Leo collapsed onto his bunk and stared out the window, searching the passing landscape for some clue, any hint as to what his powers were supposed to be. The guard had a point; the three bold claw marks on his forearm definitely suggested some kind of animal. Humans didn't leave tracks like that. So, the first thing he tried was to will claws onto his own hands, focusing intently on his fingertips. "Nope, yelling out skill names isn't going to do it," Leo grumbled to himself. "How do the other classes activate their skills?" He was blissfully unaware of the bored supervisors in the main car, watching his antics on a hidden monitor and sharing a laugh. Page 2, Magic Classes, he recalled from the manual. Open the box of casting assistants under your bed using the thumb of your left hand, and extract the appropriate casting medium to begin attempting to activate your first spell. "This doesn't feel like a spellcaster's marking," he muttered, mentally turning the page. Page 3, Combat Classes. Open the box of practice weapons under your bed with the index finger of your right hand and choose the most appropriate weapon for your desired skills. That sounded more promising. Leo knelt on the floor beside the bed and unlocked the upper drawer. Inside lay a collection of simple weapons, along with some more exotic ones: a fan of throwing knives, a single-handed crossbow, and some kind of axe on a chain that looked more dangerous to its wielder than to any enemy. He was, unfortunately, not yet among the physically gifted. Cursing the fact that he was the last of his peers to hit a growth spurt, Leo selected a simple short sword. He had never held a proper sword before, but this one felt right in his hand. He gave it a few tentative swings, the weight balanced and true, before attempting a more decisive strike toward the cabin door. [Pet Skills Not Available. You must record a pet.] Leo blinked, the thought arriving in his head so clearly it felt as if someone had spoken it aloud. It was a message, delivered directly into his mind. An effect of the marking, obviously. Now he knew what he needed to do, more or less. But how did one "record" a pet? It couldn't be as simple as writing it down, could it? Or maybe he had to memorize it somehow? First, he'd have to find an animal. This was a pristine military train, not the company houses back at the mines; there wouldn't be any mice scuttling about. If he had to physically touch the creature for the skill to work, this was going to be much harder than he'd anticipated. The most logical first step was to try writing something down. Maybe the spellcasting kit had a pen and paper. The lower drawer slid open, revealing a bizarre assortment of items. Leo stared in amusement, having absolutely no idea what any of them were for. Some, like a silly-looking snow globe with no base, didn't even seem magical. What was a mage supposed to do with that? Sit and ponder their orb? He picked up the surprisingly heavy glass ball. As his fingers closed around it, it flared with a brilliant white light. [Taming Space viewing is not available. Please Record A Pet.] The message in his mind made no sense at first. Then, as he focused, Leo felt a change within him. A vast emptiness was taking shape in his consciousness, a void that hummed with a sense of potential unlike anything he had ever imagined. What about a Dragon? Can I have a Dragon? Leo thought, trying to will the creature into existence within that mental space. Nothing. Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. Leo was lost in thought when a touch on his arm yanked him back to reality. "Any luck?" the patrolling guard asked, his eyes falling on the two open drawers and the sword lying on the mattress. "Yes and no," Leo sighed. "The sword feels right, but I'm missing something to activate the skill. None of the other weapons felt right at all, though." "Well, keep at it. You'll figure it out soon enough. If you've already got a direction, you're ahead of most of the others. They're all still asleep." "That's something, I guess. Maybe I can crack this before we get to the Academy after all." Leo's stomach rumbled. "I don't suppose there's a kitchen on this train? I always think better on a full stomach." The guard smiled and gestured down the corridor. "You're up before the student mess is open, but the staff galley won't mind. I can take you. You'll learn quickly that the food at the Sterling Elite Academy is a little different from what you're used to." He leaned in conspiratorially. "The powers the elites use put a huge strain on the body. They need to refuel with energy from magical plants and beasts to recover. Trust me, you're in for a treat." They walked down the hall, passing a half-dozen identical cabins where his classmates slept soundly. The next car held an empty dining room, with a bustling kitchen visible just beyond it. "Just grab what you want and set it by the grill! I'll be with you in a minute!" a cook called out from inside a walk-in freezer, assuming he was talking to another staff member. Leo didn't mind. It wasn't a fancy restaurant, more of a self-serve galley for the crew, with a cook on hand to make sure the less culinarily inclined didn't starve. He gathered a pair of small, marbled steaks, a scoop of rice, and an assortment of vegetables that looked and smelled incredible. Then he noticed a small pile of oversized white eggs and, on a whim, grabbed one to add to his plate. [Suitable Pet Target Found: hatching] The egg vanished from his hand. Leo stared at his empty palm, then at the plate, his mind reeling. How long would a monster egg take to hatch in a magical void inside his head? Would it even hatch? The mental message said so, but it offered no details. An image bloomed in his mind: a small straw nest materializing from nothing, cradling a single large white egg. A moment later, the egg trembled, then cracked. The sight was so sudden and vivid that Leo stumbled backward, bumping into the guard. The guard caught his arm, steadying him. "Easy there." "Sorry about that," Leo mumbled. The guard just led him toward a table, gesturing to the cook. "Don't worry about it," the guard said kindly. "Everyone's a bit scrambled for the first few days after their Awakening. Especially the magic types; all that power can really mess with your head. Just focus on figuring out that strange marking of yours and you'll be fine." The cook glanced over from his grill. "Having a hard time with a nonstandard marking? That's a rough draw. What's it look like?" "Three claw marks on his right forearm," the guard said with a laugh. "Big ones, too. Not one of those wimpy little marks like the nerd classes get." The cook smiled and turned his hand over for Leo to see. It was covered in dozens of tattoos, and for a moment, Leo had no idea what he was supposed to be looking at. Then the cook tapped a small design on the back of his hand—a tiny wand with sparkles at the tip. It was a mage-type Class marking, only a few centimeters long. If he hadn't seen the illustration in the manual, he'd have missed it completely. "There's a theory that the size of the marking is related to the user's talent, but I don't buy it," the cook said, turning back to the grill. "Maybe it's not about mental compatibility, but the raw power of the ability itself. Got any clues about yours?" "The short sword felt right," Leo offered, "and the marking seems to be about animals. So maybe I'm some kind of hunter? Or a park ranger with really bad luck." "Well, you'll know for sure once you get your first skill working," the cook informed him. "After that, you can just think the word [Profile] and get a sense of how your magical abilities are growing. At least, that's how it works for Mages."

Chapter 3: A Hidden Nature