me more excited as I look forward to meeting my future companion.
It didn't take long for our vehicle to reach its destination.
Stepping on the road, I discovered a bustling crowd and rows of stalls on both sides of the road. Those stalls sold various commodities, street foods, low-end cultivation resources, and public Origin art copies. I could also see guide books with titles- "How to awaken a godly element", "How to get admission to top academies", "How to cultivate easily like a genius without any talent" etc. Most of them contained useless pieces of information but, under the persuasion and brainwashing of salesmen- people were buying them with a serious face! Reading books sold in Bazar in the hope to become a great Elementalist! As always, businessmen were the best shepherds when it came to collecting wool from sheep.
Ignoring all the bustling crowds, I ran toward the auditorium while mom could only smile at my enthusiasm and follow.
And what followed next was a boring registration procedure which mom took care of. I registered my name and got my serial number. Even after all the haste, my serial was 123.
"Looks like I ain't the only eager one here.'' I chuckled.
Then I took a seat with mom and started waiting eagerly for the association representative. When I saw many boxes stacked up on the stage and got curious.
"Mom, what are in those boxes ?"
"'Sensory Serums', they are for awakening elements. You will understand soon enough." She replied.
More and more people came, parents and guardians- with their little fellas, making that place crowded in proportion to time. And the clock tick-tocked as the wait lasted for an hour.
At last, the representative from the Elemental association stepped on the podium. He wore a light blue suit blazer, light blue trousers with a white collared shirt with a pair of brown. With a distinctive jawline and an iconic mustache, he looked to be in his late 30s but, everyone knew that's not the case. As elementalists advance through the ranks, their body metabolism and natural cell regeneration also become stronger- making them look way younger compared to common people of the same ages.
Behind him were ten youths, carrying crystals of different colors and their size was roughly the same as an adult human head. The brown and transparent blue hue crystals were larger than the rest. Following them was a teenage girl, carrying a particular short red flute that looked out of the place.
The representative needn't introduce these crystals as everyone could guess their identity and uses. They were elemental essence crystals- refined from purest elemental crystals in a 1 to 1000 ratio. And the council uses these crystals to perform an awakening ceremony.
