Destiny.
A term that heightened the arrogance of people who believed themselves superior.
One of the rare words that could be used simultaneously to express the highest praise and the lowest of insults.
Such was its versatility.
While it served primarily as a symbol of virtue in Garig, it was also the pillar that kept the vast country united.
A culture bolstered by tales of the continent being a violent and famine-ridden wasteland before the gods appeared. Their seemingly divine judgement enforced an era of abundance and with that major comfort.
This was knowledge that existed even outside of formal education, but generally it was accepted as their nations historical mythology.
The Astras, as they were called, blessed the continent, and decreed for as long as they lived everyone within their care would have a place.
This eventually devolved into a belief system that deteremined ones destiny at puberty. Until this selection, parents were goven free reign to raise their children as they saw fit.
Most times one was destined for a craft that aligned with their family's effort. However, on rare occassions there would be diversion. An off chance that one's life up until that point could be made meaningless as they had to adopt a new role under the Astras Empire.
Once selection was completed one was picked off by a local scholar of their new field and kiss their old lives goodbye.
Even more rigid was that if one tried to abandon their role, the Astras would brand you an agent of chaos.
Your family would abandon you, the public was encouraged to ignore you. Even kids would meet you with scorn.
Admittedly even Relik had measured joy from tossing a tomato or two at his local bum.
However, now that he was in the driver's seat he could not be more terrified.
It made no difference if you had dedicated a large portion of your years to learning a skill you enjoyed. Should the deities decree that you would spend the remainder of your existence threshing wheat, you were supposed to carry out this task cheerfully.
Surely there was a chance of him falling into a position even more favorable than his current one, it would still mean adjusting to a life that he was greatly unprepared for.
Given that he could not communicate with any of the Astras and that he still had no idea what were his goals. For him SELECTION DAY seem more like a lottery.
Hopefully he is granted reverence similar to his parents.
His mother was a second generation viticulturist and his father's side were winemakers since the Astras first appeared. Everyone from his home expected him to attain a job that complimented the family business in some way.
Yet he was scared.
Perhaps a side effect of having no spiritual contact with the Astras. His parents had experienced theirs as preteens and he remembered certain kids in his village being communicated with as early as kindergarten.
Those kids had already been called for selection.
Here he was as a seventeen year old, still no ckntact but forced to show up by the local bellmen. His parents only advice being to lower his expectations...
...and to sell as much wine as he could before getting in line for selection.
Simply put growing up on a winery meant that most if not all you knew centered on winemaking. With every other aspect of your life being that money mattered more than common sense.
Although he would be pleased to inherit the estate, he also longed for a chance to express his own desires or at least the illusion of choice. With the selection, there was a chance he would have neither.
Maybe that's what scared him.
He was certain that he would become a winemaker. His parents knew he was going to be a winemaker. The village people were all aware of this. Still, there he stood, waiting for the gods to render their verdict.
Garig had a custom of processing teenagers by having them appear in the closest city.
For him, the city of Remu—named for one of the Astras—would be that. In the southern region of the continent, it was the biggest city or the destination of thirty percent of all the wine produced by the Von Vinos.
A fact that Relik learned by force.
Relik had visited the city numerous times, but he had mostly gone on business trips rather than leisure travel.
It was the first time he would have preferred to be dousing the vineyard in pesticides. That kind of thing was much less terrifying. Than having the hopes of your future decided over one session with omnipotent beings.
He wanted to flee but to be branded and bring shame to his family name, kept him in line. No benefit came from such a selfish action.
The decision of selection was enforced by even more stricter rules. The day he went against it was the day his social standing would be put to death.
A sharp push to his back dragged him out of his silent self-loathing.
It was his turn.
He paused for a moment to lift a silent prayer, reaching for the ruby on his necklace as he did so. Taking a deep breath he made his step forward.
Just like the girl before him, he pushed through the doors to the auditorium.
He had envisioned this day several times to adequately alleviate the pressure of the room. He had imagined himself in this very scenario so much that the image he had in his head established permanence in thought.
Yet upon walking into the selection area, every moment of preparation was swiftly swept away in favour of dumbstruck awe.
He'd imagine that scouts would be there, but he was unaware of the exact number.
Though the room had poor lighting he could see the inclined rows stretch back into what seemed like hundreds. Each space occupied by a figure. There faces were shadowed and he could only see the features of the ones in the first few rows, but he could feel their uneasiness.
One of the proctors in the front row motioned for him to move to the centre of the stage. He quickly complied and rushed to the area marked with a raised platform.
"Place your hand on the Ankh-Ra."
Relik looked down at the podium.
There sat a bronze coloured glowing ball. A faith light pulsed from the core.
Instinctively he shot the ball a dirty look.
His parents had described it for him and he wrongfully assumed that it would be bigger.
He was disappointingly wrong.
The thing could be concealed by his hand.
If he was willing he could steal it then and there.
With slight hesitation he stretched out an open palm, slowly passing his fingers over it until it was cupped by the meat of his hand.
"Relik of the Von Vino Lordship," a woman's voice sounded.
He paused all of his thoughts knowing damn well he didn't give his name to anyone.
"Speak!"
With that command he was whisked into a trance, his back was ironed out as he was forced to watch the world march into the future just slow enough that he could observe.
He watched on as the very building he stood in was broken down and new ones constructed in place around him. He looked down at his hand which seemed to grow frail and old with the passage of time. Instinctively he pulled away from the ball, said arm fell limp to his side.
Unfortunately, his legs suffered the same fate and his body collapsed under its own weight. He folded forward and landed face first into the carpet before promptlyblacking out.
He felt the wind being knocked out and taken into him at the same time. Clashing in his airway and causing his body to spasm uncontrollably.
This must be embarrassing.
He attempted a conscious reboot of his lungs, but this only seemed to worsen his condition. The only positive of this situation was that he couldn't see the faces of his audience.
Suddenly it stopped and Relik popped up onto his feet his arms out as he readied himself to defend from any verbal attack.
He threw quick glances at his surroundings before deciding there was nothing to defend against.
There was nothing at all.
It was blindingly white.
Just white for as far as his sight allowed, there was an infinite wall of nothing.
Relik could feel a slight onset of panic.
His family and neighbours had never brought up this part before. He was well and truly clueless as to what was happening.
His hand reached for his necklace, but found nothing their, which prompted him to look down. It was then that he noticed that his clothes were inexistent.
In place of them were markings that spanned his entire body. Black lines seemed to pattern themselves across his torso and out to his limbs.
If he was confused before then at this point he had no hope of understanding whatever was happening around him.
"Hm," a loud booming voice seemed to echo around him.
Relik did a cursory swipe of everything around him, but couldn't find a source for the sound.
"You seem kind of scrawny to be the son of a guardian."
Relik swallowed hard doubling back on the realisation that he was fully exposed to an unseen observer.
"He doesn't seem to be an appropriate fit at all, not even as a bellman. Maybe as a medic?"
"You need to be at least smart for that position."
Relik tensed up even more realising that there were multiple onlookers. Each of whom were taking turns insulting him.
"Wh-who's there?"
There were a few scattered chuckles.
"Who we are child are-"
"We are the Astras," another voice cut in.
There was a pause from them before one of the others cleared their throat.
Relik's discomfort was then abandoned in favour of bemusement.
"It's not everyday we get to meet a teenager for the very first time."
"Yes we normally try to introduce ourselves before they start exploring their bodily functions. Trust me it is awkward for all involved."
"We have never heard of you before but all of Iké past, present and future points towards you becoming a guardian-"
Relik stomped at that, "a what?"
"A guardian," they repeated, "isn't that the dream of every young man?"
"It's only a dream when your reality sucks," Relik argued.
A few of the Astras chuckled, but one of them seemed to have not taken the statement as lightly.
"Well too bad, I already made up my mind."
"Unmake it then, I'm kinda good at this wine thing."
"I grow bored of your insolence."
"And I," Relik began before a booming sound stopped his thoughts in their tracks, "I was obviously just kidding."
"Good. Now go back out there and ENJOY it."
Relik jolted back into consciousness, finding himself still standing. Quickly understanding that every aspect of his vision were in his head.
"Hm," the lead proctor seemed to frown before turning to face the rows, "I would like to introduce to you the fifth guardian on this day. The Astras have selected Sir. Relik of the Von Vino lordship."
The boy could here benches creak as the audience shifted in the seats. A few muttering here and there, but nothing identifiable.
"May the bid begin."
The room held its breath as to not accidentally respond. The muttereing reduced to complete silence.
He swept the crowd for any signs of interest.
His eyes dropped to the ball near his hand. There was no way that those celestial bastards tossed him back out here without some plan to have him mentored.
"I have a question!" someone yelled from so many seats back that Relik couldn't make out if it were a man or woman.
"What did you say his name was?"
"Relik of the Von Vin-"
In a rush of wind a tall dark haired man appeared next to him hand outstretched for a shake. Relik gave the air a sniff, picking up whiffs of alcohol and decided that a shake would be to much.
"Well kid, from this day onward, consider yourself an important piece of the Burning Tempest."
That statement marked the beginning of hell on earth for the boy. Oh how he resented the decisions made on his behalf.