Crevan's gaze shifted between the two of them as he wondered, what exactly prompted the man to give in to Nova and apologize, since he was the proud and egoistic type, who would never apologize, even when he knew deep down, he was wrong.
However, Crevan had a feeling that it was because there was something different about Nova, despite his usual collected demeanor, he had different sides, ones that were only seen in certain situations, this was one of them, he was not the type to tolerate nonsense from anyone, even if he was not that strong as yet, he would not back down.
"Apology accepted, next time, please think a bit harder before doing your job, you might accidentally stumble upon something you may not like," Nova said and the man looked up at him, with his eyes narrowed, wondering what he meant by that.
"I will keep that in mind, I have a piece of advice as well, things are not always as easy, especially these days, so I will tell you, if you were indeed involved, having the order as an enemy is not something that you would want, it is something even some of the strongest avoids," He replied and Nova tilted his head, it was not his first time hearing that.
"I will keep that in mind as well," He said as he walked past the man.
"My name is Nilvar, meaning illusion in my people's language, I will see you around, Nova," He added and Nova gave him a subtle nod, before walking out of the room.
The guards looked at him and Crevan followed him, falling in line beside him with an almost amused smirk, playing at the corner of his lips.
"You certainly play the part of mysterious, but he was right as well. Shall we go see the elder now?" Crevan asked, and Nova nodded. He was ready; he wanted his results so that he could officially start his life.
As they made their way out of the building, Nova adjusted his cloak while thinking about the words of Nilvar and the other people he had met thus far. Each word carried its own weight.
The Order. He had seen this trope before, even in his original world, where strong organizations imposed their own brand of justice and set the rules for their reality. However, something about the way those he met spoke of them sent a chill down his spine. What chance did he have if they turned out to be an enemy if even the strongest were reluctant to make enemies of them?
"You are overthinking, whatever it is that you are thinking right now, you need to let it go, when the time comes that will be decided," Crevan said, his hand tucked in his pockets, as he walked alongside him. "The order is not something you have to worry about as yet, they may not be your enemy, you will worry about that in due time, for now, your focus should be on the elder we are going to meet."
Hearing his words, Nova knew he had a point, nothing was set in stone. He took a deep breath and nodded.
They made their way through a few of the compound's buildings before reaching a quiet courtyard on the northern side. A silent reverence blanketed the space, and the air smelled of incense and old parchment. Some parts of the building's surface were engraved with arcane symbols that pulsed faintly with magic.
"This is where the elder Lithous resides," Crevan said as he led Nova up the marble stairs. "He decides the newcomer's official standings and supervises trials similar to yours. You might be granted access to resources based on his assessment, or—well, let's just say—not everyone leaves with good news.
Nova's jaw clenched, after hearing Crevan's words.He was halfway there. Now there was no going back.
As they entered the chamber, he looked up and saw it was dimly lit, with walls covered in scrolls and tomes older than the city itself. A single figure sat on a raised platform—a man dressed in silver and blue robes, his long, white hair flowing over his shoulder. His piercing gaze met Nova's as they entered.
"You have completed the trial from what I have heard ad seen, well some parts of it atleast," the elder, Lithouse said, his voice was a mixture of authority and weariness. "Step forward, Nova Axilion."
Nova did as he was told and took a step forward, standing before the elder with a sense of anticipation. The room felt heavier, as if unseen forces were measuring his very existence as Lithouse's eyes glowed eerily blue in the dim light.
The elder extended his hand, and a small orb of light appeared in his palm. It hovered over Nova, circling him once before. while switching between the colours, purple, white and red, before fading into a soft shimmer. The elder's gaze flickered with something unreadable and the air around him got heavy.
"You seem unusual for a necromancer," he said, his tone lacing with a slightly sharper edge. "A necromancer with latent potential beyond what should be possible at your stage." He leaned back slightly, while tapping his fingers against the armrest. "I take it, a path has already begun to form for you and you seem to already know that, but which direction it takes depends on your choices."
Nova remained silent, knowing that he was right, a path was already being forged for him, but despite that, he could feel the weight of the moment.
"I can already tell, you will not choose the path normally a necromancer would to either be an assistant o another or strive to become something else, whatever you choose, the city will recognize you be it as a registered hunter and magic wielder," the elder continued. "But be warned boy, this will not be your average thing—eyes will be on you. Some may see your potential as an asset. Others… as a threat."
A heavy silence followed, but Nova stood his ground. He had expected this much and his eyes glowed purple as he met his gaze, due to which the air in the room, become almost suffocating and Crevan's eyes narrowed, as he looked at them, waiting to see if he needed to intervene.