At sunset, Raghav stood outside the adventurers' guild, shrouded by his black cloak, with the hood reaching down to his nose. His eyes lingered on the door knob in front of him. 'It should not take long.' He reached for the knob on the door, gently twisting it as he pushed the door open.
Stepping through, he entered the lobby, which was filled with a pleasant scent, free of the musky-sweaty stench. He walked towards the front desk, tilting his frame to avoid hitting others.
At the front desk was Sarah. She saw Raghav approaching the front desk and bowed slightly. "Welcome to the Adventurer's guild. I am Sarah. How may I help you?"
Raghav took off his hood, his eyes lowered down at the desk, away from Sarah. A gasp escaped from Sarah's mouth, drawing the attention of everyone in the lobby.
Whispers began to fill the lobby. "The Hero is here," "I had heard he was here a few days, but at that time no one knew it." "He is back here again, alone."
Raghav's lips parted, shocking everyone. "It is nice to meet you again, Miss Sarah. I hope all is well. Could you walk me through the process of registering as an Adventurer and obtaining an Adventurer license?"
Sarah nodded, crouching down and pulling out a book, placing it on the desk as dust came out of it. "Sorry, it has been down there for a long time."
"It is alright." Raghav turned to the left and saw a larger copy of the front page of the Daily Adventure, from today's paper, Wednesday, 2nd July, 1238 TNW, pasted on the bulletin board.
There he was, Kanah dancing atop the stage, surrounded by the same white glow that Raghav uses.
Beside it was the front page of the newspaper from Sunday, 29th June, 1238 TNW. The day he first came in front of the public as The Hero of Prophecy.
"How do you take these pictures and distribute them the same day around the world?"
"You mean the portraits?" Raghav nodded, not taking his eyes off the pictures, one of his own and one of Kanah, separated only by their clothes, even then, one would not be wrong to assume they were one and the same.
"We use photo absorbent black pearls, which store a person's sight in the form of a live portrait. These can be sent around the world using teleportation spells and then used to print the image in the newspaper. They are sent to our major branches, allowing us to share major news with the world."
"I see, that is certainly interesting." He turned around and found a short old man standing in front of him. "Oh, Hero, will you answer a question of mine for tomorrow's paper?" Raghav nodded. "Yes."
The man gestured towards Kanah's portrait. "Did you know of Kanah's existence before we did? Why do the two of you look identical? How do you feel about him saving Marne and being celebrated as The Hero?"
Raghav crossed his arms, looking the man in the eye. "I knew who he was, I had the privilege of meeting someone who knew him the best. As for your second question, A Wise Sage told me that the same bodies are used in different worlds, the only difference being the soul that resides in them. But honestly, all souls come from the same place of origin, The One himself."
He then turned back towards Kanah's portrait. "I was glad he was there to protect the people of Marne. It is an honour to have the same face as this great man. I wish to meet him someday."
He then turned around. "If you do not need me any longer, I must return to the matter that brought me here today."
The old man stepped aside, gesturing towards the desk. "Of course."
Raghav turned towards the desk, looking down at the book. Sarah finished reading the instructions and looked at Raghav. "To register as an adventurer, we will need your legal documents to verify your identity. You would need to fill out our forms and would need to go under trials so we can study what form of power you possess, We would use your performance to give you a rank and role. If you would be kind enough, please follow me to the Guild Master's office. We will conduct the documentation there."
Raghav nodded, and Sarah walked towards her left, opening a railing door and stepping out. She then gestured towards the stairs. "This way."
Once they reached the second floor, Sarah turned around, looking at Raghav, who had his eyes closed, and she gestured forward at the end of the hallway. "The office is just up ahead. If you have any queries, please ask freely."
Raghav hummed as his lips parted with a small sound. "How do you teleport these black pearls? I know teleportation magic exists and can be done in a multitude of ways. But I know all of them cost an absurd amount of Mana, it takes five Master Rank mages to teleport one person, albeit that the black pearls are smaller than a full-grown adult, the question remains, where do you power so many teleportation spells?"
Sarah chuckled and paused for a moment. "That I do not know, maybe the Guild Master knows."
Raghav nodded silently, stopping before the door. "Please wait for a moment." She then entered the room, closing the door behind herself.
For a few moments, he stood there until the door opened and Sarah stepped out, holding the door open for him. "The Guild Master will see you now. I will return to the front desk."
Raghav turned his head towards her, nodding. "Thank you, Miss Sarah."
He then entered the room as Sarah left, closing the door behind him. Raghav opened his eyes and saw the Guild Master standing behind his office table. A Man in his late fifties, hair turning grey, his face shaven clean, and he wore a brown three-piece suit, with the coat resting on the chair.
"By the will of The One, I still cannot believe that the two of you are the same person from different worlds."
"Most of the people I meet say the same." Raghav walked forward around the sofas in the middle and extended his hand forward. "I am Raghav Suryanshi. It is a pleasure to meet you."
The Guild Master shook Raghav's hand. "It is my pleasure, Mr. Suryanshi, my name is Erich Yrictor."
Raghav tilted his head, looking at the nameplate on the table. "Where is the Y?"
Erich chuckled. "The Y is silent; most people say the Y. It is hilarious."
"Seems so."
Erich then placed a hand on Raghav's left shoulder and gestured towards the table on his right. "Please have a seat."
"Thank you." Raghav sat down as Eric also sat back in his seat. "I have to say, I knew about you and Kanah, the day you made your public appearance, you see, back when I was a young brat in the Military Academy, my mother was all alone, my childhood friend Benjamin would help her with the farms, and take care of her. Do you know him?"
Raghav nodded. "Kanah's grandfather. I was told about his family. So you are a family friend?" "Indeed, I was the one who gave them two horses and a wagon to travel to Marne after all."
"You mentioned you were in the Military Academy once. How did a soldier sworn to the kingdom find his way into the world of adventurers?"
Eric chuckled. "I retired when I was forty-eight. I could shatter forts and flatten mountains; I was a Great Master, yet time caught up with me. I was becoming a liability. So I decided it was best to leave my position in better hands myself, rather than it to be passed after my passing or that of my men. Conveniently, the position of Guild Master became available, and I took it."
Nodding, Raghav looked around the room, the windows on the left side growing darker as the night rose. He looked behind Eric on the wall and saw a portrait of a young Eric kneeling before King Delreid.
He shifted his eyes back towards Erich. "It is getting rather late, I would not like to keep you after closing time, so can we start the application process?"
Erich smiled with his eyes open. "Of course." He then grabbed a piece of paper from a drawer and placed it on the table in front of Raghav. "Please fill in your details here and show me some proof of identification. As for your species, please write it as unknown, we cannot classify you by the standards of this world."
Raghav nodded, reaching for the left pocket of his pants, he took his wallet and pulled out his PAN card. Handing it to the Guild Master, and took the paper from him.
The Guild Master examined the PAN card. "Raghav Suryanshi, born 22nd May, 2006. What was the date in your world when you were summoned?" "The same it was here, 24th of June, only difference being the year was 2025, instead of 1238."
The Guild Master looked back at the PAN card and then at Raghav, who pulled out a pen from his jacket and began to fill the form.
Name- Raghav Suryanshi
Age- Nineteen / 19 years, one / 1 month, Nine / 9 days old
Date of Birth: 22nd May, 2006/1219
Current Address- None / Vagabond
Proof of identity given: PAN card (an Indian identity card that is required to open Bank/Investing Accounts)
Father- None
Mother- None
Siblings- None
Emergency Contact- Aurelia Reid
Country of Origin- India / Earth
Height- 183cm / 6 feet
Weight- 76 Kg
Species/Race: Unknown / Beyonder from Beyond Paneria
Powers: Omniurja / Power from beyond Paneria
Combat Affinities: Close quarters / Ranged
Weapon Capabilities: Hand-to-Hand / Archery / Swords (short, long, great) / Daggers / Axe (small/large) / Spears / Mace / Staff / Knives / Guns (pistols, rifles, smg, lmg, heavy artillery) / Explosives (timed, controlled)/ Shields
Role to be tested for: All-Rounder (Frontal Assaulter / Supporter / Healer / Buffer / Tank / Mage / Rear Guard)
Weaknesses: ???
Illness/injuries: Unknown/None
Past Occupation: Detective, Two years solo and six under guidance
Preferred Alias (the Administrator may assign one of their choosing): None
Preferred Adventurer Status (Solo / Join an existing Party / Create your Party / Uncertain): Create my own Party
Rank (to be filled by the Administrator after the trials):
Signature of Administrator: Erich Yrictor
Signature of Applicant: Raghav Suryanshi
Raghav clicked his pen closed, placing it back in his jacket's pocket, and handing the paper to Erich. "Here."
Erich looked at the paper and read over the details, looking at Raghav with slightly raised eyebrows, before placing the paper down and holding a black pearl in his hand. "Look in my eyes for a moment."
Raghav did as he was asked, and Erich's eyes turned completely black before returning to their original brown. He placed the black pearl on the top right corner of the form.
He took a small breath and removed the black pearl. Revealing a picture of Raghav printed on the form. He then shook the black pearl, blowing at it before taking the PAN card and doing the same thing, printing the picture on the back side of the form.
He then placed the black pearl down and handed the PAN card back to Raghav, who placed it inside his wallet. Erich then held the paper and a blank form. He took a deep breath, and soon the details and the printings had been copied to the other form.
"All done, I will give you your license right away." "What about the trials?"
"You do not need to give any trials, we all know your capabilities." "Do not make an exception, just because of who I am, when I step out into the world, people will dig into my past, if they learn that I was cleared without any test. It will put you in a bad place."
Erich placed both papers in separate drawers and stood up. "Follow me."
Eric led Raghav out of the room and towards a flight of stairs on the right. They ascended the stairs. "Tell me, how many Master Rank warriors have you met? Since you arrived in Paneria."
"Counting you, it makes fourteen, three in the castle, one whom I had a duel with, nine others whom I had a mock battle with today, and lastly you."
Reaching the top, Erich turned left, knocking on a door. "Come out for a trial." He then turned to Raghav, guiding him to the room on the right. "In here. You must feel like Master Rank warriors are dime a dozen."
Entering the room, Raghav shook his head. "No. Regardless of Master Rank warriors being a one in a million occurrence, if the pool you are drawing from is eight billion strong, then of course, you will have thousands of them. Then comes the matter of location, there are nine kingdoms in the world, and we are in the capital of the biggest one. Given where we stand, I am bound to run into a handful of Masters."
He then turned his head forward and got a glimpse of the room. A room as big as the main lobby, in the middle was a circular glass tank reaching five feet in height and more than ten feet in diameter. The right and left walls were divided into five sections. On the first section of the walls was ice, lava on the second, steam on the third, needle-like spikes on the fourth and finally a single needle.
Behind the glass tank was a circular platform as big as the tank, made of white marble, with two steps leading up to it and a table by its side.
At the far end of the Room was a mannequin with a protective barrier around it.
"This will all determine how adept you are and how many environments you can handle yourself in."
"Who are we testing at this hour?" Raghav closed his eyes as the sound of an old woman entered his ear, who entered the room, walked past the two men and turned around.
She got a good look at Raghav and nodded. "I see, please take off the cloak, and stand on the ladder next to the water tank. Your trial has begun."
Raghav did as she told, he took off his cloak and placed it on a hanger near the door. "Your sword, please." Raghav turned his head towards Erich, his eyes still closed. He nodded, handing the sword belt to Erich.
He then stood on the ladder, ready to step forward.
The older woman stepped next to the ladder by Erich's side, holding a clipboard and pen in her hand. "You can call me Mrs. Yrictor. We will begin your trials by how much control you have over your power. You will step on the water and use your power to stay on top of it, and you will then walk in circles on the water. This will help us determine how fluent you are."
Erich looked at Raghav, his hands crossed, holding the sword belt in his hands. "Walking on water requires tremendous focus; you have to hold the water together under your feet and then let go of it as you step forward and do it again."
Raghav nodded, the white glow emerging from within him. He took a step forward, then another, standing on the water. He walked around. "Think fast!" Erich swung the sword at Raghav's feet. He jumped over the sword and landed back on the water, without sending as much as a ripple across. He looked at Erich, his eyes still closed.
With a voice as calm and serious that rivaled Raghav's. "My dear husband. Interrupt me again, and you shall be sleeping in the guest bedroom." "Yes, dear."
"Put your head inside the water. Try to prevent yourself from getting wet and attempt to breathe."
Raghav nodded and fell through the water. He then sat at the bottom of the tank and breathed in and out, letting out air bubbles, then inhaled once more. "How are you doing it?"
"I used my powers to keep the water away from my body and then created an air tunnel, bringing air from the surface. I could have alternatively extracted oxygen from the water itself, but I would suggest against it; pure oxygen will not be good for the lungs. My advice would be to use it as a last, last resort." "Pass. Come out and move onto the walls."
His body rose from the water until he was sitting on the surface of the water. He stood up and walked out of the tank and down the ladder.
Standing before the wall of ice, he placed his hands on it and lifted both feet and brought them to where his hands were and stood on the ice wall.
"Jump away from the wall."
Obeying the instructions, Raghav jumped away from the wall. He made it five feet away. "Fail."
Raghav then pulled himself back towards the wall, using telekinesis. Her lips flickered into a smile before returning to normal. "Pass. Now reverse them."
Nodding, he placed one foot on the Lava wall and one on the Ice. Within the blink of an eye, the wall of Ice became a wall of Lava and vice versa.
Mrs. Yrictor looked at the other wall and found the same situation on the other end. "How did you do it?"
Raghav turned his face towards her, his eyes still closed. "These panels can be removed from the wall and interchanged. I felt them nudge ever so slightly when I pulled myself towards the wall."
"Pass, onto the vapours. If you can stand on them, I will believe it when people say you can walk on the clouds."
Raghav nodded, walked over to the vapours and raised his foot ready to step on it. He then condensed the vapours, turning them into a block of ice just big enough to place only his toes on.
"Why? I asked you to stand on vapours." Raghav shook his head lightly. "Too far apart, to step on them. You need to condense them. I borrowed some ice from the other slide and froze this one. It would have worked had it been a cloud; the water in it would be perfect"
"Pass, move on to the needle. Hand first." Complying with her request, he took a step forward, breaking the block of ice and reassembling it as he took each step. Once he crossed to the other side of the section, he stepped onto the spikes as the block shattered, releasing the vapours back in their original space.
He walked over the spike, and at the edge of the section, he leaned forward, reaching out to the needle and placed his index finger on the tip. He then pushed his feet off the spikes, flipping himself until he was upside down with his index finger on the tip of the needle.
"Pass. You have shown perfect control and utilisation of the versatility of your powers. We now have your aptitude, now to gauge the amplitude of your powers. Stand on the platform.
Raghav followed and stood at the centre. "Place this around your wrist." Mrs. Yrictor handed him a cuff bracelet, and he wore it around his left wrist. "Why the left?" "Better connection to the heart, you will get a better read."
The bracelet changed colour and turned white. "Since we already know you can use spells. This will let us know how much of your energy reserve you consume when casting spells. We will start with basic physical enhancement and move our way up to complex spells. The more energy you use, the more the glow disappears from one end to the other."
"I already had the physical enhancements the moment I activated my powers."
Mrs. Yrictor was silent as she looked at the fully glowing bracelet. "But your movements were normal, there was no sign of enhancements, there was no increment in your speed or strength. You could have crushed the ice or that needle, yet you did not how?"
"I was controlling my output, how much effort I wanted to put into my movement. Just because I enhance my body does not mean I can't tone down my strength to normal."
"We never thought of that; we had to always stop our enhancements if we wanted to do something normal. Thank you for showing it to us."
Raghav nodded. "What do I do next?"
"Elemental spells, whatever feels normal to you, no need to push or hold yourself, we will move through the spells, then move on with telekinesis and energy projection. This will help us gauge your abilities in the field of magic."
Raghav nodded and first created water in one hand and moved it to form a ring of water around him. He then made a loop of Ice and fire, as big as his torso, next to each other, surrounding the ring.
He began to spin the ring and the loops around himself. The fire turned the water into vapour, which would get turned into ice, which would melt due to the momentum and turn into water, which would then turn into vapour and later ice.
Meanwhile, the fire and ice would not affect each other. Raghav then summoned lightning around his body, circling his torso next to the ring of the Water cycle.
Next, everything in the room, from the tank to Mr. and Mrs. Yrictor, was in the air. Mrs. Yrictor tried to step forward, and she did; she was walking in the air. "How can I move? Your telekinesis should be holding me, yet I can move freely, I don't feel the telekinesis holding me."
"It is not telekinesis, Mrs. Yrictor. It is gravitational magic; I am controlling the gravity that applies to everything in this room."
He then raised his finger in front of his body and created a white ball of pure energy.
Mrs. Yrictor paid close attention to his bracelet, and it had not yet moved. 'Even this much magic is not affecting his energy reserves, does his energy get renewed at such an extreme rate that the bracelet does not register it, or does it have no…end?'
"Pass." Erich had declared the result as Mrs. Yrictor looked at the ball of energy in Raghav's hand. It was a sphere of pure energy, the size of Raghav himself.
'I can feel the energy held inside that sphere, it is so dense, I have seen Mana blast, hundreds of times bigger. Yet they never had such raw energy. He just might reduce this city, nay this valley, nay this mountain range to dust if he were to let it go.'
"You have passed, you can stop now. Do not release that energy. It can be dangerous." Raghav nodded and placed everything down. He removed the elements around his body and absorbed the energy back within himself.
Mrs. Yrictor and Erich both got hold of themselves after what they had just witnessed. With great hesitation, they both looked at the mannequin at the end of the hall and looked at one another and nodded. "You have but one last test remaining."
"You want me to break that barrier on the mannequin, yes?"
"We want you to try; we only reserve this for candidates that we believe can surpass Master Rank."
"So, you are asking me to break it. Then I shall do as my teacher says."
"Before you attempt, you cannot use magic or your other worldly power to overpower this barrier. You must shatter it with strength alone."
"Understood."
He then extended his right hand forward, pulling the mannequin towards him and struck it with his left hand.
A crack was heard as the barrier shattered like glass. Mrs. Yrictor had her eyes focused on the bracelet, still at full capacity. She looked at her husband and nodded.
Erich's jaw tightened as he looked at Raghav, who gently placed the mannequin down.
"At long last, someone pushes past the bounds of this world. How long has it been, a few centuries since someone achieved this status?"
Raghav turned around, finally opening his eyes as he came across a man in a black suit and white shirt, his skin ashen pale, red eyes and long black hair.
"So, we meet. Oh, The Hero of Prophecy. Ready for the next step?"