Metal Melancholy

The pews were packed with townsfolk. Some were eager, some were biting their nails with anticipation, and a small minority had prideful looks and expensive clothes, but overall the majority were just bored.

A young man with a grin on his face, black hair, and silver eyes stood in the same spot Fate did what felt like years ago, a man in priestly robes by his side.

"By the power vested in me by Emperor Settan and the Ascended," the priest boomed, "I declare Mitchell Manthrew to be ready for the Awakening Ceremony. Please, put your hand on the Stone. May your friends and family gathered here today bear witness to your results."

Mitchell Manthrew placed his hand on the Awakening Stone. The transparent orb's white energy turned green soon after, and the Awakening started.

The writers shortened the event to save time, so after a brief flickering of lights, the stone chimed and Mitchell dropped to his knees with a gasp. The orb's volatile energy turned from green to blue, and a small screen manifested above it.

The look on everyone's faces, from the smiling drunkards to the proud nobles and even the priest himself, froze stiff as the word "Metal" appeared.

The silence was broken by an uproar from the nobles, who jumped to their feet.

"A Metal Mage!" one of them shouted. "A blight on the lands!"

"He'll be the end of us all!" shouted another noble. "His nefarious powers will collapse our buildings and destroy the tools of our trades!"

The commoners joined the nobles and surged toward the dais, only for the priest to step forward with a strained smile.

"Fighting on church grounds is prohibited," the priest said through clenched teeth. "Take it outside, lest you tempt the Ascended to smite you where you stand."

"Of course, priest," the first noble to speak said respectfully. He and his fellow nobles were at the front of the crowd, the only Mages present besides the priest and now Mitchell.

Each of the four nobles was a Journeyman, so the odds of Mitchell leaving unscathed were low.

The head noble gestured to his three cohorts, who strode forward and grabbed Mitchell, who was still gasping for breath, by the arms.

The mob dragged him out of the church unceremoniously. As they moved, the background likewise shifted, and they went through a door that appeared through magic trickery to exit the church.

It was a captivating use of Skill that raised the immersion by several levels.

With little fanfare, the crowd tossed him to the ground and attacked the prone Mitchell, kicking him and throwing rocks at him, yelling awful things until he was a bloodied mess sprawled on the ground.

Mitchell coughed dramatically, "blood" flying from his lips and splattering on the boots of the noble leader of the mob. This brought a look of disgust on the noble's face, who cocked his foot back in preparation for a nasty kick.

"What's happening here?" A voice demanded from off stage.

Fate stiffened, a hand full of popcorn stopping an inch from his mouth as his eyes widened.

In walked what could only be described as an angel of blue.

Her long blue hair fell from her shoulders like a waterfall, her blue eyes affixing the noble leader with a reprimanding look.

Her gorgeous face was distorted in a frown that did little to hide her beauty, and if anything made those who saw her feel guilty for upsetting such a woman.

Though she had the air of a Journeyman like the other nobles, there was no doubt in Fate's mind who this was.

Samantha Sedronol.

His first friend, his first crush, and his first heartbreak.

The woman he had rather been whipped than ask for help from, afraid of what she would think of him afterward.

Suddenly extremely self-conscious, he tossed the popcorn he held into his mouth and the bucket up higher to block the bottom half of his face, sinking into his chair to hide behind the head of the woman in front of him.

He still felt guilty about what happened all those years ago and didn't want to make her revisit old wounds he had tried his damnedest to get over.

Kravoss shook his bird head in mock disappointment. 'Please. She's the one that left you, remember? Why should you care what she thinks?'

'That's what guilt is,' Fate replied, sinking further into his chair. 'And that isn't the kind of drama I came here for.'

He used Kravoss' eyes to watch the rest of the play, making sure to shift in his chair whenever Samantha moved onstage so she wouldn't see him.

The rest of the play was very compelling, so much so that he soon forgot Samantha was even there.

He and Kravoss joined the audience on the edges of their seats as Samantha's character, Drethnell, saved Mitchell from the mob. Drethnell was Mitchell's fiancé, revealed the play. The two were deeply in love, and Drethnell was determined to save Mitchell from the Empire's citizens.

So they ran, leaving the small town that same afternoon.

They went deep, deep into the woods, hundreds of miles into the unexplored regions of the continent, and worked together to build a log cabin using the surrounding apple trees.

Drethnell, having been a noble, had used most of her coin to buy essentials like seeds, farming tools, and enough food to last them until the seeds bore fruit.

The young boy from the start made his way back to the front of the stage to narrate the passage of time.

As the age began to show on their faces through another subtle trick of the play's director, the audience watched as Drethnell and Mitchell carved a clearing out for themselves, built a house, tilled the land, and lived in peace for decades.

By now they had four healthy children and had expanded their small clearing and smaller log house into the surrounding area.

Their farmlands extended for a mile in every direction, their house (shown in the background as Mitchell and Drethnell toiled among the crops) was now as large as the theater itself, and they were immensely happy.