"Your Majesty, where are we going?"
Calibri looked at Alexei who was holding his arm and looking down at him with worried eyes. They had just exited the hall and walked across the courtyard. At the end of the courtyard was a second staircase that led down into a dark, unlit area. Thanks to their preference for darker areas, their eyes adjusted to it naturally, but once they looked around they realized that finding their rooms wouldn't be as easy as they'd hoped.
"We could split up-"He started.
"NO!" The others chorused, looking at him horrified.
"Calibri, if something happened and your location was unknown, that would be dangerous." Kreia said, looking at him earnestly.
Calibri patted her hand that had grabbed his arm. "I'm in good condition right now. Going together would take too much of our time. Look at how many paths there are." He said.
It was true. Before them were twelve different white-stone pathways leading through a maze-like, tree-covered area.
Kreia looked back at the others and then at the pathways.
"We could… Go in pairs." Rion said.
"We could, but how long would that then take? We should go on our own, and if we need help, we can hear each other for quite a distance." Tea said.
Calibri nodded but Alexei was looked at the paths with calculating eyes.
"Perhaps this is a test." He said.
Calibri looked at him and tilted his head. "Perhaps. He did say 'Good luck' after all. Suspicious."
"Highly." Alexei said.
"All the more reason for us to stay together, your majesty." Korra said.
Siegon twisted his lips. "If it is a test, then no doubt they'd find a way to separate us once we take a particular path."
"This is true." Calibri said.
"So what should we do, your majesty?"
"I still believe we should go separately. If this is a test, it could also mean that we are being timed. Assuming none of us are sharing rooms, then each of us looking in the same area would lose time. But if we do find a room that belongs to one of us, we should alert the respective person." Calibri said.
The group looked at each other and then back at Calibri. "Please be careful, your Majesty." Rion said.
"And if you happen to feel sick or strange, you must alert us as once." Flora said.
Calibri nodded with a reassuring smile, and the others walked forward to take a path. Calibri looked at Alexei.
"My dear Alexei, you'll have to let go off my arm now."
Alexei sighed. "Your Majesty. Please be safe. The moment you feel strange, you call out."
"Of course." Calibri said.
Alexei nodded and let go of his arm.
"Remember."
"I'll remember."
"Do not forget." Alexei said as he started on a path.
"I will not." Calibri laughed as he started on the center path.
"we'll be listening." Korra said.
"As will I. Be cautious. Please be safe. Don't get hurt. Ah! Does anyone want any medicinal herbs-" Calibri started.
"No, your majesty." They all said, smiling fondly at the young physician's medicinal obsession as they walked along. Very soon they could see each other no more.
"And stay vigilant your majesty." Siegon said.
Calibri was pouting to himself as he tucked away his pouch of medicines. "No harm in having a little powdered root on you." He mumbled, stepping over a twig on the path.
He kept walking along the path for 45 minutes, but it really felt like he hadn't gone anywhere.
"This doesn't seem to be leading me anywhere." Calibri said to himself. He looked up and all he could see were thick branches.
"Is everyone alright?" He asked. He couldn't hear them for a while at that point, but when nobody answered, he began to get worried.
"My loves? Can you hear me?" He asked, coming to a halt.
There was still no response. He pursed his lips. "Alright, then this is a test. And this is probably an illusion of some sorts Calibri. Why would they put your dormitory in a forest in the first place? Do they not adore their stone structures on stone floors? Of course, there must be some sort of enchantment to nullify each of our respective abilities. Thankfully your eyeballs are deficient in bright light, and your eyesight in darkness is not considered an ability. Yes, yes. You can see in the dark. Now, what should you do?"
He looked around, fiddling with his earrings. "You should definitely lift the enchantment, but what enchantment are you lifting?"
Calibri knelt down and placed his palm flat onto the ground. Closing his eyes and concentrating hard, he relaxed his body and tried to determine whether or not there was an enchantment in place, and sure enough, he could feel the slight buzzing of power. Someone had definitely placed an enchantment on the land.
He straightened up.
"Alright then. Let's nullify." With that, he raised his left hand and swirled his index, middle, and ring fingers in the air. Soon, a small shimmering, golden orb began to form, and once it had gotten to the size of his hand, Calibri swung his hand in front of him in the direction of the ground, ejecting the orb from his fingertips.
The second the orb touched the ground, it was absorbed and the trees began to make loud creaking and groaning noises. Calibri looked up, and it seemed that much of the branches previously above him had disappeared. He could now see the sky, and it was littered with stars.
"Now, I should get up there and see where exactly I am. Yes, this is a good plan." He said. "But is this safe?"
He was weary of using his powers, lest someone saw him and figured out their sect's abilities. He shook his head.
"I should not. You can climb this tree instead Calibri, you silly thing."
With that, he walked towards a tree and began to climb it. Years of climbing trees made him quite agile, but these trees were a little different from the ones back in Verbatium, so he found himself taking longer than he usually would.
When he reached the top of the tall tree, he adjusted his foothold and peered over the other trees in the forest. He smiled knowingly.
From where he stood, he could see that he was in a section of what looked to be a gigantic octagon. At the Centre was a large white flame.
Calibri narrowed his eyes, curious about it. He gathered that the students were all somehow sent to different regions in the Octagon, but he needed to get to that central flame somehow.
"Ah! Your majesty!"
Calibri turned, and in the distance, Alexei was also at the top of a tree, peering out at the strange forest.
"Alexei! Are you alright?" He shouted. While their hearing was still better than the average person even without their naturally produced hearing enhancers, it wouldn't be enough to cover such a large distance without shouting.
"What did you say, your Majesty?" Alexei shouted back.
"What? I can't hear you Alexei, could you repeat yourself?" Calibri asked.
"I said I didn't hear you!"
"Ah! I asked if you were alright!"
"I'm alright! Are you alright?"
"What?"
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"
"AHHH! I'M FINE. I THINK WE NEED TO GET TO THE CENTRE!" Calibri said.
"Let's see if we can use our powers to walk over from here!"
"ALRIGHT!"
"DON'T MOVE YET YOUR MAJESTY! I'LL TELL YOU IF IT'S SAFE!"
"NO, NO, I'LL CHECK IT OUT FIRST! YOU STAY STILL, YOU COULD FALL!"
"DON'T BE STUBBORN, I'M GOING FIRST, YOUR MAJESTY!"
"AH! YOUR MAJESTY, ALEXEI!"
"WHO SPEAKS?" Alexei asked.
"HERE!"
"OH LOOK ALEXEI, IT'S TEA!"
"WHAT?"
"I SAID, IT'S TEA!"
"YOUR TEETH? THEY HURT?"
"NO! YOUR RIGHT, LOOK, IT'S TEA!"
"AH! TEA!"
"YES I'M HERE!"
"GOOD TO SEE YOU!" Calibri said.
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Tea asked.
"WE ARE! WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO THAT FLAME!" Alexei said.
"COULD WE POSSIBLY WALK OVER? WE HAVEN'T MASTERED THAT SPELL YET." Tea said.
"I'LL TELL YOU THAT NOW!" Calibri said, swiping his hand across the Air to make a temporary amethyst-looking stone in the air. He jumped upward to step on it.
"YOUR MAJESTY! DON'T! WE HAVEN'T LEARNT THAT PROPERLY YET!" Tea screeched.
Both of Calibri's feet were on the floating stone.
"DON'T WORRY! I ONLY WANT TO SEE IF THERE'S SOME SORT OF BARRICADE AHEAD!"
"WAIT CALIBRI, WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG YOUR TECHNIQUE CAN HOLD FOR THIS SPELL YET!" Alexei said.
"I CANNOT HEAR YOU!"
"CONVENIENT! YOUR MAJESTY THAT'S DANGEROUS! LET ME DO IT FIRST!"
"I STILL CANNOT HEAR YOU!" Calibri said, bringing his other foot forward, but as he did so, the stone he was on started to dissolve into thin air.
It wasn't that Calibri could not hold the spell, but something dissipated it, as if to prevent him from taking the shortcut.
"CALIBRI!" Alexei yelled, but before Calibri could respond, a vine had wrapped itself around his slim waist and pulled him down all 30 feet onto the ground.
Moments before he could crash, something like a gust of air cushioned his fall.
"Careful."
"Haochen?" Calibri asked as the air pushed him up so that he could land on his feet but the pair of hands assisting him made it easier. Haochen nodded.
"Thank you." Calibri said.
"Ah! Roomie!"
Calibri looked behind Haochen and saw Cloud, and Kol. It was then that he realized that he was not in the area that he was before, instead it looked like a miniature stage… And there were walls all around. When he looked up again, he realized that he could no longer see the sky.
It looked like a marble ceiling.
"We've been trapped in here for a while." Haochen said.
"And we aren't sure why, or how to-" Cloud started but a voice abruptly cut him off.
"Welcome students to the first duel of your schooling career. Stand at the four corners of the stage."
They didn't know where the voice came from and looked around in confusion.
"Duel?" Kol asked. He shot Calibri a dirty look. Calibri bit his inner cheek.
"Stand at the four corners of the stage." The voice repeated. Haochen and Calibri looked at each other with knitted brows, but moved to the corners.
"Each of you has a minute to unshrink and draw your weapons and equipment, then stand by till the timer begins. Once the timer begins, you are to use whatever you have learned thus far to defeat your opponents in the time limit of an hour."
A large hourglass appeared above their heads.
The last man standing will be the victor, and will be allowed to leave this room. Additionally, he will be awarded an advantage that may be used in subsequent battles. Gentlemen. Get ready to draw your weapons and equipment. Your one minute, starts now. "
Calibri sighed. "Oh heavens…"