In Stonedale, the Summer Solstice had arrived—one of the year's main holidays, when the boundary between the world of humans and the world of spirits grew thin. The village came alive: houses were adorned with wildflowers and fragrant herbs, women baked special bread in the shape of the sun, and men prepared the bonfire for the evening celebration.
But for the children, this day was associated with another, more thrilling event—the Stone Trial. Once a year, the elders performed a ritual for all children who had reached the age of five to check if they possessed the spark of magical gift. The ritual itself was simple: the child had to touch a special black stone, polished to a mirror shine, said to have been brought by the first settlers from distant mountains. The stone, legend had it, reacted to a person's inner energy.
For most families, this was merely a tradition, a tribute to their ancestors. A true magical gift was rare. In the last ten years, only two children had elicited any reaction from the stone—a faint, warm glow—and both had subsequently become apprentices to old Tobas, learning the basics of healing.
When Ayame, her voice trembling with excitement, told Seito that he too would undergo the trial, his ins clenched. His secret mana training, his tiny spark—it could all come out into the open. The System was his deepest secret, but the stone's reaction could be visible to everyone.
He couldn't refuse. Refusal would arouse even more suspicion. All he could do was hope that his "low-density universal affinity" would be too weak for the stone to react significantly.
Almost the entire village had gathered in the central square. Children dressed in their best clothes huddled near their parents, scared and excited. Seito stood slightly apart, trying to be inconspicuous. He saw Alvin—standing straight, with a proud and confident look, as if he already knew the outcome. His half-elven blood gave him every chance.
Elder Orrick and healer Tobas placed the stone on a wooden stump. The stone was the size of a human head, and its black, smooth surface seemed bottomless, absorbing the light.
The Trial began. The first called was a girl, the weaver's daughter. She timidly touched the stone. Nothing happened. Her parents sighed—whether with relief or slight disappointment—and led the child away.
Several more children followed. The result was the same. The stone remained cold and silent. The atmosphere shifted from festive to somewhat routine. People began to whisper and get distracted.
It was Alvin's turn. He stepped forward confidently, cast a haughty glance at the other children, and placed his palm on the stone.
A few seconds passed. Then, faint, barely visible silver veins spread across the stone's surface, like frost patterns on glass. An approving murmur rippled through the crowd.
"A slight air current is felt," Tobas announced solemnly, placing his hand next to the boy's. "An affinity for wind magic. Weak, but definite."
Alvin's parents, city transplants, looked pleased. The half-elf himself beamed with pride, raising his chin even higher. His gaze swept over Seito, full of triumphant superiority.
Seito ignored him. He watched the stone, trying to understand its principle of operation through his "Magic Perception." The stone didn't seem to be just an indicator. It was an amplifier. It picked up the slightest vibrations of a person's inner energy and visualized them.
A wave of excitement passed through the crowd but soon subsided as the next children again showed no results.
"Seito Kagami," Orrick called.
Seito's heart pounded. He took a step forward. He felt the gaze of the entire village upon him. His father's look, full of calm support. His mother's gaze—anxious and hopeful. Alvin's piercing stare.
He approached the stone. The black surface reflected his own, slightly pale face with wide-open brown eyes. He slowly raised his hand.
"Control it," he commanded himself. "Give it just a tiny bit. The absolute minimum."
He touched the stone with his fingertips.
The stone was cold. But almost immediately, his inner source of mana, the one he had worked so hard to awaken, responded. He felt the energy involuntarily pull from his chest into his arm, to the point of contact.
He tried to restrain it, to block the flow, but it was too late.
The surface of the stone under his fingers… *exploded* with light.
These were not faint silver veins like Alvin's. It was a soft yet bright golden flash that illuminated everything for an instant. Warm, almost tangible waves of energy radiated from the stone in all directions. The air trembled, and several people involuntarily flinched back.
The stone itself felt warm to the touch for a second, and then the light vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
An absolute silence fell over the square. Even the birds fell silent.
Tobas, his eyes wide open, grabbed Seito's hand and pressed his own palm to the stone.
"Nothing…" he whispered, stunned. "It's absolutely calm now. But that flash… That power…"
The old healer looked at Seito as if seeing him for the first time.
"A universal flow… Pure, unadulterated. But how?.. Such power…" He was talking more to himself, forgetting about the onlookers.
Orrick, recovering from the shock, coughed loudly, restoring order.
"Well then… It seems Kenji's son also has a gift. A strong one, but… peculiar." He gave Seito a scrutinizing look. "Congratulations, boy. You are… special."
Those words hung in the air, heavy and ambiguous.
"Special."
Seito slowly pulled his hand away from the stone. Inside, everything went numb. He had overdone it. The System, his training, his high "Will" and "Magic Perception" stats—it had all focused into one uncontrolled outburst. He wanted to be inconspicuous, but instead, he had created a fireworks display.
He saw the people's faces. Surprise. Bewilderment. In some eyes—awakened curiosity. And in Alvin's eyes—no longer just envy, but real, burning hatred. His moment of triumph had been completely stolen, eclipsed by this… this upstart, the carpenter's son.
Kenji and Ayame approached him. His father silently placed his heavy hand on Seito's shoulder—a gesture of protection and approval. His mother hugged him, but her embrace was tense, and in her brown eyes, there was not only delight but also fear.
"Nothing like this has ever happened," people whispered in the crowd. "Even Healer Tobas's stone never glowed like that…"
"Kagami the carpenter's son? It can't be… Maybe the stone is broken?"
"They say it sometimes happens in common families… The chosen ones…"
Seito didn't hear them. He was looking at his status screen, which had automatically appeared. There, in the "Magic Affinity" line, clear letters now burned: [Universal (Low Density, High Purity)].
High Purity. That's what made the stone react like that. Not the quantity of his mana, but its quality.
The Trial continued, but without its former enthusiasm. None of the remaining children showed any results. Everyone was under the impression of the "Kagami phenomenon."
On the way home, the family walked in silence. The joyful excitement of the holiday was hopelessly spoiled.
At home, Ayame was the first to break the silence:
"Seito, son… you… have you felt this for a long time?"
He shook his head, looking at the floor.
"No, Mom. I don't even know what that was."
He was lying. And he felt agonizingly ashamed of it. But he couldn't tell the truth.
Kenji silently stoked the furnace. Then he turned around:
"Being special isn't always a gift, son. It's also attention. And expectation." His voice was serious. "Be careful."
Seito nodded. He understood that better than anyone.
That evening, he didn't go to the festive bonfire. He sat by the window in his room and watched the reflections of the distant fire. He had achieved what he wanted—he was no longer considered just "the carpenter's son." But the price had turned out to be high.
Now he was in the spotlight. Curious glances, envy, suspicions—all of this was now his reality. His secret training had become even more dangerous.
But along with the fear, a new resolve was born within him. Since he had attracted attention, he had to meet expectations. He had to become so strong that no one would dare challenge his right to that power.