After a moment of silence, the attendant typed something in his tablet, then asked Aston.

  “Name?”

  “Aston,” he replied as he tried to keep his voice steady.

  “Family name?” the attendant continued.

  “Rhyner.”

  The attendant nodded without a hint of surprise, scribbling down information.

  “And your spirit beasts?” the attendant asked, glancing over at Gray and Mirage, both perched on his right and left shoulders respectively.

  “This is Gray,” Aston began, his fingers absentmindedly scratching Gray’s ears. “He’s my spirit beast, but he’s more of a companion than anything special. You see, he was my pet kitten before my awakening ceremony,” he added with a nonchalant shrug. He wanted to downplay Gray’s true potential.

  “And the other one?” The attendant raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to the owl.

  Aston patted shimmering figure of Mirage.

  “This is Mirage, a Glasswing Owl. I believe it’s well suited for the Scouting Arts Division.”

  The attendant’s eyes flashed with an unreadable expression before typing down a few notes on his tablet before looking up again.

  “Thank you. Your registration is complete. You will be called when it’s your turn for the assessment. The evaluation will test your spirit potential first, then your basic knowledge. After that, if you pass both, you will be informed on the details of the next assessment. Be ready, kid.”

  The attendant pointed Aston to another line for the evaluation. Aston gave a small nod of acknowledgement and stepped back. As he did, the attendant gestured to the next applicant in line.

  Aston stepped into the growing queue, heart hammering in his chest, but this time he felt a bit lighter.

  The line moved swiftly, with each applicant stepping forward to briefly display their potential through an awakening crystal. Aston observed a few individuals before it was his turn, some showing orange, yellow, and rarely, red.

  During his turn, an attendant gestured for Aston to step up. A small circular crystal sat on a pedestal before him.

  “Place your hand on the crystal,” she instructed, her tone calm and professional.

  Looking back, Aston had looked at his potential for the past week three times- the first during the ceremony, the second when he opened the box, and third during the re-assessment in the city hall. This would be the fourth time he was assessed for his potential.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  With a touch of the crystal, it glowed a deep shade of red. With a disappointed sigh, the attendant murmured to herself, “Another red, huh.”

  In which Aston heard, but did not make a comment on it.

  The attendant finalized something and generated a code for Aston.

  “Here is the schedule and seat number for the written knowledge test. Please show at the location fifteen minutes ahead of the schedule. Please scan this QR code to save the details.”

  Aston picked up his phone and scanned the code. It showed his name, schedule, seat number and location of the test.

  —

  Name: Aston Rhyner.

  Seat: 5B

  Schedule: 1:00 PM

  Location: Scouting Arts Division, Tent 3

  —

  Aston thanked the attendant and exited the queue.

  He checked the time on his phone, it was still 10:43AM. There were more than two hours until the test. He decided to grab an early lunch and went to the edge of the square, where several food vendors had set up their stalls. The scent of sizzling meats, fresh bread, and sweet pastries filled the air, mingling with the earthy aroma of herbs and spices.

  He walked past a few stands before deciding on a small stall that offered hearty, grilled skewers of spiced meat. The vendor handed him a skewer of tender fowl meat and vegetables. It was still sizzling as it was placed on a bed of warm, buttered rice. Aston could feel the warmth of the food seep into his hands as he took it, and his stomach immediately settled in anticipation.

  With the tense atmosphere during registration, he felt unnaturally hungry.

  He took a seat at one of the nearby benches. His meal was simple, but it was exactly what he needed - comforting, satisfying, and filling. Another two skewers was offered to him by the vendor, to which he pointed at the two spirit beasts already salivating.

  He asked for a plate and put the skewers down. Both Gray and Mirage descended from his shoulders and bit their skewers.

  The fowl meat was tender, and the spices just enough to leave a warm aftertaste. The rice was soft, with a slight buttery flavor that complemented the meat.

  By the time he finished the last bite, the sun had climbed higher in the sky. He took his phone and checked the time, it was nearly 12 noon. Aston wiped his hands on a napkin, standing up from the bench and stretching. He glanced around. Taking in the bustling atmosphere one last time before heading back toward the tent of the Scouting Arts Division.

  Along the way, he feasted his eyes with the various spirit beasts he was seeing. Every time he sees a new beast, he sends an analysis request to Nova. He enjoys reading and knowing what type of beasts everyone has.

  By around 12:45, Aston is waiting outside the tent together with a bunch of participants.

  One of the participants asked Aston in a carefree grin. “You’re also participating in the written test?”

  Aston observed the young man who spoke. He was above Aston’s age, maybe around fourteen years old. He had messy brown hair that seemed to have a mind of its own, sticking out in all directions. His clothes were neat but not extravagant - simple trousers and a light, collared shirt with a slightly crumpled jacket thrown over his shoulder.

  A small creature with moss-like fur was gripping the young man loosely. Its long tail wrapped around the boy’s wrist twice, securing itself to the boy. Its large eyes had a calming presence, exuding an aura of peace and playfulness. It was as if the boy’s carefree and optimistic attitude matched with that of the spirit beast.

  Aston nodded while asking Nova an analysis on the spirit beast on the young man’s arm.