“To attune a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour”

Auguries of Innocence

Across the kingdom of Holstein, the first 15 years of every child’s life is to train. For at the age of 16, comes the Testing Day. The day that marks one’s capabilities, status and future. The day that determines, whether the years of training before have given rise to the things that create emperors and legends: Attunements.

For commoners, though they rarely have the time or resources to train to the extent of getting an attunement, the luck of the draw can realign their entire life path. A change that could even result in their line being elevated to a noble line. Older noble families live and die by their ability to constantly raise and nurture talented scions who then go on to awaken the attunements of their heritage, and in some cases, bring it further.

Of course, with the strength and history of any royal clan, the development and growth of the clan’s strength was expected, demanded even. Any black sheep that attuned to a different ability, or even worse, no attunement, is most likely guaranteed to live a life of derision and death at the soonest possible time.

Someone unused to this kind of life might be surprised at the seeming cruelty of these clans. But you have to consider the difficulty involved in keeping the existence of the Attunements alive. An Attuned whose element is not supported by the clan would have great difficulties growing their abilities and are likely to be stuck at basic levels of power for life, killed in a minor skirmish. If they are lucky, maybe some guest elder might take them under their tutelage.

But that hope is not there for the unattuned, as their status makes them a great target for kidnapping, and absent of any great pillar of support no one would tie down a skilled warrior to protect ‘deadweight. Naturally, they get disowned, drafted into a guard unit or an army and killed off in some battlefield. This is a generally accepted view among most, if not all, royal clans. Callous and cruel, but a necessary sacrifice for the greater good for a clan.

The most glaring issue with that stance is how dehumanising and crushing it is to be royal and unattuned. I found that out the hard way. When my near-guaranteed acceptance to the best school in the kingdom was revoked. When I was disowned. The averted guilt and shame in the eyes of my parents, burdened as they were with managing their branch of the royal clan to spare any help for me beyond a choice guard slot, would constantly ring in my head along with my self-doubts.

To think that days before, I still had the folly to even dare to dream of awakening not just the royal element of flame, but even an enhanced version like those my parents always dreamed off, like the gold-touched imperial flame of the founder. I could have settled for any other unique flame too, I wasn’t too picky. I was only naive.

Naturally, life turned things on its head. I had stepped up to the testing podium, right after my twin, Darius, had gotten himself tested and displayed the rare blood-flame, all but guaranteeing a position as a general in the army with time. With such high expectations, I had stood, surrounded by family and the tester, placing my hand on the testing plate that only moments ago had shown a crimson flame dancing in a puddle of blood for my brother.

The silence in the room had grown in anticipation and then crushed me in disappointment, while I could only stare in horror and disbelief. The testing plate did not react to me. I had tested as unattuned. The room seemed to be closing in, suffocating me as I was escorted shamefully out of the room. I could feel the hope and pride in the eyes of those present morph into regret and disappointment.

For a time I entertained the thought of the plate not working, but deep down I knew the fault laid within me. And to add salt to my wounded spirit, I have been isolated in a cell for the past two weeks after being disowned, awaiting my guard training. Now, the only people who still speak to me are Darius, my younger sister Lily and the guard who has been bringing me food for the past two weeks. The servants I once had have been re-assigned by the clan, and even now I fear that the prevalent way of clan thinking might take Darius and Lily away from me.

Mired in fear and useless philosophizing, I only took note of the footsteps as they stopped just outside of my cell. The steps were far heavier than usual and I realised that most likely it was a guard to move me to my posting. Unfortunately for me, I was correct, and without any opportunity to bid my siblings farewell I could only keep it in my heart.

“Come kid. It’s time to move.”

As I wordlessly followed behind the guard, I thought about my plan for my future that I had thought through in the luxury of my cell. After the first week, I had buried the hatred of the clan that smouldered within me and focused on how I would succeed. I was not like most other royals of the Holstein kingdom. Most clansmen would just go with the ingrained notion of clan superiority, secure in their insular upbringing and guaranteed powers. I, for some reason or another, ended up having a much greater interest in the world outside our clan training grounds.

When Darius and I were younger, I would always sneak out to take a look at the lives of both commoners and those of minor nobles. Maybe they didn't have the unified strength, lineage or even knowledge that we had, but even then they all had their unique aspects. The ways they all differed in their talents, their outlooks on life, their plans for the future. Or how they were all the same, concerned with their lives and that of their families and a general sense of loyalty to the kingdom.

I and Darius would often switch places and confuse our servants, giving me much more free time than the average clansman. Of course, Darius, endlessly patient with my antics, would have to do twice as much training, but it seems that it benefitted him in the end. During the time I spent outside, I started my own business using my allowance. Of course, my allowance of a gold coin a month was more than a years’ pay for many.

I opened a small business, just selling vegetables in a single store with one helper. Of course, that was the plan, but the location I had selected had been so poor and my sourcing so unappealing that it had closed within months. It had not helped that I had gotten no agreements or contracts to ensure that my supply of foodstuffs would be continuous.

The second time, I lasted much longer and had contracts to secure my supplies but the cashier ran with the money near the end of the second month. Another set back but a valuable lesson in choosing loyal people. By the third try, I had managed to make the shop profitable for quite a while but I had neglected the local gang’s influence and found my shop trashed and shopkeeper wounded. With damaged goods and an even more bruised ego, I decided to close the shop down. Took me a while to muster up the courage to try again. The fourth time, it worked out well but closed when I disappeared for two months in training.

By the fifth try, I had found a great shopkeeper, a loyal guy by the name of Bert who had stuck around through a gang shakedown and when a minor plague hit the crops I was selling. On the sixth try, the shop had finally started to run around and with Bert running things I was convinced to let him take the reins of the shop, eventually just supplying money. Despite seeing amount that might have consisted of a year or more in wages, all I could see in his eyes were the honest desire to work and earn a living. It helped that he had kids and was more grounded in his values than many of the previous hires.

In the end, in the time nearing the Testing Day, I had given him full reign on decisions and let him know I would likely be busy with things for a few months at the very least. I gave Bert the majority of my savings, with instructions to expand and grow, all on his own time. I hoped that what had once started as a little side project would help me out in the future. A good thing I did too, considering as an unattuned I would need that help much more than I had anticipated.

I wonder if has gotten his second shop yet. Maybe he might even be on his third? With his growing expertise and patience who knows. At the very least one of the two of us is succeeding in his job. I turn my mind back to my current situation, as I hear the Jeep the guard was escorting me in come to a stop.

“Welcome to Larandris Guard Academy, kid. Report to the commander of the training company. See you around.”, the guard mentions in his rough voice, before pointing me to where I should go.

“Thank you”, I mumble, as he turns to leave, knowledgeable of the fact that the guard didn’t have to be so courteous to a disowned royal like me.

“We guards have to stick together anyway. Watch each other’s backs, you know? Do your best out there kid, you’re gonna have to struggle hard if you want to make it. Off with you now. ”, with a friendly pat and a respectful nod, he reverses the jeep and goes on his way. Left alone in the front of a massive building only 5 stories tall but amazingly wide, I make my way to one of the doors at the front. I knock on the metal door, hoping that someone is around. I haven't seen anyone other than the guard yet.

Fortunately for me, a voice rings out from a slit in the wall beside the door.

“Hello there, what are you here for?”

“Here to report for guard training, I am a new guard recruit.”

“Ah, the recruit must be you then. Can you confirm your name ?”

“Elias. No surname.”

“Ex-royal huh? Yup, you’re on the list. Come in then.”

Past the door was a separate room where a lightly armoured guard sat in front of a table laden with documents and a glass panel that I had not seen from outside. Turns out he could see me even before I could knock on the door. I greet him politely and he nods in reply before gesturing me to follow. As we walk through the hallway, he briefs me on the training, given that I was joining at an odd time.

I would be joining them halfway into their course, but my clan training meant that I would be able to keep up with the best of them. I would have to focus on learning standard guard things that had long become second nature to the recruits already in training as well as a combat art. Given that it had already reached the evening, my tasks for the day would simply me to meet my commander and prepare for the next day’s training.

We walk in silence for a while following the briefing before we reach another door. Outside, I notice a huge training ground. Despite the ground being smaller than the ones at the clan, I knew I would learn to respect it, especially if I wanted to be considered for the position of a royal guard. I had long since resolved to seize life by the reins and redirect my fate to the path I wanted. Additionally, I plan on securing a leadership position that I can leverage in the future. But first, I had to see the commander and find my bunk.