Story 2 Magical Ascension chapter 2

With Taihou pouting and hiding in her room after I shot her with a bunch of super cold ice water, I quickly ate my breakfast and got the hell out of dodge before she could pull some shenanigans like offering to walk me to school.

Because no one walked to school or really anywhere here in the enclosed city of Memphis Ohio. Due to the surge of magical energies in the world in the last few decades, the American great lakes had merged together into a single massive freshwater lake and became America's most resource-rich area... While also one of the most dangerous areas, as the potent magic within the lake had made for powerful quickly cultivating monsters and the interdimensional monsters that came out of the endless mana-rich fog from the lake.

Hence why getting into my school bus was an almost militaristic affair as when the heavily armored and armed bus arrived at my family's compound I was escorted by the co-driver from my fucking front door to the actual bus at the end of the couple dozen meter-long driveway.

No one and I do mean no one would casually walk around on the sidewalks other than mages as more than a couple hundred feet above us was the thick mana filled ever present 'Fog' that made Memphis hell and heaven for mages. It was super easy to cultivate with the ever-present energy within the fog... But at the cost of monsters certainly being within it and commonly killing people that weren't behind some walls.

"So Jake, you ready for the test today." The co-driver asked as he held his sword in hand as he cautiously walked me into the bus, I wryly smiled as I saw the pin on his chest that was from my families magic shop and recognized it as one of the mana compressors that would allow mages to compress and activate their spells much quicker.

I shrugged as I myself kept an eye out through the clouds above me as I knew firsthand that the best thing to do if some kind of flying monster came through the fog was to just lay on the ground next to my protector's feet... Because if the monster was strong enough to overwhelm him, then most likely it would be satisfied with eating him rather than myself.

"I prepared for it as best as I can." I dryly answered and by then we reached the bus's door and then he patted me on my shoulder as I climbed into the armored bus with the driver opening the door so I could climb up the three steep stairs l looked for my friends that were riding today.

Finally, my eyes locked on my friend Edward Elton, who was the same age as me as well as in the same class as myself. "Yo Jake, no one got attacked this morning thankfully," Ed told me, and at a quick glance I didn't see anyone with the usual bleeding heads or shoulders they would have had if they got attacked.

I grunted in agreement as I collapsed with a sigh next to him in the seat as to say nothing of not wanting other people getting harmed but other people getting snatched would fuck with the process of our awakening. As our High School actually used higher-quality awakening stones made locally from the materials gotten from the Great Lake and the inter-dimensional portals that poured all the power into the Great Lake.

"Anyway, so you still want to attune to your family's Earth manipulation?" I asked Ed while stretching and he rolled his eyes.

"Of course... I am not like you who only wants water." He retorted and I shrugged at his words.

So for the next while, me and Ed just chatted while my other bus mates also discussed for the millionth time what elements we wanted to awaken after the test today finally we arrived at school, and no longer did we speak. Dozens of armored buses dropped off hundreds of somber kids that equally looked constipated due to the fear of awakening an element they didn't want to or likewise awakening... Poorly and being thought less of.

A few minutes later once all the extremely serious kids got to class and the obviously haggard teacher came into the classroom, the tests were quickly passed out so as to not waste any time as there weren't any lessons today at all.

"Now, all of you this test is to ensure your knowledge of life as a mage itself is well filled out, and you've been paying attention." The teacher eyed us all and then spoke flatly. "For those even if they awaken with full five stars of talent if they fail this test will find that no college will bother head hunting you as such stupidity and willful ignorance as we have been shoving this into your head for the last decade of your school life is a complete waste of a colleges resources." The teacher flatly warned us and a number of students gulped while I just took a deep breath as my own paper was passed to me in the back of the classroom of about thirty students in the windowless classroom.

"Alright all of you start, you have thirty-five minutes to complete thirty questions so get to work." The teacher said before throwing up his feet onto his desk as he started reading from his tablet while we hunched over to start working on our papers.

Honestly, cheating wasn't at all much of an issue so the teacher didn't have to pay attention as him being a mage made it so any movements like our heads turning would get his attention and other methods of cheating weren't any more effective really.

'Once awakened what rank is someone who just awakened?' Such questions were filled out at rapid fire as I filled out the information about how someone who just awakened would only technically be at the 'Novice' Tier and would actually reach that rank once all Seven internal stars were connected to their element to form a Star Map to solidify there rank as a Novice Mage.

'Name all primary elements?' I wryly smiled at this question as having a bit of information of Versatile Mage I was happy at the questions not getting into the advanced magics like Demon, Blessing, or Curse as they were needlessly complicated so I just filled out the standard. [Earth, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Water, and lastly Wind]

Those were the standard base elements and what everyone regardless of talent level or background awoke though at the lower levels, there were clear ones that were better... Like Wind was a complete ass at just awakening it as all elements you awoke had preprogrammed spells that everyone HAD to use until they got stronger and could begin to make their own spells in their inner star systems.

Like awakening Fire, would allow you to learn the spell 'Fire Burst' which was a spell that allowed you to target an area within your sight, and then fire elemental particles would build up there and in a second explode violently like a grenade... Wind's first spell was literally just making the user or someone else imbued glow with a magical green light with the wind so they could run faster.

Finally, at the end of the test, I grimaced at the end question/essay as it was stupidly complex, wrong, and just full of twists and turns as the question basically asked how a novice would form their internal stars into a star path, then a star map, then a nebula and so on... But each damned element had different star paths to maps and other things so basically we just had to wing the trick question essay and speak generally.

But finally, I dramatically laid down my pencil and just buried my face onto my crossed-over arms that were laid on my desk as the other students who already finished their test did mostly the same so we wouldn't be drawn to look at other people's tests nor were we allowed to like to listen to music or something.

"Alright time!" The teacher called out and I looked up as the teacher ordered everyone to drop their pens while he collected our tests thus he did going down the six lanes of seats and tables to take our tests and while he did so, the classroom was filled with whispers as the students started talking about how they did on the test and I jolted as I poked in the back by what felt like a pen so I sat sideways to talk with a wry smile to the person who was sitting behind me.

What met my turning frame was a face leaning closer to me and her eyes which were mutated by a bloodline of powerful mages were turned ever brighter as the motes of starlight in her eyes seemed to glow with joy at how I flinched at her face being so close to my own.

"Ai, what's up, you know I hate being poked with a pen," I retorted flatly as even with her terrifying family background I made it plain at the school through a campaign of terror of terrible pranks that couldn't be tracked back to me that I wasn't worth getting pulled into the power games of the 'noble families' that controlled most of the city.

But Ai Hoshino was nothing if not charismatic and even as the stars in her eyes glowed and her long purple hair went down her back she only laid her chin on her hand as she chuckled. "So I know you want to be attuned to the water element but why not Fire or Lightning so you have better offensive options?" She asked and I rolled my eyes.

I shrugged and tilted my head towards herself as an example. "Yeah, Lightning or Fire is super strong but too limiting honestly as they are pure damage until they reach the level in which a mage can start making their own spells whereas water is defensive first and then gets an offensive spell. I just want options you know." I said with Ai chuckling as she shrugged in turn.

For a moment Ai just stared at me making me wonder what was up with this troublesome girl as she like me was rather well-known in the school... But for her, it was more for being a witch that would adore getting other people's business and causing little bits of mischief that no one could go after her for due to her parents being powerful mages and her grandparents being even more powerful mages. All who very much doted upon her...

Like, for example, there was a boy who dared to ask her out one day, and he didn't even make it to the next classroom's lesson before her grandparents literally flew over to the school and threw water balloons filled with ketchup, mayonnaise, and other condiments on the kid until the kid hid in the bathroom for the rest of the school day to avoid the scary older generation that was bullying him.

And that incident almost sparked a fight between the noble families as that kid was the son of one of them and his parents and elders didn't take his humiliation so easily.

"Anyway, kids it's now the moment!" The teacher spoke up with more energy and then he clapped his hands and the door to the classroom opened two ladies in tight-fitting short outfits pushed a cart into the classroom with the male students wolf whistling at the hot ladies that pushed in the bowling ball-sized awakening stone that was worth literally millions of US Dollars due to its purity.

"Now in order of seating arrangement, you are going to use the Awakening Stone." The teacher explained with some students groaning or fist pumping as someone with the name Zander would have typically gone last but with him, in the front row, he would be one of the first so he wouldn't have his nerves even further build up.

"Now just to clarify for others but these Awakening Stones will gift you a grain of elemental mana that will set your path as a mage with the element it gives that mote to you." The teacher announced and then continued to speak about how the school badges we got this year and had to wear every day would finally be used as these badges registered the mana within ourselves.

And with the awakening stone, we would be able to see our general talent level as we could awaken with one to five motes of light within ourselves that would make getting to the actual rank of Novice mage and getting a spell so much easier once we cultivated the standard seven motes of light into a Star Path.

Finally, though Ed, went up and got his dearly wanted Earth magic awakened with four stars of talent and thus ended up happily cheering. Ai herself was called up to the awakening stone and as she got there I got to see further proof of selective breeding between powerful mages bearing fruit.

"Congratulations Ai Hoshino, you awakened two elements at full stars at that!" The teacher cried out excitedly clapping his hands and I went along with the rest of the classroom who clapped alongside in congratulations as Ai just played at this being unexpected but her prideful smirk couldn't hide the sheer joy she was feeling in becoming the terror of future battlefields having awoken the terrible duo of Fire and Lightning of pure offensive power.

"I will need to come to your family's shop to buy a good shield and stored-up shields I guess," Ai whispered to me as she passed by me to her seat, and my face twitched at the thought of that witch coming to my family store and making up some nonsense to get me in trouble with my strict parents.

A few more people went by and finally, it was my turn. I already knew the drill and as I placed my hands on the bowling ball-sized pearl that was just comfortably above room temperature and then I was dragged into the magical space within the Awakening Stone for the element that fitted me to enter my body and start my journey as a mage.

Coming into the mental space within the Awakening Stone I saw many constellations of mythical figures that were colored in the colors of the elements they represented like earth being brown, lightning being violet, and fire being red. But as I waited for the element that fit me to rush into my form I was instead welcomed to the sight of what looked like the basic constellations moving, and before I could react, a pillar of rainbow-like light filled my mental self that came into the awakening stone.

Along with that pillar of light that rushed into my form I also saw the blue water constellation also rush towards me and fill my body with its mote of power and then before I could react and wonder what the hell this mystery element was, I was kicked out of the magical space of the awakening stone and was met with the gaping mouths as on my chest I was already spoiled of being a dual awakening like Ai...

But my elemental awakening wasn't something in the base elements and thus they had no idea what I had awakened as no matter what element it was, whether it be a base element or an advanced element they only had one color whereas whatever I awoke was a rainbow.