Mika continued to drag Lux through the castle, going through the halls, oblivious to the fact that she had let a Callis inside, who was mentally trying her best to remember everything she saw.

"Ah... you might want to know that Mrs. Rodia was lecturing all the new maids this morning. I'm not sure how you slipped under her radar, but she's most likely going to be mad at you for wandering off," Mika quickly mentioned, leading them both down a set of well-polished stairs.

"Oh, okay. Thank you for letting me know," Lux replied, trying her best not to trip on her skirts.

Eventually they came to the end of the stairs, where a door waited almost ominously, and Mika inhaled.

"Is something the matter?" Lux questioned.

Mika slowly mumbled, "Uh... well. You know, I also wasn't supposed to be in that hallway. And Mrs. Rodia has already told me off before... I'm just a bit wo—" She was suddenly cut off as a lady with greying brown hair slammed open the door, her hands resting on her hips.

"MIKA!" Her voice rumbled through the air. "HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU, DO NOT GET SO DIS—" Her eyes suddenly found Lux, and she put on an air of hostility.

"And who, pray tell, are you?" She raised her eyebrow, studying her.

Lux found herself copying Mika and inhaled slightly. "My name is Kira. I'm a new maid; it's very nice to meet you, ma'am."

The lady, who she assumed was Mrs. Rodia, folded her arms. "Hm. And Kira, when did you arrive at the castle?"

"This morning, ma'am. When I arrived, I was given this uniform, but at some point, I managed to get lost and found myself wandering the corridors," she replied, using her hands as she quickly made up a story.

"Hm. I guess that does make sense. It has been one big haze of confusion lately..." She marched through the door. "Well, you're in luck, Kira. I lectured the rest of the new maids this morning, but due to... circumstances, that's all I have done. The training process will begin tomorrow. You won't have to do much today, so you may get yourself settled." Her eyes made their way back to Mika. "And Mika... you will help her."

She disappeared into the quarters, and Lux thought she heard her mutter, "How does one get lost for so long though? I really don't know..."

Mika grinned nervously and dusted her hands on her skirt. "Hehe... Sorry about that. While you're here, you'll learn that Mrs. Rodia can be very strict. It seems that today she went easy on you, but that's most likely because you're new. It will be harder in the coming days."

Lux beamed up at her like a puppy. "Don't worry, how hard could it be?"

✦✦✦

Mika helped Lux find an empty bed in one of the dorms, which wasn't even as big as her own bedroom. She thought about saying something but remembered that poor girls from Sidus didn't have rooms that you could fit elephants in.

Mika herself had work to do, but she stayed in the dorm with Lux for a while, helping her sort through her possessions. Lux kept some things hidden in the bag, for example, the map of Chaconas, but took out her clothes and stuffed them in a small drawer.

"Did you not bring anything personal with you?" Mika scratched the back of her head, peering at Lux's small collection of belongings.

"Was I supposed to?" Lux looked up at her curiously, genuinely wondering if there was something she had missed.

"I mean, not necessarily, but you're most likely going to be here for most of your life. Don't you want to remember your home? Or something similar to that?" She crossed her arms, cocking her head, and Lux stared at the ground.

'Most of your life... 'How long would she stay here? How long would it take to find what was trapping her family?

She shook her head. That was silly. Everything would be fine. She'd finish this and go home soon.

Soon.

✦✦✦

The first day at Chaconas had gone by slowly.

The only thing worth noting was the small lunch that she had with the other servants, despite it being very brief.

Lux had decided to wait until she was given a tour of the castle to start investigating, but now she was wondering if that was the wrong choice.

She sighed and settled down onto her bed. She wanted to speak with Rayne.

Suddenly, she had a realisation and jumped up from her bed. The connection! She surely could speak to Rayne that way! She was sure that the guards exam—

She had another realisation.

The connection only worked in areas of high magic concentration outside of Adamas. Which meant that she had to find one of those areas.

She flopped down on her bed. Where would she ever find one? Even when she did do the tour, she was sure that Mrs. Rodia wouldn't just point at one and say, "Look! There's a lot of magic here!"

A memory from earlier that day suddenly came to her mind.

When she had travelled through the secret door, she had experienced something strange. When she had used her magic to transport herself to the door, she had almost drowned trying to lift herself with the water, but somehow she was suddenly capable of doing it. Maybe... maybe it was because—

Lux jumped up from her bed swiftly, making her blanket fly off, but she didn't pay it any mind as she raced out of the room and towards the exit to the quarters.

When Mika had taken her through the corridors only earlier that day, Lux had made a mental map of everything she had seen, so she remembered perfectly where the door to the secret passage was.

When she arrived at the corridors where the passage was located, she realized that the door was actually covered by a painting of a bowl of fruit. For a second, she wondered why people would ever just paint bowls of fruit, but she suddenly remembered Vivianne's angry eyes, so she shook her head and focused on the task at hand.

When she had first met Mika, she had told her that they weren't supposed to be in these corridors, so she had assumed that it meant that the nobles and royal family used them, but she still hadn't seen any. Did these people not even bother to leave their rooms?

Double-checking that no one was there, she grabbed the sides of the painting, and though it took a bit of effort, she forced it open and climbed inside.

She sighed to herself as she closed the painting behind her. Hadn't she said that she didn't want to see another tunnel for at least a week?

She continued to make her way through the tunnel and eventually found herself outside.

The sun had started to set, and the sight was beautiful. She wanted to share it with her siblings, and she hoped, hoped, hoped, that it would work.

Clutching her hands so hard that her nails were starting to make dents, Lux focused on the connection she had always felt, that was always there, in the back of her mind.

Inhaling, she tried to reach her siblings for the first time in days.

"Hello?" she whispered in the depths of her mind.

For a moment, there was nothing, but then—

"Lux?" Kaias's voice rang in her head, and she could have cried.

Another voice suddenly joined. "Lux, is that you?" Luther asked, his tone dripping with concern.

"I—" Before she could reply, another voice interrupted.

"I knew it! You were definitely going to be okay!" The younger voice of Merce exclaimed.

"You are okay, right, Lux?" Aurelia added quietly.

Lux smiled to herself.

"Yes, I'm okay, Auri," she replied softly.

"Oh my God. Lux?" Arden questioned.

"I'm glad you're okay, Lux," Vivianne mumbled unexpectedly.

Suddenly, Lux's face felt wet, and she raised a hand to find that she was crying. She set her hand back down and simply laughed at the setting sun.

She was talking to her siblings.

"Lux? Lux? Where did you go?" Arden's voice sounded in her head again.

"Sorry, I'm still here." She replied but realised something. "What about Lyra? Where is she?"

For a while, there was silence, and Lux wondered if the connection had cut off somehow.

Kaia finally answered. "She... She was mad. About what happened. She's been sulking in her room. She can most likely hear us right now."

Lux frowned slightly to herself. She felt bad for Lyra, but she wouldn't even bother talk to her?

"Ah... I see... well, how are all of you?" she questioned, trying to steer the conversation away from Lyra.

"It's been COMPLETELY boring. You don't want to hear it. Can we hear about your journey instead?" Merce asked.

She smiled at the sunset. "Of course, Merce."

Sitting down and staring at the reflection of the sun on the lake, Lux explained her adventure to her siblings, talking about Sidus, Polemus, and the fish stew she had eaten.

"That's so cool! What about Rayne? Why isn't he saying anything?" Aurelia questioned.

Lux panicked and bolted up from the spot she was sitting on. If Rayne wasn't saying anything, then he must have been busy. All the talking through the connection would have distracted him. What if it ruined the guards' exam for him?

"I'm so sorry, but I think we should stop talking. We could be disturbing Rayne, and I—"

Suddenly, she was cut off by a voice that wasn't there before.

Lyra.

"That's stupid. Rayne needs to be in an area of high magic concentration as well. That much should be obvious," she retorted.

Hearing her younger sister's voice for the first time in ages, she tried to plead with her. "Lyra, is that you? Can we please t—"

"Be quiet."

Though no one could see her, Lux bowed her head in defeat.

✦✦✦

The next morning, Lux decided that she had to find a way to communicate with Rayne, if what Lyra said was true, but for now, she decided to focus on the next day of her training.

She had woken up early and taken a bath, though it was strange to find that it was shared with others. Everyone had their own at Adamas.

All the new maids had been instructed to meet outside the entrance to the stairs that led to the servants' quarters early in the morning, so, trying her best not to trip, she made her way up the stairs, where many other maids were waiting patiently in a straight line.

Lux joined them but glanced curiously at the other maids.

Most of them looked tired, as if they had endured a long journey, and she realised that most of them had come from different villages and cities and all the way to Polemus to serve in this castle.

She silently wondered to herself why anyone would willingly serve someone else, but she was interrupted by a loud voice.

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"Good day to you all. Today commences the first day of your training." Mrs. Rodia strolled in, a maid by her side.

"This is Hazel. She will be assisting me today."

"Hello everyone! If you have any questions, you can ask me!" Hazel waved enthusiastically.

"Moving on, we'll start with a tour of the castle. I'll tell you what we expect of you as we move. Please follow me." Mrs. Rodia started to walk down the hall, and they all followed.

After walking for a while, they came to a door that led to a small corridor, and they all entered.

Lux felt as if she could scream. Another passageway?

"These are the servants' corridors. They exist so we can perform tasks without the royal family having to lay eyes on us. There is an entrance in the servants' quarters as well," Mrs. Rodia lectured as she moved.

Lux was confused. Why would the royal family not want to see them?

Mrs. Rodia arrived at another door, and she opened it to show a colossal room, which Lux assumed was the great hall.

They all moved into the room, and everyone marvelled at the many chandeliers, paintings, and statues scattered across the room, as well as the raised stage where grand seats lay. Lux herself was impressed, as this hall seemed to be bigger than the one at the palace, but Adamas would always have a place in her heart. However, she did like how it smelled like a garden, like the corridor with the passageway.

"This is the great hall. It's where banquets and socializing happen. You will most likely see this room the most in the upcoming week, as a ball will be taking place." Though her voice was strong, Mrs. Rodia's eyes seemed to be in pain. Maybe this ball was why she was so busy the day before.

"At this upcoming ball, you will all be serving, seeing as by then you'll at least know the basics." She went on swiftly. "Now, let's depart."

They travelled all over the castle using the servants' corridor, looking through each and every room, and learning what they were to do in each of them, for example, how they would maintain the gardens, clean the castle, and such. Lux was keeping a record of where everything was, but at the same time, she wondered why there were some things the royal family weren't able to do themselves, for example, stoke their own fire. She understood that managing a castle all by yourself would be hard, but sometimes it just seemed as if they were simply lazy.

At the end of the tour, they met back at the entrance to the servants' quarters, and Mrs. Rodia lined them all up.

"You are to all have lunch in the servants' hall now. In half an hour, you will all meet back here. And you will not be late. Is that understood?" She stared down at them all, menacing despite simply standing there.

"Yes, Mrs. Rodia." They all replied in unison and quickly dispersed.

Lux hummed on her way to the hall, excited about trying new foods. But when she arrived and saw the grey walls, she felt a bit disheartened. However, when she was handed simple bread and cheese, her heart completely dropped. Is that really all that the servants ate in Chaconas?

When she looked around and saw how everyone else seemed used to the food, she sighed and persevered, though she was disappointed. Looking around, she saw Mika eating and went over to join her.

"Good afternoon, Mika!" She sat down next to the maid enthusiastically, hoping to improve her mood by chatting with someone.

Mika snapped her head up from her meal quickly, as if coming out of a daydream. "Oh, hello Kira. How was your first afternoon of training? I hope Mrs. Rodia didn't go too hard on you."

"Some things... surprised me, but I think I'll get used to it." She lied through her teeth as she talked with her hands. "The thing I'm most worried about is this food; is this what they usually serve?" She tried to phrase it as a joke, but it was a genuine question.

Mika seemed a bit stunned but chuckled, although a bit nervously. "Yes, this is what they usually serve, or at least for the last six years I've been here."

Lux was taken aback. Six years?! She knew that Mika said that she would likely spend the rest of her life here. But she hadn't really thought about how long the rest of her life was. She couldn't imagine six whole years there.

Calming down a bit, she asked, "Why... why have you been here for six years?"

Mika didn't say anything for a while, seemingly entering her daydream again, but she slowly looked at Lux, though her eyes were a bit sad.

"My... family is from a poor village in the east. We were farmers, but our farm wasn't doing as well as it was a few years ago. My family sent me off to work, and the only job I could find was as a maid here. It's hard being away from them, but I have a little brother who needs the money. I have no other choice." She mumbled, staring at her bread.

They both sat in silence for a while, with Lux going over everything she had said in her head. It was horrible that Mika was practically forced to work, torn away from her family. Her story had somehow reminded her of her own family, and suddenly rage rose within her. How could the kingdom... no, the Athas, allow things such as this to happen?

She turned fiercely toward Mika. "Mika, d-" But she was suddenly cut off.

"How about you? I've told you all about myself, but I don't know anything about you." Mika smiled awkwardly, and Lux was about to continue with what she had been saying before, but when she saw the silent plea in Mika's eyes, she dropped the topic.

"Oh... well, I'm from Sidus. My older brother and I didn't want to fish like everyone else in our family, so we came here to Polemus for a new experience." She went on, remembering their story in her head.

"Wow, Sidus, isn't that wh-" Mika suddenly cut herself off but quickly asked another question. "Where's your brother at the moment then?"

Lux looked at her curiously. Was she going to ask if that was where Adamas was? Why had she stopped herself?

"My brother is going to take the guards' exam. He's been tr-" Suddenly, she was interrupted for the second time that day.

"KIRA!" A voice boomed, and Lux recoiled.

Mrs. Rodia marched into the room, practically on fire.

"Yes... Mrs. Rodia?" She winced as she stared up at the sinister figure, who seemed as if she was about to explode.

"Maids in training do not sit this high up the table; they sit at the end. You should know this. Everyone else has done it!" She boomed, her hands on her hips. Suddenly, she noticed Mika and somehow managed to get even angrier.

"MIKA. Did YOU encourage her to do this?" She seethed, and Mika almost fell off her seat.

She stuttered, "No... Mrs. Rodia... I didn-"

"But she's sitting next to you. Why haven't you told her where she should be sitting?" She narrowed her eyes, and Mika sat nervously in silence.

"This is your last chance, Mika." She walked away, leaving her practically shivering.

Lux put a hand on her shoulder. "Mika, I'm sorry, I didn't know that—"

"No, it's okay, Kira. You didn't know. It's my fault." She told her with a dismissive wave of her hand, practically whispering.

Lux frowned to herself as she stared at her bread.

The outside world seemed to be completely unfair.

✦✦✦

Rayne stood in the grounds of Chaconas, in front of a colossal wall, along with around four hundred other participants.

He had tried to figure out what was behind the wall, but to no avail, and he had eventually given up and tried his best to focus on the exam ahead.

The first part of the exam was an endurance test. He wasn't sure what exactly he would have to endure, but since it was the first part, he assumed that it wouldn't be too difficult.

He exhaled and did some basic stretches. They were to start soon, but the commander of the royal guard was discussing something with a strange woman with dark brown hair and peach eyes, who was wearing a beautiful-looking dress.

"Examinees, your attention, please." The commander barked from the side, and they all turned to face him promptly.

"This is Lady Naya. She has been kind enough to help us with the first test today. I trust that you'll return her kindness by doing your absolute best."

Lady Naya bowed her head slightly, though her eyes found something in the crowd, and an intrigued expression came onto her face, but she quickly masked it.

Rayne studied her closely. If she was a Lady, then she must have been a noble, and from his research, he knew that about half of the nobles possessed magic. Did she possess magic? Was that how she was helping with today's test?

His evaluation was cut short by the commander's voice again.

"As you know, today is an endurance test. In a short moment, guards will come around and distribute a shield to each of you. You may carry it however you like, but you may not drop it at any point. If you do, you will be eliminated immediately."

As if on cue, guards leading small wooden wagons carrying shields came around, handing one to each participant.

When Rayne was eventually given one, he weighed it and found that it was somewhat heavy. It would be hard, but he would manage to carry it. He glanced at the other participants and almost dropped his shield when he saw others almost dropping theirs.

Maybe he didn't need to worry.

"Ahead of you is a course, and you must make your way through it without breaking any rules." The commander continued, and Lady Naya moved towards the wall, her hands raised.

"Ready yourselves."

He was going to do this.

Or else.

"Go!" The commander shouted, and the wall came tumbling down to reveal an entrance that led underground, and Rayne darted in, shield in hand.

It was completely dark, and he couldn't see anything, but he continued running forwards.

Running towards an unknown goal, Rayne thought back to Lady Naya and wondered if she had brought the wall down with her magic. Since that was most likely true, what else had she done to "help" with the test?

He shook his head, determined, and continued running, even though he couldn't see how fast or how far he had run.

He ended up running for what felt like forever, and though it was mostly silent, he heard multiple cries, which he assumed were people dropping their shields.

Dropping their shields.

A sudden question hit him.

How were they supposed to know when they had dropped their shields? The—

Rayne's thoughts were cut off by the sudden appearance of the sky, the quite literal light at the end of the tunnel.

He released a short breath he didn't know he was holding, along with many others, relieved to see daylight. He looked around to observe who was left but was surprised to find that about a third of the original participants were gone.

Were so many people meant to be out so early? He questioned, straightening up.

"Glad all of the weaklings have left." He heard the haughty voice of Cedar from somewhere further in the crowd, and he simply ignored him, but realised that what he had said made sense.

The first part of the exam was to pick off the weakest of them.

He guessed that it was quite brutal, but it was right to get rid of the people who were the weakest first.

Suddenly, the commander marched in front of them, Lady Naya by his side.

"Congratulations to those of you who made it. But your test is not over yet." He turned to face a giant wall behind him, staring up at it.

"Your next and final task for this part of the exam is to climb this wall." He instructed, looking at each of them with stone-hard eyes.

Rayne studied the wall, staring at every crack and crevice, at how debris fell, and at how the smallest pebble wobbled.

And for a fleeting second, his heart raced.

He gripped his hands tightly, his nails almost making him bleed.

He would be fine.

He wasn't scared.

The commander continued. "And you must not drop your shields. That rule has not changed."

Rayne heard cries of protest go up in the air, and he decided that those who had complained would most likely not pass the exam if that was their mindset.

He strapped the shield to his back and turned to face the wall.

The commander shouted, "Ready yourselves."

Whimpers went up in the air.

"Go!"

They all darted towards the wall, many people scrambling to the wall, and shouts and screams went up in the air.

It was pure mayhem.

Rayne himself had to push multiple people off of him and ended up with many scratches, but compared to some of the injuries of others, he was lucky.

Once he finally had a sure grip on the wall, he began to climb, but his attention was taken away by someone's laugh from above him.

Cedar.

And he was covered in... vines?

Rayne looked below him, trying to figure out if Cedar had somehow found an abnormally large plant, but all he saw was that the vine had come from the ground and that it was growing.

Cedar had magic.

Rayne peered at the commander, trying to see if it was allowed, but he didn't say anything.

Magic... could he use his magic to help him?

No. That was stupid.

His magic was light, which he had gotten from his father, and would in no way help him here. His magic would also not only hint at his identity but also wasn't powerful. He wasn't like Lux.

He continued to climb, the fact that he couldn't use magic somehow driving him to work harder, and he powered through.

But that's when he heard a scream.

He turned around to find it and saw a man who had fallen from the wall, his hand trying to grasp something he no longer could.

He screamed all the way down, his eyes wide open in fear.

And then he stopped.

His body splattered on the ground, blood leaking all over, his arms at unnatural angles, and his eyes lifeless, forever in a state of terror.

Rayne's eyes twitched, but he shook his head and continued climbing. He told himself that, if anything, he was more shocked that someone hadn't fallen sooner.

He heard many more screams but continued to climb, not looking down and focusing on his goal. Eventually, he reached the top, where not many others were waiting.

He observed the others who had made it and noticed that one girl with dark brown hair and green eyes seemed surprisingly angry.

Suddenly the commander appeared, Lady Naya by his side, and Rayne realized that maybe Naya had gotten him there so abruptly with her magic.

"Congratulations to those of you who have passed the first test. You are among the first ten. Your quick success will be remembered and will help you if you enter our ranks." He stated, his arms behind his back.

"You may go now; leave your shields here. The other contestants will also be dismissed in tens, if you're curious." He added hurriedly, and then turned to inspect all the others who were climbing upwards.

Rayne set down his shield, heading to the barracks they had been assigned to earlier in the day.

He didn't once look back at the place where so many had recently died.

✦✦✦

Lyra groaned and made her way out of the library.

A few days had passed since Lux, along with Rayne, had left for Polemus, and they had finally arrived. She knew this because Lux had used the connection for the first time since she had departed, and though she sounded happy to talk to them, it simply distracted Lyra.

She didn't even have the good grace to apologize to her, instead just rambling on and on when she was trying to read.

It annoyed her.

Taking a breath before she opened the door, she stepped into the dining room, where the rest of her siblings were eating while they chattered.

She took a seat opposite Arden and began serving herself.

As she loaded a pie on her plate, she stole a quick glance at the seat at the head of the table.

Mother hadn't come again today.

"It's mine!" "No, it's mine!" Aurelias and Merces's bickering voices rang through the air, and Lyra rubbed her eyes. Maybe she should have eaten in her room.

Arden sighed and ate a piece of chicken from his plate. "If Lux or Rayne were here, they would have been able to stop them from fighting."

"You know that you're the oldest now. That's your job." Lyra commented, and he stiffened.

She chuckled slightly. "Did you really not realize? You're going to need to be responsible now, Arden. I know it'll be hard for you."

He stood up from his chair abruptly, leaving the room and casting an air of silence.

Kaia glared at her, standing up from her own chair to follow her brother, but before she left, she stopped to look back at Lyra one last time.

"I understand that you're mad about what happened. But that doesn't mean that you're allowed to take it out on the rest of us."

Lyra simply rolled her eyes and continued to eat her food.

✦✦✦

Mrs. Rodia bowed low.

The candles flickered against the crimson walls slowly, giving the queen's private chambers a feeling of comfort.

She had requested to see her at some point tomorrow, but the queen had insisted that she come that night.

"What is it that you want, Emery?" The queen smiled at her as she sat down on her bed, seemingly ready to turn in for the night, due to her unbound ombre brown-ginger hair trailing down her back, and her tired chocolate brown eyes.

"I wanted to ask if you might consider moving the date of the ball, Your Majesty." Mrs. Rodia went straight to the point, not wanting to waste any time.

She chuckled. "I've known you for a long time, Emery, and I've told you this many times, but please call me Annika."

She winced. "Respectfully, Your Majesty, I will not."

"Ah. I should've known you'd say that." The queen peered out the window for a minute, staring at the moon, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

Mrs. Rodia stood there awkwardly. "Y—"

"I won't move the date of the ball." Queen Annika came back to reality quickly.

Mrs. Rodia persisted. "I was simply suggesting it, Your Majesty, seeing as it is so busy with all the new maids, as well as the guards ex—"

"I'm not moving it." She snapped, and Mrs. Rodia stood still.

The queen fidgeted with the duvet on her bed for a few seconds before sighing.

"I'm sorry. It's just... you know why this ball is important, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, it's because the king and queen of Ataraxia are coming. And I understand that but—"

"We haven't had very good relations with Ataraxia in the past, and I hope to fix that. So I won't be moving the ball. You may go, Emery." She said finally, and Mrs. Rodia strolled out of the room.

On her way to her own chambers, she scrunched her face. How on earth would she manage all this? She was completely and utterly loyal, but the queen was clearly out of her mind.

But...

There seemed to be another reason behind this ball.

✦✦✦