I glanced up with eyes full of excitement and anticipation to the tower that seemed to puncture the clouds in front of him. The tower was filled with colorful lights on every side, brightening up the dark night sky, making the moonlight seem irrelevant. The huge doors of the tower were lively, with people coming in and out of it constantly. There were screens at the entrant of the tower, blinking different messages every other second. Welcome to the Magnelia Tower. Match your child with a Spirit today! As I was mindlessly reading the texts, I felt someone clench my hand. My mother, a woman nearing her thirties was grasping my chubby right hand tight, as eager as I was. My father, a well-dressed man who looked to be respectable, stepped out of the floating car and walked over to my mother and me.

“Well, come on now, what are we waiting for?” He said as he smiled at us. I pulled my mother into the tower as she struggled to keep up with me. We soon arrived at the front desk, guarded by burly men in fine-silk suits with an attendant at the other side of that desk. The slim attendant looked at the adult and smiled as she moved her eyes down to me.

“Here for your Spirit, young mister?” The attendant said in a friendly tone. I blushed at

her and nodded as she said that. She quickly moved her eyes up to my parents and continued. “Mr. and Mrs.Thester for the 7 P.M session?” asked the attendant.

“Yes ma’am,” replied my father, his eyes suddenly glistened with expectations and hope. He patted my shoulder as the attendant gave us a piece of paper. My mother held my hand as she led us to a waiting area, with a few other families there. The adults all had sweat on their foreheads as they were filled with anxiety and anticipation. The kids, however, were calmed, not knowing what they were getting into. I reached to snatch the piece of paper the attendant gave to my mother. I scanned through the piece of paper with my dark eyes, absorbing every piece of information on it.

In 2069, the Western Union had discovered Spirits, dwelling under the ocean in the Lost City. 5 years later, the Chambers of the Western Union ratified the Nation Enhancement Bill that was signed by President Hayes, declaring that every eligible person that is of the age of 3 and above must go through the Spirit Assimilation Process.

And 100 years after the bill was signed, Magnelia is still the BEST place for your child to get your Spirit. Sign up today!

In the middle of the paper, there were animated pictures of colorful Spirits roaming around. They even included information on certain types of spirits.

Physical Spirits: Enhance your strength beyond human capabilities!

Magical Spirits: Awaken the Lost Power inside you!

As I was mindlessly reading through the paper, a family was called into the room for their Assimilation Process, I didn’t really pay them any mind, so I kept on reading it.

After getting your Spirit, you will be placed on a scale that measures the quality of that Spirit! We call this the Importance Scale! 0% if you can’t assimilate with one, and 100% if that Spirit is of the finest quality.

Then, I hoped that I would get 100%. I wondered how proud my parents would be if I got 100%. I looked up to my mother, who smiled back at me with a gentle smile on her red lips. I suddenly heard a loud celebration inside the Assimilation Room. The mother of the kid walked out with a bright smile on her face, jumping on her feet. “100%! 100%!” She kept on repeating. My eyes shined with hope as I looked at her as my anticipation grew stronger and stronger. After the kid left the room, the scientist came out.

“Arthur Thester! Common in!” The man in a lab coat looked in my direction. My mom held my hands as she stood up with my dad holding her other hand. Every step we took was heavy with expectations and anticipations. We walked into the white room with a metal bed in the middle, hooked to huge machines that held all the available Spirits present in the Western Union inside them. The man extended his entire arm out while looking at me, inviting me to get on it. I laid down on the cold surface of the bed, while the scientist looked at me through his square glasses. I couldn’t see his face clearly behind his mask, but I could tell from his eyes that after the last kid, he had many expectations for me. He wished me luck as he turned the machines on. The Spirits flew before my eyes, they were beautiful. Different colors filled my iris as my three-year-old self let out a playful laugh. I tried to touch a Spirit, but all of them went through my hands as I reached for them. But something was wrong, they were just flying randomly, and none of them flew into my body. My mother started to distort her face as my father showed signs of anger on his face. The machines eventually powered down, and I looked at the scientist in confusion. The scientist turned to look at my parents with sad eyes.

“I am sorry, but there are no Spirits available for your child. This means he will have a 0% on the Importance Scale.”

And that was fourteen years ago.