I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

The second was a blonde girl, with braids on the sides of her head and a light-green dress. She climbed up with a bit of fear, her eyes wide, but determined. She placed her hands on the crystal.

The crystal glowed more strongly, a soft bluish light that lasted for several seconds.

She came down smiling from ear to ear, running into her mother’s arms.

"Mom! I awakened the same ability as you! Nimble Hands! I’ll be able to help you with sewing!"

The mother cried with joy, hugging her daughter tightly.

One by one, the children climbed the platform. Some awakened common abilities, Light Strength, Strong Memory, Keen Vision. Others awakened rarer abilities.

None, however, made the crystal shine as intensely as the next one.

Then it was Judite’s turn.

The brown-haired girl, wearing a light-blue dress and pink ribbons in her braids, looked at her parents. Her eyes were wide, not with fear, but anticipation. Her mouth was slightly open, and her fingers played with the hem of her dress, twisting the fabric.

Aurora knelt down to her level, holding her hands.

"Judite. Look at me."

Judite obeyed.

"It doesn’t matter what you awaken. It doesn’t matter whether it’s strong or weak. You are my daughter. You are a Dmond. And I will love you the same way, always."

Judite felt her eyes growing moist.

"Even if it isn’t a sword ability?"

"Even then."

Clavor also knelt down, something rare for the proud man. He placed a large hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

"Whatever it is, you’ll train. You’ll work hard. You’ll become strong in your own way. I believe in you."

Judite wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Okay."

She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and climbed the steps with determination.

Lukas watched from the back, his heart beating faster.

’It’s going to work.’

’It will.’

Judite stopped in front of the crystal.

It glowed faintly, as if dreaming. The inner light pulsed in a slow, hypnotic rhythm.

She raised her hands.

Her small hands, are still marked from when she fell in the garden last week and scraped her fingers. She placed them on the crystal, one on each side, just as the woman in the blue cloak had instructed.

She closed her eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened.

The silence in the hall was absolute. Even the parents of the other children seemed to be holding their breath.

Then...

The crystal exploded with light.

It was not a faint glow. It was not a timid pulse. It was an explosion of light, intense and blinding, illuminating the entire hall as though the sun had risen inside the building.

The light was silver-blue, the deep blue of a winter night sky mixed with the silver of a full moon. It pulsed once, twice, three times, each pulse stronger than the last.

The woman in the blue cloak widened her eyes and exclaimed.

"A magical ability!"

The crystal continued shining for nearly five seconds, far longer and far brighter than in all the previous cases. The light danced across the stone walls, reflected from the marble columns, and dazzled the parents who had not shielded their eyes.

And then, slowly, the light began to fade.

It pulsed weaker. Weaker. Weaker. Then vanished.

Judite descended the steps slowly. Very slowly.

Her head hung low, her shoulders drooping. Her brown hair fell over her face, hiding her expression. She approached her parents, nearly crying.

"Dad... I..." she began, her voice trembling, her lips shaking.

"I didn’t awaken a sword ability like you..."

Before she could finish, Clavor picked her up and lifted her high into the air, laughing loudly and happily, a deep, rough, genuine laugh that echoed throughout the hall.

"Why are you sad, you silly girl?!"

Aurora stepped forward as well, embracing the two of them, her eyes moist with happiness.

"You awakened a magical ability, my daughter!" Clavor exclaimed, spinning around with Judite in his arms, her hair flying in a circle.

"It’s the first time a mage has been born into the Dmond family! This is incredible!"

Judite blinked in confusion. Her mouth opened and closed several times.

"But..." she hesitated, her voice still shaky.

"But I wanted to be a swordswoman like you, Dad... Train with a sword. Protect the family with a blade."

Clavor stopped spinning and placed her back on the ground, kneeling in front of her.

"Judite," he said, his voice serious, though his eyes shone brightly.

"Magic is strength too."

He pointed at the crystal.

"Did you see that light? Did you see how it shone brighter than all the other children? That means your ability is rare. Powerful. You can become a mage worth ten swordsmen."

Aurora also knelt down, wiping the tears from her daughter’s face with her thumb.

"And you can learn swordsmanship too, if you want," she said gently.

"Nothing is stopping you from being both a swordswoman and a mage. You can be both."

Judite frowned thoughtfully.

"I can?"

"You can," Clavor confirmed with a smile.

"And you’ll be the greatest magical swordswoman the Kingdom of Rhyne has ever seen."

Judite still seemed hesitant.

"What was your ability?" Aurora asked Judite.

"Enhanced Mana," she announced loudly.

"Any mana I gather will have twice the effect. Potions I drink will be twice as potent. Spells I cast will be twice as strong. Healing magic will heal twice as much."

The woman who oversaw the hall approached and spoke briefly.

"It is an excellent ability. Rare. And highly sought after. You will become a powerful mage, little one."

Clavor and Aurora exchanged a look of pure joy.

Aurora kissed her daughter’s face several times, forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, until Judite laughed and tried to squirm away.

"It’s an excellent ability! You’re going to become a powerful mage!" Aurora exclaimed, her voice choked with emotion.

"Your grandmother would have been so proud..."

Clavor placed a hand on Judite’s shoulder.

"You’ll begin training as soon as we return home. I’ll try to hire a magic instructor from the capital. You’re going to learn everything."

Judite’s eyes finally lit up.

"Everything?"

"Everything."

She smiled, that huge, radiant smile that made dimples appear in her cheeks.

"Then that’s fine!"

Lukas watched everything in silence, a small smile on his lips.

He did not fully understand the magic system of this world. He did not know what "mana" was, how it worked, or how one trained it.

But he could tell it was something good. The reactions of his parents, the woman in the blue cloak, and the other families whispering among themselves, everything indicated that Judite had received a rare gift.

’Enhanced Mana. Double the effect. That sounds... strong.’

He also felt a stab of anxiety.

’What will my ability be when my time comes?’

’Will I be a mage too? Or something completely different?’

’My monstrous strength... is it an ability? Or is it something else?’

Tilbo, on his shoulder, slowly moved her antennae, as if she too were deep in thought.

The family left the Hall of the Eternal Crystal with enormous smiles on their faces.

Judite was still a little confused, her head tilted, her eyes wandering, as though she were processing the information in slow motion, but her parents’ happiness was contagious. She ended up smiling as well, holding Lukas’s hand while they walked back toward the street.

The sun was already high in the sky. The city was fully awake. The central market buzzed with activity.

Lukas smiled during the walk. He felt that his family would truly accept him. No matter which path he chose.

It didn’t matter whether he wanted to be a swordsman, a mage, a scholar, or, his secret dream, the builder of a zoo.

’That... is enough.’

Tilbo, on his shoulder, slowly moved her antennae.

And Lukas smiled.