The door had been locked behind her. Rielen saw the look Grend had given her as she walked into the room. She knew that this was going to be difficult, to say the least. She couldn't let the fear take over her, though. She had to earn the right to her freedom. The only one who could do this for her was herself.
She braced herself for whatever was to come. Complete silence fell over the room. The light coming from the walls disappeared. Darkness. Time passed. Rielen longed for the light that would at least allow her to see something. Was the test just this darkness?
She had been standing this whole time, tense, waiting for an attack. 'Well, there is no use wasting my energy.' She forced her legs to sit and meditate while waiting for this "test" to end. To distract herself, she remembered the past, in the hollow where she and Eon liked to spend time in the forest.
The memory was bittersweet. It felt like the time she had spent in the little village of Vale was in a different lifetime. The Eon she knew now was secretive. He had become hard. Starting with the muscles that formed over the years. No, she could not call him a simple boy anymore.
He had grown tall, and changed. Reinforcement magic was a magic geared to physical activity. However, he also used it to make the flower stones as gifts for her. She often wondered if it was by habit, or if he gave those stones a show of the feelings she knew he had for her.
She remembered the visit she had made to their little village by accident, when she discovered her powers of teleportation. His father mentioned how Eon would propose to her. She had caught the conversation by chance, as she didn't want to reveal her presence.
Her heart had beat wildly at the remark. It had fueled her mission to master her gifts. Every moment she had spent with Eon was monitored at the Academy. They had not been able to talk of the feelings they had for each other. She couldn't find one moment alone to tell him she felt the same way.
She shook her head, and focused on another memory. The trickle of the small riverbed that often carried beautiful rocks. The sun was shining down; a simpler time. She could almost smell the trees that would rustle in the calm breeze. A soft laughter lost to her.
The memories caused soft tears to flow from her eyes. This was the memory that often eased the days where she couldn't stand the stone walls surrounding her. The escape that allowed her to relax, and cultivate the abilities she awoke to.
*******
"Candidate 2 Fail," a voice called across the room. Grend frowned. The first test was silence. Often, enemy mages used techniques to fool with mages' senses. A ruler must be able to persevere, despite any technique.
*******
Rielen sensed a change in the room around her. She opened her eyes, and realized that the soft light of the walls had come back. "Test 1 complete." Rielen barely heard this, as pain ravaged every inch of her body. The mana inside her threatened to break free at this unsolicited attack.
She braced herself, and held desperately to her memory of her favorite place. She had unknowingly curled up into a ball. Hours passed with no rest. She could not hold on for much longer. So, she focused on Eon. The sound of his voice.
*******
"Candidates 4 and 5 Fail." The test proctors were monitoring the latest test for the candidates. There were now three candidates that had failed thus far. Grend smiled as he watched Rielen's status. The other proctors had made a bet with him that she wouldn't last through the basic tests.
It had been a few years since they had a decent pool of candidates to test. If they could manage to pass all these tests, they would be officially inducted into the secret part of the Academy that only elite mages ever get to see. The Basic Academy was for learning and growing your gifts. The Elite Academy was for grooming the next leaders of the country.
Aside from women mages, those who entered the Elite Academy would be bred to be Nobility. Of course, if they passed every test at the end, then they would be chosen to be tested as the next possible ruler.
The way the Kingdom was set up was an artifact, indicating whom the next Ruler of Autra would be. This was an agreement the first King of Autra had made with the Spirits of the Kingdom.
It was a discussion hot amongst the Nobles, as the Spirits had been lacking in the special gifts given to the mages of the country. There was talk that the Spirits were displeased with the current King. Of course, no one said this where they could be heard. The King had a temper that no Noble wanted to cross.