"…"
"…"
"Veradine…"
"…Wake up…"
"Veradine, my dear… please wake up."
"…"
"Mngh…"
Although she still wanted to continue sleeping in bed, with how persistent the voice waking up her was, Veradine eventually forced herself to sit up, rubbing her eyes to see who was calling for her.
At first, she thought of giving the one waking her up a piece of her mind, reminding them not to disturb her while she was in her beauty sleep.
Though, when she saw that the one waking her up was none other than her mother, all those thoughts immediately disappeared as she gave her mother a slight smile.
"Good morning, dear." Sera, Veradine's mother, smiled back in response to the former's smile. "What's got you smiling so early in the morning?"
"Who else if not you, Mother?" replied Veradine with a chuckle. "Though, why were you the one that woke me up, Mother? Usually, you would have one of the maids do that, no?"
"If it were any other day, then yes." Sera did not deny it. "However, today's a special day."
"It is?" Veradine looked back at her in confusion as she tried to figure out what made today so special.
Fortunately, just as she was getting out of bed, she gazed upon the calendar hanging in her room.
"The 21st…" Noticing that a certain date on the calendar had a lot of arrows and circles around it, it did not take long for Veradine to put two and two together in her head as she realized what was going on.
"Did you finally figure it out?" Seeing her daughter become giddy all of a sudden, Sera let out a faint chuckle.
"Is it really that day today?" asked Veradine once more for confirmation. "Is it really?"
"It is, dear." Sera nodded as another chuckle escaped her lips. "Now, let's not delay your father and your brothers any further."
"After all, I'm not the only one who's curious about your results."
…
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Walking along the corridors of their family's manor, Veradine could not help but feel a bit anxious as she got closer to the venue.
Ever since she learned how to read and write, she slowly learned that the world around her had beings that were capable of achieving feats that normal humans wouldn't be able to do.
Because of their otherworldly capabilities and their all-encompassing knowledge, these beings were given the title of Sages.
However, just because these Sages had otherworldly powers did not mean that they were beings from another world. If anything, they were humans just like her.
The only difference was that they had the aptitude to become a Sage.
'As long as my aptitude allows me to become a Sage, I'd be more than satisfied,' thought Veradine to herself. 'Heck, I'd even be satisfied if my limits are that of a Sage-to-be.'
Just like how there were differences in strengths among the Sages, there were also differences in the levels of aptitudes one could have.
The lowest aptitude one could possibly have was that of a Sage-to-be.
Having an aptitude of that caliber meant that one could step on the path of a Sage, yet be barred from truly entering the realms where one would be called a true Sage.
'Then again, it would be weird if I had such a low aptitude,' thought Veradine, eventually stopping in front of an ornate double door. 'Father is a Sage of the 3rd Lower Boundary, while Mother is a Sage of the 2nd Lower Boundary.'
'As for my brothers, they're already Sages of the 1st Lower Boundary.'
'Surely I'd have the aptitude to become a Sage as well, no?'
Creak…
As the double door before her opened, a solemn sight soon appeared before Veradine.
At the very center of the room in front of her, a small cauldron containing a gray concoction could be seen.
Behind the cauldron was her father and her two brothers. Then, to the right of the cauldron was a middle-aged man in a dark gray robe.
Though, engraved around the man's upper right chest was a golden moon.
"It's our pleasure to have an esteemed Sage of the Middle Boundary grace us on this auspicious day," said Sera as she stepped beside Veradine, giving the middle-aged man a respectful bow.
"Why must you make it sound like we're complete strangers?" replied the middle-aged man as he let out a wry chuckle. "Have the years we spent on the frontlines been forgotten by you two?"
"Not at all." Zakard, Veradine's father, shook his head as he bitterly smiled. "I know the three of us have gone through thick and thin in the past, but you're the only one among us that has entered the Middle Boundary, Kelvin."
"The least we can do is show you due respect for your achievements."
"…Alright." Seeing that Veradine was looking at him, Kelvin decided not to pursue the matter any further. "It wouldn't be nice for us to continue bickering. After all, today's the day Veradine's path as a Sage begins."
At those words, Sera gave Veradine a brief nod as she moved to where Zakard and her sons were.
Veradine, on the other hand, took in a deep breath as she moved closer to the small cauldron at the center.
Coming face to face with the contents of the cauldron, the young lady could not help but take a couple steps on back after getting a whiff of what was inside the cauldron.
"Let me take it from here, young Veradine." Finding her actions slightly amusing, Kelvin moved closer to the cauldron as he gave her a kind smile. "Now, would you be so kind as to extend one of your arms out for me?"
At those words, Veradine nodded as she brought her right arm above the gray concoction.
Whoosh!
"Mmph…!"
Feeling a stinging pain radiate from the arm she extended all of a sudden, the young woman could not help but pale after seeing blood drip out of her arm.
Though, just as she had begun to feel a bit nauseous towards the sight of her own blood, a cooling sensation soon wrapped around that same arm, returning her arm to how it looked just a few seconds earlier.
"My apologies for catching you off guard," said Kelvin with a slightly apologetic smile. "Did it hurt?"
"…A bit," replied Veradine after a bit of silence.
"That's the only time it'll happen." Kelvin faintly nodded in acknowledgment as he turned to look at the cauldron. "With your blood having mixed with the contents of the cauldron, we'll now be able to find out what level of aptitude you have."
At those words, Veradine took a step closer towards the gray cauldron, trying her best to ignore the pungent smell the concoction gave off.
Knowing that the young woman beside him was curious as to what was going on, the middle-aged man gave her a brief explanation of what the concoction did. "The color the concoction takes on determines your level of aptitude."
"If it turns white, then your limit is around the level of a Sage-to-be."
"If it turns pale gold instead, you would have no worries entering the levels of a Sage. However, entering the Middle Boundary is a different story."
"…"
"…"
"And if it turns dark gold, reaching the Upper Boundary is pretty much guaranteed, with your chances of becoming a Great Sage not being that low either."
"I see." Veradine nodded in understanding at Kelvin's explanation, giving the middle-aged man a look of gratitude as she returned her attention back to the cauldron.
Thankfully, it was around that time that the concoction inside it had begun to change color, prompting everyone within the room to move a bit closer to get a better look at the resulting color.
Yet, when they took a look at the color that came out, everyone there had an expression of confusion.
"Why is there…"
"Why is there… no color…?"
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