TO EVERY MAN UPON THIS EARTH... DEATH COMETH SOON OR LATE.

AND HOW CAN MAN DIE BETTER THAN FACING FEARFUL ODDS,

FOR THE ASHES OF HIS FATHER,

AND THE TEMPLE OF HIS GODS?

-HORATIO

***

But what if... stay with me here, what if that man cannot die?

-ELRIC VOSS

***

I was six years old when I first had the dream.

I would find myself walking along a beach covered with bones, and the water that pooled on my feet was boiling hot, but the pain never registered.

It was the sight of the water running through the empty eyes of the skulls that resembled tears that always got to me. Why would the dead still weep?

I will find myself screaming and running in fear, and like all dreams tend to do, I will find myself somewhere else, but now I know this place.

It was a small cave back in the mountains, and from within it a red light would shine rhythmically, as if it were breathing.

A fear like nothing I have ever known would seize me, because I could hear its call... like a thousand stabbing blades inside my head.

I always wake up screaming.

My parents learned to comfort me after this spell of nightmares, which happened unfailingly to me every last day of the month.

Like always, when the day breaks, I forget.

But not today.

***

"Up, up, lazy cur. Elric, I say, wake up!"

I almost did not respond; my focus was held by the flashing blue light that seemed to be pressed beneath my eyelids and the remnants of a dream that stayed with me for a while.

The voice of my younger sister entered my ears. She had learned this new word the last time that I saw her, and she was looking for every opportunity to use it.

"I’m up... I’m up," I replied lazily as I yawned, reaching back to scratch the side of my neck.

I dismissed the blue light against my vision and opened my eyes to see a tiny silver orb floating by my head, my alarm clock.

Some might say it said something of my mental state that I had the voice of my little sister screaming in my ears in the morning to wake me up, and I will reply to them that they had never met my sister... That little munchkin is one of the most dangerous people I have ever met.

Reaching out for the floating orb, I grabbed it from the air and carefully tucked it in the cupboard next to my cot.

The light of the morning sun was shining through the walls of my tent, and the sound of activities around the camp suddenly became louder in my ears.

I was always a deep sleeper, and even though I knew I should have been awake earlier, the long and tiring journey up to this place had placed a heavy burden on my endurance.

However, I was a bit relieved that the long journey had come to an end and we had finally reached our destination. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Four months ago, I was very lucky and edged out most of my classmates to be one of the four Acolytes chosen on this expedition to visit one of the largest known sky-fallen pyramids on the continent.

Ten thousand years ago, they had fallen from the sky, thirty-one of them, distributed across the known world at intervals that no Mage has been able to explain as coincidence.

The academies call them the Caelith or sky-bones in normal speech, and they have never been opened, because every serious expedition to attempt it has ended without explanation after years of effort.

This expedition was most likely not going to change anything in this regard, but for me, it may as well change my life because there were several Adept-level Mages on this expedition, and this was a chance for me to learn from them without the pressure of having thousands of young Acolytes all vying for their attention.

"I need to get up earlier, so I can make a good impression, else I am sure Rex would find a way to spoil my name before the teachers," I muttered to myself.

Rex, Bari, Dara, and I were the chosen Acolytes, and I was selected last as all of them had better qualifications than I did.

I did not see it as a bad thing; in fact, it was a thing of pride for me because I was the only Acolyte here that did not come from a noble house or a rich family, and I was able to reach this position on my own merits alone.

Blinking my eyes, I called up my status screen to show me what two years of study and practice in the Academy had given me.

[Name: Elric Voss]

[Age: 16]

[Title: Acolyte]

[Available Titles: —]

[Anima Depth: 34 (Acolyte)]

[Disciplines:]

Threadwork 38 (Acolyte)

Surge 31 (Acolyte)

Spark 9 (Initiate) — Surge sub-skill

[Auxiliary Skills:]

Concentration 27 (Initiate)

Anima Sensitivity 24 (Initiate)

Observation 21 (Initiate)

Inscription 19 (Initiate)

Meditation 14 (Initiate)

Endurance 13 (Initiate)

Cooking 12 (Initiate)

First Aid 8 (Initiate)

Cartography 6 (Initiate)

[Blessings: —]

[Soul Condition: Stable]

I look at my status screen with a bit of pride. In two years, I have been able to become an Acolyte as my manipulation of Anima had risen through the ranks of Initiate all the way to Acolyte, and I had Threadwork, this discipline, to thank for it.

Threadwork was the manipulation of Anima into fine, precise shapes, and I learned that I had a particular talent for it.

My father was a leatherworker, and my mother was a seamstress. From an early age, I had nimble fingers and keen eyesight, so my stitching was both delicate and precise.

The years of experience working for my parents did not go to waste when my talent for manipulating Anima was discovered by an Acolyte passing through the town; one thing led to another, and I found myself at the Aldenmere Academy.

My mind focused on my core stat, which was Anima Depth, which was at 34, and I nodded in satisfaction. It had been 33 last month, and if things continued in this manner, it was only a matter of time before I reached the peak of the Acolyte grade.