A sharp ringing sound echoed through the room. Since they returned to the room, Elara had been honing her blade. She hadn’t spoken a word, and Kai didn’t know how to initiate a conversation. Then, a high-pitched scraping sound drew Elara out of her trance. She had moved the whetstone in the wrong way, and to her, this seemed to be the final drop that made the cup overflow. She threw the whetstone across the room, denting the wall.

Kai flinched at the sudden outburst. The room fell silent, and the tension was palpable. He looked at Elara, seeing the frustration etched on her face, the weight of their recent trials pressing down on her. Taking a deep breath, “Elara,” he said, taking a cautious step towards her. “I understand your frustration. But we have to figure out our plan of action for the next trial.” Elara turned her eyes to meet his, still smouldering with anger.

Her gaze stayed fierce momentarily, but then she took a long, shaky breath. “You’re right,” she said, her voice strained but softer. “I’m just... tired of feeling like everything is slipping out of control.” She looked down at her blade, avoiding Kai’s gaze.

“Elara, I get that things are tough right now,” he began, keeping his voice steady and calm. “We don’t know each other well, but we’re in this together. We don’t have to figure everything out on our own.”

Elara’s shoulders sagged slightly, the tension easing a bit. She looked at Kai, the fire in her eyes replaced by a flicker of uncertainty. “I’m not used to this,” she admitted. “Relying on someone else. It’s always been me against the world.”

“I guess it makes us against the world,” Kai said.

“It would seem so... we should figure out our plan of action,” Elara said.

Kai nodded, “Alright, the next trial will be the trial of wits. It means it won’t be as combat-focused as the trial of strength.”

“I’ve heard that in the past games, the trial of wits was all about puzzles, knowledge, and strategy,” Elara added. “They’ll also likely be full of traps; I’m guessing it will focus more on survival.”

“I doubt the other contestants will not stand in our way. Even though the trial focuses on wits, we should still train our fighting strength. If we were to meet Goldmane again...” Kai said, regretting his last sentence.

“If only you had Aetherbinding abilities. You said you went to the academy; did they really not find any aptitude for it?” Elara asked.

“Nothing.”

Elara put her fingers on her temples, “What about Mindweaving?”

“I didn’t have any aptitude for Aetherbinding, so what would the chances be for me to have an even rarer ability like Mindweaving?” Kai chuckled, “I’m a normal guy; what can I say.”

“You never went to the Magistrate? Not even to try the test?”

“It’s expensive; I didn’t see the use after wasting my coin on the test for Aetherbinding. Back then, I had more to worry about than my aptitudes.”

“You should take one,” Elara said, “I’ll pay for it, you can pay me back after the game.”

Kai looked at her, surprised. “Elara, you don’t have to do that. It’s a lot of money, and there’s no guarantee—”

Elara cut him off, her gaze intense. “Kai, we’re in this together. If there’s even a chance that you have some hidden ability, it could be the edge we need. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re the weak link, we’ll have to strengthen it.”

Kai sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright. I’ll take the test, but aren’t these normally planned? But we still need to focus on the next trial. We need a plan.”

“I’ll get you a private aptitude test, and I think we should go to the library and read about what the past Trials were filled with. This way, we can think of a plan of attack.”

“That sounds like a good plan, one problem… I can’t read,” Kai said.

Elara looked at him in surprise. “You never learned to read?”

“We common folk don’t get the same opportunities, and reading wasn’t high on the priority list,” Kai explained to Elara.

“But you don’t sound like many common folk; I thought you might have had a better education,” Elara said, still perplexed by the new discovery.

“The monks from the temple were all from noble blood. Although they had thrown away their heritage, they couldn’t do so with their past,” Kai said, “but it might not be too bad; you can go to the library while I take the aptitude test at the magistrate.”

Elara nodded slowly, processing the information. “Alright, that’s the plan. Tomorrow, you’ll take the aptitude test, and I’ll gather information; for now, we should train.” Kai grimaced at what he had just heard.

“Do we really? We finished the trial a few hours ago, so wouldn’t it be better to rest?” Kai suggested, knowing that it would be in vain.

“Rest later, train now. We only have a week, and if we want to be at our best, it means pushing ourselves when we’re tired.” She stood up. “Come on, I’ll show you how to use a sword.”

The next day, Kai woke up, his body aching like never before. He put on his clothes and walked to grab a piece of fruit. The door to the training room was open, and he heard the constant swinging of her sword.

He walked towards the door opening; Elara was already awake, practising her sword swings. Kai couldn’t help but stare at Elara’s focus. Her swings were controlled, each just as strong as the one before. It was mesmerizing to look at.

He cleared his throat, not wanting to startle her. “Morning,” he said.

Elara paused for a second and said, “Morning,” then continued her sword swings.

“When are you leaving for the library?” he asked.

She stopped mid-swing, “I was waiting for the prince to rise from his slumber. Didn’t want to disturb your beauty sleep.” She teased, sheathing her sword. She grabbed a towel to clean the sweat from her forehead.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kai rolled his eyes, rubbing his still-sore muscles. “Yeah, yeah. I’m up now. Shall we leave then?”

“Almost,” she said, as she took a swig of water from the waterskin, “I need to grab a few things.” A short while later, Elara returned, “I’m ready.” A pouch was in her hand, and a notebook in the other.

They headed out of their quarters into the city. It was as busy as ever as merchants set up their market stalls. The streets were still covered with festivities as drunk people lay outside of the inns.

Eventually, they reached the city plaza. The library was on the other side of the city compared to the Magistrate, so they had to split off. “Good luck with the test,” Elara said, handing him a pouch of coins.

“Thanks,” Kai replied. “Let’s meet back here in a few hours.” Kai walked off towards the Magistrate.

The Magistrate was an imposing structure, its entrance accompanied by two giant statues of famous Mindweavers. Kai took a deep breath and stepped through the grand doorway. The inner hall of the Magistrate was nothing short of baffling.

The ceiling looked almost like an upside-down ship, with intricately carved details. A large chandelier hung from the centre, glowing with a blue brilliance. At the centre of the hall was a round reception.

Kai walked towards the reception; the man behind it was reading. “I came for the aptitude test…” Kai said; the man looked up at Kai, his glasses reflecting the blue light.

With a sigh, “The next communal aptitude test is in a month. Do you want to sign up for it?” The man said, “We do ask for payment upfront.”

“I’m here for a private aptitude test… under the name Ashborne.” The man looked surprised when he said the name.

“Of course, sir, do you have the payment?” The tone of the man’s voice had changed entirely. Kai handed him the pouch of coins, and the man opened it to check its contents, “Please follow me.” The man asked as he moved from behind the desk.

Kai followed behind the man, who was led through several large corridors. Finally, they reached a large door, and the man opened it. It was a large room with an altar at its centre. On the altar was a crystal orb made of the same material as the one at the pairing ceremony.

A woman in black robes was standing in the room. “Finally, you have arrived.” The receptionist left him alone in the room. “I thought the Ashborne family only had a daughter left?”

“I’m a friend. She insisted I take the test.” Kai said.

The woman raised an eyebrow but said nothing more about it. “Stand before the orb and place your hand on it.”

Kai approached the altar and put his hands on the orb. The orb felt cool to the touch. The woman before him closed her eyes, and the floor lit with a pulsating light. Kai felt a strange tingling sensation spread through his body.

“The preparations are done; you should now have an easier time using your abilities if you have any.” The woman explained, “I want you to project an image into the orb; it doesn’t matter what; the more vivid, the better.”

He nodded and closed his eyes. He imagined a sun in the sky, clouds drifting past it. The orb shimmered, and a flickering image of the scene appeared within the orb. Kai focused more on the scene, imagining birds flying in the scene, but it cost him more energy than he was used to, so he stopped.

“Now, I want you to do something more complex. You’ll have to create an illusion. The illusion has to surround the orb instead of appearing inside it.” She said, “I’d recommend taking a deep breath before trying; for new Weavers, the experience can feel constricting.”

Kai took a deep breath and focused on the orb. He pictured a flame surrounding the orb of cold blue as he had seen on the chandelier. The orb shimmered, and slowly, the fire surrounded the orb.

The flames took shape, though it looked hazy and slightly unstable. Kai could feel the strain of maintaining the illusion, but he pushed through, focusing on the details. He could feel the heat of the flames surrounding his hands as the illusion started to sharpen in detail.

But then he stopped, his breathing ragged from the strain it had put on him. The woman scribbled something down on a piece of paper, “Not bad for a beginner,” she said. “Now, we’ll try your hand at telepathy. This will be less straining, although most people find it quite abstract.

“I want you to induce a specific emotion in me using the orb. Choose any emotion you feel comfortable with, and try projecting it into my mind.”

To Kai, this felt intrusive, but he needed to do it if he was to complete the test. He decided on the emotion of calmness and concentrated on the feeling of peace as he tried to project it through the orb. The woman’s amused expression softened slightly as a hint of calmness washed over her face.

“Even better, I’m surprised. Normally, I wouldn’t test beginners this way, but it would be wasted potential if I didn’t. You’ll have to resist a Mindweaving attack. Let your natural instincts take control in protecting yourself.”

Kai nodded, and the woman raised her hands. Kai felt a sudden pressure in his head like an invisible force was trying to split his head open. He gritted his teeth, focusing on pushing back. The struggle was intense as his mind strained against the force, holding on longer than he thought possible. Then the pressure receded, and he couldn’t help but breathe heavily.

The woman scribbled more notes, “You have more potential than I anticipated.” She handed him a paper, “Give this to the reception; they’ll give you a grant of Mindweaving.”

Kai took the paper, his hands trembling slightly from the strain of the tests. “Thank you,” he said, and the woman motioned that he should exit the room. He made his way through the large corridors, and suddenly, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

“I need to talk to you,” a female voice said.