Ameni woke up in a quagmire of gloom and tire, small eyebags situated on his eyes, contrasting heavily with his pale skin. His limbs ached slightly as he forced himself up with He slowly moved his eyes around his room, covering his tired eyes with his hands, protecting th

em from the brilliant, golden rays of sunlight that bathed his dwelling. As he swivelled his eyes, he saw things like the picture of his family that he always kept on his sidetable, his open drawer, with his clothes immaculately kept in pristine condition, he saw his bookshelf, which had a mess of various books, from alchemical texts to encyclopedias, and finally, he saw his desk, which was covered with various papers on and manuals of magic.

He closed his eyes, sighed, and rolled over from lying on his side to lying on his back. He then moved his hands so that they were parallel to the bed and forced himself up, yawning as he did. Ameni then twisted his feet, and adjusted himself so that he was sitting on his bed, then stretched his arms, and got onto his feet. Now that he was standing up, he moved to his window and opened it to gaze upon the scenery before him.

The roads were made out of dirt, however one in Ameni’s position would not be able to distinguish this detail, as a thick blanket of people, mostly from the lower social stratus, covered the roads, with roadside merchants peddling their wares and small animals, such as cats and dog, nimbly weaved through the traffic. On either side stood charming two-storied buildings, most of which were simply constructed out of wood and canvas, however, sporadically, one would find a concrete monolith or a temple to some deity or another. The distinctive smell of goods from all over the world from plants and spices, such as Beceomeric and Sandalwood, to dyes and cash crops such as Valgeant and Ri Pepper, while an almost deafening sound of feet hitting the ground, the clinks, and clanks constantly emitted from magical devices and the chatter betwixt people was omnipresent. The image created was, overall, extremely chaotic and random, however, in Ameni’s opinion, the bustling crowds had their own pattern and charm. He could lose himself for hours observing how people behaved, how they interacted with one another, how they conducted themselves, and how they acted.

The city Ameni was currently admiring was called, The Free City of Briaze, which is a city-state situated on an archipelago that borders The Sleepless Surf, named so because of the fact that it is an extremely strategically important ocean inhabited by thousand of awake sailors at all times. It is a part of the Great Northern Empire, which is a coalition of multiple tiny territories and fiefdoms that have created a geopolitical and military alliance between themselves under the Emperor. Due to its location bordering an extremely critical ocean, it acts as a hub for trade and commerce for the empire, with its economy built on many small family-run trade businesses, called Foundations.

Ameni was lost in a trance-like state, simply staring at the crowds until he heard a sharp rap on his door, turning around, he walked towards the door and opened it, finding himself face to chest with his father, who smelled like parchment. Turning his gaze up, he found his paternal figure giving him a scrutinous gaze. His father was someone who Ameni greatly admired, a Surf Captain who made great profits in the colonies before coming home and setting up a successful business. He had a strong, tall body, a wonderful moustache and had brilliant back eyes, all things which contrasted with Ameni’s thin, wiry body, complete lack of facial hair and muddy brown eyes. He also possessed mental qualities that Ameni found lacking within himself, such as his courage and ruthlessness.

“Still wakin’ up late I see”, he said in a thick, deep voice, twirling his magnificent moustache, and looking at his son’s dazed face with a raised eyebrow,” Ye’ ought to be more lively for ye’r age, ‘specially today, ‘cause today is your Test of God, is it not?”

Ameni sighed and said, “Okay, Dad”

“‘Ont give me attitude, boy”, Ameni’s father said, “Ye’ are the eldest son of the parent family of The Frontier Trading Foundation, ye’ are to see to the running of the business when ye’ grow up! Y’ have been studyin’ ye’r entire life for this day! Come on now, gimme another ‘yes Dad’ with more enthusiasm and liveliness!”

Ameni gave his father a dry smile, give it to a Surf Captain to know how to motivate someone, then gathered all his energy and gave a more hearty, “Yes, Dad”

His father gave him a reassuring smile, then said, “Good Lad, now get ‘urself ready”

Ameni nodded and closed the door on his father. He then took off his clothes, and changed into a crisp set of formals, ensuring he looked appropriately dapper for his position in society. He then opened the door to his room and stepped outside into a small hallway, then took a turn and walked down some spiralling stairs, until he appeared at a modestly sized room. It was constructed out of timber and bricks, which were relatively luxurious for the time. It contained a table, four chairs and a small bench to the side that had placed on top of it a small piano like instrument that was enchanted by an artificer to play songs. His father was known to use it as a way for him to discuss important matters with his family and the managers of his company without being eavesdropped on. On the table, an elegant breakfast, composed primarily of breads and jam, which let out an absolutely wonderful aroma, was laid out. Ameni’s mother was sitting on one of the chairs, while his sister sat on the side next to hers and his father sat on the one parallel to the two. His mother was the kind of person to tell you to straighten your back and to properly wear your shirt, her vocalizations were all uptight and curt, starting, and ending abruptly. She wore her blond hair in a tight bun, in which not a single hair stood out, alongside the long black dress that would not have gone amiss in a nunnery. She was an excellent parent in the way that she would make you finish your homework and shine your shoes, however she was not a good parent when it came to comforting you when your dog died. His sister, on the other hand, was in every way the opposite of his mother, her black hair cascading down in a random pattern as if she had just woken up, wearing unkempt clothes that probably had not been cleaned in a long time, and a

“So”, his sister said, leaning back on her chair, “Doin’ the Test of God today, aren’t you?”

“Good”, Ameni responded, “I’d be disappointed if you forgot”

His sister smirked at his quip, and retorted with “Unlike you, I am an excellent sibling!”

“Oh, shut it you two”, Ameni’s mother interjected in a tired tone, then looked Ameni right in the eye,“You’re going to be an adult soon, so act like it”

Ameni gave an exaggerated sigh and raised both hands, said “Yes, Mom”, then turned his attention to the food before him.

He slowly chewed through his food, introspecting about how vital the results of today would be for his life, how they would decide how his life was going to play out. For the Test of God was one of, if not the most important events in anyone under the crown, ‘twas the day that every person who would attain fifteen years of age that year got tested for their magical aptitude, which was a very big deal because of just how many ways having a high or low score would change your life. Those who had higher scores gained access to resources, education, and trust that those with average or low scores could only dream of, while also being treated by the major state religion as beings whose previous lives were more pious and resulted in more good. Ameni was fast-tracked to being a high scorer, as he had previously won numerous awards and accolades from multiple scholarly institutions for his excellence in multiple subjects, and lived in a society which considered intelligence and magical prowess to be directly related. He was positively giddy as he thought about how his test would go.

Eventually, Ameni’s father got up and waved his hand, signalling everyone to move as well. They all followed him as he rapidly walked to the door of the house. He opened one of the doors in the room and the four headed out.

The view of the city from the window and the view of the city from ground level were completely different. The sensory barrage of sights, smells and sounds was significantly stronger, with the additional sense of touch added from Ameni needing to wrestle against the crowd to move anywhere. The family continued walking on for a bit, until they reach a precipice where the ground begins gradually gaining pavement, at which point Ameni’s Father hails a carriage and they are driven the rest of the way.

The carriage ride is mostly silent, with all members of the family sitting in tense positions, and with awkward expressions, for ‘twas the day that one amongst them would finally become an adult, which was no trivial matter.

Eventually, they arrived at a garden which Ameni would only be able to describe as a display of honestly frightening opulence. Luscious, yet well pruned greenery covered the landscape, with gigantic tree mazes and beautiful walkways covered on each side with outstretched trees. Wonderful fountains that depicted angels singing and dancing periodically adorned each section of the courtyard, a dense canopy of vegetation and leaves ensured that only small speckles of sunlight reached the ground. The smell of dew and a dampness pervaded the whole place, with the chatter and gossip of noblewoman complimented the tweeting and chirping of birds. In the centre of it all a large marble circle was situated already covered with noble children who, to Ameni, seemed like they had never worked a day in their lives, as well as a contingent of humans who were standing shoulder to shoulder, with a taped off section for themselves.

Ameni walked forward, after watching his family off, headed for the commoner section, and placed as much of himself as he could into the circle, jostling with the others in his attempt to fit into it, he looked at the nobles who had chairs with them and grimaced, though his family was somewhat opulent, and he was most certainly a talented student, it did not make up for pedigree and lineage.

After a while, a charismatic and deep voice spoke from somewhere beyond the crowd, “Greetings one, greetings all!”, it cried out, “Welcome to the Test of God”, pausing for effect, it continued, “Today we celebrate, in the honour of the imperial crown of The Great Northern Empire the next generation of workers, of academics, and, of warriors”.

“Today thou shalt take upon thyself the work and responsibilities preordained to thine lives by thee many lords, The Companions, who grant us, through their infinite grace, the power to change the world around us, in other words, to utilize magic!”, the figure said his words each sentence received with thunderous applause, “Now, you shall be placed under a sleep spell that allows you to visit the wondrous and glorious realms of The Companions to form contracts with them! Let us begin!”

Suddenly what Ameni thought were imperfections in the marble tht constructed the altar begin to glow a verdant green, almost blinding him in it’s radiance, and he fell to the ground.