The testing area was walled in smooth ivory stone, high enough to block out most of the academy beyond. A few white-robed instructors stood near arched gates, directing late arrivals, but the rest was up to the students.
Lucan sat alone near one of the trees that had been planted long ago, an oak bent by age but still vibrant, its shadow cutting across the paved stone.
All around him, groups were forming. He noticed it quickly.
There was a tall, dark-skinned group from Viremont, their accents sharp and laced with ocean-borne slang.
Nearby, pale-haired, wolfish youths with rough cloaks joked among themselves, Solmaris, no doubt.
A cluster of students stood further off, much less beautiful clothing, dark and simple. Drakenheim, Lucan guessed. Their storm-black hair and weathered faces marked them as heirs to a harsher land, the kind where strength ruled and dragon's blood still lingered.
A few in green and grey sigils leaned on canes or staves, some with pointy ears, muttering spells, Thornevale, the kingdom he was in now.
He hadn't seen anyone he could peg as Eirenfall yet. That was odd. This was the capital kingdom, the center of the empire.
He was still thinking about it when a voice spoke beside him.
"You're from Emberkeep Hold, aren't you?"
Lucan turned. The man had to be around his age, but he carried himself with the presence of someone older. Taller, broad-shouldered but not bulky, sharp-featured. His coat was marked with the sigil of a lion.
Lucan nodded cautiously. "Yeah, name's Lucan."
The man smiled slightly. "Then I had to say hello."
Lucan blinked. "...Why?"
"Name's Cassian Westmark."
Lucan froze.
Westmark. The Eirenfall royal family name.
Cassian raised a brow at his reaction and scratched just below his eye.
"I take it you recognize me."
Lucan forced it out, "Son of King Westmark?"
Cassian chuckled. "I'm not the king's son. But I am his nephew."
Lucan exhaled slowly, tension still in his chest.
"I overheard your name at check-in," Cassian said. "You're from Emberkeep. Thought I should meet you."
Lucan was still confused. "Why?"
"Some of the best soldiers I've seen came from that hold," Cassian said, serious now. "Lord Emberlily runs a tight ship. It's no secret he brought in the Rose of Death as general."
Lucan's brow rose. "People really know that?"
Cassian laughed. "People gossip, Lucan. Especially nobles with swords and sons they want trained." He leaned against the tree beside him. "I've been trying to convince my uncle to send me there for years."
They talked for a while. Cassian asked a lot about Thorne, more than Lucan expected. He hadn't realized how famous the man was outside the hold.
When Cassian asked if he had ever sparred with him, Lucan nodded.
"A lot, actually."
"How was the first time?"
Lucan smirked faintly. "Fast. Painful. Confusing."
He described it in detail, how the first few strikes were a blur, how Thorne moved like wind wrapped in steel. When he got to the part where he landed six hits in a row, a moment that still didn't feel real, Cassian stepped back.
"You're serious?" He eyed Lucan's frame. "You're built fine, but… that's the Rose of Death. How'd you even touch him?"
Lucan shrugged. "Luck?"
Cassian scoffed. "Lord Emberlily doesn't pick nobodies to be his ward." He looked at him for a long moment, then held out a hand. "I've got high hopes for you, Lucan Emberlily."
Lucan hesitated, all the other test-takers had been standoffish, arrogant, or outright rude. This was different.
He shook Cassian's hand.
"Say," Lucan asked, "why are you taking the test? I'd assume you'd be fast-tracked into the Academy."
Cassian gave a modest smile. "I did it for the challenge."
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
Cassian tilted his head like he hadn't considered that. "Fear's a strange thing to have for the start of a journey," he said. "If I break here, I'll never survive what comes next."
Lucan was quiet at that. There was truth in it, maybe even wisdom.
"What about Mance Valemire's son?" Lucan asked. "Why's he taking the test?"
Cassian rolled his eyes. "Maric? His father's brutal. Old general type. Trains his kids like soldiers. Sends them off to monster camps, dueling pits, whatever builds a legacy. Maric's the third son, though. Doesn't mean much if he dies in his pop's eyes."
Lucan didn't say it, but it sounded like Maric had something to prove.
A voice rang out across the courtyard, sharp and magically projected.
"All examinees, report to the center area."
The crowd moved as one, aspiring mages and swordsmen alike, toward the central gate. Beautiful trees lined the path, their leaves whispering with latent enchantment.
Above, balconies were now crowded. Some robed instructors. Others were clearly older nobles, it seemed they viewed this as entertainment and came to watch. Lucan spotted students already in Academy colors filing into the observation stands.
Among them was Lyra, leaning over the railing, when he saw Lucan her face lit up and she raised a fist to him. He raised one back and smiled.
In the arena below, a sharp-faced examiner stepped forward and spoke.
"You will be placed into a controlled forest environment. There are relics hidden throughout. Your goal is simple, retrieve as many as possible… and survive."
He paused.
"There will be monsters. They will not hold back. You may form alliances, but be warned we are watching. And only those who carry relics at the end will pass."
Students began forming teams immediately. Old friends, regional bonds, it was all on display.
Cassian turned to Lucan. "Why don't you join us?"
He gestured to a group of five other students. All from Eirenfall, if their sigils were to be trusted. One of them, a tall girl with braided copper hair, sized Lucan up but said nothing. The others gave quick nods.
Lucan agreed. He had no better options.
Moments later, blindfolds were passed out.
Cassian put his on with a grin. "Let's begin the journey."