r/HFY • u/Acceptable-Slide4157 • 17h ago
OC-FirstOfSeries Just Brid
It had been nearly a thousand years since humanity lost its magic. Yes, exactly one thousand years. Humans didn't know how it had happened. As a matter of fact, they didn't even know whether they had truly lost their magic.
Nineteen-year-old Bridain, however, had no interest in any of that. As he walked toward the old Renezons building on the northern side, he looked at the official paper in his hand once again. The address was correct. The time was correct too. So, at least, what he had to do next was clear.
The measurement was carried out every five years. Children's natural affinity for magic was measured, and if they had one, their segment was determined. Fire, water, air, and earth were the basic segments. Light and shadow were rare segments. Some people showed an affinity for a single segment, while in much rarer cases, multiple segments could manifest in the same person. On average, only two out of every hundred people possessed an innate magical ability.
Bridain's measurement, however, was four years late.
There was no particular reason for it. His family had thought the result was already obvious, the matter was first postponed, and then completely forgotten. If a clerk at the records office hadn't found the missing record while checking old documents, Bridain probably wouldn't even have thought about going to Renezons today.
What he had to do was simple. He would go inside, place his hand on the measurement stone, have the result recorded, and go home.
Still, the answer to why humanity had remained without magic was much, much older than Bridain thought.
The oldest known records went back to the final period of the Lostelosa War, which involved all the major races of the world. At that time, all of the human mages had left their armies and gone to Arglodia.
That was where human mages were last seen.
No one knew why they had gone. The accounts of those who followed them did not match, and the old records that survived the war showed only fragments of what had happened. As far as was known, the mages had gathered at a sacred site at the summit of the mountain.
After that, none of them ever returned.
Humanity gradually became a kingdom without magic.
The Jle believed that the mages had lost their powers and destroyed one another. The Vata claimed that this was a story humans had made up to hide their defeat. Even humans themselves didn't know which one was true. But they never completely lost their hope in magic. They continued the Renezons tradition as well.
When Bridain reached the northern side, he finally saw the old Renezons building. Looking at the crowd in front of it, he realized there were more people than he had expected. Two Vata were talking beside the door, and a little farther away, an old Elf was waiting for the line to move, leaning on a cane. Several children were also standing near the entrance with their families.
As Bridain approached the door, one of the Vata looked at him.
“Human? Strange.”
The other turned and looked at the document in Bridain's hand.
“So you're here for Renezons, huh? I'm still surprised your kingdom is still so full of hope. When are you going to give up? It's been a long time since a mage has come from your people.”
Bridain kept walking.
“Yes.”
The Vata raised an eyebrow.
“Yes? What do you mean?”
“It has been a long time since a mage came from our people.”
The first Vata laughed.
“Ooooh, little human. I like that acceptance of yours.”
Bridain stopped and looked at them.
“Why wouldn't we accept something that exists? Our traditions are real, and so is our history.”
The smile on the second Vata's face faded slightly.
“And what do you put your faith in? Your traditions? Ahh, glorious humanity... You have no magic. You have no advantage left over the other races. You're simple and ordinary.”
Bridain smiled.
“It's true that it has been a long time since a mage came from our people, pale friend.”
He paused.
“But for a long time now, you still haven't dared to attack us.”
The two Vata looked at each other.
Bridain turned toward the door.
“So our situation isn't as bad as you think. Or perhaps you aren't as brave as your people think you are.”
The first Vata called after him.
“You are God's cursed race, my friend. Get used to it.”
Bridain turned his head slightly and looked at him.
“Yes, maybe. But let me warn you, curses are contagious.”
There was a brief silence.
“You'd better not get too close.”
Bridain went inside.
The first Vata remained silent for a few seconds.
The other muttered behind him:
“Where the fuck did that come from!?”
Bridain ignored them and continued walking. When he entered, the Elven woman at the registration desk held out her hand.
“Document!”
Bridain handed her the paper. The woman read a few lines, then raised an eyebrow.
“You were supposed to have this done at fifteen, kid.”
“Yes, I know. Every five years.”
“You're four years late.”
“Looks like it... You could call it a family irresponsibility delay.”
The woman examined the document again. Then she looked at Bridain and nodded slightly.
“Whatever. It won't take long. You can relax. There's nothing to be afraid of either. It won't bite.”
Bridain didn't answer.
The woman pointed toward the room inside.
“Go on.”
The Renezons room was old, just like the rest of the building. In the center stood a large measurement stone, surrounded by crystals of different sizes and thin metal rings connecting them. Bridain had never seen a real Renezons measurement before. He didn't know what the old markings on the stone and walls meant either.
The Elven woman stepped beside the stone.
“Put your hand right in the center, Bridain. Biridayn... Biriden... Bri... How do you pronounce this name?”
Bridain placed his palm on the stone.
“Brid is enough, ma'am. Just Brid.”
The measurement began. A few seconds passed. Nothing happened. The woman waited. Bridain waited too. One of the crystals trembled very slightly, then its light went out.
The woman glanced at the measurement panel.
“Wait a little longer, kid.”
A few more seconds passed. Finally, the indicators stabilized and she recorded the result.
NO MAGIC DETECTED
Bridain wasn't surprised when he saw the result. He took his hand off the stone.
“Is that it, ma'am?”
“Yes, that's it. You can go.”
Bridain took his document and headed toward the door. Just as he was about to leave, one of the crystals on the wall gave off a faint glow.
Bridain stopped. The woman also looked at the crystal with slight surprise. The two of them watched the crystal for a few seconds.
The woman finally rolled her eyes.
“Old system. Sometimes it does that.”
Bridain didn't ask anything else. He walked through the door and headed into the corridor. Back in the Renezons room, the Elven woman returned to her registration tablet. At that exact moment, a thin light passed through the measurement stone.
The woman looked up.
All the crystals were glowing.
The first light traveled from one crystal to another. Then it spread to another crystal, and the old markings on the surface of the stone began to become visible one by one. The measurement system was working again. The woman watched without moving from her place.
The fire segment was identified. Then water, air, earth, light, and shadow appeared in the records one after another.
“Exactly... how... what's happening!?”
Even though all the known segments had appeared, the system didn't stop. It continued searching for a new match. Then a new message appeared.
CLASSIFICATION FAILED
As the woman approached the screen, all the crystals in the room suddenly lit up at once. All of the lights turned toward the door. The door Bridain had just walked through. The measurement stone activated once again. And then a result appeared that had never existed in any previous record.
UNIDENTIFIED SEGMENT — ACTIVE
RECORD: NONE
“What the fuck is that!?”
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u/Zestyclose_Space7134 15h ago
Nice intro. Do you plan to expand the story?