The Test

- 7th July 2138 -

It was the morning of my birthday. I sat in a chair in a room of walls pale and floors cobalt blue. This was GEI's testing facility. I had received no presents by the way. So I went straight to my appointment.

I was here to take a test that would determine whether or not I had the ability to use the latent Extrinsic Sorceries found in all humans. I was nervous but excited. I had always wanted to become a sorcerer, and now I might finally find out if I had the potential.

A woman came into the room and sat down in the chair opposite me. She was a petite woman with dusky hair and glasses. She wore a cobalt blue suit with the official GEI logo embroidered on her chest and had a no-nonsense air about her. She placed a box with what looked like a syringe inside on the table between us. This must be the test administrator.

"This test will be very simple," she said. "I am going to take a quick sample of your blood for testing. All you'll experience is a small sharp prick."

I nodded thoughtfully and did as she asked, presenting my arm to her and closing my eyes. I felt the needle enter my skin with sudden pain and then It was done. The administrator carefully placed a bandage on my arm and went back to her seat.

"You should receive your results in around 24 hours."

She reached for her InfoComm and swiped around on it for a few moments. It dinged and whirred as a holographic display permeated the room.

"We will promptly begin a brief questionnaire; your responses will be monitored. Please answer honestly." She said in a clinical tone, devoid of visible emotion.

I felt nervous. What if I answered wrong? Would my entire life be ruined? My future career opportunities? It's universal knowledge that GEI rules over everything in the world. I thought, furrowing my brow.

"Alright, what's the first question? Ma'am." I said, with a slight tremble in my voice.

The administrator pressed a few buttons on her device before reading out the first question.

"Firstly, your name."

"Erik Graham, Ma'am." I responded swiftly.

"Do you feel like you have a future in Extrinsic Sorcery?" She asked briskly, I barely had time to anticipate.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Now for a hypothetical," said the administrator "You're standing at an intersection in some old-age train tracks. A train is approaching five people bound to the tracks. If you choose to pull the lever, the train will be diverted to a separate track where only one person is tied to it. What do you do?"

Where did this come from, I thought to myself. Does she expect a specific answer from me? In this scenario, it seems like the most logical choice would be to save five people. However, there could be a catch that the woman is not mentioning. It is possible that saving five people would have negative consequences that outweigh the positives of saving five lives. Therefore, it is critical to carefully weigh all options before making a decision.

I decided to cross-examine her. "Is there a catch?"

"No catch," she responded. "Merely a choice."

Ha. I figured it out.

"I choose not to pull the lever," I said with a smug grin.

The administrator looked confused, perhaps she wasn't expecting that answer. She quickly regained her dignified composure however and continued.

"May I ask why?" She inquired.

"Since I haven't touched the lever, I'm not responsible for anything that happens. Pulling the lever makes me the potential murderer of one person, while not doing anything puts that moral responsibility onto the train driver."

"Interesting..." She said, under her breath. "One more question, have you recently awakened a Singularity?"

What? How did she know about that? This question seems intentionally targeted. There's a chance that if I were to lie to her, I'd face some consequences. GEI must have direct access to my InfoComm history or something...

I decided to come clean. But not make it too obvious

"Yes, I think so," I said with confidence.

Suddenly the eyes of the administrator lit up with considerable interest. As if she'd finally found water after countless hours of unquenchable thirst in the moonlit desert.

"Really? What is it?"

A brilliant idea struck me at the moment. What if I were to withhold information about my power?

"My eye flashes yellow and then I can identify the names of people and objects," I said, as my eye flashed a brilliant yellow.

================

[Name: Catherine Verwalter]

[Age: 26]

[Attribution]: Conjury

-[Rank]: C

-[Affinity]: Mineral

================

It worked. From what I can recollect. Casters are ranked from D to S, with D being what are considered Normies. Lacking any useable potential. This place Catherine on the lower end of casters.

Conjury is among two types of Extrinsic Attribution, the other being Phenom. It follows a rigid but coherent system of 6 key elements in pairs of opposites. A majority of casters belong to this group, possessing higher amounts of Conjury-aligned energy in their body. Mineral should be the counterpart to Spark, the electricity-based element. The other two sets of elements are Aqua, Blaze, and Lumen, Blight. Casters can under no circumstance practice techniques of an opposing element. Their bodies are just incompatible. I'm sure I'll learn the more intricate details if I manage to get an adequate Rank.

"Your name is Catherine Verwalter!"

Catherine smiled, sending a message to what I assume to be her higher-ups. Her mood took a 180° turn.

"This is excellent for you, Erik. This confirms you're at least a caster of C or above. Singularities never appear among normies." She smiled. "I look forward to seeing how this ability of yours grows in the future."

Wonderful. Just wonderful. Looks like I can at least get a job in Scientia. Nice to know I have potential as a Caster.

I nodded as she continued earnestly "You can leave now, expect some academic offers along with your official caster ID card tomorrow. I'm delighted to have processed a new singularity caster for the betterment of GEI." Her smile grew creepier by the second.

"Alright..." I said, with a tinge of legitimate concern in my voice. "Thanks."

I left the room as quickly as I could. One thing that makes me uncomfortable more than anything is when people start getting evangelical about the GEI. It rubs me the wrong way.

-------:-

I arrived home to a vacant house. Taking a moment to appreciate the peace before heading to my room to relax.

Checking my InfoComm, I had no new messages. Typical. Looking at my Grandfather's watch, the time read 1:24 pm.

I turned on the HoloTV to the news channel. An interviewer was sat with what looks like a highly ranked Caster, the words 'exclusive interview with a vigilante caster.'

"This is awful," I complained. This interview was a thinly veiled critique of vigilantism. Boring.

Switching off my HoloTV, I went to my Gaming Terminal. I put on my VR headset and started up my favorite game, "Caster Simulator IV." My avatar was wearing a red robe with black trim and a hood. She had long golden hair that hung down her back, and she carried a CastBlade with intricate metal inlays. Just like The casters in real life used.

I walked through the magical world of Caster Simulator IV, defeating various depictions of native Neo-Terran wildlife that came at me from all sides. Every few minutes I would stop to heal myself or fire off some conjuration techniques at my opponents. Suddenly, I was hit from behind, and my vision went black.

"Game over" the game announced. I took off my VR headset and sighed. I didn't want to admit it, but I was getting a little too old for this game. It just wasn't as fun as it used to be. Especially with life as a real caster on the horizon.

Before I knew it, the sun had already set. My neck aching from an unhealthy amount of gaming, I called it a day, slumping into my bed to drift off into peaceful slumber.