The Five-Ring Seal

Prologue

"You're really making this harder than it needs to be!"

The cleric facepalmed for the 5th time that hour. Basics of Artistic Theory was always an... interesting... course to teach, but this year, he was up to his wit's end. Usually, the questions were along the lines of "Why do we call them Arts? Isn't this just magic with extra steps?" or "Do I get to choose my art? What if I can't come up with anything?!" This year, however, one child decided that he wanted to take the entire course in a day, instead of over a summer, like everyone else.

"Okay, lets go over this one more time. In 3 years, time, each of you will receive your Art. Arts are gifts from the four Guardians, and each art is unique to its host."

The cleric shot an annoyed glance at a girl in the corner, who was slowly raising her hand. "These "Guardians", as we have chosen to call them, are not Gods. Might I repeat, NOT GODS! They are spirits born of human expression, who govern over a facet of life. You could say they are born of humanity but are not controlled by it. At the ceremony, you will receive two gifts. One is from Esmarelda, Arbitrator of the Home. They grant their gift to all people, for their domain is the most useful to all. Then, you will be granted your second, specified blessing. For most people, Esmarelda will bless you twice, making day-to-day life as easy as waking up. However, a lucky few of you will be chosen by one of the other Guardians. They are Horace, Arbiter of Warfare, Zynac, Arbiter of Magic, or Nikolai, Arbiter of Performance. We will be covering each of their domains over this summer, so don't ask me now."

Looking around the room, the cleric breathed a sigh of relief. The little rascal in the back was being quiet, and that was all he could ask for at the moment.

"After the ceremony, you will have a dream. In this dream, you will create your Art. No two Arts are the same, just as no two people are the same. Your art will generally coincide with whichever Guardian blessed you. Once this is over, you are free to choose your own destiny. Be it a farmer, a knight, a homemaker, or a noble, everything that you will experience is your own fault. Any more questions?"

"You still haven't answered my first one!"

The cleric sighed. That little brat had started again!

The boy stood up said continued. "If you only get blessed by one Guardian outside of daily life, does that mean that you can't expand? If I'm blessed by Horace, does that mean I can't use magic at all?"

"Yes! Exactly! That's what I was about to get to!" The cleric hollered. "Once you create your Art, you have your power. Nothing changes! Swordsmen can't use magic, Mages can't weave spellsongs, and Bards can't use War Arts. It's really that simple!"

"Ohhh." The boy said. Then, he cocked his head and said, "I don't get it!"