Slipping into one of the open benches, Kairo could hear hushed conversations throughout the front hall.
"Hey man, where are you from?"
"You know what your results were? Yeah, me neither."
"Helllo gorgeous. I wouldn't mind getting to know you after training."
Uninterested, he sunk into his own thoughts, a chaotic swirl of past events replaying themselves and observations of his surroundings. He wasn't sunk for long.
Something had grabbed his attention, snapping his focus back. He leaned back right as a hand swept past his face. The man walking past seemed to not have a care in the world, scanning the room for a seat.
Kairo didn't particularly care how he himself looked, but this guy was on a different level. Unkempt was the lightest way of putting it.
Dirt coated his face and hair, which had been cut short with a pair of shears. Uneven patches of scruff spotted his chin, making it obvious he was too young to go unshaven. Every single item of clothing he wore had holes in them, it was hard to tell where the original cloth started and the patches began.
Having seemingly decided where to sit, the man slumped onto a bench at the same table as the skinny boy that had passed by Kairo earlier.
"Hey, we haven't met before. I'm Alcon."
"I am William, nice to meet you."
While their conversation seemed harmless at first, as it progressed William became increasingly uncomfortable. It was obvious that Alcon hadn't so much been searching for a seat, but rather a victim.
"Say, it seems like we're friends now, and friends do friends favors. Right? You seem to be wearing pretty nice clothes, so you must have a little extra dough."
"M-my father gave me a little spending money. However i-it's all I-"
"Well you could sell one of them fancy pieces of clothing."
Not expecting this, William tried his best to turn him away. However, the pressure being placed by Alcon was becoming more than verbal. He had a very tight grip on the back of Williams neck.
Unable to take the pain in his neck anymore, William pulled a small pouch with a family crest out of his robes. Alcon went to snatch it out of his hands, grinning at the fact he wasn't on the receiving end for once.
His smile was wiped away as he shook the bag side to side. Rather than the pleasant clink of coins, there was a dull clacking. Opening the bag revealed no gold or silver, but tree nuts.
"What the fuck?!"
He hadn't even noticed the person standing in front of them. Alcon raised his head and met cold, cutting eyes before moving his gaze to the mans hands.
"Looking for this?"
Kairo lifted a plump bag, the crest and sound of coins making it obvious it was Williams. Flustered, Alcon shot up and grabbed at it. Kairo easily moved the pouch away from his mud encrusted fingers.
"Hey, thats-!"
"His, so you can move on and be happy you got a snack for your troubles."
It looked like Alcon wanted to make more out of it, but eyes around the room were turning towards them. Not particularly keen on the attention, Alcon turned away to look for a different seat. He grumbled the whole way but was pleasantly surprised at how good the nuts were.
William sat there, unsure what exactly was happening but certain he had lost all the money his father gave to him. Just the thought of his father's reaction caused his hands to start shaking.
"You okay man? He didn't hurt you, right? Here."
The pouch plopped onto the seat next to him, his savior sitting in the other.
"You shouldn't let people walk all over you like that, William. That's how you get behind in life. Or lose your money."
"I will t-try to keep that in mind. Wait, how do you know my name?"
"I overheard you and that man's conversation. His name was Alcon, right?"
"Yes, that was his name. And who are you? Why did you help me?"
"I'm Kairo, and uh..."
Scratching the back of his head, Kairo searched for an answer but he wasn't sure himself. It felt like he needed to help out in some way. Maybe because no one had done that for him? He decided to come up with something instead.
"I guess I just didn't like him, he almost ran into me while looking for a seat. I also don't know anyone here, so saving you from that ass hat seemed like a decent introduction."
William didn't know what to say, and luckily he didn't have to. It looked like everyone had gone through the Tetromite Reading a while ago. A different member of the guild, along with Burch, stood at the front of the room.
"Hello, my name is Gryfon. Thanks for being patient guys." Burch seemed more than okay letting the other man do the talking, simply holding a stack of papers. Gryfon ran a thumb through the stack he was holding as well.
"We have sheets with your affinities, EIP grade, and classes that are most compatible with you. You'll have about ten minutes to look through and decide, head up to the front desk after. Let the receptionist know your decision and she'll give you further instructions. Understood? Great, first up is Zoe!"
William was called before Kairo, who didn't have to wait long after the fact.
Stepping up, he saw that Burch was the one holding his sheet. Kairo could've sworn there was a slight glint under the man's hood, where his eyes should be. Unsure of what is was, Kairo carefully took the sheet from Burch and bowed slightly in respect. There was an air around him that almost demanded it.
Walking back to the table, his focus was now turned towards the paper in his hand. On the front he could see an S at the top next to his EIP, same with his EOP. There was a short explanation on the page, but Kairo never had the luxury of learning how to read, so he figured to just ask William.
"That is the highest rank a human can have, which means that, somehow, your capabilities are only a step below the Hero?! With potential like this, you could be a war hero!"
Kairo scratched the back of his head again. He was unsure how to ask while saving face, being unable to read and all.
"Sorry, but could you break it down further for me?"
"Umm...basically the ranks go from E to S. You are essentially one in a million for both intake and output. You could grow to be strong as an Orc and cast spells on par with the elves. I am also interested to see what elements you are compatible with."
William's eyes nearly shot out of his head when he saw the last part of his sheet.
"Fire, wind, metal, dark, and enhancement?! What are you, a freak of nature?"
Kairo's face stiffened at his comment. William, who could sense something wrong, started explaining himself.
"I simply mean you have an incredible amount of potential. I have been raised using magic my whole life and only got an A rank for my output. My father also managed to...ah...'help' me add an element to my affinities, yet you still have two more than I do."
It sounded like there was more to adding that element, but Kairo ignored it for now and continued to listen.
"Then you have a top class intake as well. Having two high rankings is extremely rare. There is only one other person on the continent with potential like yours, besides the hero. Less than five people have been born like that since the 4th Demon War, so hopefully you guys can change the tide of the war. You must have also gotten quite a lot of classes to choose from."
Turning over the page, it was finally time for Kairo to make his choice.