Story Concept - Armored Soul

Not a chapter! But I wanted to show this story concept off and wanted to ask for some thoughts. It's a small prologue for a story I am thinking of writing after Mark of Time is done. Here it is!

Synopsis:

Avlon’s chosen. Blessed warriors and Essence practitioners who had armors of metal, carbon-steel and nanomachines that bent to their whims and bolstered their Mystic Arts.

Drevon could never be one. Born with a Null root, and unable to even touch upon Essence, all he could do was hope his clan continued to tolerate his existence.

But his fate would change when he would stumble upon the true nature of their goddess, Avlon. It just so happened that the goddess of his valley needed a ride to the edge of the world, and Drevon would form the perfect vessel for a goddess to reside in.

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A world inspired by Cradle and Horizon Zero Dawn where cultivators cultivate nanotech power armour. Expect LitRPG stats, xianxia bullshit, and lots of progression.

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Prologue:

The rite of awakening. A sacred practice where children of eight summers would gather, as the autumn winds painted the valley red, an auspicious colour matching the occasion. It was a ceremony, where members of all three species of the Valley would put aside their conflicts, and gather under the tree of the awakening. Humans, Avlens and Hanils.

The Elders of each clan would watch as their children would proceed towards the tree, pressing their palms against the glowing core visible through the metallic trunk. A flower would bloom upon the touch; carbon steel and metal fibres imitating life. The colour of the flower would indicate the blessing.

The Elders watched, as one girl walked to the tree, hesitantly pressing her palm against the trunk. Lines of blue ran through the metal, glowing with a bright shimmer, before a single vibrant red blossom opened up at the base. Gasps of wonder rose among the crowd.

“A pure fire root for the Yan!”

The exclamation was met with wild cheers, as the clan proudly welcomed back the confused child, flames burning with glory between her fingertips. A fire root was precious, and a pure one even further so.

Drevon watched in silence, as the girl was welcomed with wide arms by a proud mother. Their family had been blessed by a Talent, and they would receive great boons for such. His gaze drifted to the rows of tall blue people on the other side, four pointed ears poking from the side of their heads. Avlens, the people their clan had the worst enmity with. Fire was also the most effective means of attack on them.

Returning his gaze back, he watched as the children continued to receive blessings from the great tree, members of each clan going one after the other as various flowers bloomed, their souls blessed by Avlon herself.

Drevon's eyes drifted upwards on the tree, to the many withered flowers and some closer buds with no light. Those who’d died, and those who’d left the valley. Their blossoms lost their glow, their souls now beyond the embrace of Avlon.

“Your turn next champ, go show em what you’ve got,” Keriel, his brother, spoke from behind Drevon, dragging him out of his thoughts. Keriel was thirteen summers now, pushing fourteen when the end of autumn arrived. The boy had gained a wood spirit root, impure but still valuable. Drevon had to admit that his personality matched his spirit root. Steady and lively, like a healthy hearty tree.

His brother’s large comforting hands were pressing against his shoulder, and Drevon wanted to swat his brother’s hand away for creasing the expensive robes his mother had dressed him in. Not the most expensive among the many many children gathered near the tree of awakening, but it was the best clothes he’d worn yet.

“I know,” Drevon replied, letting out a breath. “I hope I get a Sky root.”

“No matter what you get, remember to thank the All Mother for her blessing. Or our mother would be very displeased,” his brother said with a smirk.

“And here I thought I was free from mother’s nagging just for the day." Drevon snarked back. "Shouldn’t have let the Elders allow you to come with me all the way this close."

“Hah, I’m not sixteen yet, I can follow along with you however I please,” Keriel replied, and Drevon elbowed his brother in response. He had to admit, though, that he was glad Keriel was here; it would've been worse to stand here all alone in the silence. A few children nearby glanced over at him at the commotion and he was quickly reminded of where he was.

“Drevon Li Yun,” a sharp call interrupted Drevon. With breath held tight, he turned and began to make his way ahead.

“Proceed towards the tree, child,” the Elder said with a kind smile. Returning a tense nod, Drevon began to step towards the large metal tree blossoming with myriads of metallic blossoms. Generations of Essence practitioners in the Valley had begun their journey here, from this tree of metal that rose high above into the sky, covered in flowers that held the light of all its denizens.

The rhythmic beat of his thundering heart accompanied the sound of his footsteps, as he walked up to the trunk. Letting out the breath he’d been holding in, Drevon unclenched his tense body, trying to be as calm as possible.

“Touch your palm against the light,” the Elder instructed as Drevon reached up to the tree. There was an invisible sensation in the air, like a taste that he couldn’t sense. As if he were missing the right eyes to see the true colours on display.

Drevon moved closer to the glowing blue ball of light held aloft in the middle of the tree trunk, and then gently pressed his palm against the tree. A chilling cold that spread throughout his entire body as the intangible something began to lazily move through his body.

A bright light lit up upon the tree branch, as people watched with bated breath. The light on the tree was larger than any other, yet Drevon did not even notice, his mind occupied entirely by the strange sensation permeating his body.

So this was… Essence. The energy of the world itself, the thing that gave Essence Users the powers they possessed. It was his now.

Something stirred in Drevon’s abdomen, a thin strand of something rushing up to his chest, all the way to his shoulders, then through his arm and out of his palm. It sank into the tree with a snap, as Drevon waited with rising anticipation.

Something began to rise upon the tree, a flower bloomed upon the tree, as Drevon watched it with a thundering heart.

Words flashed in front of his eyes, the blessing of mother Avlon. He’d heard of the sacred words before, and now he could see them for himself.

<Spirit Cluster detecting…>
<Creating Report>

Name: Drevon Li Yun
Age: 8 years old
Species: Human (Male)

Stats: Unavailable
Spirit Root—

<NULL ERROR in detection module… Updating report>

“Is this… What in the Mother’s grace?” the Elder exclaimed. The man walked up to Drevon and snatched his hand away from the tree.

“You are never to touch this tree again boy. Do you understand?”  the Elder spoke. His voice was calm, collected, and cold. There was a chill to it that pushed down upon Drevon, as if the world itself was projecting the anger alongside the man.

Terror filled Drevon’s mind as he shrunk back on instinct, trying to pull his arm back, but the Elder’s grip held firm. It was foolish to even try and pry himself free of an Essence practitioner.. Murmurs rose among the crowd as he heard the hurried footsteps of his mother rushing closer.

“Forgive us Elder, he wouldn’t repeat this mistake again,” she replied, gently grabbing his hand back from the Elder. With a deep bow, she bent her head down as she put her hand atop Drevon’s head and bent it alongside hers.

“Take the child away, we’ll discuss what’s to be done with him later,” the Elder spoke, his eyes lingering on Drevon for a moment with cold disgust, before the man looked away.

Tears inadvertently pooled in Drevon’s eyes as he looked around confused. Glancing to the side, he leaned in towards his mother and whispered. “What… Did I do something wrong?”

His mother pressed her hand against his shoulder, a deep frown on her face. There was no reply, as she held his hand firm and hurried him back out, away from the ceremony.

“Will I… not remain for the ceremony at the end?” Drevon asked, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to pour down his cheeks.

“No, we will not,” his mother replied, her voice clipped.

Murmurs and whispers filled the area from gathered clan members as they made their way through. Drevon could feel their gazes boring deep into him as he passed by, like he was some sort of criminal.

Confused and scared, he still found himself unable to hold his curiosity back. He turned behind towards the tree, to see which spirit root he’d been blessed with. What he saw sank Drevon's heart down to his gut.

The flower to determine his spirit root, the one whose shimmer would determine what his future and the path would be.

It held no light.