I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping gently, to laughter in the lively streets below, and a golden ray against my face. I winced as I opened my eyes, blocking out the sun with my hand.

  I rose from my bed, sighing heavily as I cup my hands over my mouth and drop my head backwards. I was exhausted, which doesn't even really make sense, as I had slept for nine hours.

  I made my way downstairs after a moment of just staring at the wall, the lady at reception greeted me with a big smile.

  "Hey, good morning, Evan!" She called out enthusiastically, a genuine smile beaming off of her face.

  She remembered my name, I thought to myself.

  "Morning. What's your name?" I asked her.

  "My name's Elizabeth!" She answered. "You can call me Eli, okay?"

  "Yeah, sure." I replied. "Could you tell me more about magic? I'm not very well-educated on the matter."

  "Really? How come? Basically everybody can use magic, even though it is a recessive gene." She claimed. "Over 90% of people can use it, and that includes you!"

  "Yeah, I'm aware that I have some special magic or whatever, but I don't exactly know how to use it." I say

  "Oh, using magic is really simple! All you have to do is channel your mana to the place you want it to appear from!" Elizabeth then demonstrates this by having a cluster of purple crystals sprout from her hand.

  "Right, okay, how do I do that exactly?" I questioned. "Channel my mana, I mean."

  "Um, it's kind of just like..." She paused. "Second nature, I suppose?"

  Great, she couldn't teach me anything.

  "As a little kid, I was told that tensing the part you want mana to flow to helps to force it to go there. It's not a very optimal way of doing things, but it's a way to start. Be careful, though. You don't want to drain all of your mana under any circumstances."

  I lifted my palm and glared at it for a moment, then I tensed. Nothing happened to start, but I could certainly feel slight tingles run through my body, up my arm, and into my palm.

  "Is something supposed to happen? It's tingly." I state.

  In the next instant, a glowing white circle manifested just slightly above my palm, followed by a blast of pure force that smashed into the roof.

  Elizabeth gasped, and jumped as a wooden plank collapsed and smacked me square on the head.

  "H-hey, be careful! Force Magic is really strong!"

  I stopped tensing as I was hit on the head, the white circle fading into thin air.

  "Fuck, so-" I cut myself off as I suddenly felt incredibly lightheaded, stumbling backwards onto the couch and slumping forwards. "Woah, I feel really... dizzy..."

  Elizabeth left her stand at reception to come to my side. "You took a nasty hit to the head, you're losing blood! You shouldn't have used your magic that much!" She scolded me. "Don't worry about the mess, I can deal with that. Just go see a healer, they can fix your injuries. Be careful on the way there, okay? Don't faint."

  She helped me to my feet before giving me vague directions, then I was sent on my way. I moved slowly, staying close to walls, so I had something to grab onto if I were to drop again.

  I entered the healers building and was greeted by an older woman with silver hair. "Welcome, dear." She said. "What can I do for you?"

  I pointed to my forehead that was coated in blood. "Could you heal me, please?"

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  She smiled at me, and then lead me to a back room. "Of course I can do that, dear. Just come this way."

  I entered the room, it was dark, cool but not exactly cold, and smelt like fresh wood. I scanned the area and noticed a cushioned table to the left, and a sink beside it. "Have a lie down on here, I'll be with you in a moment."

  I laid myself down on the table, resting my head on the cushioned surface, before the kind lady came over and placed her hands on my chest.

  "So then, what exactly happened here, dear?" She asked. Her palms began to glow a faint, white light and I could feel my dizziness subsiding.

  "I tried to use my magic, and it shot into the roof and part of it collapsed and hit me on the head. Apparently, Force Magic is quite powerful." I replied, carefree.

  "Force Magic? Wow, are you trying to flex on me, dear? That's of the fourteen ancient primordial magics. Who are you, some kind of noble?"

  I hesitated for a moment. Ancient primordial magics? What the hell does that mean. Elizabeth didn't mention anything like it.

  "Ancient primordial magic? I'm afraid I don't follow. And I'm no noble, just the typical kid trying to live his life. Forget that though, could you elaborate on this ancient magic thing?" I asked, almost desperately.

  "Jeez, is this your first day alive? Oh well, I guess I'll explain it to you. The fourteen ancient primordial magics were fourteen magics that were originally owned by Gods, before they were passed on to select humans. Force happens to be one of them, It belonged to a God that we no longer know the name of. I don't know all the details, but I think they originally gave it to some old king of a prosperous nation, and then it was passed down through his bloodline. There's been no recorded cases on any of them for a decent few years, though."

  I see, that's why both the magic registration guy and Elizabeth sounded so bewildered upon finding out I possessed Force Magic. It was one of the fourteen ancient primordial magics, and they must have assumed I was a relative to this old king.

  "Okay, I think I understand it now. Gods gave these specific magics out to high profile individuals, but why?" I wondered

  "For the fun of the game." She snapped back. "Life as a divine being is incredibly boring. You're incapable of death, so you spend eternity sitting in your realm. They gave these powerful magics out to humans to watch what happens, as entertainment."

  "Right, I see. You said there were fourteen, right? What are the others?"

  "Your healing is complete, your wound has been closed, and you've regained your blood. But before you go, I suppose I'll answer your questions."

  She sighed, paused for a second, and then began to speak again.

  "The fourteen ancient primordial magics and their corresponding gods are not all known, half of them are lost to time. The documented ones, however, are as follows." She announced. "God of Humility: Blood Magic. God of Greed: Absorption Magic. God of Lust: Control Magic. God of Charity: Enhancement Magic. God of Gluttony: Void Magic. God of Wrath: Rot Magic. And finally, God of Sloth: Time Magic."

  These magics must all be insanely powerful. I thought to myself. They all correspond with either the deadly sins, or the heavenly virtues. They're pretty common knowledge, though. How could half of them be unknown? Maybe this world hasn't yet discovered them.

  "Thank you for your wisdom, ma'am. What do I owe you for the healing?" I asked her.

  "Oh, don't worry about it. Healing is free, we receive our wages from the capitol."

  I left the healing clinic and made my way back to the accommodation building, where Elizabeth swiftly greeted me.

  "Hey, welcome back! How'd it go, all healed?"

  "Yeah, all healed. Thanks for telling me to go get that done, I wouldn't have been able to cope with the dizziness."

  "Don't mention it, Evan!" She gave me a hearty smile.

  I still didn't have any idea what I wanted to do in this world, but I knew for sure I wanted to learn more about magic and these Gods.

  "Hey, Elizabeth? How can I learn more about magic and its capabilities? I've gained an immense interest in that."

  "Oh, okay! If you simply want information, you can head over to the library. There are tons of books on the science of magic and how it works on a biological level. But if you personally want to get better at utilising your own magic, then I highly suggest you join the Knights Guild and train under a captain."

  The Knights Guild? I suppose it does make sense for a town like this to have some sort of protectors, especially when the world is crawling with dangerous magic users.

  "Knights Guild, huh? And how do I get myself into that?" I asked.

  "Well, you'd have to attend their next recruitment trial. They host one every month or two. The next one is actually happening tomorrow at 7am!"

  7am? Time still follows the same format as it did on Earth, I suppose.

  "Okay, I'll check that out. Thanks, Elizabeth."

  "Call me Eli!" She cried out.

  "Sorry."

  Back in my room, I lie down with my face buried in a pillow. My mind was filled with thoughts of this Knights Guild tryout, and the fourteen ancient primordial magics I had just recently learned of. I couldn't help but feel as though Force Magic sounded a little underwhelming compared to something like Void Magic. It just happened to be the one I had.

  Whatever, it's not like anybody else will be running around with an ancient magic, they supposedly haven't appeared in years.

  I should learn how to use that healing magic stuff that older chick could use. That'd be a big help.

  Tomorrow, I'd go and have a shot at the Knights Guild trial. If I didn't make the cut, I guess I'd try again next time, or just find something else to do.

  I hope I do get in, though. I'll need my own money pretty soon to continue living here. I thought to myself.