Xylus scribbled his name in. He handed it back to Margaret and just looked pleasantly surprised.

  "You have very nice handwriting, Xylus. The nicest I've seen in a long time." Margaret complimented him. Xylus gave her a warm smile. "Alright, come with me."

  Margaret led him into one of the doors behind her. Inside was a white room with windows looking out to the area around. He could spot the port city in the distance.

  "Bring the slate up onto the pedestal. Place it there and place your hands on the crystal ball. It'll register you and write your Rankings onto the slate, alright? Any questions?" Margaret explained. She looked at Xylus who shook his head.

  "No, that was good." Xylus told her.

  "Alright take this and we'll wait for you outside alright?"

  Xylus nodded and took the slate from her. Margaret exited the room, closing the door behind her. Xylus moved over and hovered the slate above the pedestal. He put the slate into the pedestal and listened as a noise clicked and hummed.

  The crystal ball was humming now. He moved over and took a deep breath before setting his hands on it. The crystal ball began to hum louder. Black swirled around in the crystal ball. He watched as the humming sensation seemed to put him in a daze.

  "Well, well, well. You're finally here." Nura's voice cut through. Xylus snapped out of his daze and noticed he was standing in an endless black space. Nura was sitting on a throne-like chair, leg propped up on one of the arms of the chair. "I was wondering how long it would take you to come here."

  "Lord Nura?" Xylus tilted his head. "Why am I back here?" Nura let out a laugh as he swung his leg off the arm and sat up properly on his throne.

  "You cease to amaze me, Xylus Silverfang. Born into poverty. Mother dead, father mentally unwell. You became a thief to get by. I like it." Nura smiled "But this isn't the time to praise you for doing so little. I didn't think you would manifest at eight years old like most children. We have a limited time to talk."

  "What do you want to talk about?"

  "Your memories are still intact after our conversation, yes?"

  "Yes, Lord Nura." Xylus nodded. He didn't know why he would call someone as easy going as Lord Nura, a Lord, but he felt it had to do something with the promise. With the set of memories he could always recall.

  Nura studied his follower. He slowly nodded and stood up from his seat. He moved down the throne steps and stood in front of Xylus. "Follow the directions of the so-called System. The Nightshade System will guide you on your journey. It will make you stronger quicker than others, but if you do it right, you shouldn't be caught.

  "The Order of Palia's Light has come directly from her own beloved continent. They will both be your enemy and your ally. Do your best to not anger them." Nura ordered.

  "Yes, Lord Nura. I will do my best to not anger them." Xylus gave a bow. "But Lord Nura, I'm still confused about what's happening. Will the System really tell me what to do?"

  "Yes, it will." Nura smiled. He turned around and wandered up the throne steps and took his seat leg over the arm chair and an arm propping his tilted head up. "If I need you to do something for me, you'll hear me from the System. Do not reveal this information to anyone, even potential allies got it? If any of them found out about the System, they would ask more questions."

  "Yes, Lord Nura." Xylus bowed once again. With that, Nura motioned him to leave.

  "That's all I wanted to talk to you about. If you ever need to speak to me, you can speak to me at one of the Temples in the Ranking room or one of the altars. Palia pleaded with me to at least do this, so I shall abide by her wishes or else she'll skin me alive, again. She's no fun, but I know you'll find a way to have fun."

  Xylus nodded at Nura. He seemed way different than the other two times he met him. The God of Darkness threw Xylus off. He didn't know if he should be on his toes or not.

  "Now, go. I would like to see other things. Follow the System's instructions. It should give you an idea of what you should do… Oh!" Nura snapped his fingers. He propped himself up into the seat, properly. "You will be given an opportunity to train at one of the most prestigious schools in the whole continent. You'll need to keep an eye out for the Hero, alright? According to Palia, he should be going to the same school."

  "S-school? What school?" Xylus asked, confused.

  "The Academy. Y'know all about them from your Uncle. You'll have to go and keep an eye out for the Hero. You don't have to do much now but try not to get on their bad side, 'kay?" Nura waved goodbye to Xylus after that. Everything started to fizzle out. "And don't forget, the gods are all watching you! They'll—"

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  Xylus popped back into reality, releasing his hands off the crystal ball as he stumbled backwards.

  'He tells me the important stuff at the end… I didn't even hear him. Psh, why does my god have to be so laid back?' He wondered. The slate hovered up out of its slot causing some noise that caught his attention.

  Xylus grabbed the slate and looked at it.

  [Congratulations! Ranking has officially finished! You will now have access to your Rankings in the System menu! This will allow you to keep up to date on your Rankings and even allocate further points into them when you level up!]

  "Huh, that easy?" Xylus whispered. He looked at the slate. Black and red text was scrawled throughout the slate.

  Name: Xylus Silverfang

  Current Rankings:

  Health (HP): 6/6

  Mana (MP): 15/15

  Strength: 5

  Dexterity: 9

  Intelligence: 7

  Charisma: 8

  Magical Attributes:

  Dark

  "Only one Magical Attribute? I couldn't get another one? Why's that?" Xylus pondered.

  [Note: Those who have Dark Magical Attributes null out the possibility for any other Magical Attributes due to how high a person naturally ranks with Dark Magic.]

  'Didn't Uncle say something about it being hard to have more than one Magical Attribute, too?' Xylus turned and opened the door. Amara and Tyrian we're chatting with Margaret. They all turned to look at him when he entered the lobby room.

  "All done?" Margaret asked. "Can I see it?" She extended a hand out to take the slate. Xylus gave her the slate, moving off to the side.

  "Anything interesting in particular?" Tyrian asked. Margaret clicked her tongue.

  "His only Magical Attribute is Dark magic." Margaret read the slate. "Other than that, he has high Rankings in Dexterity and Charisma. His Intelligence is above average but is short of the base of 10-mark of genius." She handed the slate over and Amara and Tyrian went over it.

  "Shame. If he isn't a Shade, he'd be a waste of talent." Amara commented. Tyrian moved the slate to his side and he bowed at Margaret.

  "Thank you for your help." He turned to look at Xylus who was casually staring at a small plant. "Come, Xylus. The Father has probably finished setting up his test for you. We shouldn't make him wait."

  "Y-yes, sir." Xylus nodded. He waved goodbye to the plant before bowing to Margaret. Tyrian led the way while Amara followed behind. The door shut and Margaret's smile faded.

  "Such a shame his magical attribute is Dark. He would make a great magical warrior." Margaret sighed and sat.

  Tyrian led them back the way they came. Xylus watched the priests and priestesses look at him. He didn't feel as nervous. Something about what Nura told him made him feel safe.

  'He wouldn't lie to me like that, would he?' Xylus wondered.

  They entered the courtyard. The Father and Priestess were standing in the middle of the yard chatting.

  "Father, we're back." Tyrian announced. The Father and Priestess turned to give a small nod of recognition.

  "Good, good. We should begin soon." The Father instructed. He noticed the young Xylus’ eyes were looking around. "If you are wondering if the test is ready, be assured, it's already going as we speak."

  Xylus looked at the old man. He gave a small smile as Amara and Tyrian moved to his side. Tyrian handed the slate to the Priestess. She glanced at it and clicked her tongue when she saw Xylus' magical attribute.

  "Everyone ready?" The Father asked.

  "Yes, Father." The group nodded. The Father looked over at Xylus.

  "Are you ready, Xylus Silverfang? Are you ready for the Shade test?"

  Xylus gulped. He couldn't feel it at all then but when the Father spoke those words, he could feel something all around him. Light sigils appeared all over the space.

  "Be prepared, child." The Priestess spoke with a harsh tone. "If you don't pass this test, you will die. Better be prepared for what's to come."

  With that, the sigils all started to grow brighter. Light flashed all around Xylus as he covered his eyes. In an instant, the light died down. The smell of something burning caught his attention. He looked up and noticed he was in a completely different place. The four from the Order of the Light stood in front of him.

  "Welcome to the Elemental Realm. I hope you're ready to prove yourself, Xylus Silverfang." The Father smiled.