I awoke to the golden rays of whatever celestial object shined down on us because it was obviously not our sun. The ball of fire in the sky here cast a more golden light over everything compared to the sun back home.

I got up stretched and did a little jog around the island. Dew had gathered on the grass and my clothes were soaked thankfully as we had not been given any other linens besides what we had and those were covered in dust and sweat in our journey across the Veil. Since I was already soaked, I took off the rest of my clothes and hopped in the pond.

It was crystal clear with massive silver fish swimming around the bottom and the sun cast rays that reflected through the water. The cold shocked me and my breath got caught in my lungs as I tred water.

My head began to lull back into the water as I got used to the temperature full on starfishing on the surface of the pond. It felt amazing! I had not had any shower since we got here, and I was smelling rank. I look down beneath me as I feel something brushing up against my leg and see a fish, about the size of a refrigerator, sparkling with scales of silver and brown.

Before I could react, a powerful force yanked me beneath the surface of the pond, plunging me into a world of darkness and chaos.

The water was a swirling vortex of froth and turmoil, disorienting me as I struggled against the assailant. Panic surged through my veins, my lungs burning for air as I was dragged deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Frantically, I tried to kick and thrash my way free, but the grip on my leg was relentless, unyielding to my desperate attempts. The creature's strength was immense, its movements fluid and purposeful as it pulled me further into the murky depths.

With my heart pounding in my chest, I realized that brute force alone wouldn't save me. I needed to tap into the newfound connection with my core, to channel the raw energy of Arany in a moment of need.

Summoning every ounce of willpower, I focused on my core, visualizing it as a weakly glowing sphere of golden light within me. Drawing upon this reservoir of inner strength, I conducted my core with intense concentration, sending a surge of energy coursing through my body.

In a bold and desperate move, I reached down into the darkness, my fingers seeking purchase on anything they could find. And then, I felt it—a cold, slimy texture beneath my hand. With swift determination, I plunged my fingers into what I could only assume was the creature's eye.

The creature, startled by the sudden assault on its vulnerable spot, momentarily loosened its grip. Seizing the opportunity, I dug my fingers deeper, using every ounce of strength and resolve to inflict pain and force the creature to release me.

A primal roar echoed through the water as the creature thrashed and writhed in agony. Its grip finally faltered, and I kicked with all my might, propelling myself toward the surface in a frantic bid for freedom.

Breaking through the surface, gasping for air, I looked around wildly, adrenaline coursing through my veins. The pond's tranquil surface belied the fierce struggle that had just taken place beneath. I kicked over to the edge of the pond and hopped out terrified at what had just occurred. I grabbed my clothes and hurriedly put them back on even though I was still sopping wet.

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I felt amazing, besides that close encounter with death, the conducting of my core increased my strength to a profound level. I felt like I could lift a boulder and run faster than any Olympic athlete. Then came the tiredness, a tiredness like no other and a crap in my mind that originated from my core. I glanced inward at it and saw that it was an empty black husk again.

My stomach sank as I tried frantically to push more motes into the core, but they wouldn't stick. The blackness seemed like an impenetrable void, rebuking any attempts at infusing Arany into its depths. I tried and tried, but to no avail. I crumpled to my knees and punched the ground. How could I be so stupid? How could I let this happen? All the effort I had put into this, washed away by a stupid fish. For what? A brief surge of strength?

Slowly, I lifted myself from the ground, the anger and frustration giving way to determination. I looked inward, confronting the emptiness in my core. It wasn't just a void; it was a challenge, a test of my resilience and resolve.

I got back up to the island and sat down determined to pull more motes in than I ever had before. I settled my mind and imagined a vortex, a swirling cyclone, that would pull more motes than ever into my core. I started sweating with the intensity and gritted my teeth to stay concentrated. Slowly, the vortex began to spin and create suction in the world around me. Motes began appearing into my dark cave in a swirling pattern and began rocketing towards my burnt-out husk of a core.

The wave of motes smashed into it, and I saw a single mote get absorbed and then after that a feeling like no other washed over me, absolute relief. Faster and faster the motes began sinking into my core until all the Arany I had gathered was infused into my core. I felt better than ever and as I escaped from my trance; I felt a feeling of calm wash over me relaxing all my muscles. I flopped back onto the long grass and vowed to never go into that pond again.

I got back up and started the winding walk back to the cabin that we had been placed at. As soon as I arrived, I knew something was off no one was around. There were always people just hanging about. Then I heard it off in the distance a booming voice.

“Candidates this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to study at Eldorias greatest academy; Luminar Academy. This will be a test of will and potential to determine whether you deserve to be crowned as a student at this academy.”

I hurried over to the source of this sound and saw a large crowd gathered around the speaker, surprisingly the inhabitants of this world looked exactly like humans. I could also see Zac’s wiry frame sticking out of the crowd and made my way towards him.

“What happened? Why is everyone here and what is this opportunity?” I asked. Zac looked at me and in a hushed tone whispered back “Valanor came earlier and said that we had an opportunity to train and improve ourselves at the best institute, but the Eldorians our age have been preparing for the academies since a young age and have all reached at least radiant apprentices with the leading candidates as luminara initiates. But the test is based on will and potential which will prove who can get in giving us a fair chance at this.”

I started sweating at the amount of challenge that we faced. We were up against innumerable odds, but I believed in ourselves that we would find a way through.

“Step up and form a line to be tested!” Shouted the proctor.

All of us lined up but I couldn’t help noticing the glances from the Eldorians some were friendly smiles while others were filled with curiosity. The worse were the glances full of dismissiveness from a group dressed in fine gowns that sparkled and they were adorned with expensive looking jewelry.

“Zac do you know who those people are gathered over there?” I asked.

“Yes, they're a group of young nobles from noble families in Eldoria nothing more than spoiled yet talented stuck-up individuals” he replied.

That lit a fire in me, I hated being looked down upon, but to be looked down upon by a group of stuck-up spoiled brats was another thing. They couldn’t even begin to comprehend the situation that me and my other earthlings were in. Yet they chose to strut about and flaunt their privilege while casting glares and dismissing glances. In that moment I vowed that I would prove them wrong, that I was worthy of a respectful or at the very least a curious glance.