Cypher looked around at his surroundings and gasped. Above him stretched a huge curtain of stone. It curled around a thick-walled building to his left and out of sight, only returning to envelope the other side of the building behind him. It curved around the top of the mountain he stood upon like a crescent moon.
Snow fell lightly all around him and he noticed the building some distance ahead of the carriages. It stood several stories high and was lined with many curtained windows. In many ways, it looked like the middle portion of the Galvan's mansion. White marble stairs led up to the double-door entryway, and pillars on each side supported a shingled roof that kept the falling snow from covering the stairs making them slick with ice.
The masonry of the structure was impressive, and the layered maroon bricks stood out against the grey stone of the mountain that cradled it. Along the sides of the curled mountain wall stood a stable on the right side, as well as a small building for carriages and wagons. On the left sat a simple, but warm-looking longhouse. Dim lights lit up the few windows that weren't covered in a layer of snow and men could be heard laughing inside.
All in all, Cypher was impressed but his thoughts soon wandered back to his predicament. That moment of contemplation was short-lived as Eiden rushed up and deposited his heavy bags into Cypher's arms.
"Tend to these for me will you bastard? The carriages need to be emptied as quickly as possible, and these fine men have much more important things to do than wait on you. When you're done, and once we've made it inside make sure you conduct yourself accordingly. It's inevitable, but I don't want you to embarrass me in front of the other students. A good servant should know his place. Now, chop-chop!"
Eiden glared at Cypher as he barked his orders, and clapped his hands twice to illustrate his point. He then turned and started towards the Academy entrance. Cypher grunted in annoyance and did as he was told, unloading the carriages and carting the contents up to the landing at the top of the stairs.
A few guards helped him to hurry the process along as they wished to indulge themselves with the drinks and warmth that no doubt waited for them inside the longhouse. Agnad, however, was likely still inside the carriage and would be the last to help lend a hand in such matters.
After the task was finished, Cypher hurried to catch up with Eiden. He stood a few feet behind him and kept his hands at his sides, his head lowered as he had been taught. He hated every moment of it but kept his cool all the same. Breaking character now wouldn’t do anything to help him. Eiden's personal butler, Tipson, knocked upon the front doors for him and after a moment another finely dressed butler opened it and greeted them.
"Welcome to the Guardian Hall Academy testing grounds. I am Velruud. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You are one of the last to arrive and testing has already begun. Getting started as soon as possible would be best for everyone, so if you would be so kind as to follow me, I shall lead you to a testing chamber where your abilities will be examined thoroughly.”
"Do not worry about your belongings you may leave them here. Once you pass the exam they will be returned to you and left outside a room that will be prepared for you. You may then store them at your convenience," Velruud bowed ever so slightly and stepped aside to allow them to pass.
Cypher hung back, not sure whether to follow or stay with the luggage. However after Eiden entered, Tipson moved to join the guards, and Velruud continued to hold the door open. Cypher reluctantly set his pack down and headed inside.
The inside of the testing hall was as grand as Cypher expected. Brass candle holders stood every few feet, lighting the way. Long, rich tapestries lined the walls and held various sigils, including the one that belonged to the Galvan family. A large fireplace was burning bright at the end of the hall, the wood crackling and popping as it warmed the area.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
On both sides of the open area, Cypher could see a series of staircases that led up to the various floors. A guard railing protected the walkway on each subsequent level behind which he could see many doors. They were no doubt the rooms of the many applicants who had been staying there for the duration of the tests. The option had existed for Eiden to arrive early as well, but he had opted to stay in the comforts of his own home as long as possible.
Velruud led them through a large oak door and down a hallway lit by torches. They eventually stopped before a simple stone archway covered in more of the strange symbols Cypher had seen upon the Slingate. The butler cleared his throat and moved his hand toward the stone masonry, before turning to Eiden.
"This is a divining arch, all those who pass beneath it have their elemental potential examined. With it, we shall determine which of the elemental affinities you possess and shall use that knowledge to tailor your test specifically to you. Water is a common element and will glow blue, the yellow of the earth element is also common. However, the red glow of the fire element and the green hue of the wind elements are quite rare. Should you hold favor with one of those two your testing will be a certain degree more difficult. A fair warning beforehand young sir."
Velruud bowed slightly again and turned to pass underneath the archway which shimmered in a bright red that pulsed twice as the butler passed. As Velruud had said, when Eiden passed beneath the arch it shimmered again, however this time with a dull green glow. Cypher noticed though, that it didn’t pulse as it had with Velruud.
"Impressive, young Eiden. It would seem you possess the wind element quite a rare aptitude indeed. Although, as rare as your element may be, it is not very powerful at present and will require a lot of training on your part. Something to ponder during your time here," Velruud said as he nodded approvingly.
Eiden flashed a smug smile of triumph and placed his hands on his hips. Cypher rolled his eyes at that. As usual, Eiden's smugness annoyed him beyond measure and he sighed letting the annoyance wash out of him.
Next, it was Cypher's turn to pass. He was not sure which element he would have, but he was still very curious. His reading had alluded to the fact that Conductors each held a specific elemental affinity but it had not outright stated as much. To be finding out what his was truly excited him, but he did his best to suppress it.
With a deep breath, he walked forward, hoping his element would be something useful like fire, although he was certain earth would be just as helpful in this cold mountain terrain. As he passed underneath, however, the archway flashed a bright grey. The color pulsed several times at the same intensity, before fading away slowly. At this Velruud raised an eyebrow and looked curiously at Cypher.
He thought the butler looked surprised or perhaps even a little confused for a split second, but the man had quickly hidden any sign of expression. Eiden snickered and a smug smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Even the stonework knows a motherless bastard with no talent when it sees one. Such a colorless and dull glow. Which element was that? Dust? Hah! Look out world the first Dust element Conductor has finally revealed himself!" Eiden shrugged his shoulders and continued, "The divining arch is as unimpressed with you as I am. But why am I surprised? You're useless if you aren't following orders," Eiden laughed and mocked Cypher for a moment more before he started chuckling to himself.
Disappointment surged through Cypher, and he dipped his head in shame. Despite his painstaking efforts to learn the one spell he had, it would seem that he did not have an elemental affinity. What was more, Eiden's opinion of him seemed to hurt more than usual and it actually bothered him for the first time in a long while.
"If you will follow me then," Velruud said, turning to lead them further down the hallway beyond the archway. Cypher hesitated and turned to look at it once more before following the two of them, jogging for a moment to catch up.
After a few minutes, they arrived at a door that opened up into a large room devoid of any trappings or furniture. Velruud waited as the two entered and once they had, he closed the door and led Eiden to the center of the room.
A short woman entered from the opposite end and quickly made her way over to their group. As she arrived, she huffed and moved her blonde hair out of her face. She was quite beautiful with her striking green eyes and expressive eyebrows. Cypher couldn’t say that he had ever seen a woman more beautiful than her. Her tight-fitting solid black robe accentuated her delicate features and each movement she made was smooth and graceful.
"Welcome, heir to the Galvan family. We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival and are pleased to finally meet you. I am Havana, and I shall be your moderator for today. Here we shall put your skills to the test and see if you are a worthy fit for our academy. I hope you are prepared!"