《Soul Mage - Heart of Fire and Stone》 Chapter 1 ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± I breathe out and watch as my breath billows up in a cloud of silver mist, illuminated by our moon. No. I¡¯m not sure. In fact, I think there is still a part of me that is terrified at the prospect. The idea that somehow I, a seventeen year old girl, could make a difference. Would it even be possible for me to change what has been tradition for several thousand years¡­ if what we found out was actually true. ¡°Sai?¡± I breathe in and count to ten, allowing my excited heart to slow. That pit at the bottom of my stomach needs to close and I need to get moving. But my eyes are locked on the frozen landscape. It feels like a painting I might see in a museum or something. A white blanket draped over everything, untouched by fawna. The occasional tree with a thick frost coating their branches. A land frozen in time. One of the most memorable quotes I¡¯ve read was ¡®the most beautiful things, can also be the deadliest¡¯. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what it meant at the time, but maybe this is one of those things. My hands have gone numb and my legs, stiff and aching. If I didn¡¯t start moving, this beautiful place in the mountains, would kill me. Tightening the grip on the satchel I have slung over one shoulder, I force my frozen legs to move. Snow crunches underfoot as a strong gust of wind makes a serious attempt to knock me over. When it calms, I let out the breath I had been holding in, and then I take in another. ¡°Sai!¡± ¡°Wha¡­ what is it?¡± I ask. ¡°Finally!¡± he says. ¡°I asked you a question which you didn¡¯t answer.¡± He can¡¯t see my face, but I roll my eyes anyway. ¡°How am I supposed to answer questions when I¡¯m in the middle of¡­ surviving?¡± ¡°See Sai? That¡¯s the problem with creatures like me who can read minds,¡± he paused, probably for dramatic effect. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking and it has absolutely nothing to do with¡­ surviving.¡± I shake my head. ¡°Honestly?¡± I ask. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this.¡± ¡°Then¡­ why?¡± I don¡¯t know if Senza will really understand. The reason we are out here, what I plan to do, it terrifies me to the core. ¡°Because there are people who need my help,¡± I say. The steadiness of my own voice surprises me. Senza didn¡¯t reply for a long time. After a while of silence, I look to my other shoulder to see if the otter was alright. ¡°I wish it were easy for you,¡± Senza finally says. ¡°I¡¯m just as afraid, maybe even more¡­¡± he looks up, his eyes wide with¡­ is that wonder? I follow his gaze to the ridge ahead of us. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Blue eyes stare at us. The wolf makes no move to approach, but it also doesn¡¯t appear fearful or angry that we might be in its territory. It stands there calmly, perhaps curious of our presence. Then I see the little white fox run up beside him and my whole body fills with warmth. The little fox¡¯s amber eyes fall on mine and everything else falls away. The snow and ice are replaced with grass and a stream of water. Trees with their branches full of leaves are scattered around the landscape and standing tall in the distance, is the largest building I have ever lay my eyes on. The main structure appears like a mixture between the old school houses still standing all around Aurys and temples we use to worship the gods. Parapets connect six towers together and the gate leading in is a large, arched doorway. Senza lets out a tiny breath of his own. ¡°So it¡­ it is real.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. My entire body is frozen, but not because of the cold this time. ¡°Wait!¡± Senza snaps his gaze to the little fox who is still staring at us. I look to and notice that the wolf is nowhere to be found. ¡°Senza, is he a-¡± ¡°Shifter.¡± Shifters. From what I understand, are a rare breed. Looking at him, I¡¯m not sure if I should be honored that this shifter decided to show himself to us, or terrified of what he might be able to do. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid.¡± Senza¡¯s voice was calming and caused me to relax just a little. Realizing I had a death grip on my satchel and my knuckles were beginning to turn white, I loosen it. ¡°There is something else,¡± I say as my eyes wander over the no longer frozen landscape. ¡°I think he did this to give us a little bit of comfort. He doesn¡¯t seem to understand that it¡¯s doing more harm than good.¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°He created a glamor. It is an illusion that can change all the senses, but if we¡¯re standing in the freezing cold, even if the glamor gives us the illusion of warmth, it doesn¡¯t change a thing.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I should probably keep walking forward huh?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The illusion is remarkable. I have heard of glamors before of course and even had Senza craft me one to change my appearance. It wouldn¡¯t be good for me to enroll in this school if people actually knew who I was. Never before though, had I seen one so powerful. Glamors that can change all the senses simultaneously, are generally forbidden and for good reason I think. But this¡­ this is a glamor that can literally take the breath away. I walk forward and no longer feel the crunch of snow beneath my boots. Walking becomes easier as I no longer have to trudge and the breeze is warm, but also a little cool, a sweet caress against what little skin I have exposed. The wonders never cease. I stop before the tall, arched door as my eyes catch something floating in the sky. The small orange lantern drifts without a care, going on an endless adventure, into eternity. My gaze moves to another lanturn and then another and soon, the entire night sky, is full of tiny, orange lights. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I wish we had gotten here sooner.¡± He says nothing, but I can feel Senza¡¯s sentiment. Yes, he wishes so as well. Every single one of those lights, represents someone who has been lost. A war is raging just beyond our border and many have been killed in the line of duty. I have never been out there personally, but I know the horrors waiting for us over there, ensure that none of our dead can be collected. Even if somehow, we can get out there to collect those bodies, there would be so many graves required to bury the dead that it just isn¡¯t feasible. Lighting these lanterns and letting them float into the beyond, is one way we can honor the fallen, both soldiers and civilians. Mothers and fathers, friends and siblings¡­ children. The fox strolls into my line of vision once again, breaking me out of my trance. He shifts, seamlessly. His fur receding into what appears to be a small white hoodie and pants, his ears and tail become smaller, until they no longer exist and he becomes bipedal, with arms and hands replacing his front paws and legs. I blink at the silver haired boy, standing before us. He appears to be ten or eleven. ¡°My name is Shue¡­ who might you be?¡± He smiles and it is both one of the most adorable and saddest expressions I have ever seen. ¡°Christina Bellhaven,¡± I reply. Chapter 2 Shue tilts his head. His white hair glistening and those eyes! Those emerald eyes seem to glow in the moonlight. The gesture is adorable and reminds me of what a dog might do if it is curious or trying to work out what a person is saying. After a moment the boy extends a hand. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet someone new,¡± he says. ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t get very many visitors around here.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not a visitor.¡± He takes his arms and folds them behind his back. ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± I shake my head. ¡°Then¡­ you shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± he says. ¡°I actually came to enroll.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think you should. No offense it¡¯s just¡­ students don¡¯t normally have¡­¡± ¡°A choice?¡± I ask. That was something I figured to be true, but to actually hear someone say that¡­ it meant that what had been recorded in those books, was at least partially real. I needed to get in there and find out more. ¡°Yeah,¡± Shue says after a long moment of silence. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to turn around, are you?¡± I shake my head. Shue bows his head. It was a gesture like someone would make if they were praying to the gods or honoring someone who has¡­ oh god! That is not something I want to think about right now. ¡°Promise me Sai,¡± Senza says. It¡¯s his thoughts I can hear, made into words only I can hear and understand. I do the same, only thinking my response. ¡°If the students here are in trouble then I will not be leaving.¡± ¡°If it means your life or theirs Sai, then I¡¯m going to choose you every time. Promise me that if things start going bad, you will look for a way to escape.¡± That is something I don¡¯t think I can promise. Coward is not in my vocabulary and I refuse to abandon those who need my help. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± is my only response. It¡¯s to my relief when Senza remains quiet after that, leaving me to focus on the boy and the massive school standing before us. ¡°We would like it if you¡­ lead the way?¡± I ask. The school really was enormous, at least from the outside. I figure it would be helpful to have a guide. Shue looks up at us. He turns his gaze in one direction and then the next, before turning back to me. ¡°I can take you inside,¡± he says. ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­ eh¡­ nevermind. Just follow me.¡± Shue turns around and it¡¯s to my disbelief when he shifts. The eleven year old boy becomes a fox once again, white fur, large ears and puffy tail. Then he prances forward as if our conversation didn¡¯t just happen. When I step forward to follow him, the illusion falls away. The frigid, mountain air returns and snow once again, covers the earth. I turn my gaze to the sky and watch as those lanterns still float to wherever the wind has decided to take them. The large doors open by some, invisible force and we step inside. Warm air immediately greets us, as if this entire place has some kind of enchantment placed upon it. In the center of the entryway, is a tall pillar with four braziers built right into it and the statue of a gargoyle perched on top. The floor is made of marble and must have recently been polished because in it, I can see every reflection. Two curved staircases lead up to a second and sitting between the two staircases is a desk. My eyes move to the figure leaning against the desk. A tall, young man, my age or maybe a little older, with dark red hair. He¡¯s clothed in black. The man¡¯s head is down so I can¡¯t see his eyes and he has his arms folded across his chest. I take a few more steps in, toward the desk and wince as every step I take, no matter how quiet, echoes loudly in the large room. But then I stop completely. He slowly looks up, his crimson gaze meeting with my own sapphire and my heart skips a beat. The feeling I get when looking at him is strange. Do I know him? Have I seen this man before? I shake my head. Stolen novel; please report. I didn¡¯t think so. But then why did I see recognition in those eyes? And why does it feel like I do know this man? The look he gives me turns from one of recognition, to tenderness, to sadness and then a fury lights up in his eyes and he scowls at me. His expression changes so fast that I wonder if I had even seen any of those other emotions, or was I just imagining them? ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asks. There is venom in that tone. My voice catches in my throat when I notice the slight accent. ¡°I¡­ I came to enroll.¡± ¡°To Aurys academy?¡± he laughs. ¡°Then you are an absolute-¡± ¡°I¡¯m a what?¡± I ask in challenge. I know he is going to throw some kind of meaningless insult at me, but I don¡¯t care. I can take whatever he has. ¡°A moron! You¡¯re a fucking moron, dumbass, idiot to be coming here!¡± ¡°Oh? Is that all you have? Just throwing the entire dictionary of insults at me, are you?¡± He raises an eyebrow which is¡­ completely unexpected. ¡°Do you even know what happens at Aurys academy?¡± ¡°I have an idea.¡± ¡°An idea isn¡¯t good enough,¡± he says as he pushes himself away from the desk. ¡°You need to know before deciding to stay.¡± his voice turns from one of annoyance to having a sexual undertone. My satchel falls to the floor as I back away from his approach. ¡°W-hat are you going to do?¡± He grins, but his brows are still furrowed as he reaches out and grabs the front of my jacket and pulls me close. Our eyes meet and that gaze of his. In those eyes, in the depths of his soul, it isn¡¯t anger I see, nor is it annoyance or hatred, it is a sadness that goes so deep it can¡¯t possibly be seen on the surface. Yet it is there. I find myself unable to act, to move, to do anything but stare as his lips get closer and closer to my own. ¡°Ow! You fucking little¡­!¡± It takes me a moment to realize what just happened. He had pulled away and is now clutching his bleeding hand. My ocean, river beast lashed out with his teeth and now this man is paying for it! ¡°Good job Senza!¡± I think towards him. ¡°Always a pleasure to be at service.¡± The man looks at me and then glares at Senza. He reaches out to grab him, but before he can, Shue in fox form latches onto his leg. He takes hold of Shue¡¯s scruff and pulls him off with ease, before throwing the poor boy across the room. His gaze falls back upon me and I am pleased to see him once again, clutching his bleeding hand. ¡°Oh this guy?¡± I say. ¡°Meet Senza. He is what you might call, a familiar.¡± ¡°Daxton!¡± a male voice sounds from the second floor. I look up to see another young man. His hair is a light brown color and his eyes are silver. Unlike the one he called Daxton, he looks to be wearing a school uniform. A red suit with a crest emblazoned on the left side, of a fire surrounding a large boulder and beneath were the words ¡®fire and stone¡¯. Daxton looks up at him. ¡°What do you want Remmy?¡± he says, sounding utterly bored with everything. Remmy¡¯s eyes fall on the wound. ¡°You might want to get that looked at.¡± Daxton gives me one more scowl, before heading to the hallway on the left. Before he enters it though, he stops and looks at me one more time. ¡°You should leave here,¡± he says. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking this place is¡­ it is actually a thousand times worse. And once you see the headmaster¡­ well¡­ let¡¯s just say that there is only one way of leaving here.¡± then he turns around and vanishes down the corridor. Remmy descends the steps and then his eyes meet with my own. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± he says. ¡°I know the headmaster is expecting you, but you still have a chance to leave and go home. What Daxton did¡­ what he was going to do¡­ is mild compared to what awaits.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I say and it is absolutely the truth. ¡°Thank you for stopping him and for the warning. I¡¯ve made up my mind though, so I will not be leaving.¡± Remmy nods. He approaches me and my entire body tenses up, becoming wary of what he could do. The fear subsides however, when he reaches passed me and picks my bag off the floor. ¡°Follow me then. As I said, the headmaster is waiting for you.¡± I reach forward to take the satchel back, but he simply swings it over his own shoulder. ¡°Until you go through your assessment and are placed in a house, your bag will not be safe with you, nor will it be safe with the headmaster or in the barracks where new enrollees stay until their assessment is over.¡± ¡°And I can trust you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he says. ¡°I can put both this bag and your ferret in my room.¡± ¡°Ferret?¡± Senza¡¯s hackles rise. ¡°He¡¯s an otter actually,¡± I correct him. ¡°Well¡­ my apologies then,¡± he says with a slight bow of his head. ¡°You can trust him,¡± Senza says. ¡°I sense no ill intentions.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± I ask. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Senza stays with me actually,¡± I say as I follow Remmy to the stairs. ¡°He¡¯s your familiar?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Summoner than?¡± Wow¡­ he was good. I mean, it¡¯s no secret that summoners often have familiars with them, but so do a lot of other mages. ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. The rest of our walk is silent as he takes me up the large steps, then to an elevator which takes us to the sixth floor. When I exit, I find myself standing before two very large, very beautiful, mahogany doors. ¡°This is your stop,¡± he says. ¡°Shue, you stay here and wait for her to be done.¡± The little fox yawns his response. Remmy walks over to a small bench and places a book I hadn¡¯t noticed him carrying. Then he turns to me. ¡°When you¡¯re done here, Shue will take you to the auditorium.¡± He nods, before reentering the elevator. The door closes and then he is gone. I turn to the doors and what awaits me behind them. Chapter 3 Standing before those mahogany doors, my heart races. So the headmaster of a school we weren¡¯t sure even existed, somehow knew that I was coming? The whole thing seemed strange and surreal. A nervousness falls over me as I suck in a breath. Who is the man waiting on the other side of that door and what does he want? Are all enrollees brought to the principal''s office before they can become a student? It takes me several minutes to realize that the breath I sucked in, had been the only one. ¡°Sai,¡± Senza says in my head. ¡°Remember to breathe.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I say as I exhale. ¡°Easy for you to say, you¡¯re not the one who has to deal with whomever is on the other side of this door.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here though, am I not?¡± I nod and not wanting to stall this any longer, I reach for the door and push it open. The room is not what I expected it to be. While it is rather large, it is also dark and filled with book cases. The headmaster¡¯s personal library? I stroll in with Senza still on my shoulder. There is a long, short table in the center which has stacks of books, scrolls and parchments scattered across its surface. Other stacks of books which need to be shelved are sitting by several of the bookcases. I pick one up and swipe the thick layer of dust off its cover with my jacket¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Oh wow!¡± Senza says. ¡°That is¡­ an old book.¡± ¡°Breaon and Nalia, Truth of the Valarian War,¡± I recite the title. The book is old and tells the story of two people I knew to be war heroes but this¡­ this book seemed to be telling a completely different tale from the one I grew up hearing. ¡°That¡­ that isn¡¯t how the story happened,¡± Senza says. ¡°How do you know?¡± I ask. ¡°Were you around back then?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Before he can answer, there is a sound in the back that can only be described as a short yelp and a falling bookshelf. I place the book I picked up back where I found it and without looking back, walk cautiously around the line of bookshelves. My eyes fall on the one that had apparently fallen over and the form struggling beneath it. ¡°He¡­help¡­¡± he says as he places both his hands on the bookshelf and tries to lift it. ¡°Do you mind?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I say as I rush over. I take hold of one side of the bookshelf and proceed to push it with all my might. The thing was¡­ heavy. Still, with the help of the man beneath the bookcase, I managed to stand it back up. After taking a few, much needed breaths, I turned to the man and I couldn¡¯t help it, I gasped. ¡°Shhh,¡± Senza says. ¡°He cannot see through the glamor I placed upon you. I would rather we keep it that way.¡± The man who had foolishly allowed a large bookcase to fall on him, was my bookworm of an uncle, Milo Treigha. He vanished from my life roughly ten years ago. We didn¡¯t even know he was still alive and I¡¯m surprised I can even remember. He is a short, twig of a man with messy blonde hair and sitting on his nose, is a pair of eyeglasses. Milo lifts a hand and I grasp it, pulling him to his feet. ¡°Thank you,¡± he says as he walks around me to the table. ¡°Eh¡­ you¡¯re the headmaster?¡± I ask when he says nothing else. Milo is focused on a pile of documents on the table, written on parchment paper and hand drawn maps. Though it is only the corner of one page, I swear I saw something about the war. Many dead¡­ and hordes of¡­ then I notice my mother¡¯s name, General Lesse Treigha. My breath catches. But remembering where I am, I make sure to exhale. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Yes I am,¡± he says. ¡°You can call me Braeon Valara.¡± I frown. Braeon was the name of my favorite hero and a name that I saw on the cover of that book. That was a little¡­ pretentious. I understand making an alias for oneself. God knows that I did and until people figure out who I actually am, I will continue to use it. But it was a name I came up with on my own. As far as I know, it belongs to no one but myself, whether they be real, fantasy or someone in the far distant history of our world. ¡°You are¡­ Christina Bellhaven?¡± ¡°Yes but¡­ how did you know-?¡± He waves a hand at me and I stop talking. ¡°We know a lot of things,¡± he says. ¡°Including who each and every one of are students were, are and will be?¡± ¡°Past, present and future?¡± I ask. ¡°Ah! Yes! You are very smart!¡± he reaches under a stack of books and I watch horrified as it topples when he pulls out a single, leather and unlabeled book. My uncle Milo - because I refuse to think of him as Braeon - opens to an empty page. ¡°I need your signature here and then for you to put on this cuff.¡± He hands me a black wristband with a line of runes scribbled across the top. I look at the empty page and then back at him. ¡°Do you have a pen?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Milo says. ¡°Actually, this requires a completely different kind of ink.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think he means, your blood.¡± Senza says. ¡°My¡­ blood?¡± I cringe at the thought. There are very few things in the world I can¡¯t look at. Very few things my mind has a problem processing. Blood happens to be one of those. ¡°Your blood,¡± Milo continues. I watch as he opens a small, square, black box which appears to have a short, this needle sticking out of it. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­¡± I say as I take two steps back. ¡°Nonsense!¡± he says. ¡°It will only be a prick. It won¡¯t hurt. Now hold out your hand.¡± I do just that, but turn my head away and close my eyes. His hand closes around my wrist and I feel him pulling my hand towards the needle. Don¡¯t fight it, don¡¯t fight it, don¡¯t fight it. Those words repeat in my head, over and over again. I should not fight it, this is the only way. A contract must be made. ¡°There,¡± he says. Milo guides my hand to the paper and presses my now, bleeding finger down. I watch with both awe and horror as the fingerprint vanishes from the page. ¡°W-was that it?¡± I ask. Milo nods. ¡°It is,¡± he says. ¡°Now you need only to put on that cuff.¡± he motions to the piece of black fabric still clutched in my other hand. I look at it for a moment and then back to Milo. ¡°A contract has already been made Sai, the cuff as he calls it, is only meant to aid you in fulfilling that contract. You¡¯ve got nothing left to lose.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I say as I slip it around my wrist. At first, nothing happens. Then after a moment, the runes light up. They remain bright for another minute, before the light gradually fades and they become dull once more. ¡°There!¡± Milo says. ¡°Now I think you should go to the auditorium. I know its late, but the ¡®passing¡¯ is not yet finished and the house assessments are going to start right after that.¡± he turns away as if he wants to get back to whatever it was he was doing. As if in second thought though, he turns back to me. ¡°Tomorrow new students and those who have not yet gone through assessments, are allowed to skip their classes.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I say. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Go¡­ go!¡± Milo waves me away. I waste no time in escaping from that room. Though I¡¯m glad to see my uncle again after such a long time, I can¡¯t help that ever growing pit in my stomach that tells me something is not quite right. How does Uncle Milo of all people, become the headmaster of a secret, yet renowned school? And why has it been several years since I have seen him? Exiting the headmaster¡¯s library, I find Shue in his human form, sitting on the bench, reading. ¡°Ready to go?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah,¡± he says. He hops off the bench. Not stands, because that would have required his feet to be touching the floor in the first place. And leads me back to the elevator. ¡°This school isn¡¯t as bad as it was before but¡­ I think you still shouldn¡¯t have come here. It¡¯s still¡­¡± ¡°Dangerous?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Shue says as he presses the button to go down. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve got that cuff, you¡¯re essentially trapped like the rest of us¡­¡± he looks towards me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do, but if you need help¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask,¡± I say. A soft bell dings and the elevator doors open. We step through. Chapter 4 The Passing was what we call the day every year when lanterns are to be set free. Representing the souls of every individual who has passed in our country. Whether they have participated in the war or not, doesn¡¯t matter. Orange lights however, are those who have fallen in battle or vanished while on a mission. Those who disappear are always assumed to be dead or so badly injured they can¡¯t hope to return in time for a healing. Blue lights represent everyone else. Before entering this building, I couldn¡¯t help but notice, there were very few blue lights. We walk along one of the corridors on the main floor. Torchlight flickers and dances, reflecting red flames off the shiny, marble floor. Every step echoes, reverberating back to us in the narrow space. A few steps ahead is a large, arched doorway. No doors though, just an open space between. Shue runs ahead and turns around, waiting for my arrival. ¡°This way!¡± he says. Then he enters the auditorium. ¡°Sai?¡± Senza says. Still perched on my shoulder, he glances around the enormous room. I can hear the hint of anxiety in his voice and understand completely why. Shue was not the only young child here. There were some who looked to be even younger than he was, mixed with students in their mid to late teens and some who appeared even older than that. Could anyone join this school? Why was the age range so big? ¡°It makes sense for the older students, if graduating after fifty years is a thing. But¡­ I would have never expected kids younger than Shue to be here. This¡­ I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I whisper. ¡°Neither do I.¡± We approach a set of steps which lead down and all around the auditorium were seats. There must have been thousands upon thousands and most are paired with a student. I look down at Shue who is waving at me and I feel all eyes turn to me as we descend. Both Daxton and Remmy were seated near the bottom and someone¡­ ¡°Is that Emri?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Senza says. ¡°You know¡­ he knows you better than anyone else right?¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Well¡­ if anyone can see through your disguise, it¡¯s him.¡± Emri is¡­ was my friend. Until he disappeared. We grew up together and he was the reason Senza and I became partners. The reason Senza is my familiar. And Senza is right. Senza¡¯s glamor is good, better than most I assume, but I am sure that Emri will see right through it. ¡°This way!¡± Shue says as he turns into the row where Emri, Daxton and Remmy are all seated. He squeezes past Emri to an empty seat on the other side. I sit on the end, right beside Emri. He looks at me and I look at him, then we quickly look away from each other. The interaction is strange. After not seeing him for nearly two years and now suddenly finding myself beside him, I didn¡¯t know what to- ¡°Sai?¡± he whispers. I close my eyes and breathe, not surprised in the slightest by Senza¡¯s prediction and then I realize something. ¡°Senza¡­¡± I think towards him. ¡°He can¡¯t see me. I extended the glamor to myself.¡± Wow. When did he get so good at crafting illusions? It was one thing to change someone else''s appearance or create a glamor that changed what a place looked like. Hiding oneself however. That required you to continually replace the illusion with another as you moved. Replacing it with one that resembled the surrounding area. ¡°Shhh,¡± I say. ¡°What are you¡­?¡± ¡°Call me Christina here. Or Chris.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± I shake my head. ¡°My father doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m here, Emri. If anyone finds out-¡± Emri lets out a long breath. ¡°They won¡¯t find out,¡± he says. ¡°But we¡¯ll talk about this later.¡± Emri turns his head toward the large stage before us. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Before I turn my gaze away, I can¡¯t help but notice, Daxton¡¯s crimson gaze upon me. He says nothing though and simply turns back toward the stage. Lights above flicker on as someone ascends the steps. Not my uncle. A tall man in a black suit, with short, onyx hair that is unkempt. A tattoo which appears like a vine of thorns stretches from his left ear, down his neck. He turns around on the stage and addresses us, with a wireless mic held in one hand. ¡°Unfortunately your headmaster Braeon cannot be here tonight,¡± he spoke through the mic. It was odd how he said ¡®your¡¯ and not ¡®our¡¯. In a quieter voice, ¡°he is¡­ busy.¡± I roll my eyes and allow the tiniest hint of a smile, when several murmurs of disappointment erupt around us. That was so like my uncle though. Always busy with research and science. ¡°But let me introduce myself as your Professor Kaivos Xanotia. Welcome to Aurys Academy first years!¡± His voice echoes throughout the auditorium. ¡°Most of you should know this, but I know that some of you do not. If you are wearing one of these bands¡­¡± Kaivos raised his right arm to show a band around his wrist. ¡°That means you cannot leave!¡± A few cries of angry outrage. Cries I assume are from students who were brought here against their own will and from students who came of their own accord, but had no idea what the rules were of this place. ¡°Get a hold of yourselves, please!¡± Kaivos yells into the mic. ¡°You have a deal to thank for this! A deal that was made long ago! Anyways, we are not here to talk about that. We are here to announce this year¡¯s trial. It will occur at the end of the year with our mages against everyone else.¡± I turn my head to the side when someone makes a light, growling sound. Daxton grit his teeth. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ does he know?¡± I ask Emri. ¡°There¡¯s only one trial where all Vaerynne are pitted against human mages. Unfortunately¡­ it¡¯s the same one we had to take part in last year.¡± ¡°The Wild Hunt!¡± Kaivos yells. ¡°I don¡¯t think I even want to know what that is,¡± I whisper to Emri. ¡°Yeah,¡± he says. ¡°But I think you need to know.¡± ¡°Look to your seniors to figure out what that is. Now, I know that it is late, but we need to begin assessments. Those of you who will be assessed, should have the image of a wolf on your band. That is what we call a glyph, you will learn about those later. Those who do not have that symbol, may go to the barracks where you will sleep. Your assessment will be tomorrow. Those who have the wolf mark, go and meet in the great hall!¡± People start standing up all around us and begin to file up the stairs where their seats are located, in one of four corridors. Emri takes my wrist and turns it around. There in silver, is the mark of a wolf. ¡°Yeah¡­ you are one of them,¡± he says. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Emri stands. ¡°You¡¯re coming?¡± I ask as I stand. ¡°We all have a choice,¡± he says. ¡°We can either watch, or we can go to bed.¡± We exit the line of seats and I follow Emri up the stairs. ¡°So it¡¯s a¡­ spectacle¡­?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± ¡°Not a spectacle,¡± Daxton says from beside me. I look over at him and see the scowl he¡¯s wearing on his face. ¡°The assessment is to judge how powerful your magic is and be sorted into a house based on what magic you are able to use. In the assessment we are not allowed to kill our opponents¡­ unfortunately.¡± he rolls his eyes. ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± ¡°Worry about that later¡­ Chris.¡± I make sure to take note of the way Emri pauses, before saying my alias. ¡°So what are the rules?¡± ¡°The match ends when either a judge, which will be at least five of our professors, steps in to stop it, one of you gets knocked out or one of you surrenders. If a judge believes your magic is too weak, then you will be placed with our infantry instead. Oh and for the record, only mages have to go through this, everyone else is placed in a house based on what they are and what element they have an affinity to.¡± Emri stops at the top of the stairs and looks at me. He doesn¡¯t need to say anything. You shouldn¡¯t be here, are the unspoken words. I climb the stairs and pass him, into the corridor. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I say. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Senza asks from my shoulder. ¡°Do you¡­ really?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I reply. ¡°Well, anyways,¡± Emri says. ¡°That¡¯s how the assessment works. Oh and you won¡¯t be fighting first years. You¡¯ll be fighting six people, two from three different houses. One a mage and the other will be a Vaerynn. And¡­ are you going to take him in with you?¡± He was, of course, referring to Senza. I shake my head. ¡°He¡¯s too important for me to take into the assessment.¡± ¡°Then, want me to watch him?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I say as we reach the great hall. The entrance to the building. I lift Senza off my shoulder and hand him to my friend. ¡°Be careful Chris,¡± Emri says. ¡°We¡¯ll be going to the bleachers above the arena.¡± I nod and watch as Emri walks off with Senza. ¡°Heh¡­ are you sure about that?¡± Daxton says. ¡°He¡¯s your familiar isn¡¯t he?¡± Senza was my familiar and in most cases, familiars almost always fought with the person they were bonded with. I rarely used Senza as a combat companion. There are other things I can do. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± I say. ¡°Suit yourself then,¡± Daxton says as he climbs one of the curved staircases leading to the second floor. Without saying a word, Remmy follows close behind him and then I am left alone in a room full of first year students. We all stand there, waiting for our magic assessment to begin. I smile in anticipation. Chapter 5 This night was going to be a long one. I knew it was late and of course I wasn¡¯t the only one going through an assessment tonight. Looking around, I thought there might be at least thirty of us. Standing in the great hall, waiting for something to happen. For someone to come and explain what it was, we were supposed to do. We didn¡¯t have to wait very long. The man who called himself Professor Kaivos, entered the great hall through a hallway on the left and climbed the curved staircase. Once at the top, he turned to address us and I couldn¡¯t help but notice in that moment, that his eyes were a vibrant gold. This man seemed to be a master when it came to talking to large crowds. No matter how much conversation had been going on before, at the raise of a hand, everyone fell silent. He waited for a long moment before beginning to speak. ¡°Before we begin this¡­ assessment, there is something I need to say,¡± he said. ¡°If, before arriving here, you had never heard of Aurys Academy¡­ that is a good thing. Your hopes about this place won¡¯t be¡­ well let¡¯s just say, you won¡¯t be entirely disappointed.¡± He paused, most likely waiting for whispers to start or for questions to be asked. Everyone remained attentive and listening. ¡°If you have heard of this place, or tried to research it, you will have some idea about what goes on in our hallways. Throw that out, because I can assure you, it is much worse than what you came here assuming. I am not talking about how bad our teaching might be. You will go to class here, you will learn and you will learn well! What I am referring to, are the rules and the students. A lot of that you will find out for yourselves, but one thing you need to keep in mind, is that whatever goes on in those halls, the faculty are forbidden from interfering.¡± That last statement, did cause a round of whispers and questions. The main ones being, ¡°is he serious?¡± and ¡°What do you mean?¡± I thought I already knew. The books I had access to when reading up on this school, were a bit more advanced than what most of these other students would have been able to read. And if the way Daxton had acted when I arrived, was any indication, those books were at least partially true. Bad things happened to the students at this school. Whether it was just because of other students or if the teachers and professors had anything to do with those things, remained still to be seen. ¡°Hey,¡± another student said. She was a bit shorter than myself, with long, brown hair done up in a single braid. She wore a jean jacket unbuttoned, with a plain, white shirt underneath and a pair of cargo pants. On her back, she carried a small, teddy bear backpack and there was some kind of staff held by one of its straps. ¡°What¡­ do you think he means?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I lied. ¡°I guess, we¡¯ll just have to find out.¡± If I did tell her what I truly thought, she might not have believed me. Even if she did trust everything I said, that kind of information could send someone into a panic. That was irrelevant because unlike other schools in this kingdom, Aurys Academy did not have sick days, it did not have leaves or suspensions. You couldn¡¯t get expelled and you couldn¡¯t, under any circumstances, transfer to another school. You could not leave. I was sure that if any student tried¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that was probably why we had been given special cuffs or wristbands with runes spun into the fabric. One of those runes I couldn¡¯t help but notice, was the rune for a locked door. So that meant¡­ it would even be impossible to remove the cuff. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°My name is Jessica by the way,¡± she said. ¡°Jessica Fairmont.¡± ¡°Christina Bellhaven,¡± came my response. ¡°Listen!¡± Kaivos yelled from the second floor balcony. ¡°Listen up!¡± It took a few moments, but eventually the chattering did cease and everyone turned towards him. ¡°Go down the hallway on the right and you will be taken to the arena,¡± Kaivo explained. When nobody moved, he waved a hand in that direction. ¡°What are you waiting for? Go now! Single file!¡± I nodded to Jessica and the two of us pushed through the crowd of students to the corridor. It was exactly the same as the one which led into the auditorium. A marble floor, red brick walls and torches spaced intermittently to provide light. ¡°So, what kind of mage are you?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said. ¡°Guess you¡¯ll just have to wait and see what I am.¡± I allowed myself a little smile and winked in her direction. Jessica folded her arms. ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± she said. ¡°Unless you are planning to tell me what you are,¡± I said. ¡°I think it¡¯s completely fair.¡± It was fair and I didn¡¯t think other students would be talking about what they were. Besides, summoners were rare and not telling people my class of mage or what I was capable of doing, might give me some kind of advantage in the future. ¡°You¡­ might have a point there,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to wait and see.¡± Jessica gave me then, the cutest little smile. We exited the hallway into what appeared to be some kind of colosseum. I read about places like these in our history textbooks, but didn¡¯t think they still existed. Colosseums were originally places where talented mages could make money by participating in tournaments. Not all of them were fun and games however. Some mages competed because they were prisoners and slaves. They were forced to use their magic to kill each other. I just hoped that what I had learned about this school, didn¡¯t extend to that. There were three smaller sections within the colosseum which I guessed, were for three different assessments that were to take place simultaneously. Despite the fact that they were much smaller than the colosseum as a whole, they were still really big. And standing on the other side from us, were more students. Probably the ones who were here to test us. I scanned the faces and yeah, there were Daxton and Remmy, waiting for the assessment to start. Three people whom I guessed were a few of the professors, stood by each of the smaller arenas. Professor Kaivos strolled up to them and started talking to the only female professor who was waiting there, with her arms crossed. After a moment, he turned to us. ¡°Each of you will draw two numbers,¡± he held up two boxes. ¡°One is for the arena you will be in, and the other number is your place in line. The students behind us,¡± he motioned with his head to the group standing on the other side of the arenas. ¡°They will be your testers. It is important to note here, that they have been instructed not to kill you¡­ at least this time. So it is fair that I say the same to you. This is not a death match, just an assessment of your skills.¡± The rest of it went rather smoothly. We lined up in single file and picked our numbers. Mine were for arena three and I was the eleventh person to be able to go. Hopefully that meant that I would be able to get my assessment done and over with so I could go to sleep. I let out a long yawn. ¡°Hey Chris!¡± I looked to the bleachers where the voice had come from. Emri stood up there with a look of concern and he was holding Senza. I put up a hand and waved. ¡°We¡¯re here cheering you on,¡± came Senza¡¯s voice in my head. ¡°Be careful Sai. You don¡¯t know what tricks they have up their sleeves.¡± I nodded up to him. He was right. I didn¡¯t know a thing about what anyone else could do. Still¡­ this wouldn¡¯t deter me. With my eyes facing forward, I took on a neutral expression and waited for the assessment to begin. Chapter 6 Jessica was the first mage to climb onto the third arena, while I and a few others watched from the sidelines. Her opponents were a wolf shifter named Leo Hausan. He was huge, almost as tall as she was in wolf form and his fur was a dark, tanned color. The wolf¡¯s golden eyes stared back at her, as she never averted her gaze from his. Leo lifted his lips and let out a loud, guttural snarl. Beside him was a kid who looked like he couldn¡¯t be more than fourteen. His hair was a bleachy blond, short with the roots dyed black. He allowed his lips to curve up in a grin that did not reach his eyes. ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s okay, I got this!¡± Jessica said as she lifted a thumb into the air, which I knew was directed at me. It did not look very convincing. ¡°It¡¯s okay?¡± the boy asked with his arms spread wide. He looked like he was good at putting on shows for his audiences. He then crooked a finger towards his chest. ¡°My name is Andrew Cavera, and there is no way you can defeat us!¡± That was a little arrogant of him. I looked at the uniform he wore. It was a dull green, like the color of ocean water under a bright sun. The crest was of some kind of sea creature jumping high out of water and into¡­ clouds? Beneath the crest were the words Ocean and Air. From reading that, I thought I had a pretty good idea about what elements those two represented. ¡°Begin!¡± Kaivos said, loud enough that everyone could hear. Leo the wolf shifter moved immediately. Teeth bared, ready to strike he leapt forward towards Jessica. Andrew raised his arms this time, muttering something under his breath. A blue, white light appeared around his feet and then he thrust both arms towards the wolf shifter. It surrounded Leo, before vanishing seconds later. ¡°Geomancer.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked Senza. ¡°That¡¯s what your new friend is. She¡¯s a geomancer.¡± Jessica looked to be too small and frail to be a geomancer but Senza somehow, was remarkably good at guessing who could use what type of magic. He was almost never wrong. Geomancers were experts when it came to manipulating the earth. They could split the earth in two, or call up vines and roots from below. Geomancers could throw boulders or create powerful shields from dust. Out of all the elemental mage classes, they were among the strongest. She lowered herself into a crouch, waiting for the wolf¡¯s approach. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what the boy had done, but I figured since it hadn¡¯t been an attack, it had to be a boost of some kind. Something to give Leo an advantage. And then, Jessica did one too. Unlike the boost Andrew did, with Jessica there was no spectacle. No whispered words, no raised arms. Just a brown glow around her feet, before it engulfed her and then it was gone. She leapt into the air right before Leo¡¯s teeth clamped down and in her hands were two, brown daggers. That was¡­ that was something I didn¡¯t know mages could do. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Yes,¡± came Senza¡¯s confirmation. ¡°Most elemental mages can create their own, physical weapons¡­ though it doesn¡¯t work as well for water, air or fire. I think it has something to do with the fact that those aren¡¯t exactly physical and they are always moving.¡± It took less then a second and Leo hit the floor with all four paws, twisted and jumped into the air after her. Jessica twisted and brought down one of the earth daggers upon Leo, with the pummel hitting him in the head. He fell to the ground and let out a shrill whimper, before climbing back to his paws. Jessica landed with hands to her sides and one knee on the floor. ¡°Take this, bitch!¡± Andrew shouted. I turn my head to see him charging towards her with several, tiny balls of what appeared to be water, floating around his head. He stopped about ten feet from where she had landed and thrust an arm out. Like miniature bullets, the balls of water flew straight at her! One managed to slice a hole in her shirt, causing blood to swell up on her arm. It wasn¡¯t a serious cut, but it could have been. Jessica turned around and raised a brown, transparent shield around herself. The rest of the water bullets splashed into the shield, the water either being absorbed by the sand, or fell harmless to the floor. My eyes went wide when the girl extended a hand and that shield turned into several horizontal spikes. Two more seconds and they were flying towards Andrew. He dodged to the floor as they flew past him. Leo was then above her and was about to bite down when¡­ he was frozen in place, hovering in the air. ¡°That is enough!¡± Kaivos said as he climbed the stairs to the arena. ¡°Well done! You have four more to take on if you want, or we can choose your house right now.¡± Jessica allowed her earthen daggers to decay and crumble into dust and then she turned to the professor. ¡°But I thought I had to defeat all six.¡± ¡°Whether you officially become a mage or end up joining the infantry, depends solely on how strong your magic is and how you¡¯ve used it,¡± Kaivos explained. ¡°While fighting all six might be required of most, all professors present can stop a match at any time they want, if they decide they¡¯ve seen all they needed to.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ um¡­ alright,¡± Jessica said. Kaivos smiled. ¡°Your house is The House of Trees and Ice.¡± I watched as Jessica was led out of the colosseum. The other matches before me, went by in a blur. There were at least three fire mages in our group who had to fight a druid, and two geomancers along with three wolf shifters. The first kid whom I thought was thirteen, succeeded in defeating his challengers. A boy who looked to be about sixteen, failed in fighting his first challengers. It was decided he was too weak to join the mages. The third first year, in her twenties, managed somehow, to knock out her opponents. Others fought too, some succeeded and some didn¡¯t. Failing though, didn¡¯t mean they could not become a mage however. They would be given another chance once a year until they either gave up or succeeded. And then, it was my turn. I stood on my side of the arena, facing one whom I thought might be a vampire and tall man who had to be in his twenties. This was not going to be easy, but I steeled myself and faced them with the most determined expression I could muster. ¡°Begin!¡± Kaivos shouted. Chapter 7 Before climbing up to the arena, I had shed myself of my winter gear. Now in just a simple black t-shirt and a pair of sweats, I felt as if I could move a lot more freely. I was ready for anything they had to throw at me. Neither moved. Were they just waiting to see what I could do? What my abilities were? Were they waiting for me to make the first move and make a mistake in the process? I wasn¡¯t sure. Their expressions were unreadable as Enzo the vampire, lowered himself into a crouch. His silver gaze never left my own. Something wasn¡¯t right. The other man¡­ he was smiling. And there was¡­ I looked down at my feet. A black mist, a line of smokey tendrils was creeping around me. My eyes went back to the vampire who - he was no longer there. I knew vampires could move fast but¡­ I gritted my teeth and somersaulted over the mist. I came back to my feet and twisted to face the vampire who brought his clawed hand down right where I had been standing moments before. ¡°Arteaea!¡± I shouted. And that was all I had to do, to call upon a contracted summon. In most cases, calling their name was enough to bring them forward. Summons never took on more than one contract at a time, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about them currently being occupied by another summoner. A white mist formed in front of me. It swirled around and around, luminescent as it began to take form. Long ears formed on a short snout, a feline body took shape and a long tail formed as well. In the crowd there were a few gasps which I¡¯m sure were from Aw, and if there had been any conversation before, it all ceased as Arteaea the sun fox took form. As I mentioned before, summoners were extremely rare. Whether it was because the magic was so ancient it was beginning to fade from the world, or that these creatures were only willing to create contracts with people who had certain character traits, I wasn¡¯t sure. There was a lot I didn¡¯t know and a lot I still had to learn about what I was. The black mist lashed out towards me and the sun fox, Arteaea stepped out in front of me. The whip made contact with his face, but vanished into nothingness. He let out a little, high pitched cry and a veil of light appeared around me. ¡°Clever!¡± I turned to see the man with copper colored hair, smiling. In his left hand, he held what appeared to be a long staff with a crooked end. If what the vampire had used was shadow, then it made sense that this man would then be using light. That was the name of their house after all. The House of Sun and Shadow. ¡°What was clever?¡± I asked. ¡°You summoned a creature who could use light against my friend there, who uses shadow,¡± he replied. Arteaea couldn¡¯t use light. He was light and this was just the form he was choosing to take at the moment. I smiled. Because of what he was, neither light nor darkness would work on him. More tendrils of shadow came towards me, but slammed into the barrier of light my friend had placed around me. And as Enzo the vampire charged, I raised my hand, palm facing up and allowed myself to feel the wind. A swirling, twisting breeze formed in my palm. First it twisted counter clockwise. Then a little piece of it split off and twisted up and around. The wind formed into a tiny ball, no larger than my fist. I threw it at the charging vampire. Enzo leapt over it like it was just another obstacle in his path to get to me. He opened his mouth and a pair of fangs poked barely below his upper lip. The bright lights above reflected off their whites, causing them to glint. I twisted out of the way, but the wrong way! Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. A pair of strong arms latched under mine from behind. ¡°You know what this school is, don¡¯t you?¡± the man, I thought his name was Ineil, whispered into my ear. Yes. I did know what this place was, at least to some extent. That was why I didn¡¯t cry out or scream as Enzo brought forth more black mist than I thought was even possible. It surrounded Arteaea without touching him. The little sun fox squealed, barked and whimpered. When the mist cleared, he was gone and I had to send my thanks to the gods. Arteaea would be fine, because he was made of pure light. A fist slammed into my stomach. There was nothing I could do as Ineil held me, while the vampire punched, over and over again. This would not be the end, I would not let it! ¡°I¡­ do¡­¡± I answered in between punches. ¡°What?¡± Ineil asked. His voice sounded serious, but I knew he was smirking. ¡°Know¡­ what this place is,¡± without giving them enough time to throw another punch into my now, very tender stomach, I lifted my legs and kicked back with all the force I was able. Ineil tripped backwards, loosening his grip. It allowed me to wrench myself free of his grasp. I leapt into the air on a platform of wind and dodge the punch that was meant for me. The mage fell on the floor and Enzo punched down right beside him. I would have to be more careful in the future, I knew what vampires were capable of and it wasn¡¯t just their boosted strength. If Enzo had latched onto me with those teeth- ¡°You would have been done.¡± I clicked my tongue. Yeah¡­ I forgot Senza was still technically here and could still read my thoughts. ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± I thought towards him. What he was referring to, of course, was a vampire¡¯s bloodlust. While most could control themselves, that still didn¡¯t mean that if they had the opportunity to feed, they wouldn¡¯t take it. If that had happened¡­ I shuddered at the thought and was thankful that all the vampires here had probably been told, not to feed on the first years. ¡°You can finish this fast, you know,¡± Senza said. ¡°Shhh!¡± I replied. There were sounds in my head, like he was choking on air. ¡°Are¡­ are you shushing me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to cheat,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, I would hardly call this cheating.¡± ¡°You telling me what to do is cheating.¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something,¡± Senza said in a snarky, sarcastic tone. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°Only you can hear me.¡± Honestly, I didn¡¯t think that mattered. I knew he would have been giving me advice and telling me things, even if no one else did¡­ I would have known. I slid my gaze back to my opponents as Enzo was now facing me again and Ineil had climbed back to his feet. They were doing something as well¡­ I watched carefully as a tendril of black mist and a tendril of white mist both formed, entwining with one another. He was right though. I could end this right now if I wanted to. And I supposed ending it before they were able to unleash whatever that attack was on me, would probably be wise. I raised a hand and allowed a swirling wind to form in the palm of my hand. This time instead of my palm facing the ceiling, it was facing them. The black and white mist came towards me and I allowed the wind to take control. It left the palm of my hand, gusting at the tendrils, causing them to vanish as if they had never been there to begin with. It continued though. Picking up speed with every second. The force of the impact hit both Enzo and Ineil, throwing them from the arena. I turned to the crowd as everyone watching, cheered and let loose their whoops! And harrays! Kaivos climbed the stairs onto the arena, his golden eyes looking into mine. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, then he nodded and there seemed to be something like approval in those golden eyes. ¡°Christina Bellhaven, you did well,¡± he said. ¡°If you are tired, you may retreat and let the next person have their chance, but there are still two more pairs you have to defeat.¡± ¡°If you will allow it,¡± I said. ¡°I would like to stay and take on the next two.¡± I really didn¡¯t feel tired, or breathless for that matter. As a summoner, it didn¡¯t take me long at all to recover from exhaustion. Kaivos nodded and proceeded down the stairs. My heart began to race and my breath caught in my throat when the next two, took their places in the arena. Chapter 8 Two sets of eyes stared back at me, one crimson and the other silver. They were the two I had met earlier, Remmy and Daxton. They were here to represent their own house. The House of Fire and Stone. My sapphire eyes went to Remmy who stood there, crouched and ready. Daxton on the other hand, stood with both hands dropped to his sides. He still wore a scowl on his face, but it was a lot less prominent than the one he had worn before. And I noticed now, he also wore the uniform that represented their house. ¡°Begin!¡± came Kaivos¡¯ voice from below. They wasted no time at all. The ground shook and I could only guess that it was some kind of earth magic that was the culprit here. Remmy with his hand on the floor, never allowed his gaze to stray from me. I wondered what he could possibly be thinking. ¡°Pay attention!¡± My eyes snapped to Daxton who was sprinting towards me. One of his hands was balled up in a fist and held by his side. Flames erupted around it! Ten feet¡­ five feet¡­ he swung at me. I twisted out of the way, pivoting on a heel. Daxton twisted mid swing, almost connecting with my face and if it wasn¡¯t for the barrier I held up, it would have. Instead, his fist connected with air. He hopped backwards as I dropped to the floor and swung my feet towards his. Unfortunately I missed. Daxton had probably guessed what I had been about to do. ¡°I thought you were a summoner,¡± he said. I was a summoner, but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t do other things as well. Summoners could often pull the abilities of the creatures that had contracts with and it was very common for them to learn how to fight hand to hand. Most wanted to be out there, with the creatures they had become fond of. Made friends with. ¡°I am,¡± I said. My barrier went up again as several small bullets of earth flew in my direction. They hit my barrier and disintegrated. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you call something to help you like you did in the other match?¡± Honestly? The reason was because it took a lot of energy to summon a creature. More energy than it took, to just use their abilities. I also only had a total of four. Four creatures to summon, two of which needed rest and the third and fourth? Well, I would only call Nyx if I felt my life or the life of someone I cared about was in danger. That wasn¡¯t here though. The fourth creature, I was just waiting for the right moment. I dropped the barrier and sprinted to where the vampire was setting up his next earth attack. Pulling the same kind of trick that Daxton had used, I swung out a fist surrounded by swirling air. It went through his barrier of dust he had conjured up, but the vampire was too quick! I leapt backwards and out of my reach. ¡°You seem like a nice person, Christina,¡± he said. ¡°So let me give you some advice.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°What if I don¡¯t want your advice?¡± I said as I threw a blast of air in his direction. ¡°I¡¯m going to give it to you anyway,¡± Remmy swung his hand like he would a knife and cut through my blast of air. ¡°This place is not for someone like you?¡± Someone like me? What was that even supposed to mean? I know I had only been in Aurys academy for about an hour at this point, but that didn¡¯t mean I haven¡¯t noticed some things. Like how young Shue was. How young a lot of kids were, but also the teenagers like myself and the adults, like Remmy. There were people here whom I thought might be in their fifties, yet they were not teachers. They were students just like us. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know what you mean,¡± I said. ¡°I mean, you are skilled, I¡¯ll give you that, but there are some who are even more so. And those people, They are not like Daxton and I,¡± he said. ¡°My advice to you, would be to forfeit and join the infantry corps.¡± The infantry? I shook my head. There was no way I was going to do that. ¡°Yeah sorry Remmy,¡± I said. ¡°That is your name right? Well, I¡¯m not going to do that.¡± Remmy sighed and shook his head. ¡°Thought you might say that, but I had to try.¡± ¡°Behind you!¡± Senza shouted in my mind. I rolled out of the way as Daxton brought a foot down, right where my head had been moments before. Where his heel had connected with the hard floor, there was now a small hole. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not grateful or anything for the help Senza, but¡­¡± ¡°But¡­?¡± he asked. ¡°I told you specifically not to help me because-¡± ¡°It feels like cheating, I know I know. But you know that I should technically be out there with you.¡± Senza was right. I should have brought him into the arena with me, but I chose not to. Not because he¡¯s an otter but because of what he is¡­ or wait, that didn¡¯t sound quite right. All that mattered was that there were reasons I could not bring him into battle with me, especially one like this where there were too many eyes watching. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later,¡± I said as I turned back to my opponents. The rest of the fight was a blur to me. Fighting two people who were far more skilled than I was, was extremely taxing. Daxton would rush in - I was starting to guess now that he was a battle mage - and throw a fiery punch or kick in my direction. There were a few that actually managed to break through my barrier and throw me back a little. Once, I even almost fell off the arena and that would have been it for me. Avoiding the earth attacks from Remmy was easy enough. All I had to do for those was either jump into the air, aided by the wind from one of my summons, or either throw up a barrier or twist out of the way. Remmy threw more of those earthen bullets in my direction and with the sweep of a hand, they were gone and then so was Remmy. Somehow, my attack managed to get past his own shield and it threw the vampire off the platform we were standing on. A grin crept up my face as I dodge Daxton¡¯s next attack. A fist to the face. ¡°Alright!¡± Kaivos yelled. ¡°Alright Daxton! Your battle with her is over.¡± Daxton stood up straight, looking not at all pleased with the outcome of this. His scowl was piercing as I met his gaze once more. Then he took his leave, down the stairs he had climbed up to get here. Kaivos came over to stand before me. ¡°You are skilled with what you know,¡± he said as he crossed his arms. ¡°I think any house would be lucky to have you, but I believe here, that you belong in Fire and Stone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said. ¡°Fire and Earth magics¡­ well¡­ I don¡¯t have any summons that can use either of those elements.¡± ¡°Then I guess you¡¯d better get some,¡± he said as he led me down the stairs. Remmy was waiting at the bottom with his arms crossed. ¡°This is Remmy, go with him and he¡¯ll get you situated.¡± I nodded and then gladly left the arena behind as I followed Remmy out of the colosseum.