Panic, that's all I felt circling in my mind as restless anxiety induced sleep tormented me. Was this going to be the end? All of that hope pulled together just for it to all end in a heartbeat? These thoughts continued to scream, echo through my mind for each restless moment that I found myself in this agonizing slumber.

Finally a cold shock snapped me into consciousness. But it wasn't a shock I had wished to see, I felt drenched, water was rushing down my lungs before I could suddenly feel pressure building around my body. A half moment later the pressure left, leaving me to cough with what little breath I had left in my body to desperately attempt to gasp in any vestiges of oxygen to fill my aching lungs. My eyes refused to open, no matter how hard I tried, only for me to realize I was blindfolded.

Where was I? I couldn't see, feel, or hear anything at all. I just felt ice cold dread crawling across my body so quickly that I couldn't even shiver. I felt like I was frozen in place, like my entire body was screaming against me to try and fight, to try and run, to try and survive.

As fast as it all happened, it all began to disappear slowly. My senses slowly returned to me. The cloth that was shoved into my ears to deafen me was pulled out. Then the gag covering my mouth was removed, pulled down to my neck at the same time as the blindfold.

I could barely open my eyes as a brilliant orange light was shined into my face, utterly blinding me as I desperately tried to turn and look away from it. I could finally examine the room I was in, dozens of guards, all Arcadians wearing brilliant gold and silver armors. I could tell the men and women apart from the shape of the chest piece, otherwise they were indistinguishable behind their ornate helms.

The room itself was lavish, I could see fine polished wooden walls with shined stone tiles underfoot. Chandeliers hung overhead while before me stood a grand podium shaped like an inverted half circle surrounding me, while I was stuck sat in the very center.

My ears were still ringing, and my body and mind groggy as I was trying to comprehend everything that just happened. Only once I could feel how soggy my head was did I realize I had just had what felt like literal gallons of water poured over top of me to wake me up.

I could barely move any part of my body other than my head, my arms and legs were firmly chained down to the floor underneath me. I was stuck sitting on my knees with barely enough room to extend my legs if I wished to stand. Looking around the room I couldn't recognize anyone, Darek was nowhere to be seen. Yet the seats along the podium were empty. The Royal Court had yet to gather, leaving me to sit in agonizing silence.

Finally the mysterious light that had no actual source, a mere floating object in the center of the room retreated away. Falling to the ground where it scattered across like glass shattering into little embers that quickly faded away. The room quickly grew dim from the light scattering, and with it I strangely found my horrendously cold body growing warmer rapidly. Overhead the unlit candles upon the chandeliers lit.

With that signal I flinched, hearing the guards around the room all slam the butts of their spears, or for those who carried blades, stomp their right foot against the ground, in unison. A single deafening beat that left my eyes to move with dread towards the door behind the podium which surrounded me.

Out from behind the podium I watched eight distinct figures covered in deep maroon robes walk out. They split evenly, four on either side before standing behind their presumed seats. Yet, they did not sit and all looked towards the doorways once more.

I was left confused for a moment, wondering what they were waiting for before a hulking figured walked in. I could feel an aura from him, outside of the other eight, who all had an almost foreboding feeling about them, he felt like someone to be respected, revered, or feared. Or some mix of all three, he had to have been at least seven foot tall, golden blonde hair sat across his head all finely kept. His face was finely shaven and his eyes a brilliant green.

I felt terror as he looked down to me, his gaze seemed almost like it was telling me I was nothing more than an insect. And yet, for a solemn, half of half a second, his eyes widened. Why? What did he see in me that surprised him? It left me stunned for a moment before he sighed, taking a step forwards to sit. Which in turn called the other eight to sit as well.

"Well then." The massive man spoke in a surprisingly soft voice, almost like that of a grandfather, he opened some form of binder that sat before him before he spoke again. "Guards, you may leave the room. The child is of no threat."

For an instant it looked like the guards were about to protest before they thought better of it, they quickly turned, and marched out of the room in unison without a single word uttered from any of them.

This finally left the giant man, and the group of eight people, who I could only assume to be the royal court, to all turn their gazes towards me. Terror was wreaking havoc across my body again, I couldn't stop shaking. Adrenaline running wild once more as I looked around desperate to try and find Darek, wasn't he supposed to be here?

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"First." My eyes snapped back towards the massive man, his voice demanding my attention whether I wished to give it or not. "My name is Levi, I am the head of this Royal Court." He spoke calmly, his eyes never left mine, as if he was examining me. "Beside me are eight representatives of the four High Noble families. Today we are here for the trial of Kirin Vulender, for the crimes committed by her father, and deemed to not be entirely punished after his execution."

"The crimes in which he was punished have been barred from being stated in this hearing by the king himself, as such we will not be covering them. However, the punishment shall be. In his majesty's own words; 'The Vulender Bloodline shall be culled for the crimes committed by Alexander Vulender.'" Levi continued to speak as if it was a mere, daily thing for him. "However, there has been an issue brought up by Kirin's guards from the mine she was being held in until she could be fully, and legally trialed."

The eight robed figures looked towards Levi, soft murmuring in their voices as they awaited his answer. He cleared his throat, calling to another few moments of silence before he spoke.

"This issue, is that Kirin has proven to have mana in her blood. Meaning she is an Arcadian, and as such must be trialed as one." Levi spoke further, leading to a massive outcry from those around the podium. Several shouting out, screaming profanities that I was forced to listen to.

"A filthy criminal could never be an Arcadian!"

"A Vulender? An Arcadian? have you gone senile Levi?"

"To let her live another day would be a sin even greater than what her father committed!"

"You are letting that monsters daughter live? Or at the very least giving her a chance? Have you forgotten that her father nearly doomed the entire nation?"

The room fell silent with the last statement, everyone looking towards the woman who shouted it out. She, slowly backed down, realizing that she presumably overstepped her bounds. It left me stunned for a moment, how did my father nearly doom Berinia? How could he do something like that... I thought he had just been a hunter...

"Enough!" Levi's voice boomed out, leaving an echoing crash to burst around the room. All eight of the Noble representatives returned to their seats, their screams now little more than a soft mumbling argument. "Yes, she is the daughter of Alexander Vulender. However she is also an Arcadian, and as described by Darek, her personal guard who has been by her side since the day she was captured, she has displayed potential that would see lesser nobles or even commoners guaranteed a position within Silver Sky." Levi stated plainly, his glares falling upon the Nobles once more before he spoke.

"Now pull your heads out of your High Noble asses and observe her mana." He stated boldly, leaving many of the Nobles to snort with disgust. However they presumably complied, their gazes falling towards me slowly. I felt an odd presence, almost like an ethereal object was brushing against my body. It left me stunned for a moment while I tried to focus on it, only to immediately regret it.

As soon as I focused on that uncomfortable feeling it proved to get millions of times worse. A brilliant flash of searing hot pain scorched across my entire body as I screamed, desperately bringing my body closer to the frigid stone ground only for Levi to begin laughing. His laughs left me in even more pain as each booming sound felt like it was crushing my body before the pain receded as rapidly as it appeared.

"Now that is a first even for me." Levi stated, still chuckling softly as he crossed his arms. I felt painfully cold tears fall from my face as I sobbed, slowly sitting up again.

"W-what w-was t-that..." I mumbled out, my voice agonizingly quiet, any confidence I had once felt here was gone. I knew I was as good as dead if these people had any choice in it.

"Can anyone here say they have ever seen that, a child who has never once learnt a thing about magic, immediately learning how to sense another beings mana from just feeling it used on them?" Levi asked, looking around the room, and as it remained silent he continued. "I can certainly say I never have. Not even from my most promising apprentices."

"This is still no where near enough to excuse her crimes!" One of the nobles shouted out, leaving Levi to look towards him slowly.

"Her crimes? Her crime of being born?" Levi asked slowly, before looking towards me. I felt another sickening pressure against my body before he spoke in a lower, almost kind voice. "Child, tell me. And I will know if you lie, do you know, or did you have any part in the crimes your father committed?" He asked slowly, the pressure ebbed slightly to allow me to speak.

"No." I stated plainly, terror still leaving me to quake in place as I watched him for a few moments.

"Do you have any intent to harm the kingdom, his majesty, or his family in the current moment in time? Or at any point in the future?" He continued, once more when he spoke I felt a pressure on my throat that prevented me from speaking if I even wanted to.

"No, I don't." I continued to state plainly, the Nobles sitting around Levi seemed to snarl as I answered the questions so easily.

Levi sighed after my answer, leaning back in his seat. He waved a hand upwards, and in an instant I felt the cloth blindfold pull up over my face. Tightening across my eyes before Levi spoke again.

"Those who wish to allow Kirin Vulender to enter Silver Sky and train as a mage, raise your hands." Levi stated, I could hear multiple around the room moving. And after a moment he spoke again. "Those against?" I heard far less motion with this one. I was left in horrid silence for a few long moments before the blindfold was removed. "Now, a final question for you. Kirin Vulender, do you wish to enter the academy of Silver Sky, and train as a mage under the banner of the king. Or, do you wish to pay for your fathers sins, as his only living kin, and be executed."

I surprisingly found myself silent for a few moments, did I want this? Did I want to serve under a king who wanted me dead? Could I even begin to serve him? So many questions sat in my mind for a few moments before I threw them to the side. A single thing, a single statement, and a single voice, that was all I heard in my head. 'Don't throw your life away.'

"Yes, I wish to enter the Academy."