UNITY

Chase was sitting behind a small rustic wooden desk in the back of an old classroom. The class wasn't a large one compared to academies father north. However it was still a decently large class if compared to the others at the schoolhouse in Willowmere.

The blonde haired boy plucked off a splinter off of the top of his desk then returned to his head down on his desk with his arms folded to cover himself and closed his eyes. 

"Excuse me Chase, class is over." 

Chase looked up to see an older man who was leaning on the desk to Chase's right. The man had a strange limp in his right leg, as if he had a crippling injury when he was younger.

He wore a black robe that covered most his body, the man was also bald, and had dark brown eyes. Mr. Dane, was the name of Chase's grade school teacher, he was a kind elder man who rarely got mad at his students.

Chase rubbed his eyes as he sat up in his desk and gathered his things.

"You don't remember anything from the lesson, do you?" The elderly man said as he gently placed a large black book on Chase's desk.

"No... sorry." Chase said avoiding contact with his teacher, looking outside of the window of the old school house.

Mr. Dane did not respond for what felt like a couple of minutes, he took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Chase, have you discovered if you have any Martial or Physical affinities by chance?"

The blonde haired boy looked back at his teacher and thought for a second before responding.

"I don't know". Chase responded with a mumble.

"I see... So your father did not teach you how to find out then?" The elder man said toying with a small metal watch that looked broken while sitting atop the desk next to Chase's.

Chase shook his head as he stood up. "No, my father never said anything about "Affinities". The only reason I know what they are is because of Kade and Cloudy." He said as he walked to the door of the now empty classroom. 

The elderly man got up and limped over to the door, he walked past Chase and motioned for the boy to follow.

"I'd like to show you something that might help you." The man said with an innocent smile as he walked through the hallway. 

Chase hesitated for a second before following his teacher.

...

Chase and Mr. Dane were walking slowly next to the lake behind the old school house. 

"Chase can you tell me what Physical Affinities are?" The old man said as he walked in front of Chase without even bothering to look back at him.

"It is the soul's connection with the physical body, right?" Chase said not entirely convinced he was correct.

"That is only half the answer. In reality the soul and body really have no correlations, at least important ones to humans, however while you are incorrect, you are also slightly correct. Yes, there is an important connection between the physical body and the soul, however that does not effect your physical body nor your soul." Mr. Dane said in a tired but rather excited voice.

"So what is it then?" Chase asked, now officially confused.

"A Physical Affinity is the part of your physical being that draws in the most natural mana. For example: mine would be my eyesight, however it does not have to be a sense, it can be your strength from your muscles, or even the structure of your bones giving you an enhanced durability". The teacher said enthusiastically.

Mr. Dane paused before he spoke again. "Children usually find out their Physical Affinity a little before your age or even sooner."

"Well, I would tell you what other teachers would, but I am not going to, because in reality if you are a late bloomer, there is really nothing you can do about it. There are just so many different Affinities, that there is no way to find out intentionally! But, I'm confident that you will discover it soon." The old man continued.

Chase spoke before the elderly teacher could continue rambling again. "What if I dont have one though, isn't it quite common for people on the outskirts of the continent to not have any affinities?" 

The teacher started to burst out laughing, "Oh, boy if you knew the things that I did...!" Mr. Dane said between laughs and wheezes. 

Chase was not very amused by the answer but decided to keep quiet and ask a different question. "A Martial Affinity, What is that?"

"Oh, you dont know? Well, that is a little easier to explain, A Martial Affinity is basically the same thing however it is a certain talent of a skill a child is born with.

Satisfied with the answer Chase stopped walking and looked off into the direction of the beautiful lake mesmerized by the reflective water and vibrant colors of the flowers and the sunset. "Is swordsmanship a Martial Affinity...?"