The atmosphere of the corridor seemed to follow Rhea as she continued to mull over her confrontation with Riven in her thoughts. His half-expressed sentiments about trust and trust shadowed her. Those feelings, which Riven's presence had confusingly pervaded, made her feel bothered. Most especially, she felt he had somehow gathered information about her without telling her.
Next, she proceeded to the Obsidian Hall determined not to miss her lecture. The passages of Eryndor Academy were all twisty in such a way that they resembled a maze as they were covered with runic inscriptions and lit up by burning sconces on their walls. The further she walked, the more she could feel the presence of something held back and filled with magic – a very crucial fact about Eryndor Academy.
The hall called Obsidian was extensive; the walls were made of dark stone, which absorbed light and sound, resulting in an unnatural stillness, which made every movement sharper. The floor was decorated with a mosaic of the same spiral design of six elemental houses with illustrations for every house symbol and color present.
There were students already present in the middle, but their noise level was very low. From there, Rhea noticed Lena standing at a distance and leaning on a pillar instead. She wore a column of light, reflected by her silver hair stuck to the back of her head, and warmed up in a friendly way with camouflage-colored golden eyes as soon as they spotted Rhea.
"Yay, Frosty!" Lena said with a smile on her face. She was adorned with the purple sash of House of Storms, showing her allegiance to the diverse and tumultuous force of energy and lightning. "You are rather late to the occasion. I thought you would come looking all serious."
Rhea rolls her eyes, although a slight smile emerges on her mouth. "I'd take serious over irresponsible any day."
"The fun lies in being crazy," Lena retaliated with a wink. "In any case, it is good to see you. Just know that this one will be good. Magister Elara has no mercy for the lazy."
"Understood," Rhea replied and settled in as the noise in the room died down.
In the middle of the hall, a black-robed woman appeared on an elevated platform. She had an intense gaze, sharp features, and even sharper green eyes that scrutinized the students with a focused and calculating expression. She had some silver decoration on her robes: a kind of border performed with threads that twinkled in her every motion as if enchanted with some concealed force.
"I am Magister Elara," she said confidently in a lyrical tone. "Today you are to be stretched to the very limits of your affinities as regards magic."
Elara regarded the students, her features betraying no emotion whatsoever until her gaze was fixed on Rhea for one moment. "Magic is not a boon; it is a burden of responsibility. And for some of you, it is truly a burden. Those who are weak will not last very long in this place."
An uncomfortable silence descended upon the audience and Rhea already felt the gravity of Elara's statement weighing in her heart.
Elara waved her hand and six pedestals emerged from the ground, each radiating an element's color; red for fire, blue for water, green for stone, silver for wind, black for shadow, and stormy purple for the storm. "Now each of you will come to the front and show me your mastery of your affinity. Concentration, accuracy, and self-control are the most important aspects. No exception will be made for failure."
One by one the students went towards the pedestals and focused their powers on them. Fire roared, water flooded, and lightning buzzed in the exhibition of their talents. After some time it was Lena's turn, and with a confident gait, she walked towards the storm pedestal.
With a mere hand motion, purple lightning erupted from her fingers like serpents before striking the pedestal in a flash of light. The energy belonging to her storm affinity resonated in the air of the room, and Lena stepped back grinning in satisfaction.
"Show-off," Rhea said quietly, but even she had to admit the girl was talented.
When Rhea's turn came, she first walked towards the stone pedestal. She held out her hand and pressed it against a rough-cut cube. The rock's energetic hum chimed in unison with her own, soothing her as she began to carve it. The stone began to comply, the angles of its surface becoming rounded and straight.
"Good," Elara stated without warmth. "Now the shadow."
Rhea's stomach knotted as she turned to face the shadow pedestal. The thick dark cloud that accompanied it felt alive and pulsating with energy. She raised her hand outwards, and the darkness immediately began to reach for her, twisting around her in tendrils. She tried to control them, to form them into something, but the force was too turbulent, slipping away beyond her control.
The shadows struck out, meeting the stone cuboid that she had just cast. The impact caused the stone to burst into pieces, and the shadows dissipated into the air.
A slosh of noise filled the space and Rhea was left biting back her anger since her cheeks were burning.
Elara raised a hand, commanding quiet to the chatter. "You cannot impose structure upon which there is no ring." Her gaze was unflinching on Rhea. 'You cannot impose balance where there are extreme poles. You, yourself have to let extremes exist and eventually find balance,'
After nodding her head like a soldier, Rhea returned to her place next to Lena who was all about how best to reconcile her two affinities as her mind was now in overdrive.
"Well, that was dramatic," Lena said in a soft voice and elbowed her.
Rhea was quick to glare at her though the edges of her mouth quirked in a slight smile.
That same evening, Rhea took a stroll down the hallways of the academy. The light from the magical sconces was flickering creating a small light play on the walls, and the earlier dormant runes appeared to come to life. She brushed past students wearing violet and silver sashes but as she before, did not linger on any, and instead looked for a quieter passage that was decorated with tapestries.
There was one particular tapestry that intrigued her – a visualization of six mages in the presence of the Convergence Stone with their palms raised, much like ceremonial offerings. The stone was central within the artwork and appeared to emanate a peculiar light, not of this world.
Rhea felt her legs move towards the work of art as she could see the details of the painting more elaborate now. The faces of the mages were obscured, while their bodies depicted strength and togetherness. But the monolith itself felt wrong as its light was ruined by thin and wavering shadows that danced over it.
"Why are you so engrossed in it?" The silence was cut by Lena's voice.
Startled, Rhea turned around to face her friend. "How are you able to walk like that?"
"Can't help it. Perks of being a lightning girl," flashed Lena, easing into her favorite posture. "Quick steps, light feet." Looking amused, she inched closer, her eyes unconsciously darting to the depicted tapestry. "Oh, the Convergence Stone. It has become a bit of a fixation for these people, hasn't it?"
Rhea narrowed her eyes. "How so?" "What do you mean?" Lena provided an indifferent shake. "Not much. Just that it involves the Final Convergence. Everybody should face it sooner or later, but that does not excite me at all." She sneaked a glance at Rhea, "You already contemplated on the trials, huh?"
"That terrifies me," Rhea conceded, lowering her voice. "I am just wondering what is at the extremes of them." "Well," Lena smiled encouragingly, "if at any time you need someone to back you up, just call me. And if it's a competition between the two of us, I'm not going to be very kind." Rhea cracked a small grin. "I wouldn't even consider that."
After Lena's departure, she resumed her attention to the tapestry, a maelstrom of thoughts. The very surfaces of the Convergence Stone appeared to waver once more, ineffectively this time as if gleamed on by a light within. This time, however, Rhea did not cower away. Instead, she counter-stared at the waving shadows that bounced back into her silver blue irises.