The trip to Thornfield took most of the morning on foot. It was the biggest village in the province, maybe three times the size of Caldmere, with actual cobblestone streets in the center and a square big enough to hold a decent crowd. Every year or two, the academy sent a recruiter through places like this to test commoner kids aged fourteen to sixteen. Not everyone got invited to the real Valdris Academy down in the capital, but a decent score could get you into one of the provincial training halls or at least a letter that might open doors later.
Dad had let us go without much fuss. "Might as well see what you boys are made of," he said that morning, clapping me on the shoulder. "No harm in knowing."
Aldric had practically vibrated the whole way there. I kept my pace steady, kicking the occasional rock down the dirt road and trying not to think too hard about what this day could mean. A bunch of us from Caldmere had tagged along. Mira walked with a couple of her friends up ahead, chatting and laughing like it was just another festival day instead of something that could change lives.
"You look like you are heading to a funeral," Mira said, dropping back to walk beside me once we got closer to town. She nudged my arm with her elbow. "Come on, Eren. It is just a test. Worst case, they say you have average Aether and you go back to splitting wood. Best case, maybe you get to learn something useful."
I shrugged and gave her a half smile. "Average sounds pretty good to me. Less headaches."
She rolled her eyes but laughed. "You and your quiet life dreams. One of these days I am going to drag you into something exciting whether you like it or not."
Aldric was a few steps ahead, pretending not to listen but clearly taking in every word. He shot me a quick glance over his shoulder that said we would talk about this later. I ignored it.
The square was already filling up when we arrived. Maybe sixty or seventy kids, mostly fourteen to fifteen like us, standing around in loose groups. Some looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot. Others tried to act tough, joking loudly to cover it. A couple of local guards kept order while a table had been set up under a canvas awning. Behind it sat two academy representatives: a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and a younger guy who looked like he would rather be anywhere else.
They had a simple crystal orb on the table, glowing faintly blue, and a few sheets of paper for notes. Nothing too fancy. This was just the first cut.
Mira spotted someone she knew near the front and waved. "Hey, Kael! Over here!"
A boy about our age turned around. Plain clothes, messy dark hair, and the kind of face that would not stand out in a crowd. He looked a little lost in the noise, like he had shown up because someone told him he should but was not sure why.
Mira grabbed my sleeve and pulled me forward before I could hang back. "Kael, these are my friends from Caldmere. This is Eren, and that is his brother Aldric. Guys, this is Kael Dawnmore. He is from one of the smaller villages nearby. We met last market day when he came through with his family."
Kael gave a small nod, polite but reserved. "Nice to meet you. Mira said you two might be testing too."
Aldric stepped up fast, flashing a friendly grin that did not quite hide the spark in his eyes. "Yeah. Figured it was worth a shot. You ever had your Aether measured before?"
Kael shook his head. "Once, when I was younger. Did not go great. They said my core was pretty weak."
There it was. The hollow blade himself. The kid the whole damn story was supposed to revolve around. Up close he just looked... normal. A little tired around the eyes, maybe, like he carried something heavier than farm work. I felt a weird mix of recognition and exhaustion wash over me. This was the guy who would eventually absorb techniques like a sponge and turn the world upside down.
I kept my face neutral and stuck out my hand. "Eren. Good luck today."
He shook it firmly. "Thanks. You too."
Aldric jumped in smoother than I expected. "Weak start does not mean much. I have heard stories where people surprise everyone later. You planning to push for the academy if you score okay?"
Kael gave a small shrug. "Not sure yet. My family needs help on the farm. But if it opens doors... maybe."
Mira jumped into the conversation, easy as always. "See? No pressure. We are all just here to see what happens. Come on, they are starting to line people up."
The testing went in batches of ten. They called names, had each kid place a hand on the crystal orb, and watched while the recruiter noted the glow and any colors that appeared. Basic stuff. Trace Aether showed faint blue. Stronger cores pulled in more light or shifted hues. I had read enough in my old life to know this was just the surface check. Real academies had deeper tests later.
When my turn came, I stepped up, put my hand on the cool crystal, and focused on keeping everything locked down tight. No extra push. No showing off. The orb glowed a soft, steady blue. Average. Perfectly average. The woman wrote something down without much interest.
"Good enough for local training if you want it," she said. "Next."
I stepped aside and let out a breath I had not realized I was holding. Safe. Invisible. Exactly where I wanted to be.
Aldric went right after me. He placed his hand down and I could tell he was concentrating harder than he should. The orb brightened noticeably, pulling in a deeper blue with a faint swirl. Not spectacular, but better than most commoners here. The recruiter raised an eyebrow and made a longer note.
"Not bad," the younger guy muttered. "You have been practicing on your own?"
Aldric played it cool. "Just some chores around the farm. Helps with focus."
Kael was called a few spots later. When he touched the orb, it barely lit up at all. A weak, almost grayish flicker. A couple of kids nearby snickered quietly. One whispered something about "bottom percentile again."
Kael's face stayed calm, but I saw his jaw tighten for a second. He had lived with this already. The laughter. The dismissal. He just thanked them and stepped back.
Mira gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder afterward. "Hey, do not let it get to you. Numbers are not everything."
Aldric lingered nearby, watching Kael with that calculating look I knew too well. He did not say much, but I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head. Here was the protagonist, still weak, still laughed at. And here was Aldric, already a step ahead in secret practice.
We hung around the square for a while after the main testing, grabbing cheap meat skewers from a vendor and listening to the chatter. Some kids were celebrating decent scores. Others looked disappointed. Mira kept the conversation light, teasing me about my "perfectly boring" result and asking Kael about his village.
Aldric kept steering things back toward Aether talk, subtle questions about what Kael felt when he touched the orb, whether he had any tricks for concentrating. Kael answered politely but did not give much away. He seemed perceptive, like he noticed more than he let on.
As the afternoon wore on and people started heading home, I found myself walking beside Kael for a bit while Mira and Aldric talked up ahead.
"You really okay with the low score?" I asked quietly. Not because I cared about the plot, but because it felt like the normal thing to say.
Kael glanced at me. "Have to be. Complaining does not change it. I will just keep working."
Simple. No self-pity. No big speech. Just quiet determination. I could see why the story liked him.
Part of me felt bad for the kid. He had no idea what was coming, or that two reincarnators from the next village were now officially in his orbit.
Aldric caught up later as we left Thornfield behind, the sun dipping lower. His eyes were still bright with that hungry energy.
"Did you see that?" he said under his breath once we were far enough from the others. "His core barely registered. And those idiots laughed. This is exactly the starting point from the stories. If I play it right, I can build faster than him. Get noticed on my own terms."
I kept my eyes on the road. "Or you could just go home and help Dad with the harvest like a normal person."
He laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. "You still do not get it, Eren. This world hands chances to people like him. I am not waiting around to be background forever."
I did not answer. The walk home felt longer than the walk there.
Mira waved goodbye when our paths split, promising to tell us if she heard anything more about the results. Kael headed off toward his own village with a quiet "see you around."
As Caldmere came into view, the familiar roofs and fields looking peaceful in the evening light, I could not shake the feeling that today had been the first small crack in my quiet plan.
Aldric walked beside me, already lost in his own thoughts.
Another day. Another step closer to whatever the hell was coming whether I wanted it or not.