The man from the Century Chapter, the Magus, she’d heard, stayed in Tilibulo the last month of her training to observe. He would never critique or make comments, in fact Aja found him all but inscrutable beneath his weathered face and salt and pepper beard. Even when he wouldn't speak, she felt his penetrative stare at all times. He seemed so reserved and pensive that she was certain he would change his mind and request the Faama choose another Animist. When the day came for them to finally meet in Faama Jato's Court, Aja felt her finger joints ache and her palms sweat, as if looking over a ravine. Her aunt put a hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze, while her father looked over from his seat beside the Faama and gave a small nod. When the doors creaked open, Aja's head snapped forward, veins on her neck pumping with her heartbeat. He strode purposefully, flanked by the Faama's royal guards, no accompaniment of his own. His long steps disappeared under the amorphous billow of his purple robes, his long mane of black hair tied in a knot unfamiliar to Aja, but it pulled his face in such a way that left his hawkish features even more pronounced.

The Faama smiled. "Welcome, Magus Ponbrextonus!"

"With your permission, Great Faama," the Magus answered, his gentle voice tinged with an accent strange to Aja’s ears, "Brexton should do fine. The Chapter appreciates their lofty names, I’ve only found them...time consuming." The Faama chuckled and nodded as Brexton reached the central square before the throne and gave a reverent bow.

"Please, Brexton," Faama Jato waved a hand, "You are no subject of mine, you come as a friend."

"Were it so simple, Your Majesty," Brexton said, "I'm afraid I'm only qualified to act as a courier. More an ignorant nuisance than an emissary."

"Very well then, our most Esteemed Nuisance," Jato jabbed, eliciting a chuckle from the court, and Brexton himself. The Faama looked over to Aja and gave her a confident wave forward. Aja bowed and stepped up, a few feet from Brexton as he fixed on her. She swallowed and stood tall, crossed her arms to project certainty. She'd earned every opportunity she had, this one more than any. She wouldn’t flinch in its face.

"Magus," she nodded, voice steady, "We are glad to receive you. I am Ajaratu, the Faama’s chosen Animist."

Silence held as he tried to read her from top to bottom. It was ultimately not Brexton's decision to make, as she had championed her own candidacy and the Faama then chose her, but she felt if the Magus reacted poorly, it might sully the enterprise. Brexton paced patiently around Aja.

"Do you know where we'll be going, Animist Ajaratu?" he asked.

"The port city of N'Jarosyl," she replied with rehearsed enunciation.

"What do you know about N'Jarosyl?"

"It is a hub of trade and culture. They call it the Pearl of the Azurian Sea."

"Vassal of?" he posed.

Aja's brow furrowed. "None," she shook her head, looking for the proper terminology to prove she was well informed on her new station, "It is an independent city-state under Queen Narian Montressa."

The Magus nodded. "The situation in N'Jarosyl is complicated. Are you versed in its politics?"

She nodded.

"And who does the Century Chapter serve in N'Jarosyl?"

Aja opened her mouth to respond, but the words stopped in her throat. Brexton wasn't testing her knowledge now, but her instincts. She cleared her throat. "The Century Chapter advises Queen Montressa, but it only serves reason and knowledge."

Brexton hummed in agreement before coming to a stop before her. He murmured something indistinct and circled his hands around each other until an egg and a small bowl appeared in his palm, seemingly from nowhere.

"You've trained with great discipline," he said, cracking the egg, "but now I would have you complete a final challenge without the use of Animism."

Aja's eyes widened slightly before stealing a glance at Sabati, who looked back with equal confusion. There were not to be any more tests, she'd thought. She looked back at Brexton as he slowly dripped the egg from its shell into the bowl, then presented it to her. She took it, glancing down at the sloshing golden orb, before looking back to Brexton, who now suddenly stood twenty feet away from her.

Wait, she thought, did I even see him move?...

Brexton waved a hand and spoke another strange word, and the floor panels of the throne room began to shift, rotate and rise in different directions, eliciting starts of surprise and mistrust from the court. Aja had to step back to keep her footing.

"I would like you to bring me the bowl," he said, "Without spilling the egg."

Aja gulped. She heard dissonant whispers behind her — including her father's raspy voice in what she assumed was the Faama's ear. But with a deep breath, Aja pushed the noise out of her mind. She met Brexton's expectant gaze, and then glanced down at the egg, running all the descriptions of the Century Chapter she’d heard through her mind.

Problem solving.

Logical.

Something she was missing, some kind of creed they upheld…what was that phrase…? ‘See your parameters with attention, for they often tell you the answer.’

Aha! she thought.

She raised the bowl, tipped her head back, and slurped down the egg. Despite murmurs from the court, Aja strode around Brexton's obstacle course and placed the bowl in his hand.

"No egg spilled," she sang.

A smile pulled beneath his beard and he gave her a curt nod. The gesture might’ve seemed terse, but Aja saw under it — the acknowledgment of a peer.

"I am a novice to your practices," he said, he and Aja now suddenly closer to the Faama. "But you have displayed the intuition and resourcefulness that the Century Chapter requires," Aja's muscles flexed with excitement, "That, and your exemplary skills in your practice are apparent, even to an outsider. The Century Chapter would be well complimented, should you grace us with your membership."

The collective sigh of relief from the court was cut short as Aja yelped in excitement. She shot forward and hugged Brexton, the Magus exhaling sharply as she lifted him off the ground. The air sucked out of the room as the Brexton's feet dangled off the floor. Aja opened her eyes and looked around nervously. She glanced up at Brexton. A long, rolling laugh barreled out of Faama Jato, breaking the silence. Soon, the rest of the court joined him in generous laughter as she set the Magus down and he stifled a chuckle of his own.