As the bell rang, our five friends exited the classroom and gathered in the hallway. They were all troubled by what Thalor had just taught them. It wasn't an issue of course difficulty or the instructor's ability, but what they had learned shattered their world.
Indeed, they all lived according to polytheistic norms. Since childhood, they had been taught that the world was created by different gods unique to each people. However, during this ethics class, they began to realize that this was likely false. According to Thalor, it was much more logical to think that the gods appearing in their respective cultures were either high-level apprentices or sorcerers managing their planet.
Moreover, Thalor had even suggested that their aptitude for magic might mean that some of these "gods" were one of their ancestors. Phaistos then wondered if the legend in his family was true.
"If what he says is true, it changes everything," murmured Freya. "We need to reevaluate everything we have learned."
Zara nodded. "It's unsettling. How can we know what is true and what is not?"
"Maybe we don't need to know everything," suggested Kibi. "Maybe what's important is what we do with the knowledge we have."
It was clear that it would take them a long time to stop venerating the various pantheons they had all lived with. Nonetheless, they couldn't deny that this situation intrigued them greatly. Kibi said, "If we really have ancestors of that level, maybe it could benefit us when we return to Earth."
The discussion continued until the bell rang. It was now time for them to join the different halls for elemental studies. Unfortunately, for students with multiple spiritual affinities, they could only follow one course at a time.
The group separated to join their respective halls. Phaistos headed to the Hall of Light, Freya to the Hall of Ice, Kibi to the Hall of Metal, Zara to the Hall of Plants, and Miki to the Hall of Darkness.
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The different halls were not strictly located within the academy itself. In fact, if one looked closely at the academy, or more precisely at the planet on which it was situated, one could observe ten moons that seemed to have been placed there by a divine will. Each of these moons exuded a special aura. In reality, each of these moons was linked to a specific element.
To access them, there were only two possibilities. The first was to take a teleportation gate, and the second was to take a space shuttle. The teleportation gate was of course faster, but unfortunately, since Phaistos was not yet registered as a student of the Hall of Light, he could not use this method.
Fortunately for Phaistos, it was very simple to reach a moon. The academy had taken into account that in the majority of worlds, space travel was completely impossible. It was therefore impossible to spot a space station from afar. They decided to annotate a map of the academy so that each student could find their way.
After just a few minutes, Phaistos was on the ship that would take him safely to his destination. Looking out the window, he could see the academy and the planet becoming smaller and smaller. As he got closer to the moon nearest the star of this solar system.
Phaistos arrived on the moon dedicated to the element of light, a place bathed in an eternal golden glow. The lunar landscape was both magnificent and surreal, with luminous crystals emerging from the ground and golden reflections in the air.
As Phaistos stood among the various luminous crystals, he felt the limits of his understanding gradually dissolve. The air here was so charged with luminous energy that it was even difficult to sense the other elements.
The academy had constructed a large learning hall in the heart of this moon, a majestic building with walls of glass and mirrors that reflected the ambient light. The building was a sublime work of architecture, rising gracefully towards the starry sky. White marble pillars inlaid with precious stones supported a roof adorned with stained glass depicting scenes of magic. The main entrance, framed by elegant arches, opened onto a grand hall where geometric motifs and luminous frescoes decorated the walls.
Phaistos could see that everyone seemed to be heading towards this building. Phaistos could observe that there were not many people in total. "It seems that what Professor Thalor said is true. People with an affinity for the element of light and the element of darkness are very rare in the universe," thought Phaistos as he entered the building.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was even more ethereal. The light seemed to dance on the walls, creating an almost divine ambiance. In the center of the room, a large luminous sphere floated, radiating a soothing energy. Runes and symbols of light were engraved on the walls, adding to the mystical aura of the place.
Their instructor, Aurora, was waiting for them. Aurora was a mage with a serene face and silver hair, exuding an aura of calm and wisdom. She wore a long white robe adorned with gold threads that shimmered softly in the ambient light. However, it was impossible to see anything but kindness in her eyes. Her gaze seemed capable of healing all the world's ailments; Phaistos felt as if he had met the panacea itself.
"Welcome, everyone," said Aurora with a warm smile. "You should know that despite being accepted into the academy, you are not yet part of the different element halls as such. To do so, you will need to pass a comprehension test. When your understanding of the elements reaches the intermediate level, you will be automatically enrolled as a student of our element."
"You should note that if you are unable to properly enroll in at least one of the halls within the week, you will be expelled from the academy," Aurora continued.
Seeing that the students were beginning to show signs of doubt, she concluded her speech: "You have nothing to fear, it is almost impossible to be eliminated in this exam. I can assure you that even the student with the worst spiritual aptitude we have can pass this test with the academy's resources. This test only serves to weed out the few students who do not work. That is why you are strictly forbidden to tell anyone the components of the test."
As Aurora finished her speech, she motioned for them to follow her into the building. They navigated through a maze of corridors. After about ten minutes, they arrived in front of a sealed door guarded by sentries. The apprentices were astounded, as it was the first room they had seen so heavily guarded. There were about ten guards protecting the door, and this number was likely higher if one counted the unseen guards.
When the guards saw Aurora approaching, they opened the door without hesitation. As they all entered the room, they had to close their eyes for fear of losing their sight forever. Indeed, at the center of the room was a mini sun that irradiated the room with its strong yellow light.
Aurora raised her hand and made a gesture, slightly dimming the intensity of the light emitted by the mini sun. "You can open your eyes now," she said gently. "What you see before you is the pure essence of light. It is crucial to get accustomed to this intensity because it is with this energy that we will work."
"As a test of your comprehension, you must succeed in influencing the light of the sun as I just did. To do this, we allow you to train in this room for an hour. This room is special and will make your meditation more powerful. If after an hour you are unable to influence the light of the sun, you will need to keep training until it becomes possible for you."
"I advise you to try to get as close as possible to the sun, but as soon as you experience pain, you must sit down," Aurora warned them.
Phaistos did not fully understand everything Aurora was saying, but he understood very well that he had an exam to pass and that failure would mean returning to Earth. However, that was the worst thing that could happen to him. Even though it had only been two days, those two days had managed to engrave in him a desire to become powerful like the gods his family worshiped.
As Phaistos crossed the threshold, he felt a sharp pain arise in his body. It was as if he were literally burning from within. Phaistos thought that with his initial understanding, he could take several steps before suffering, but it seemed that even one step was too much.
Several apprentices gave up after the first step and began meditating. Out of the corner of his eye, Phaistos saw a look of disapproval emanating from Aurora. He understood that their performances were not to her liking. He did not want to appear weak in the eyes of the others, so he tried to persevere on his path.
One step after another, one intense pain after another. The torment Phaistos was suffering could not be described with words. It was as if he were walking into a burning sun. Finally, after only seven steps, he collapsed. Before sitting down to meditate, he glanced around the room. He saw several apprentices far ahead of him, but there were many who were behind him. According to his estimates, he was at least in the upper average in terms of tenacity.
Unable to endure any longer, Phaistos plunged into intensive meditation.