//Note: Hi y'all~ The tables the skills and character sheet are written in don't show the cell padding for some reason. I've put in a bug ticket with World Anvil to see if it can get fixed. Sorry for that, but I hope you still enjoy the read.//
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Leinad felt a pain in his chest, terror closing in a round him, and his sisters cries fading as she did. Then he felt someone grab his hand and pull him through ground, he felt his body become weightless, and the pain disappear.
There was only darkness, no more waves, no more shapes, he actually felt a little free in this moment, but also scared. Something was wrong, and he couldn't explain exactly what was upsetting him.
In the darkness he heard voice of a woman. The sound of her voice was all around him him. He tried to focus and listen to it, but it just sounded like singing, but there were no words... only vocalization.
He instinctively tried to match the sound she made, slowly harmonizing with it. The tone of the vocalization shifted and he followed, the song went through several changes and he tried his best to keep pace and match the tone. Slowly he started to hear words, he focused, trying his best to match her tone. Then he heard her.
"We are all scattered, but we are all one. A harmony waiting, for your line to be sung. Sing with me and you will belong, Sing with me a Common Song."
A bright translucent screen appeared in the void. There was a line at its center, and as Leinad looked over it he drew meaning. It was more of a feeling of understanding than a voice, but he could still hear it in his head.
-You have learned Common Song. Across Lirenth there are many Songs, but the most widely used of these is Common Song.-
The box disappeared and he heard a woman's voice in the darkness. A new prompt appeared in front of him.
-You have lost knowledge or experience in relation to your vision. To compensate, a new skill has been created.-
-You have learned a new Passive and Active Skill-
Energy Vision (Apprentice I) | ||
Passive: You are able to see energy waves and the the objects creating them. | ||
Range: 5 Meters | Cost: No Cost | Duration: N/A |
Active: You can increase the range up to 5 additional meters at the cost of 10 mana per meter and an additional 1 mana per second of increased range. Note: Seeing through matter with a density higher than 1 reduces your total range by 1 meter for every meter you are attempting to see through (always rounding up for matter you are seeing through) |
||
Range: + 5 meters -1 meter per density of object seeing through |
Cost: 10 mana per meter, +1 mana per second for each meter |
Duration: Until ended or Mana depleted |
The room Leinad was in lit up. The shapes of the furniture and a woman blazinging to life. Every object was like a beacon, emitting ripples throughout the room. Leinad opened his eyes and looked around. The waves around the woman moved towards him and her form followed.
Julia noticed the boy stir in the bed and sit up. She moved to a over to a chair at the side of the bed and sat there, watching him a moment before speaking.
"Are you feeling alright," she asked.
Leinad turned over to her and Julia noticed his unique eyes. The pupils were nearly pitch black, but within them were small lights that swirled around. The sight took her aback a bit and she audibly gasped.
"Your eyes," she said.
"Oh," Tek exclaimed as he started to reach over to the nightstand. He paused as soon as he realized he had no idea what he had thought to reach for.
He retracted his arm and sat up more comfortably, a little thrown off his own actions.
"Did you need something?" Julia asked.
"No," Leinad said, " I can't even remember what I was reaching for."
Julia took a breath before she started her line of questioning.
"What do you remember?" she asked gently. "Do you know where you are now?"
"I remember, being in a forest, by a lake," Leinad said, his face scrunched up as he tried to think. "And we were attacked?"
Julia sighed, this had been her initial fear.
"Leniad," she said quietly, getting his attention back on her. "Those memories are from a past life Leinad. I'm a Matchmaker and you were brought here through the Summoning Spell of Rebirth."
She sighed as he saw Leinad's puzzled looked.
"It's a spell that Matchmakers learn to help souls the of those who have died be reborn," she explained. "The memory you have is just a glimpse at a past life. The memory could be from hundreds or even thousands of years in the past."
Leinad's confused looked raised Julia's concerns even more. The situation was exactly as she had feared.
Leinad was trying his best to remember something else from before he woke up in the bed, but the only memories he had were of being attack and of his sister being there with him.
"So," Leinad said slowly. "My sister isn't here?"
"No Leinad," Julia sighed. "But while that might seem very concerning now, there are some major issues I need to go over with you."
Leinad looked back to her. He had felt a the inside of his chest constrict. This woman was telling him information that felt so unbelievable, but he couldn't put into words why it felt so outrageous. It was like the concepts she was talking about were contradicting reality. He had no reason not to believe her though. In fact, he felt himself become more calm as he sat next to him. The waves of energy pulsing out of her washed over him, and he could sense that they were having a calming effect on him.
"What kind of issues would be more important than finding my sister," Leinad asked. "From my perspective we were just attacked and I woke up here."
"That's the first issue we need to clear up," Julia said. "The Summoning Spell of Rebirth does not respawn people who have died. This body is a new body, this life is a new life. That is the point of being reborn. Now, why your body matched your previous life is abnormal, the spellwork is very exact in what it is meant to do. This is simple to prove by simply asking you to remember anything beyond that initial memory from your past life. Who were your parents, where were you born, what year is it?"
Leinad tried to think back, but it was just as Julia had said, there was just no memory beyond the one he had awoken with. He felt calming waves over him again.
"Okay," Leinad said with a long exhale. "So what is so concerning beyond the obvious?"
"It is the obvious that concerns me Leinad," Julia said. "I examined your stats and your age is a major concern."
"My stats?" Leinad asked, raising his right eyebrow.
"Yes," Julia said. "Focus inward and try to pull up your character sheet."
Leinad did as instructed, he was hanging on her every word and was curious about everything she was explaining to him.
As soon as he thought about a character sheet a translucent box appeared in his vision.
Name: Leinad | Level: 9, 0% | Class: N/A |
Age: Young Adult | Species: Human | Casting Alignment: N/A |
STATS | ||
Health: 100 | Mana: 500 | Stamina: 100 |
Attributes | ||
Strength: 10 | Dexterity 10 | Constitution: 10 |
Intelligence: 12 | Wisdom: 12 | Charisma: 10 |
He stopped focusing on it and it vanished.
"What did it say about your Level and Age," Julia asked knowingly.
"I'm a young adult, level 9."
"And there is our first two problems," Julia said. "People are reborn as newborn babies. They're able to leave our infancy, childhood and young adulthood. Those years help them develop a personality of their own. The memories from their past life are just tools to help them develop their abilities as they grow. They don't use them to develop a sense of self. Without having that time to grow and develop your own personality, you could be bound to those memories and confuse them the person you are now."
Julia grabbed Leinad's hand.
"If you take anything I tell you to heart Leinad, please hear this," she said. "You can be so much more than a memory shrouded in death. You owe it to yourself and the life you've been given."
Leinad pulled back his hand.
"It just feels like I was just there," Leinad said. "With her."
"But you weren't," Julia said. "You'll figure that all out if you let yourself live your new life."
Julia places her hands back on her lap.
"Now the second part that is concerning," Julia started. "Once someone reaches level 10 of their young adult life they are transported to The Trials."
"What are the trials?" Leinad asked.
"Nobody really knows what happens in the Trials," Julia said. "What is known is that each trial is different for each person. The Trails are tailored specifically to the interests, innate abilities and casting you have an aptitude for. It takes about a year of development for children to gain a level; therefore, you'll have only a year to prepare for your trial. While it's rare, it is known that some children never return from their trial and many believe it to be akin to death, their souls waiting to be reborn again."
Leinad started to put together the problem. He didn't know his interests, he had no abilities and he didn't even know what casting was. Now he was being told that if he didn't develop this within a year, he could end up dying again. If he died again in these trials, would his next life end up like this, with no memories, again and again, in an endless loop. His thoughts turned to his sister gain. If he had any chance of finding out more about it, it would have to happen in this life, otherwise he could forget about her entirely.
"What do I do?" Leinad said, a touch of fear in his voice.
"I've spoken to the elder," Julia said. "Du'Vel has agreed to take you on as an apprentice for casting. Your mother and father will be able to help you with developing your own interests. Like I said before, you have to take time to develop a sense of self. Learn about who you are, what you like, what you love and what things you like to do."
Leinad thought about his parents, their names where floating around his mind.
"Isabell and Cliff," Leinad said. "I know their names."
"It was their energy that I used to summon you. This is this home."
Leinad looked around the room and towards the door.
"They're right outside," Julia said. "They'd really like to meet you."
Leinad was trying to process the emotions, but something was getting in the way and he couldn't understand what it was.
Julia stood up.
"I've left clothes out for you to change into," she said. "I'll have to go back to my home soon and report his incident, maybe even get some insight from one of the Matchmaking Masters."
"Can't you stay and help me?" Leiand asked.
Something about her presence had kept him calm and he was enjoying the peace that she brought him.
"Leinad," she said with a sigh. "I wish I could, but as capable as I am, I am not a Master. I know what I know and I don't know what I don't know. A true master like the Elder Du'Vel, will be able to guide you far better than I could. I'll be much more helpful to your situation by getting insight as to why you weren't reborn properly and who knows, maybe there is something we can do to give you more time."
Julia walked to the door.
"Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen," Julia said. "Your parents are very excited to meet you."
Leinad gave a weak smile, "Okay, I'll be out there in a second."
As Julia walked out, Leinad could see the waves washing off her fade from the room. As soon as they faded he felt a pain in his chest. He gasp at the sudden rush of emotion and pain. He remembered something hitting his chest. His sister fading away.
He realized Julia had been doing something to him. Somehow she had been keeping him calm. Now that she was gone, tears ran down his face. He couldn't catch his breath.
He wept. He wept for the loss of his past, for the uncertainty of his sisters whereabouts, and for himself.
"What's going to happen to me?" he said aloud, his voice shaky.
It took him a lot longer than a second before he was ready to leave the room.