"We cannot go back."
Kyva pressed her palms forward, and in that instant she knew there was indeed something barring her path– something she could not see, yet palpable beneath her touch, like an invisible wall set against her.
They were in grave trouble now.
Why couldn't they leave?
Turning slowly, Kyva bit upon her lips as unease crept over her. Her gaze fell to the small fox at her side, who had made no attempt to pass through the unseen barrier, as though repelled by it.
"Do you want us to stay here?" she murmured softly.
Her eyes lifted toward the gathering ahead, staring at the folks who had yet to notice their presence.
"These people… we do not know what business brought them here, but if we are unable to leave…" she paused, her voice gentling. "Then let us learn what we may. Perhaps they might aid us in finding a way beyond this place. Fear not, snowpuff."
Drawing her satchel close and clasping it tightly against her breast, Kyva stepped forward with slow and cautious resolve.
Calhoun really thought this woman crazy, as she was still worrying about him despite their current situation. He was not scared, but he most certainly was for her.
He trudged along at her side in silence.
As Kyva ventured farther forward, she perceived that the people gathered there were clothed in modest yet respectable attire, not unlike one another. Yet unlike them, she wore only a simple long-sleeved shirt to shield herself, and the thought of it made her acutely aware of her disheveled, barely modest appearance.
Still, no eye seemed to linger upon her. And that, at least, brought her a measure of relief.
From the place where the portal loomed, she observed a woman standing close beside it. She was a figure of striking dignity, youthful and fiercely beautiful. Yet her countenance remained utterly stoic.
At the other side of the portal stood a man, his hair drawn neatly back and bound into a tidy knot.
Both figures were clad in the same luxurious robes, their garments rich and finely wrought. Kyva blinked at the sight, uncertain of what was meant to unfold before them. It was then that she heard a couple of voices speaking a short distance away.
"Are you not excited?" Exclaimed a girl who appeared to be near Kyva's age. "The Trial of Calling occurs but once every seventy years, and we made it. We shall surely gain their acceptance and pass through the gate. We have trained far too long and far too hard to fail now, and my master places great hope in me. I find it so exciting humans get to join this year. I was over the moon when my master told me I had been selected for the Calling."
She spoke to two young men and another girl standing beside her. One of the young men wore a clear expression of displeasure, and his distaste at the mere mention of the calling was scarcely concealed.
"That matters little," the second girl replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We are here only for the trial. To have been chosen at all is fortune enough. Should we pass the test, we shall happily gain strength beyond mortal limits, powers no ordinary being could hope to wield."
Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she continued.
"And if we distinguish ourselves… we may even be granted the chance to attain immortality, like the Fox clan. I heard no one has ever been able to top their rank for generations. They still stand at the very pinnacle of all beasts and mankind. Imagine— if fortune truly smiles upon us, we might even behold one with our own eyes! How wondrous would that be? I can't wait to be blessed with their presence!"
Kyva listened quietly, bewilderment knitting her brows as she tried to make sense of their words. But a few phrases lingered clearly in her mind. The human realm, fox clan, immortality.
Could such a thing truly exist?
She had heard tales, tales she remembered vaguely, of the war between beasts and humans that had raged before she was born. According to the old stories, neither side had claimed victory, and thus, a fragile peace had been forged between them. Even so, the aftermath had weighed heavily upon her people.
So what has the world been up to in her absence?
"Snowpuff," she murmured, glancing down at the fox padding quietly at her side. "Let us ask, maybe they can offer us some help."
Calhoun was against the idea of asking anyone for help. How naïve could she truly be to think everyone she meets were as kind as her? Majority of these people here were beasts from many clans, though they bore the guise of men and women to blend seamlessly with the humans present.
Unlike Kyva, Calhoun knew very well what they had stumbled into. But what he did not understand was why humans were also joining the Trial of Calling.
It was suspiciously kind and unbelievable.
The beast realm always looked down on humans, special or not, and never truly liked them, especially his people. And the ones who controlled everything, including this test from the top were his clan as well. Something was definitely not right somewhere.
What could it be?
However, his human had already braced herself. Before he could stop her, Kyva stepped forward and lightly tapped one of them on the shoulder. The group turned at once to acknowledge her.
"Can we help you?" The first girl asked impatiently, and before Kyva could so much as part her lips, the second girl nudged her companion sharply by the elbow.
"Have some manners, Liora," she muttered under her breath.
The girl who had spoken was tall and composed, her dark hair bound neatly behind her shoulders. Her name, as Kyva would soon learn, was Selene, and there was a calm sharpness in her brown gaze as she regarded the stranger before her.
Beside them stood the two, equally striking young men. One was broad-shouldered and strong in his build, and he carried himself with restless impatience; his name was Rowan, and the faint curve of disdain still lingered on his lips. The other, Cassian, possessed a quieter air. He appeared more scholarly than the rest, speaking little as he observed the scene before them, his thoughtful eyes fixed on the genuinely clueless girl.
The girl who had spoken first, Liora, bore a bright, lively beauty, her features delicate yet animated with pure curiosity.
All four of them were youthful– none appearing older than twenty-two, and each possessed the sort of striking appearance rarely found among ordinary folks.
Yet when their eyes settled fully upon Kyva, the four of them stayed silent for a moment.
The girl's hair was slightly disordered, and her garments were plain and worn. Still, none of it seemed to diminish her appearance. There was a gentle, almost innocent beauty that shone through the disarray, soft and unassuming.
Her large blue eyes, slightly slanted at the corners, gave her a look of quiet vulnerability, clear and luminous like morning light upon fresh snow.
It was the sort of beauty that did not seem to realize it possessed any power at all.
Even Rowan's faint scowl eased as he regarded her more carefully.
Selene was the first to speak again, her voice gentler this time as she offered Kyva a small, courteous smile.
"Hello," she said kindly. "My name is Selene. Is there something you require?"
Kyva immediately bowed her head in response, offering a respectful greeting to the group.
"Yes, forgive my intrusion. My name is Kyva. I was wondering what… this gathering is about, and whether there might be a way out?"
"A way out?" Liora blinked before laughing softly. "You cannot leave the Trial of Calling until you've taken the test. Did you not know that?"
Kyva shook her head honestly. "Actually… I stumbled in here, and cannot seem to get out."
"How does one simply stumble into a place such as this?" Rowan asked, raising a suspicious brow. His gaze shifted from the herbs stuffed into her satchel to her face. "Are you not here for the healer's trial? Do not feign modesty before us."
"H…healer's trial?"
Behind her, Calhoun remained silent, having gone largely unnoticed while standing a step behind Kyva.
He was uncertain what they ought to do.
By sheer misfortune, they had wandered into a sacred gathering meant for professionally trained scholars. The only true way to leave this place would be to join the trial and fail it. An ordinary human could not possess magical affinities and even if they did, he doubted she had one to harness. Her devotion to herbs and roots might not be strong enough to let her pass through as one needed years of professional training.
Yet for some reason, these scholars seemed convinced that Kyva herself was a special human like them. But when he thought about it, she only found this place because of him. No human could simply wander in here without proper guidance, so it made sense they found it hard to believe she just walked in here.
The barrier was put up for a reason, yet somehow the two of them made it past that barrier. Being a demon, he should have received a backlash from it.
Perhaps it was truly faulty?
He could not tell.
Selene studied Kyva's bewildered expression for a moment before speaking again, her tone calm and patient.
"Did your master not inform you of the Trial of Callings?" she asked.
There was no judgment in her voice, only mild surprise. Seeing Kyva's confusion, Selene continued gently.
"Do not worry. I shall explain."
She gestured toward the many young scholars gathered around the portal, and all heading toward the two dignified people that stood between it.
"You see, some individuals are born with certain affinities– natural ties between their souls and the hidden forces that shape the world. Most never awaken them. But those who devote themselves deeply to a craft may one day stir that dormant bond. The Trial of Calling happening exists to determine whether such an affinity has awakened within us, and we're going to be the first humans to be accepted. In fact, this will be the first time a gathering takes place in our world. Usually, the locations are mostly within the beast realms."
Liora nodded eagerly, clearly pleased to add more. "Its obvious you were invited to join. You must be for the healer's calling."
Kyva only stared at them, her blue eyes widening slightly. Selene then gestured to the glowing portal ahead.
"Once we discover what our affinities are, we will be accepted into the Sacred Order. The Sacred Order is an ancient organization that gathers individuals whose natural affinities have awakened during the Trial of Calling. Only those who successfully pass are allowed to enter through the gate."
Kyva fell silent, trying to process the flood of information.
Affinity.
Sacred realm.
A test meant to awaken hidden powers in special humans.
Sacred Order.
None of it sounded like something meant for an ordinary human, because she was not special, and yet, by some strange twist of fate, she had been swept into the very heart of it.
No... thank you.
Such matters were far beyond her
She would much rather find a small village nearby and settle into a quiet life.