Yarie smiled at the sun, traveling and adventure was always something she had enjoyed. Her hike along the North Rim Trail in the Grand Canyon National Park had been the most fun thus far. She enjoyed the sun, it was something she had missed more than anything since she'd moved to Vermont. She didn't like the snow. The ice reminded her of death, its cold frigid hands reaching out to her, its bony fingers violating her safety and warmth. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to bask in the sun for a bit longer before heading back up the trail. She wasn't ready for her trip to be over. She wasn't ready to head back to the mundane day to day life of personal assisting, it wasn't exactly a job filled with the adventure she craved.
She stretched her legs out before her as she sat on the bench overlooking the canyon, she had starting the trek back towards the shuttle over an hour ago and the sun had begun to set. She furrowed her brow, frustrated at the fact that she had, yet again, managed to get lost on a very simple trail.
"Make sure you bring a map." Yarie spoke in a mocking tone. Her friends had reminded her countless times before she left. Of course, Yarie had just laughed them off, she knew she had a tendency to get lost, but she'd never before been lost on such an easy path. The trail was practically a straight line, yet no matter how many times she followed the path or which direction she went she always found herself back at the bench. There was nothing particularly special about the bench which she found increasingly frustrating, the spot didn't even have a sign pointing out the plants and wildlife that could be found in the immediate area.
"What's the point of creating a loop around this stupid spot, there's nothing here to even see." she sighed, rubbing her temples with her index and ring fingers. Her frustration was beginning to give her a headache. She sat on the bench, watching the sunset while she waited for someone else to walk along so she could follow them back to civilization.
She was unsure exactly how much time she had been sitting on the bench, the vibrant bright orange sky was now a deep, dark purple. She had never seen a sky like this, the purples and dark blues swirled together in an otherworldly way. The reflection on the canyon floor below seemed to be a terrific, vibrant green, making the otherwise desolate desert landscape seem lush and full of life. She smiled despite her overwhelming feeling of desperation, no matter how lost she found herself she couldn't help but appreciate the beauty presented before her.
She stood up, the vibrancy of the green below seemed to call out to her. Whispering her name in such a way that demanded she answer the call. Yarie began to make her way towards the railing, as she walked she noticed the sky had begun to illuminate in an almost iridescent way with ripples of green hued rainbows shining down to the valley below. As she approached the fence she noticed a gate leading to a path heading down in the direction of the valley deep within the canyons she faced. She didn't remember taking this path on her hike to make it up here, but it was the only direction she hadn't yet tried. Without a second thought, Yarie opened the gate and made her way down the thin canyon path. The trail itself wasn't bad, it didn't look to be maintained by the park staff, but it did look to be used relatively enough to be free of any major debris. As she walked down the path she began to notice how lush and alive her surroundings became the further into the valley she descended. The once rich brown and orange canyon walls were now a neutral gray stone covered in lush moss and clover. She touched her hand to the stone, unlike the canyon walls above, it wasn't warm. It was a cold, wet and ultimately unpleasant surprise which caused Yarie to frown due to sheer disappointment.
"Did you expect it to be warm?" a small voice giggled from behind her.
The voice startled Yarie, instinctively causing her to turn around, slamming her back into the cold, damp stone behind her. She winced from the tinge of pain it caused before gazing around at her surroundings. When she caught sight of the individual responsible for the voice Yarie heard. She stared for a moment,not exactly sure what it was that she was looking at.
"A centaur?" she muttered, not intentionally speaking aloud.
"You're kidding me, there's a fucking centaur? Obviously this is a dream, this has to be a dream." she finished off, muttering words quickly under her breath that were too difficult to hear.
"A centaur? How rude. I'm a Cervitaur, Dear. The audacity of some of you, I swear." the creature carried on, seemingly offended at Yarie's comment.
"I do not have the back end of a horse, I'm not a giant beast like them. Look closely, I'm a deer!" she perked up, her pale white cheeks seemed to glow a vibrant pink as her happiness grew.
"You can call me Aya, everyone does. Follow me, we have to get your first trial started, don't have time to waste, Dear." Aya spoke quickly, turning around and motioning Yarie to follow her. Yarie stared at the Deer-woman escorting her down the trail. She was quite cute, despite being a mythical beast. Much like a centaur, Aya's top half had human-like qualities, but her bottom half was that of a white-tailed deer. Yarie couldn't help but notice how soft her fur looked, it's pale brown color was matched by her hair, which she wore in a long, straight ponytail. Her features were soft and rounded, the small horns at the top of her head were decorated with small flowers intertwined throughout one another. The way she walked is what caught Yarie's eye most of all, it was playful. She bobbed with each step, playfully galloping down the grass covered trail.
"You said the audacity of some of us... there are more people here?" Yarie inquired, even though she was blindly following a deer woman down a secluded canyon trail into a place that looked far too magical to real, she still had her concerns.
"Please hold all questions until after the opening ceremony. I promise everything will be explained then. We will be there in a moment." Aya spoke in simple and concise sentences, making Yarie want to ask even more, though she felt defying Aya would be a unwise decision.
She followed her blindly for another couple minutes, gazing at the now open meadow that presented itself before her.
"Wait here please." Aya spoke, motioning Yarie to stop moving. Yarie did as she was told, stopping where she was asked, anxiously awaiting whatever it was that was supposed to happen next. After a few moments Aya returned, she presented herself with a rather cheery demeanor this time around. Her smile was warm and inviting, it gave Yarie a sense of calmness despite the otherwise chaotic occurrences she'd experienced today.
"Welcome to your first trial, initiate. Do not fear, no one will fail out during the first trial. This trial is designed to test your abilities, so we can present you with which school you will attend to begin your training." Aya paused briefly, the strict look once again returning to her eyes as she glanced at Yarie who was beginning to open her mouth to ask a question. "Here is a list of basic supplies you will need, regardless of the school you are assigned. Once your school has been assigned you will be given a more comprehensive list of school specific supplies that you will need to pick up. Because you come from the human world, we are aware that you may not possess the funds necessary to purchase these supplies." Yarie laughed, interrupting the explanation. Aya shot her a rather harsh look, it sent a chill down Yarie's spine. She felt immediately uneasy and stopped her laughter as quickly as it had began. She hadn't intended to be rude, she made good money, the idea that she couldn't afford something as simple as school supplies was something she found quite hilarious.
Aya cleared her throat, once again returning to the overly cheerful demeanor she had once before. "As I was saying, if you do not possess the funds necessary to purchase these supplies, the cottage will be happy to assist with providing you with money necessary for purchasing a home, supplies and anything else you may find yourself needing in exchange for simple jobs, before you leave here we can guarantee that you will have more than enough shillings to live a comfortable life in Ayanor. Now, if you make your way into the meadow we will begin our opening ceremony. We've been waiting on you for several hours, let's not make anyone wait any longer." she finished, handing Yarie the list of supplies she had mentioned before.
Yarie glanced at the supply list, many of the items on here she had never heard of, several books discussing mythical creatures. "A list of nonsense" she thought, still convinced she was having an overly realistic dream. As she made her way deeper into the meadow she was surprised at the sheer amount of people that were there. It wasn't a substantial amount of people, but enough that made her question on whether or not this was really a dream.
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The meadow was a luxurious emerald green. The grass was soft and plush, it seemed to invite you to lay on it, to get lost in it's luxury. The flowers that dotted the meadow's tall grass varied in color, ranging in various shades of pink and white to deep purples and blues. Yarie couldn't help but smile at it's beauty. A waterfall off in the distance created the serene sound of rushing water as crashed into the small, narrow stream below. This place honestly looked like what Yarie had always envisioned when she imagined heaven. Endless fields of plush green hills, flowers in all colors of the rainbow, utter perfection. She smiled as she took her seat.
She couldn't help but stare at the stark handsomeness of the man she found herself seated next to. He was tall, at 5'6" Yarie was average, but he seemed to tower over her in every sense. He was built, strong and firm, she could see the outlines of his muscles beneath his shirt which seemed to be at least one size too small. What stood out most were his bright blue eyes, they were a pure innocent blue, they made her think of the soft blue color often found on baby blankets. They offset his mocha skin with such perfection that she was put into a trance simply by looking at him. Never in her twenty five years had she seen someone more perfect than this.
"I'm Yarie." she whispered in his direction. To her surprise, and slight disappointment he simply ignored her, continuing to stare forward at the makeshift stage that stood at the front of the seating area. The auditorium of sorts was magnificent, branches naturally fenced off seating areas, roots weaving in and out of the ground and throughout each other to create whimsical arches. The paths were paved with the same stone that lined the canyon walls. The blueish-gray stone covered in the same patchy moss as it was before. The seating area was simple, small pillows placed on the ground, not that they were really needed, the grass was soft enough on its own. The stage at the front of it all was probably the most unique and individual structure Yarie had ever laid her eyes on. It was fenced around in the same manner as the rest of the area, the same beautiful arched fences that the root system of the glorious trees in the area had created on their own. On each of the corners stood a tall tree, their branches intertwining together to create a natural gazebo effect. It was a living and breathing building, Yarie was fascinated by this place. Nestled within the grand canyon there was such beauty hidden away, who would have guessed?
Yarie paused her thoughts as a woman approached a makeshift podium that stood in the center of the stage. She glanced around at the others around her, there were roughly one hundred other people, all appearing almost as anxious as she was, all except a few that was. Yarie was surprised to see Aya was not the one speaking, instead, she and five others stood behind a tall pale woman, three on each side, and bowed their heads slightly as she spoke.
"Welcome, initiates." she began, her voice echoing throughout the meadow as though she was speaking into a microphone, though there wasn't one present.
"My name is Sofie, I am the headmistress of the Markath School of Time. Today's trial is intended to place you in one of the seven schools. The school of time, a place for students who possess time related abilities including both travel and manipulation." She paused briefly as hushed whispers erupted from the crowd, the obvious concern making itself abruptly known.
"Worry not, initiates, all will be explained soon." Sofie continued.
"Aya, who I'm sure most of you have met, is the headmistress of the school of nature" Aya perked up and stepped forward to say a few words about her school.
"The school of nature is for those of you who possess healing or nature related abilities, the two usually go hand in hand of course!" The deer-woman's cheeks once again glowed the bright pink color they had earlier when she was talking to Yarie. She couldn't help but smile at Aya, her cheerfulness was highly contagious, despite how scary she was most other times. The next speaker approached the podium, he was a tall lanky man. He was rather pale and sickly looking, the dark bags under his eyes present from quite a distance away, his scruffy face adding to the tiredness in his eyes.
"I am Igor. I run the school of ice. It's place for students with frost related abilities to study." his thick Russian accent was made apparent in every word. He continued to gaze at the crowd for what seemed like hours after he finished speaking, his gaze as icy as the school he ran.
The next speaker stood straight, she was wearing what Yarie could only describe as a medieval type armor. It was metal and possessed rather intricate engravings throughout the chest piece. The craftsmanship was visible even from the twenty feet between Yarie and the woman. Everything about her screamed authority. "I am Sasha, First Officer of the Ayanor Battle and Defense force, we are a training ground for those that possess specific battle and defensive abilities. You will receive military training and have the opportunity to become a part of the royal guard or be front line on the field of battle in the ongoing war." she spoke with authority, it wasn't just her title that gave her power, everything about her was important, when she stood and spoke to you it demanded attention, it gave Yarie the impression that she was a woman who quite often got what she wanted.
Before the three remaining teachers had a chance to speak, Sofie, the headmistress of the Markath school began to speak again.
"I am sure you all have many questions at this point, allow me to explain a bit more before we introduce our final three schools." she paused, allowing the crowd to ease their worry a bit before she continued. "You are all here because you all possess a unique gift. Buried inside of you all is magic, and we're here to help you discover that magic and which school you belong to so we can offer you proper training and work so you can master your abilities in whichever way you see fit. Our schools are designed to teach you how to use your abilities, how to master your gift, the way you choose to use them is up to you." she paused once again as several gasps erupted from the crowd. Yarie looked around, she shared the worry that she saw on several other's faces. Magic couldn't be real, not really, in movies or books sure, but in real life... impossible.
Before she could realize what she was doing, Yarie stood up. "How can this be real?" she asked, not really asking anyone in particular, it was more of a general question. She wanted someone, anyone to answer her.
Once again the crowd grew quiet as all eyes fell on Yarie. She looked down, unsure how to react at the unwanted gazes of the people around her. She was also worried, she wanted answers just like they did, it seemed like she was the only one who had the courage to speak up about it. She lifted her eyes, making contact with Sofie, she was clearly an important speaker, that's why she was in front, if anyone knew the answer it had to be her.
"How can this be real?" Yarie asked, once again. Sofie smiled warmly at Yarie, it somehow made her feel better, it was a mother's smile, a smile that made you feel like everything would be alright, like everything was safe.
"I know it's overwhelming, trust me, several years ago I sat where you sit now, equally as confused. I promise it will all make sense after the first trial, please, just put your trust in us for a bit longer. As the next three introduce themselves Aya, Igor, Sasha and myself will be walking around passing out your blank sigils. We will explain the first trial and what these are for after the introductions, we thank your for your continued patience and silence." Sofie finished and walked with the three others to pass out canvases to the initiates in the field.
The next three speakers seemed to mash together in Yarie's mind, nothing about their speeches seemed real to her. Alfie, headmaster of the Varo School of Light was a rather small and meager looking boy who claimed to be well over two hundred years old despite looking like a fix year old boy. His blonde hair was quite bright though, he seemed to have a glow about him that made Yarie believe that if magic was real he was definitely the type to possess some sort of light power. The next speaker was probably the most unique, an impossibly giant snake who's holographic scales were responsible for the amazing light show Yarie had seen when she first made her way down the trail. The snake ran the Vox Center for Change and Transformation, which Yarie thought sounded like a bullshit name for an upstate New York rehab center until the incredible snake transformed into a woman. The final speaker was, Kalino, who was rather intense to say the least, Kahuna to the Kaili School of Fire and Smoke related abilities.
Yarie tried to absorb everything, she had been handed the canvas for her sigil, which to her surprise was just a blank canvas similar to those she had bought countless times at craft stores to follow along with Bob Ross tutorials on Netflix. She found herself craving to be back at that time, the time where life was simple and she didn't feel like she was going insane. She was distracted from her thoughts quickly as Sofie once again stepped forward and began to speak.
"Your first trial begins as soon as I finish speaking" she began, "I want you all to realize that this trial will not be easy, you will be confronted with several challenges, and based on your own strength and abilities it will vary in difficulty for each of you. When you awake from your slumber your sigil will be presented to you on your canvas, bring the sigil to whichever headmaster it belongs to and we will tell you your next steps from there. I wish you the best of luck, initiates. Now, sleep." She whispered as she spoke the word sleep, her words seeming to trail off and enter Yarie's veins like a drug. She felt overwhelmingly tired, like she had just been dosed with morphine. She closed her eyes despite how hard she tried to fight the feeling. Before she knew it she drifted off into a deep sleep, a wonderful sleep, a sleep that she wouldn't wake from until her trial was completed.