It turned out that what he was looking for was on the fifth floor. He felt dizzy at all the things he'd seen so far. He didn't know how many hours he'd spent in the library so far but he could occasionally hear the rumble of thunder so he deduced it must still be raining.
He was in the middle of the fifth floor when the label caught his eye. "History of Ascension Training." and another title right next to it. "The Rise of the Trial System in Modern Society." Both bound books were from the years 1020 and 1033 respectively. He pulled them both down and felt their heavy weights. He wondered when the last being to read them had been. They were both covered in a heavy layer of dust.
As he looked at the covers something bothered him. He couldn't put his fingers on it but the words looked almost blurry before clearing up. At first, he thought he was seeing things but then it did it a few more times. At last, it remained clearly legible and he stared at them for a long while. Nothing else happened and he decided the light must have been tricking his eyes.
He tucked them underneath his arms and looked around. There really wasn't a good place on any of the floors to sit and read but the other option was to go all the way back down. He decided to just stay where he was. He sat against the gilded railing and ignored how it bit into his back. He wriggled until he was in less pain but no comfort and opened the first book. "History of Ascension Training."
It was a pretty interesting read and soon he forgot all about his discomfort and was completely immersed in the words on the pages.
"It was decided with King Lixiuion's rule that a system needed to be put in place to make sure that each young dragonling could be matched with the right career before they made their final ascension. The military had grown too big with too many dragons who did not meet minimum requirements, who all too often would have been better suited to a different function in our great society. Thus, King Lixiuion created the Trials system as a temporary measure to test dragonlings' different skills and abilities. Once a dragonling has been through all the Trials there is usually a clear sector for them to enter. These sectors include the military, service and hospitality, culinary, education, infrastructure, healing, government, agriculture, and arts. This system proved to be effective in sorting the many hatchlings into more suitable routes for further career development and contribution to the Nest."
As he read he couldn't help but feel kind of silly. He was basically taking an exam then. An exam that dragonlings took, under the age of three.
As a man in his twenties, he couldn't help but feel strange about that fact. He sighed, no matter, it made sense to since the dragons seemed to view him as a child anyway. He turned through a few more pages taking in more...propoganda about the Trials. He hesitated to use that word even in his mind but the wording of the next few pages came across like that. The author of the text had put a lot of work into making the Trials sound like the best idea ever. Maybe since it had come directly from the king's brain it had to be treated as such.
Kings, that made him think of another subject he was interested in. He looked up from the book and up, up into the ceiling of the library. Somewhere in this tower, he was sure there was an explanation for why there was no King currently, when clearly based on the Elder's existence alone there had been not too long ago, or at least not too long ago according to a dragon's standards. What had happened to him, where had he gone?
There were many other questions in his mind, things he just wanted to know the answers to as soon as possible. He still remembered different dragon's words about "cultists" that he'd heard so many times. He put a hand up to his neck and stopped. For a few weeks, he'd almost forgotten about them unless he was looking into the mirror. The blackness had spread down his bicep at this point and was reaching the bend of his elbow. He wondered what would happen when it reached his fingertips, how would he keep from accidentally touching it?
He wanted to know so much, he wanted to know about kings, marks, dragons, and just humans. How had humans come to be separated? Why did a dragon take a human form instead of something else? That last one he'd been given an answer to but he still felt that wasn't the whole picture.
As he looked above him he put those questions aside for now. The answers to those were further in a climb he was fairly certain would have to wait for another day.
He went back to the book at hand. In the next section, he found the information he'd been looking for all along.
"Aha!" He exclaimed quietly.
"The Trials are as follows. First is the Quillintine, an adaption of that ancient military tradition. In the Quillintine each dragonling gets to attempt two events that complement their skills and abilities. There is the talon duel, cloud hop, slash, poison dart, jetting, and rock pummel. If a dragonling can gain five points total in the two events they will be considered suitable for a military application, however, this does not mean that they are best suited for the military only that it is an option. The second trial is the Test. The Test as may be inferred is a written test covering the history of our civilization, the history of the world's civilizations, math, science, philosophy, and magic. This is a test that looks for those gifted in academics or related fields. By scoring high in any of these sections opportunities may be presented from various fronts. For example, someone who scores high on the 'history of the world's civilizations' portion may be a good fit to train as an ambassador to our neighboring kinds. Whereas someone who scores high in 'magical arts' may be a good candidate to either apprentice under a dragon mage or be sent to the mage's tower for further training. The next trial is the Ascent. A dragonling has to navigate the five mountains of Veroo and collect three rare items of which a list rotates from year to year. The dragonlings must survive alone in the wild using their knowledge of the terrain, hunting, and healing arts to name a few to return unscathed. This Trial is set to last three days during which time the dragonling must depart from a set location and reach the other side of the mountain range with the three items. Points are given for the condition they arrive in and field reports given from passive observers. Flying is not allowed in this Trial. This trial tests aptitude for hunting, foraging, and the basics that may indicate someone who would do well in the healing arts. The last Trial is the Labyrinth. In this labyrinth, there are two distinct paths one leading to non-combat related fields and tests and one leading to combat central fields. In these fields, dragonlings are faced with many hallucinations and scenarios that will help them uncover their hidden potential. Those on the non-combat route will most likely discover they stumble across two to five options of career paths they may choose to pursue. The combat side has two outcomes, military proper and the Nest Guard. However, during this last Trial choosing the wrong path may be detrimental to a young dragnling. If for any reason they are not shown an occupation an the non-combat side they are immediately disqualified. If in the combat path, a dragonling fails to vanquish the simulated enemies or whatever else the labyrinth throws at them, they too are eliminated. Elimination at this final stage means that although they will undergo their final ascension they will not be given the rights of a fully ascended dragon. Instead, they will return to their home nest and attempt the Trials the next year. During this time they are treated like any other dragonling still in the nest. If they fail the Trials more than three times they will be regulated to outer service positions such as farming laborer or miner."
Tate was fascinated, so these were the rest of the trails. He had to get through the Quillintine and then next was a test! He thought once he found out what all the Trials were he'd feel more confident in why the Elder was insisting he do this in the first place. Or why this was simultaneously being treated as a life or death situation but also not. He was more confused than ever. What would happen if he failed? Reading this, he could make it through every other part of the Trials and still fail at the end, what then? He wasn't sure he really thought they would kill him and Lou but would they really not be able to go home? Ever? He just didn't understand it, couldn't understand what the Elder was thinking.