Chapter 6: Prodigy?
Ember never thought he would be so thrilled to be able to run again. He had always been quick on his feet, one of the reasons he was a starter for his team, but it was not exactly something he ever loved. The thrill of overtaking someone through sheer force, though, was something he could get behind.
After a couple of years in infancy, now that he could finally run, Ember did not miss any opportunity to sprint at full speed. If he had the Running skill, he would have already gained a few points in it. Regrettably, he did not have any skill slots to spare.
Now that he had learned that common skills could evolve into more advanced forms, he was more inclined to take them. It was a good thing he did not have to wait long. He was about 50 points shy of reaching Tier 2. A single step in any of his Copper skills could be the deciding factor. But now that all three had reached a respectable level of mastery, improving them further took weeks of effort.
He had some epiphanies while watching his sister practise; unfortunately, they did not share many skills in common. Ember reckoned that if he had access to private tutoring from someone proficient in all his skills, he would have already reached Tier 2. As it stood, especially with his mana skills, he often had to improve through trial and error.
Many times, he felt like sneaking into the training fields where his sister and the other boys and girls her age practised. His mother had taken him there a couple of times, though the experience had not been pleasant. Old men and women had probed and prodded him after learning he had advanced to Tier 1. Frightened, he had not uttered a single word, not that they were interested in listening to him. However, whatever they had seen in him, they seemed to have liked it.
Apparently, mana skills, even ones like Mana Sense, were quite rare among children. Advancing to Tier 1 was not especially astonishing; most children in House Blackstone were born at Tier 1.
Ember’s world had been turned upside down when he learned that a few children were even born at Tier 3.
There was little fairness in the world. At least he had managed to awaken his status at a young age, whereas the average age for that was around five.
Of course, those born at higher tiers had it much easier, as their chances of awakening a Copper-ranked skill were much greater.