The air in Ashen Grove felt thicker with each passing hour. The tension was almost unbearable. People moved around the village, but no one seemed to speak openly anymore. Conversations were muted, and even the children—who usually played in the fields—now watched from doorways, their expressions serious and filled with curiosity.
Axton, however, couldn't shake the feeling that he was being drawn into something he didn't understand. Every instinct in him told him that this was more than just a test of power—it was something deeper, something tied to his very existence.
As he walked through the square, his eyes caught sight of Elias once again. His best friend was standing near the edge of the village, his posture rigid, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Axton quickened his pace, walking up to him.
"Elias, what's going on?" Axton asked quietly, his voice betraying the unease he was trying to suppress.
Elias didn't respond immediately, his attention elsewhere. Then, finally, he turned to Axton, his eyes wide with intensity. "It's happening," he said, his voice tense. "They're here."
Axton turned toward the direction Elias was looking, and his heart skipped a beat. In the distance, silhouettes moved through the trees, cloaked figures approaching the village with deliberate steps. Their presence seemed to alter the very air around them, making it feel dense and heavy.
The villagers, once so lively and bustling, now stood still, their faces marked with a mixture of awe and apprehension. They all seemed to be waiting for something—but what?
"I've never seen them move like this before," Elias whispered, his gaze darting from the approaching figures to Axton's face. "I think they're here for a reason."
Axton felt a chill settle in his bones. "Do you think they're looking for someone?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Elias nodded, but his face was filled with uncertainty. "I don't know. But they've never come this way before. And I've heard rumors… about people getting chosen—about powers they don't even know they have."
Axton felt a knot form in his stomach. Could that be it? Was there something about him—something hidden—that the academy was looking for?
Before he could voice his thoughts, the cloaked figures had reached the village square. The wind seemed to still, and the air grew impossibly thick. Axton's heart pounded in his chest, the noise in his ears growing deafening. He tried to steady his breath, but it felt as though the whole world was holding its breath with him.
The figures moved with eerie precision, their robes flowing like shadows in the dimming light. The villagers parted before them, some bowing, others stepping back in fear. They were not just visitors—these were people of power, people who commanded respect and fear in equal measure.
The leader of the group, taller and more imposing than the others, stopped at the center of the square. Axton couldn't see their face, but there was something about the way they carried themselves—something unspoken—that made him feel like a mouse caught in the gaze of a hawk.
The silence stretched on, tense and suffocating. It was only then that Axton realized the villagers were waiting for the representatives to speak.
One of the cloaked figures, a woman with piercing eyes that glinted in the twilight, spoke first. Her voice was cold, yet it seemed to hum with power. "We have come to Ashen Grove to test candidates. To see who might be worthy."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Axton stood frozen, unable to tear his eyes away from the mysterious figures. The word worthy seemed to hang in the air, and he couldn't help but wonder—was there something hidden in him they were going to uncover?
The woman's gaze swept over the villagers. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Elias and Axton, before moving on, and Axton felt a strange sense of disquiet. Was she looking at them? Or had he simply imagined it?
"As always, we are not looking for the strongest," the woman continued, her voice sending a shiver down Axton's spine. "We seek those who are unique. Those whose potential surpasses their current understanding. It is not enough to simply show strength. We need those who can surprise us."
Axton's chest tightened. He didn't know why, but something about her words struck a chord deep within him. He didn't know what potential he had—or if he even had any at all—but for some reason, he felt as though his name was being whispered in the silence, even if no one had spoken it aloud.
The woman raised her hand, and the group of cloaked figures behind her moved with fluid grace, their eyes scanning the villagers. The tension in the air grew unbearable, and Axton could feel the weight of the moment pressing on him.
For the first time, he wondered if his life was about to change forever.