Rose's POV

The crowd hushes and once again I find myself looking back at Blue. As if the aquatic blue dragon could feel my gaze specifically, he turns his head and looks at me curiously. There is something that draws me to his wisdom, I have always had a thing for being curious and wanting to learn more. This is partly the reason why I am the top student at the village school, but also because I find it satisfying to learn new facts and the strive to best the best in anything I do, whether I am familiar with the task at hand or not.

I believe I am thinking too much because a sudden headache appears in the back of my mind. It's different than a regular head pain, this feels as if someone is tugging at the back of my mind attempting to reach something. I just do my best to avoid the pain and block out the tugging, returning my attention back to center stage. The dual wielder, Two Colors, steps up and clears his throat, an obvious tell that he will begin speaking shortly.

"Greetings everyone, I will head the ceremony with help from my friends, today marking another generation of successful element wielders and dragon riders. Now, many of you in the crowd know what occurs during this ceremony, but for those of you who don't, I will give a run down of the basics. When each and every 15 year-old in line walks up to the stage, they will place theirs hands on the universi que scitis stone, or as everyone else refers to it, the ancient rock."

"The all knowing stone." I murmur to myself.

The 'ancient rock' is named based off of a translation from Latin, all knowing. The dual wielder continues on with his prepared speech about the pride of being apart of the magii community, and how everyone is welcomed to visit Stone Heart Magic Wielding and Dragon Riding Academy later on, if they are not one of the chosen. I tune him out for the most part and instead sharpen my focus on my surroundings.

From where I am standing, I feel a slight breeze blow against my skin. It is not a sharp and piercing daft, rather flowy and welcoming. The wind is not strong enough to blow my hair in the opposing direction, but hardly noticeable enough to where it can be slightly relieving from the scorching sun.

I can hear Two Colors' loud and confident voice echo through town center, commanding yet not overbearing. I concentrate on things in the distance, like the sound of leaves rustling. The minor commotion is left to the stage, east to the center's main of the woods. It is unusual because the breeze is not blowing with enough force to make sound, leading me to believe that Dark and Brooding in grey is bored with his friends' explanation. I can see how the birds flying in the sky above town center glide through the wind gracefully. The feathers on their individual beings working as one, allowing the birds to fly gleefully with the wind.

I can smell the very small odor emitting from Tony beside me, overpowered by his apple wood cologne. Either he is beginning to crumble to his worries, with his nerves in tow, or he is sweating from the unforgiving rays of the sun. Speaking of, I can feel their warmth spreading throughout me like a low lit fire. The ultraviolet rays coming from the universe's largest star, hitting every pore of bare skin on my body. Not too the point where I may burn, but just so that it's glow will do no harm. I am brought back to the ceremony awaiting me when an older dragon rider shouts.

"Let's begin!" Trinity Stone villagers cheer with excitement. Everyone else, I included, am anxiously awaiting the results of this year's ceremony because as mentioned before, my year has had some of the strongest warriors in training yet. Also, many people in my year are determined to be great and can be visualized manipulating an element due to their displays of personality. I know my family, village warriors, and others in my community are rooting for me to be able to wield an element. They will be waiting a while to find out because I am last in line. You may think I am overreacting, but because Trinity Stone Village is the largest village in our region, we house many more people in comparison to other villages. So, when I say I am last, what I really mean is that there are 153 fifteen year olds in front of me.

The first kid in line walks up to the ancient stone when Blondie motions him over. I do not recognize him, but when he places his hands over the ancient stone, nothing happens. He waits a couple more seconds before Two Colors states his status to the crowd.

"Human." The process repeats for a while and nobody has been named a magii user or dragon rider yet. When the eighteenth kid in line places his hand over the stone, it glows red. Our first magii user of the ceremony is a fire wielder. His face lights up in excitement and is congratulated by the people on stage as Two Colors proudly smiles.

"Fire Wielder." Lots of more kids go, most are human, but 7 got nature, 6 got water, 3 more people got fire, 4 got air, and 4 others were dragon riders. That makes 25 magii users and dragon riders out of 134 kids so far. Oliver is called up next and after what feels like forever, he places his hands on the stone and ... IT GLOWS! Wait ... but... why would .... there's ... I gasp. Soon followed by 2,000 more intakes of breath. Olivier is a duel wielder.

The stone is glowing both an aquatic blue color but nowhere near as bright as the blue dragon not far from where the stone is, and a grey color. I am out of shock first and begin wildly cheering for my brother who has the ability to manipulate water, air & wind. He looks to see where the disturbance is coming from, only to see a proud looking sister going crazy in line. His smile is exuberant, his mocha skin glowing radiantly in the sun.

The crowd and everyone else in the village cheer in pride and excitement. I look to the stage once again to see the magii users looking at Oliver in what seems like approval, while all four of the dragon riders are still in shock. No doubt the twins and Autumn are screaming their heads off, while I think I hear Colt's faint voice yelling out, drowning in the crowds praise.

"THAT'S MY BROTHER!!!" After a while, the noise has died down at once, allowing for Two Colors to state Oliver's status. Although it is quite obvious, the crowd claps and cheers again.

"Dual Wielder of both the elements of wind and water." The other newly discovered magii users on stage look at Oliver with respect and admiration. I have a feeling that Oliver will be quite welcomed at Stone Heart. The ceremony continues and soon, my best friends and I are all who remain in the line as Angelica walks off the stage, remaining human. Since Oliver, the stone has not glowed. The other 123 fifteen year olds joined the rest of the crowd as humans, disappointment lacing their features, yet still clapping for all of the chosen.

I feel the headache from before approaching again. I have ignored it's presence since I have blocked it out, yet it still causes me to slightly worry. I repeat the process again, but instead of trying to block out the pain, I will focus on small details of my environment while acknowledging the pain's presence. I will not let it invade my mind, rather sit along the sidelines awaiting entry. I then notice that this years number of magii users and riders has exceeded the amount of of any prior year. I guess we all knew that this specific generation of 15 year olds will contain many qualities.

Ryder is called up first. He walks onto stage and stops in front of the ancient stone, placing his hands on it in one fluid motion. The stone glows an amethyst looking color, matching with the rest of the chosen dragon riders. The four experienced dragon riders on stage clap in excitement, as they gain another student. Daniel is up next, he repeats the process similarly to Ryder, and the stone glows purple once again. While Two Colors states his status to the crowd, he joins Ryder on the area of the stage designated for the chosen. Danny looks somewhat anxious to receive his fate, knowing fully well that his twin is one of the chosen. Turns out he and Daniel won't be separated by the Academy because he too is a dragon rider, like his two best friends before him. Tony leaves my side and I instantly feel myself wanting his brotherly warmth to remain. When he places his hands on the the stone, a red glow emits from it. Tony is a fire wielder, which is not unimaginable due to his reputation for being short tempered while having a strong mental mindset. Tony walks off the stage, a satisfied smile never leaving his face. Lastly, it's my turn.

This is the moment I have been training for since I could walk. I have wanted this for so long. No females have yet to be chosen, but no matter what the stone depicts, I am proud for coming this far. With that thought in mind, I step onto the stage with my head held high, grateful for even the mere opportunity to become apart of the magii community. I pass the dragon riders and their companions with an unfamiliar feeling of longing. I then shift my gaze to Dark and Brooding and Blondie, who are behind Two Colors, all facing the backside of the stone. I walk up to the stone and take a moment to gather my thoughts before I place my hands on the stone. I can tell that many people in my village are awaiting my results.

I focus on the stone itself rather than the ceremony, it feels cool to the touch, relieving almost. It definitely has a calming and soothing effect on all who touch it. I then notice the energy inside of the stone shifting around, rearranging itself. I feel an overwhelming sense of power spread through my body, leaving traces of tingles in my body. My senses immediately sharpen. I can hear, see, and even smell better than I was able to before. I can hear the faint sounds of running water in the distance, that must be the river that flows through the woods. But, how is this possible? I then pay attention to stone as it has yet to glow. I feel a slight sense of dread approach my fragile heart, disappointment not too far behind. Suddenly, a bright light shines from the all knowing stone and all worries are flown out the window, only to be replaced by shock, awe and fear.

The glow from the universi que scitis stone was the unmistakable color of bright gold.

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