67. Registration

The registration office and testing area were in a comparatively small, single-story stone building with a domed roof crammed between two taller official-looking buildings. The city's stunning architecture was visible even here in the carved stone pillars guarding the entryway, reminiscent of a Roman or Greek temple. The more significant buildings nearby were similarly constructed, giving me flashbacks to Heirs. However, this city smelled much, much better.

Catching my eye, Cove explained, "The stone pillars and domed roofs are a hallmark of most government buildings and are inspired by the ancient Romans."

Much like the world above ground, then.

Pulling off her necklace, Rose unlocked the massive stone doors and ushered us in. The doors opened easily under her touch, leading us into a bright and clean hallway. No carpet paved the entryway, and I wondered for half a second about rain or dirt before realizing that neither was an issue. Fresh air flowed down the hall at the perfect temperature, like the air outside. The floor and walls were polished stone, but the interior doors were simple, white-painted, and wooden, indistinguishable from your standard house doors. I looked at them questioningly.

Rose gave me a strained smile. "Budget cuts. They could construct the entire building from stone, but paying for more doors was too much. Someone purchased them en-mass from Lowe's." She shook her head, "Governments."

The budget cuts lined up with what I'd heard from government workers before. Perhaps their taller government buildings also contained the 'dead floors'--unfinished floors various government agencies shoved their items in for storage. Well, as they say: 'As above, so below.'

She opened the door to a tiny room, hardly much bigger than a closet, with a large circle engraved on the floor, a duct tape 'x' indicating the center. A single computer was pressed against the far corner, and a stone bench lined the door-side wall.

Rose pointed towards the circle. "Just step onto the 'x' there."

I did as instructed while Rose moved towards the computer, and Ani and Cove made themselves comfortable on one of the benches lining the room.

"This used to be a task only a few people could conduct, but some breakthroughs in magical technology recently allowed us to craft this room here. We'll be able to tell your magic affinity, as well as your power level, potential, and any specialties you may have."

Cove jumped in after catching the confused look on my face. "My affinity is spaciotemporal, and my specialty is dimensional magic."

"Got it."

Rose, typing rapidly on the computer, made things a bit more confusing by proudly adding, "Cove here not only recorded the second-highest power level ever on his spaciotemporal affinity but scored highly in the other magic types as well. Truly, his parent's child."

Rather than looking happy or complemented by her words, the expression on Cove's face could only be described as resentment. He cleared it quickly, returning to his default compassionate expression so fast I wondered if I'd misseen it.

"Ready?" Rose asked, hand hovering over a button.

"Wait, it's not going to hurt, is it?"

Without bothering actually to listen to my question, Rose pressed the button. The circle lit up green beneath my feet, the same color as the old man who'd tested my magic back in Heirs. The hairs all across my body tingled and rose with static. That pushing feeling I'd felt when confronting the Chimera in Sera's courtyard returned with a vengeance, shooting up through my spine, and red sparks drifted from me to land on the floor. Slightly panicked, I looked to Cove and Rose for reassurance, only to be met with impassive faces.

The light died down, both the static and that strange feeling dropping down my spine and through my feet. The elaborate circle emblem I'd noticed on Cove's engraved registration coin appeared beneath me, flashing a bright red under my feet, before switching through three other ornate circles, each duller in comparison.

Beneath my feet, the light died down entirely, and the room returned to its normal appearance. My feet stayed frozen on the floor until Rose motioned for us to head over as she read through the data on the screen with a confused frown.

Her eyes flicked up to meet Cove, then mine, for half a second before dropping back to the screen. "Your main affinity is for spaciotemporal magic, like Cove. You have two specialties, future-sight and dimensional travel. Despite this, your current magic level is weak, with the potential to become average. You also have a slight affinity for the other magics and will be able to learn some of the basics with practice."

Cove also appeared a little confused by the results, his lips tugging downwards as he leaned in over Rose's shoulder to read the screen himself.

I felt I'd done something wrong based on their reactions. I caught Cove's eye, and he wiped his face clean, giving me a weak smile. "Your magic levels are pretty normal for someone from the surface." His lips dropped back down into a frown. "Still, even with dimensional travel as a specialty, you shouldn't have been able to travel dimensions at your magic level…" he trailed off, pressing his thumb to his lips as if he were going to chew on it as he thought.

Rose chimed in with an opinion of her own. "Having two specialties is pretty rare. Jacob will certainly want to hear about this."

Cove's eyes were unfocused as he answered, "Yeah…. "

Rose looked down at Ani, who'd moved to sit by my feet. "Do you want to get your familiar tested as well?"

Curious, I answered, "Sure."

I picked Ani up and placed him on the 'x,' instructing him not to move as I stepped outside the circle's bounds. His tail flicked, but thankfully, he did as I asked.

Once again, Rose pressed the button, and the world lit up green. Ani stood, frozen in place as I had been, as purple sparkles cascaded around him, falling into the floor. The light dulled, and the same circle, representing spacetime magic, glowed beneath his feet, far brighter than mine had been. One of the other three emblems shone dully beneath his feet before the light died, and Ani could free himself. He sprinted out of the circle, pressing up to my legs as if he could be absorbed into them. I lifted him, and he settled in my arms.

Looking at the specs, Rose let out a long whistle. "Spaciotemporal magic, with an affinity for the Physical magics as well. While his physical magic is average for a familiar, his spaciotemporal is thone of the strongest I've ever seen. He's about as strong as you, Cove."

Cove's jaw dropped in shock, and I felt my own do the same. Envy briefly bubbled in my chest, not helped by her following words.

"He also has a dual specialization: teleportation and dimensional travel." Her eyes met mine, and she added, "You have a very unique familiar."

The envy in my chest settled as I dug my fingers through Ani's soft fur. He may be stronger than me, but he was mine.

Rose clicked a few times, then minimized the screen and stepped away. "C'mon, let's get your registration."

She led Ani, me, and a distracted Cove to the next room, which contained another computer, a giant machine resembling a laser etcher in the far corner, and rows of round flat coins. Rose waved a hand at them and said, "Pick one out each for you and Ani. We'll engrave some identifying information on them and spell them to indicate your level of access. Once that's complete, you can access the portals and our free social services."

My hands trailed over the lit displays. "Does it matter which one I choose?"

"Nope. Pick whatever you're drawn to."

I spent maybe an hour browsing through the various tags. They were all circular, but each was different colors, materials, and sizes. For myself, I ended up settling on a thicker, gold-colored tag with a ruby-set outer circle surrounding a coin that twisted and spun. For Ani, I picked out a thin silver tag similar in size and shape to one you might find on a pet collar.

I dumped the two in Rose's outstretched hands. She pulled up a screen, asking me for my information, including my name, birthdate, and address. I listed them off to her, and watched with great interest as she typed the data into the computer, then opened the cover of the machine, placing my tag down first. There was a loud screeching noise, and smoke filled the room as the spaciotemporal mage emblem was etched into one side of the coin. Once that side was completed, the machine flipped it over, carving in my personal information.

Rose turned the machine off, opening the lid and looking expectantly at me. "Pick it up."

I picked it up, cradling it in my hands.

"Good. Now, do you know what your magic feels like?"

"I think so."

"Focus on that feeling. Imagine pushing it out from your chest, through your arm, and up from your hands into the coin."

My eyes closed. I searched deep inside myself for that feeling, the push and pull, that flicker of magic within me. I found it, a small, flickering flame deep in my chest. I imagined it was flowing from my chest and up through my hands, feeling a tingle of warmth as the flame moved through my body, lifting through my hands and sinking into the coin.

When I opened my eyes, the thick outer edge and the etched lines in my coin were glowing a flickering, fiery red. The light flickered and died in the etched sections, the coin still warm in my hand. The glow of the coin's outer edge dulled, but the red gemstone appeared to flicker and glow with a gentle inner spark.

Rose picked up the coin from my hand, turning it this way and that, inspecting it. "Everything looks good." She pressed it back into my hand, curling my fingers around it. "This is your registration, identification, and your ticket to everything we have to offer. Do not lose it."

The motion and words recalled that dream.

I clasped it tightly in my hand. "I won't."

Cove pulled his own tag from underneath his shirt, showing it to me. His was similar to mine, the thick circle with an inner spinning coin, though different in color. The gem on the outer edge was a deep ocean blue, the metal a bright and shining silver. "You might want to get a chain or something to keep it on."

Tucking it in my wallet, I answered, "I was already planning on it."

We repeated the process with Ani's tag, using my magic again. Completed, I tucked his in the wallet next to mine, intending to purchase him a collar the next time I found an opportunity.

Rose led us to yet another room filled with locked drawers. Cove, Ani, and I stayed by the door as she unlocked a drawer and pulled out an old-fashioned-looking key similar to the one Cove had used earlier.

"I'm sure Cove will show you later, but this key will give you access to all our rooms on the outside. Note that you must have your registration on you to use the portals or the elevators."

Placing that in my wallet as well, I nodded. "Got it."