The festival of souls, a celebration that takes place in the continents of the world of relexia. In the center continent there is a nation called centraxiom, in that nation is a state called emperlius, and in this state, theres a massive city called Celanon. This city doubles as the base of operations and the capital of the centraxiom kingdom. Every two years the festival of souls Is held in select towns and cities around the world, it's a celebration in which a child of age, or any person past that age who has not gotten one yet, receives their permanent link, which will then fuse itself with that individuals soul, establishing a "link" and granting them access to that links abilities.
Links are creatures that have special abilities and attributes, and need a soul to fuse themselves with in order to stay alive. A link cannot just fuse with any soul it so pleases for a link is only compatible with one soul and will only permanently link itself to that one. Links are everywhere, in towns, in cities, in the wilderness, but every two years hunters of the different kingdoms around the world round up as many links as they can and bring them to their capitol for the festival. Although there are lots of people who find their links on their own.
Once fused with a link, one may choose what they wish to do. Many people choose to attain a profession that they can easily do thanks to their link and live normal lives as common citizens. Then there are some who simply choose to join their kingdoms army while others join academies around the world where nobles and common folk alike train and master their abilities in hopes of raising their ranks and joining one of many prestigious families. Families are a clan of specific linked people that band together to make a powerful and respected group that are recognized recognized and funded by a kingdom and work for that kingdom as a order of knights. Although some people join squads, which can be a small group that a family puts together, or it can be people who dont know each that decide to band together to become stronger and do quests around the world for rewards. These quest usually revolve around slaying monsters, mythical beasts, and rabid links.
Monsters are creatures that do not have a soul and instead have a crystal core thst cannot fuse with links. Mythical beasts are creatures that are born with the natural magic of the world inside them and fuse with a link the moment they're born. Rabid links are links that have gone berserk after being corrupted and either attack in their natural forms, or fuse with any thing around them to create a very dangerous creature often called, unstable links. Links corrupt when they do not fuse with a soul in time. There are many links in the world, some rarer than others. All links have an attribute, a "type" if you will. These attributes determine the links power. Links also take after animals or other creatures, often looking like a ghost version of that animal or creature with the color depending on the attribute. Links of the same type can fuse together to make a stronger link.
The types of links are varied and abundantly different. Because of this links are classified by their power amd given a level. The levels are, mythical, legendary, supreme, rare, uncommon, and standard. These levels are further split up by rank. Demigod, cataclysmic, and antameox are the mythical level. Garnet and avatar are the legendary level. osmium, palladium, titan, and colossal are the Supreme level. Platinum and emerald are the rare level. rose gold and diamond are uncommon level. Opal, gold, silver, and iron are standard. There are some link types are only found in specific ranks.
When people get links their affinity awakens, affinities determine the type of power they can utilize. These affinities are magicana, spiritual, enerchi, and inner pressure. Those with Magicana can utilize the natural mana and magic energy of the world and themselves. Those with spiritual have an extremely strong connection with their soul and their link and can use this connection to channel and manifest their souls power. People with enerchi can feel, utilize, and control the life energy called chi and the natural energy that everything gives off.
Inner pressure users are different, every living thing on the planet gives off pressure, which is the strength of a persons will that people feel when near a person or creature. Some people and creatures can feel their own pressure, manipulate it to their will, and turn it into incredible force. This force can be used in many different ways and most commonly appear as was looks like telekinesis and gravity manipulation.
°~°~°~syllic's p.o.v~°~°~°
Feet pounding, adrenaline rushing, heart racing, today's the day. The day I finally get my link and join an academy. I've been training my entire life to become as strong as I can. I am cyllic and im 14, i come from a small village that no one knows about called levalley. It's a town that my grandfather started when he was very young for people like him. The village is unknown to most because we keep a low profile and don't really accept visitors. You may ask me why that is and it's fairly simple. Everyone in my village are inner pressure users and uses one of two of the rarest forms of pressure.
They are reconstruction and disruption zone. Both these stem from the ability to feel and differentiate every individual thing that makes up the strength of willpower that something gives off. Reconstruction is the ability to change an object into something else with your mind, with the limits depending on the object. An example is turning a tree into planks or fresh cut wool into a shirt. This process is shown by the item glowing and shifting around to the desired outcome.
(It's basically Alchemy from full metal alchemist without transmutation circles and you dont necessarily have to touch the object)
While reconstruction is about turning one thing into something else, disruption is the opposite. Disruption zone essentially puts a dome around a person and disrupts the natural order of anything in the dome. This can look like making a perfectly healthy tree wither or just straight up making it explode into splinters. Everyone in my village can use one of these two, and everyone usually finds their links on their own and return to the village. Not me though, I'm different from my village in many ways. For one I can use both of these inner pressure abilities, not to mention a lot of other inner pressure abilities, even though I don't have my link yet. For as long as I remember I could use inner pressure, and whenever my grandfather found I could he instantly started training me as soon as I could walk.
I'm also different considering that I refuse to hide in the village, don't get me wrong I love levally and everyone in it. It's just I want to go out and explore the world. I was broken out of my thoughts by movement, I can feel it under the ground. A rabid link that's fused with a tree, I can tell by the intense twisted feeling coming off it. I jump and slash the tree 3 times with old rusty, my grandfather's old machete he forged when he got his link, that he said to pass down to the next male born with his blood. It's not very sharp and actually very dull but I love my grandfather so I use it.
When I re-sheathed old dusty the tree fell and the links soul dispersed. While I'm glad to have old dusty, I'm not gonna have him for much longer, because whenever a person gets their link and decides what they wish to do, with the guidance of their link, they forge their own weapon. I run even harder as my excitement grows the closer I get to celanon. Celanon is usually a bustling city but with the festival of souls, people from around the world stop here and celebrate. Although celanon isn't the only place that gives a person their link on this day.
Cities around the world that have been selected and certified by their kingdom to hold this ceremony as well, and they go catch links. I arrive in celanon and stare in awe, the city is beautiful, buildings, fountains, roads, and street lamps built and accented with luminite, a high quality natural stone and metal that naturally glows in the dark.
The town was packed and traffic was busy with carriages and people walking, going to the many activities that the festival offers. Kids running around and playing with wild links that live here. Seeing the wild links just amped me up more and made me take off to the town center where it was really busy and packed. The actual ceremony to give links to their partners doesn't start till the sun goes down enough for you to see the luminites glow.
Looking at the sky I'd say that'd be in about an hour or two, plenty of time to eat something. I ran into the closest restaurant, an iritonian place called grouladeguio (groo-lay-day-guy-o). It was a lively place with warm light green walls, a nice tiled yellow floor. The tables were black with nice red and purple table clothes draped over them. It was inviting and smelled of mouth watering food. The restaurant was lively and bustling with the excitement of the festival of souls and I couldn't help but share their excitement.
After I get my link, I want to enroll in the academy here in celanon. Centraxiom itself has seven different academies spread throughout the continent, and the biggest and most prestigious one Is here in celanon city. It's called the arantiveer adventure academy, and it's extremely difficult to get in because of it. I know I'm probably not going to get in but it's worth a shot. Though even if I have to go to one of the other academies, there's a good chance I can still be recruited if I do well and especially if I shine in the recruitment trails.
In every nation, all The families leaders and vice leaders often attend the recruitment trials, where academies of the nation, during different weeks, puts their top performing students of all grades through trials to show off in front of the leaders and earn their attention. The leaders then can sponsor, mentor, cultivate, help with the growth of, and invest in the students they chose for the remainder of their time in the academy. Then, when the students graduate, they join said family. If multiple families pick the same student, that student gets to choose which family they want. I hope I can get into a good family.
As I continue to get think about the future I slide into an empty table near the back of the restaurant, still buzzing with excitement. The place was loud with chatter, clinking cups, and the sizzling of food being cooked in the open kitchen. The smell was unbearably hunger inducing, grilled meats dripping with sauce, soft bread stuffed with steaming vegetables, and some kind of spiced broth that made my stomach growl so loudly the lady at the table across from me chuckled. A waiter came by, his apron stained but his grin wide "Festival special?" he asked. "Yeah," I said quickly. Honestly, I didn't care what it was, as long as it was hot and fast. Not long after, he brought out a tray carrying a steaming bowl of broth, bread wrapped in leaves, skewers of meat, and a small plate of glowing fruit that looked like they'd been cut straight from a lightberry vine. My mouth watered.
I didn't even wait. I tore into the bread first, soft and buttery, then dipped it into the broth. The flavor nearly made me melt into the chair. I had good and hearty home cooked meals back in Levalley but this… this was on a whole other level. As I ate, I looked around at the people filling the restaurant. Most were kids my age or a little older, laughing nervously with friends and family. I could feel it, every single one of them was like me. Tonight, they were here to get their link. Some looked terrified, others proud, and some like they didn't care at all. I caught myself studying them, One boy was practically shaking under his father's stern glare, it was like his will was fragile, but sharp, like thin glass. Another girl seemed calm, but surrounded by a heavy aura, I'm sure She'd be dangerous someday.
I finished my food quicker than I realized, wiping my hands on a cloth and leaning back with a satisfied sigh. My stomach may be full but my nerves are buzzing harder than ever. The sun had begun its slow descent, and the luminite stones embedded in the streets and walls were starting to faintly glow. The whole city felt alive, as if even the stones themselves were waiting for the festival to truly begin. I kept my hand rested on Old Dusty's handle at my hip out of habit, scanning the busy crowd. The closer it got to the ceremony, the more wild links appeared in the streets, small foxlike wisps darting between the alleys, a bird-shaped spirit perched on a rooftop, glowing like a lantern. Kids chased after them, laughing, while parents watched them warmly.
My chest thudded with a pressure I couldn't shake, not from the noise of the city, but from myself. I couldn't help it. Tonight I would finally meet my link. I pushed forward through the streets until the festival square came into view. A massive stage was built in the center, its archways built out of luminite. hunters were already arranging the links inside great glass-like cages, creatures of every size and color pacing, flying, or slithering within. Some of them looked calm, others wild and restless. A boy next to me gasped, pointing. "Look, a rare emerald hawk!" I followed his finger and sure enough, perched on a stand in a cage was a radiant hawk-like link, its feathers gleaming green like polished stone. People crowded to see it, whispering about how strong whoever bonded with it would become.
I grinned, but I knew better. Strength didn't always come from rarity. Grandfather's words echoed in my head: "The link chooses you as much as you choose it. Don't chase rank—chase resonance." As the sky darkened further, the luminite's glow grew stronger, washing the city in colors of blue, gold, and violet. The crowd roared as the first bell tolled, signaling the start of the ceremony. My hands trembled, but not from fear, only anticipation. The announcer lifted his hand, and silence slowly rolled over the square. "Tonight, by decree of the Centraxiom crown, we begin the Linking Ceremony!" His voice boomed unnaturally loud, carried by magic.
"Those who have registered, step forward when your name is called. Ten names at a time will be called. Step forward when your name is spoken. Hunters will guide you across the stage. If your soul resonates, the bond shall form. If not—" he paused for effect, "—you will wait for the next festival, or find your link in the world beyond these walls." A murmur swept the crowd. The reminder was sharp: not everyone would walk away with a partner tonight. The hunters began unrolling scrolls, and the announcer read The first ten names out, one after another. Kids from the crowd shuffled nervously up the steps, their faces pale or burning red. Hunters positioned themselves evenly, guiding the group down the long row of cages.
The cages shone faintly with containment runes, each link shifted restlessly, some prowling, pacing, or watching with sharp eyes. The air thickened with expectation. The first spark came quickly, a boy froze mid-step as a wolf-like link with silver fur and a jagged tail, slammed against its cage, glowing as if set aflame from within and phasing through the bars into the boys chest, as if pulled forward by an unseen force. The boy gasped. A hunter stepped closer, touched the cage, and nodded to the announcer. "Candidate Ronel Kaive, successful! Linked with a Silver Wolf type, standard level, rank gold!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, and The boy stumbled off stage grinning, clutching his chest as if afraid the new link used to his soul might escape. My chest tightened. This was real. One by one, bonds flared. A girl was chosen by a serpent link that shimmered like glass; another boy by a fiery hare that kicked against its cage with burning paws. Yet just as many walked the entire line with no reaction, their shoulders heavy as they returned to the crowd empty-handed. The cheers for success were always louder than the silence for failure. More groups came and went. Each time, the storm of emotions grew heavier, anticipation, fear, envy, triumph.
Then I heard it. "Syllic!"
The name hit me like lightning. My chest tightened. My feet felt glued to the ground for a heartbeat, then I forced them forward. Nine other kids stepped up beside me as he called their names, all of us lined together at the start of the stage. The hunters gestured for us to move. This was it. The crowd's noise blurred into nothing but a low hum. My legs carried me forward, though each step felt heavier than the last. The hunters flanked us in a relaxed but perfect formation, their eyes comforting but sharp, hands never straying far from their weapons in case any of the wild links lashed out through the containment runes.
The first cage we passed rattled with a thunderous clang as a hulking boar link, its body formed of cracked stone and molten veins, threw its weight against the barrier. Sparks rippled across the rune lines, holding it back. My heart skipped, but it wasn't looking at me. The boy to my left stumbled when the boar squealed at him, his face pale with relief that the link hadn't chosen him. The hunters checked on him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder with a smile and some words of encouragement.
I forced myself to keep my breathing steady, one cage at a time. A hawk of pure ice locked its frosted eyes on me, but its glow dimmed after only a second. My pulse hammered. Not it. Further down the line, one of the girls gasped as a cat sized glowing moth burst into light, swirling around her before fusing straight into her chest like a falling star. The hunter beside her raised up the info card from the cage, and the announcer's voice boomed across the square: "Candidate Elira Vens! Linked with a celestial Moth, uncommon level, rank diamond!"
The crowd cheered again, their voices thundering in my ears, but none of it touched me. My focus tunneled forward. Cages lined the stage as far as I could see, filled with links of every shape and size. Some ignored us completely, curling into themselves like shadows. Others pressed against the bars, testing every soul that passed with eyes sharp enough to cut. And yet… with every cage I walked past, I felt the buzzing inside my chest grow louder. My inner pressure surged against my ribs, like it was trying to escape, like it was searching.
I tightened my grip on Old Dusty. Come on… where are you?
The next cage held a serpent made of black smoke, its eyes two burning coals. It slithered along the bars as I passed, its hiss curling in my ears like a whisper. I braced myself, waiting for the pull, the glow, the surge… but nothing. The serpent's gaze drifted past me and settled on another boy further down the line, making his knees shake so badly the hunters had to steady him. I exhaled slowly, a tremor in my breath. Relief? Or disappointment? I wasn't sure anymore. Step. Another cage. Step. Another heartbeat hammering against my ribs.
I caught movement to my right, a hulking lion link, covered in jagged shards of iron that formed a mane, roared, slamming its paws against the rune barrier. The sound tore through the square like thunder, drawing gasps from the crowd. My entire group froze for a moment, every one of us certain it had chosen one of us… but the lion sat back, golden eyes twinkling, swirling with mischievous satisfaction before turning into uninterest.
The hunters chuckled softly and encouraged us to keep moving. I swallowed hard. The buzzing in my chest was getting stronger now, too strong to ignore. It wasn't just nerves. It felt like something pulling me forward, dragging me toward a cage I hadn't reached yet. My legs moved faster without me realizing, weaving through the others in my group. The glow of the runes ahead seemed brighter. My fingertips twitched against Old Dusty's grip.
And then I felt it. A weight, sharp and heavy, pressing down on me like a storm cloud ready to split open. My breath hitched, my eyes snapping to a cage three rows ahead. I couldn't even see clearly what was inside, but the pull was undeniable. My pulse roared in my ears. It's here. The hunters noticed me slowing and one of them gave me a small nod, almost like he could sense it too.
Then the cage ahead shuddered. A deep, resonant sound rolled out, not a roar, not a hiss, but something slower, heavier. The rune-lines lit brighter, trying to hold the weight pressing out from within. The square hushed, every head turning. From the shadows of the enclosure, a massive shape shifted forward. A tortoise, but nothing ordinary. Giant size rivaling that of a bear, Its shell gleamed like glowing gold, every ridge etched with markings that shimmered faintly, pulsing as though alive. Its eyes, a piercing green, fixed on me with a depth so heavy I forgot to breathe. My knees nearly buckled under the sheer presence.
The hunters didn't flinch, didn't raise a hand to stop it. They only watched carefully, calm and steady, as the tortoise pressed against the runes. Light crackled along the cage before the creature slipped through, dissolving into golden brilliance that surged straight into my chest. I staggered, gasping as the weight of it slammed into me, immense, ancient, grounding. My hand clutched at my chest where the bond burned like a sun, not painful, but solid, steady, eternal. The hunter beside me smiled, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Steady. Let it in."
He soon held up the info card hanging from the cage. The announcer's voice boomed, loud and carrying "Candidate Syllic! Linked with—" he faltered, voice catching, "—an Ancient Soul Tortoise! Rare level… emerald rank!" The words rang across the square like a hammer striking steel. The crowd rippled with astonished whispers, gasps, and hurried murmurs. Some cheered, others muttered in awe, voices tripping over each other in disbelief. An emerald rank? The weight of what had just happened seemed to spread outward, settling over everyone like a new gravity.
But I ignored them as The world outside blurred, sound falling away into a distant hum. What replaced it was a surge of energy so intense I thought my chest might split apart. It wasn't just the tortoise pressing into me, it was something else, countless somethings, connections bursting open all at once. I gasped, clutching at my ribs as golden light flooded my vision. And then I was somewhere else. A vast darkness stretched around me, endless and suffocating. Yet I wasn't alone.
In the void Standing to my right in a straight line that spanned miles upon miles, were silhouettes, hundreds of them, maybe more, their forms shadowy and indistinct. Each one glowed faintly with its own color, crimson, silver, azure, violet, emerald, hues I couldn't even name, but they all shared the same piercing radiant gold eyes. They weren't hostile. They weren't kind. Yet they felt familiar, and They were… waiting.
Suddenly one by one their heads snapped towards me, as Their eyes locked onto me, and I felt my knees tremble under the sheer pressure of it. My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment I wasn't sure if I was still alive. Then, as suddenly as it came, the vision disappeared. The square snapped back into focus, the noise of the crowd, the luminite glow, the announcer's voice still echoing through the air. My chest still burned with the weight of the tortoise's bond, but layered beneath it, faint and terrifying, lingered the connection to the energy of all those silhouettes. The memory of all those golden eyes watching me still etched into my brain. I swallowed hard, my hands trembling. What… was that?