The shower was a refreshing reset. A moment to come back to herself and center her mind. She released a breath as she soaked in the healing pool, feeling the tension ease from her muscles. The pool was supplied by an underground hot spring that had been diverted to supply each of their rooms. Another benefit of being a patroness candidate. Though the special treatment and benefits offered were not enough to make her fully lower her guard. The academy had never understated the danger associated with the examination. Part of the reason there were as many candidates, real or fake, was to add to the numbers in the face of perishing during the examination.
They had been training for the last eighteen years in anticipation for this. Their childhood and connection with their families had been sacrificed for studying at the academy with the best experts in their field in preparation for the examination. Even so,very little was known about it, the last one having happened two thousand years ago. The information that was available came from records and stories that had mostly been absorbed into religious mythology.
The lore was that the goddess and her consort chose to sacrifice themselves to protect the world. In an attempt to keep the chimaera connected with the divine she separated a piece of her godhead into two pairs of seven. These are supposed to be the source of power for the patroness and patron who stand as a bastion of stability for the people. It was hypothesized that by collecting all seven one would acquire the divine power of the patroness.
She turned around and reached for the dagger by the poolside, studying the blade. The luminescent grey serrated blade was made of phia ore, now extinct in its mining and refining. The blade, excavated from a tomb from the last dynasty was dated at least one thousand years old while the handle was made of hundred year old greyiron oak. It was a beautiful knife, but not overly special or rare.
"What secrets do you have?" she murmured uncertainly. If Usi wanted it bad enough to have Zaed ask her directly for it there had to be a good reason.
"Do you know what is so special about this knife?" she asked in the quiet room.
The silence stretched before a cold disembodied feminine voice responded.
"No. And even if I did tell you, would you believe a word I said?"
Inoua frowned. The voice had not always been there. It had appeared when she was still an unhatched egg; a sliver of consciousness of a being much older and extremely vicious even in its weakened state. It taunted and nagged, weaving illusion, delirium and phantasm until she despaired of living. She hadn't known it then but with time she came to realise what it was after.
Possession. Every day had been a battle of wills, fighting for the chance to hatch, then to live. Even now she could feel it testing the boundaries of her mindscape, a tireless predator that would pounce the first chance it got. The constant internal battle had not been without benefit, her mind and spirit had been tempered in the constant clash with a will much stronger than her own. This had improved her comprehension, observation and willpower, placing her in the upper echelons among her classmates.
She put the knife aside, having no reason to worry and stress about the unknown. Better to get stronger in the present to be able to dodge the knives hidden in the smiles of her classmates.
The bathroom was humid with steam, perfect for her to practice. She reached her hand out and focused on the feeling she had experienced in the ring earlier.She stretched her senses to feel the water, following the currents from the inlet down through the plumbing to the outlet, letting her mind sink and float freely. She took a breath, and while in a half awake state conjured up an image of Ala in her mind. Slowly, her featureless body began to twist and change. Her ears grew longer and pointed. Her feet and fingers became webbed as shimmering silver-black scales grew out of her dark skin. Slowly, she submerged as gills grew out the sides of her ribs and took in a breath under water. She stretched her hand and felt the movement of the current reverse. She reached up and cupped a sphere of water beneath the surface, shaping it freely. Motion then stillness. That was the key. Always staying in motion while maintaining a stillness in oneself. She smiled.
Success!
"You know, he would probably like you better if you looked like her instead of working so hard to train." The voice carried a hint of malice as she felt it exerting control over her mind.
She fought to resist, managing to maintain a sliver of clarity before she was drawn into the illusion.
Inoua opened her eyes.The ringing of the breakfast bell had her putting the knife aside as
she got up and got dressed. Soft linen pants and top perfect for the class activities of the day. She met up with Ala and Naell at the dormitory entrance.
"Hello, sleepyhead," she said, gently nudging Naell with her shoulder.
"Hmm." Naell blearily let out a soft yawn. She was a short and cuddly girl with soft brown fur and large floppy ears. As a rabbit chimaera she relied on her fast speed to escape. Having honed her skill to the extreme and secured her position as the fastest in the academy she rarely got up for early morning training.
"So, did you guys make up?" Ala asked conspiratorially.
Inoua felt the blush creep up her face. A face unlike her own. Almond shaped eyes, skin the colour of honey and soft pouting lips stretched into a coy smile. She was trapped inside her body. She impassively watched the scene unfold, unable to change it. Emotion was the key to getting sucked in. Therefore, no matter how disgusted she was she had to hold on to objective clarity to escape.
"Yes, he even brought me the dagger I asked for. He is so nice to me. That outcast Inoua would never have imagined I asked him to get it for me just to disgust her." The group let out a cackle, the sound harsh and grating to her ears.
The same old trick; sowing discord between her and those around her. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it worked.
She never could let down her guard fully around anyone. She ignored the vapid words they spewed and instead focused on exerting her will. She could feel the limits of the illusion, and a rising burn in her chest. She needed to get out. Finally, before her consciousness blacked out she found the edge and squeezed. The net shattered as unfocused and oxygen deprived she lunged up to the surface.
She gulped in a lung fulls of air. Another attempt to kill her. Unexpected but not surprising.
Disgusted that she almost drowned in a meter of water, she got up and got dressed as the bell rang for breakfast.