"Do not forget," Rowan spoke up, his voice firm, "that one may easily lose their life even after being accepted."
He inclined his head toward the portal behind them. "Acceptance is just the beginning. Should you pass the trial, your life ends there. Beyond the gate awaits a path fought with hardship and danger. In there, many trials lie ahead, and not all who enter endure them. So think carefully before you step through."
Kyva listened quietly.
Truthfully, she had little need to ponder it.
She had no intention of joining them at all. Had she been able to leave this strange place, she would never have approached them in the first place. Yet since she could not depart without first attempting the trial, and failing it, she supposed there was little harm in learning what all this meant.
After a moment, she lifted her gaze again.
"What… is an affinity?"
The four exchanged brief glances at the question. But it was Cassian who responded this time.
"All spiritual affinity flows from four primordial forces," he explained in a calm, measured voice. "Like Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. These are the foundation upon which all other powers are formed. Those who cultivate power are born with a natural connection to one of these forces. That connection is what we call an affinity. It is the element to which one's soul is most closely attuned."
Liora nodded eagerly, stepping in once more. "But an affinity alone does not determine one's power," she said. "Within each element exist many different kinds of manifestation. That is where the resonance orb becomes important. None of us have seen one with our own eyes, but we hope to discover our true affinity and the elements we gain from it."
Kyva blinked, listening intently.
Their words were far too grand for her to understand. But shame kept her from asking them to explain every little detail. Instead, she simply nodded, as though she understood everything.
"By the way…" Liora suddenly said, tilting her head as she studied Kyva from head to toe. "Why do you look like that?"
The question slipped out before anyone could stop her. "For something so life-changing," she continued bluntly, "is this truly how you intend to make your entrance? From what household do you hail? Now that I consider it, you're not of noble birth, are you?"
"Oh."
Kyva looked as though she might disappear where she stood. Her fingers tightened nervously around the strap of her satchel as she let out a small, awkward laugh.
"N…no, I am not," she admitted. "It is… a rather long tale. One I'm not quite comfortable sharing yet."
"That is perfectly fine," Cassian said gently, stepping forward with a reassuring smile.
His voice carried none of Rowan's suspicion nor Liora's unfiltered curiosity, and the calm in it eased some of the tension gathering in her chest.
"Reaching this place requires traveling deep into the forest," he continued. "The path is hardly an easy one. Commoner or noble alike, it is a fortunate thing that all are granted a chance to participate, wouldn't you agree?"
But he did not wait for an answer. Instead, his thoughtful gaze lowered quietly toward her feet.
"You appear to be limping," he added with quiet concern. "You should not remain standing for too long—"
Cassian stopped talking altogether.
His words were left hanging the moment his gaze fell upon the creature standing beside Kyva, something he had not noticed until that very moment. His eyes widened slightly as he realized what it was.
"Is that…?"
The others followed his line of sight, and only then did the group notice the silver-white fox.
Sensing where their attention had shifted, Kyva gently bent down and lifted the little animal into her arms. The fox did not resist as she cradled him against her chest.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce you," she said warmly to the group. "This is Snowpuff. He is my fox companion."
"You mean that creature belongs to you?" Selene asked, genuine disbelief breaking through her otherwise composed demeanor.
"How is that possible? Fox familiars are nearly impossible to obtain!" Liora blurted, her suspicion growing stronger as she eyed the disheveled girl. "Not even the most powerful noble houses can easily secure one. My own parents searched for years to find me a fox familiar. We were even prepared to pay whatever price was demanded. So where exactly did you get it? And… are there more?"
"Fox familiar?" Kyva repeated, now more bewildered than ever.
She glanced down at Snowpuff before replying in simple honesty. "Well, I found him caught in a hunter's trap in the woods. The poor thing was in terrible pain, and I couldn't bring myself to leave him there. So… I brought him with me. Why? Are pets not permitted here?"
"You would have us believe you simply happened upon a fox beast on your way here?" Rowan echoed.
The more Kyva spoke, the more difficult the tale became for the others to accept. Not only did she stumble into the Trial of Calling, but she was also holding one of the rarest familiars in the realm.
True enough, both she and the fox appeared thoroughly travel-worn and untidy.
But still…
Encounters with fox beasts were not matters that happened by chance, certainly not in this world, and all four of them could sense it now. There was a strange presence about the animal, something sharp and powerful that did not belong to a common forest beast. Though they sensed little power, something about it left an unsettling quality that set their honed instincts on edge.
Intimidating.
And judging by the distinctly unimpressed scowl upon its small face, the creature did not appear particularly friendly either.
Kyva soon became aware of the wary glances the company cast toward the fox in her arms. Puzzled, she lowered her gaze to Snowpuff, only to find him baring his small, but needle-sharp fangs at them. A low, rumbling growl stirred in his throat, quiet yet menacing, as though warning the group to keep well back from his temporary mistress.
"Oh—!"
Startled, she hastily shifted her hold upon him.
"He… can be a little grumpy at times," Kyva said apologetically. "But he is completely harmless. He is not a beast. I can assure you of that. They are not going to take him from me, are they?"
"It'll be fine," Selene added, still overly cautious about the fox. "Just see that you keep it from troubling other folks."
Kyva dipped her head in understanding before casting a glance down at Snowpuff.
"Looks like we'll be here for a while," she murmured softly. "So do try to bear with me, all right?"
Within the cradle of her arms, Calhoun's tiny paw curled inward, forming a small mittened fist beneath his fur.
He found himself uncertain what to make of the matter. This woman had proudly presented him to these earthbound mortals as Snowpuff.
And worse still… one of them had dared to call him a familiar.
The very notion was almost laughable.
A familiar?
As though he were some lesser spirit bound in service to a mortal mage. The arrogance of it was almost offensive, and he had no one to blame but the human who currently held him.
Still…
The manner in which she spoke to him, so gentle and considerate, gave him a pause of time. She addressed him as though he were someone to be consulted, not merely carried about like a trinket.
Most curious of all, she made no attempt to hide him.
Indeed, she bore him openly, as though proud to have him in her keeping.
Such treatment was… agreeable.
Calhoun had never been much accustomed to such unbidden regard. Yet the girl offered it freely, asking nothing in return. For that reason alone, he resolved, magnanimously, to indulge her little deception.
Very well.
He would tolerate the name Snowpuff.
And he would even permit these ignorant earthlings to believe he was truly some trifling fox familiar.
For now.
His claws would remain sheathed.
So long as those earthlings possessed the good sense to keep their hands to themselves.
Time slipped by with surprising swiftness amid the great throng of people gathered there. Kyva passed the hours in quiet conversation with the four companions she had met, gradually committing each of their names to memory as they spoke.
In the course of their talk, she learned that all four studied together at the same imperial academy and had long been close friends.
Their families were all persons of high-ranking and noble houses alike. Word of the Trial of Calling had reached them at the palace itself, and they had been chosen to be here. From childhood, they had been trained by the finest swordsmen and instructors the realm could offer, well-versed in martial discipline and the arts of combat.
Their tales stirred a quiet fascination within her. Listening to them speak of training halls, tutors, and lives filled with purpose made Kyva keenly aware of something she had never let herself truly consider for a while.
Just how much her own life had been squandered within that wretched establishment.
Eleven long years of hardship despite the torment, and the world would never know what she had endured.
Calhoun noticed the subtle dimness that had settled in her eyes.
Never had his curiosity been so thoroughly stirred.
Whatever fate had befallen her, it was no trifling matter. Yet he could not simply demand the truth of it, not without risking far more attention than he wished to draw on himself. For now, all he could do was observe and quietly dig.
But the girl refused to speak of it.
Even when the other earthlings asked what misfortune had led her to stumble into this place in such a state, she merely deflected their questions with a gentle smile.
It irritated him.
And he did not quite understand why.
For all her brightness, there lingered in her gaze a silent suffering he recognized far too well, one that stirred an unfamiliar sense of understanding within him.
Fine then.
If she would not tell him, nor anyone else…
Then once they departed from this place, he would simply find the men responsible for the dimness lingering within her eyes and extract the truth from them.
One way or another.
He would see the matter uncovered.
At the very least, he would learn precisely what it was he had entangled himself with here.
"We're close!" Liora announced happily, pointing toward the line ahead as it steadily shortened.
Now that they had drawn nearer to the front, Kyva could make out the great pillars rising before them, her eyes fixed on the towering stones arranged in a wide and ancient circle.