1- The Classroom

"The known universe is a very old place. Trillions of years old, in fact. The truth that most people accept is that, at the beginning of everything, there was a tiny little speck of nothing. It decided to explode randomly and create everything that currently exists, from physical matter to physical theory."

"However, in the year 3089, long after the human race invented trans-galactic space travel, a wave of energy swept across the Milky Way Galaxy. Actually, it swept across EVERY galaxy, but we didn't find that out until much later. The energy fractured every star, every solar system, and every planet into much smaller pieces, causing untold calamity and billions of deaths, but it left behind something truly extraordinary."

Audric listened to the lecturer with great enthusiasm. He was five years old this year, tall for his age, and considered a genius amongst his peers. However, he was still looked down upon for one crucial fact: he was born completely blind. Other than this downside, the boy had excellent looks; long blond hair (but not too long), clear skin, and a pair of piercing purple eyes that did not bely his blindness. However, the boy chose, instead, to hide his natural good looks behind a blindfold and some smudges of dirt. The town of Fent was quaint and cozy on the outside, but as an orphan from the slums, Audric knew better than to trust appearances.

"Dimensional cracks appeared, connecting various planets and moons throughout the cosmos," the lecturer continued. "Strange and powerful beasts dwelled within these cracks, protecting a very important secret. When the beasts were slain, the cracks would transform into what we call 'Gates', and they lead to worlds previously far out of reach."

The lecturer paused to catch his breath. As one of the very few qualified teachers within this town, he took his job to inspire and educate the children very seriously. He had a firm belief that if he could not prepare these children for the worlds that existed outside of the town's walls, they very well might die. This teacher was one of the few adults within the town that Audric respected, and he respected him because of the abundant amount of care he showed towards his students, even if he was exceedingly strict.

"Upon exploration into these new worlds, the few humans that remained encountered various new lifeforms, as well as new intelligent species. That which was previously rooted in myth or science fiction was quickly proven to be reality. Knowledge advanced at a rapid pace, and humanity gained insight into the truth of the universe. The powerful force known as Mana."

"Those of you who are especially bright may have already figured it out, but the wave of energy that swept through this galaxy was a mass of concentrated Mana. This wave stems from the center of the universe, in the exact spot where the Big Bang happened. The new common theory is that it was actually Mana that produced the universe, and not a freak collision of infinitesimally small particulates."

Audric could tell that many of the other children were losing interest in the lecture. Obviously, this teacher was used to teaching much more mature students, and not a ragtag bunch of kids from a mining town in the middle of nowhere. Fent wasn't exactly a tourist hotspot. Or any kind of hotspot, for that matter.

The town of Fent had been established in the year 3100, exactly eleven years after the mana wave, known as a Blade Formation, passed through the Milky Way. The planet that Fent was founded on, Unkeon-4, was known to have a vast stockpile of minerals, as well as a sizeable cache of solidified mana. In its heyday, Fent was the crown jewel of the entire Unkeon system and had a population of well over 4 billion.

However, after the planet, and later the system, had been mined out, the vast majority of settlers packed up and left. It only took four years until Fent was reduced to a population of just over fifty thousand. The remaining people could only work away to try and save up enough for interspace travel and eventually leave.

Sadly, the only avenues for work on the planet of Unkeon-4 were integral jobs to keep the town of Fent running, or collecting the silt left behind from the big mining days. There isn't much left in the silt, but it can be sent away to be processed into rich farm soil. Unfortunately, "silt farming" is dangerous work, and it also doesn't pay well.

Of course, you could always become an outlaw. Fent had no shortage of rabblerousers, troublemakers, and other sorts of unsavory types. As a resident of the slums, Audric has had run-ins with several of these characters, and they usually didn't end well.

At this moment, however, Audric was snapped out of his internal thoughts by the teacher continuing his lecture.

"When the human race made contact with these faraway worlds, they learned of techniques that are used to absorb and pack away Mana as a means of getting stronger. Different cultures, different races, and unique and talented individuals have invented countless methods of mana cultivation, whether one wants to use mana to strengthen their own body, their soul, their core, or to cast powerful spells. In the most technologically advanced worlds, mana is used as an energy source to power infrastructure and handy devices such as this ring."

The lecturer held up a ring that Audric could not see.

"This ring has a miniature pocket space within it, and it can be used to store items. The most expensive rings can store entire planets, but this one is comparatively small, only about three cubic meters in space."

It was at this point in the lecture that Audric noticed the attentiveness of the class. The current rowdy atmosphere did not allude to the fact that half of the kids were snoring just minutes before. Strength was something valued in every system, on every planet, even a backwater one such as Unkeon-4.

These kids were still small, and many of them held hopes that one day, if they were strong enough, they would make it off of this planet. Regardless of upbringing, background, or talent, hard work was something everyone was capable of. And with enough hard work, Audric was sure that at least a few of them would become Gate Conquerors and make it off-planet.

"I know all of you are excited to start cultivating, but this is a beginner knowledge class. According to the biology of most species, it is best to avoid cultivation until the age of 10, at which time the core will awaken on its own. If my memory serves, the oldest among you is still only nine, so we will learn to master the foundational knowledge until the time comes that each of you will take the first step on your path to cultivation."

What was previously a rowdy, excitable bunch of kids was now a group of steadfast, resolute students. At least, that's what it sounded like to Audric. He couldn't see, after all, and they could have gone back to sleeping for all he knew.

"Now, we seem to be nearing the end of our allotted time period, so you may all go home and rest up for tomorrow's curriculum. We will begin learning about affinities and aptitudes, as well as some special professions for cultivators in our class tomorrow. Audric, I will need you to stay after class. Everyone else is dismissed."

Audric frowned. Although he held great respect for the man that was his schoolteacher, he had never had a one-on-one conversation with him before, nor had he done anything to warrant punishment, so he was completely at a loss to his teacher's request.

"You needed me, sir?" he asked once everyone else had left the classroom.

"Indeed. I request that you come with me to meet some of my old friends. They have a topic to discuss with you, and it involves not only your future, but your parents as well."

Those words hit Audric like a barrel of silt. He hadn't ever met his parents and assumed that they'd died or abandoned him at birth. The only reason he'd survived as long as he had while being blind was due to the kindness of the local blacksmith and his wife.

His parents had remained a mystery to him, and he had resigned himself much earlier in his (admittedly short) life that it was one he would never solve. However, this sentence punched a hole through that reality and brought him into a new one.

A reality filled with danger.

A reality filled with his own blood, sweat, and tears.

A reality that sounded very, very interesting.