Even Calhoun was left speechless.
Four affinities?
That frail body bore four affinities?
And in a human, no less.
He blinked, unable to conceal the depth of his astonishment. Yet what pleased him the most was the silence that had fallen upon the crowd, minutes after outrightly mocking her.
It served them right.
His human also stood in disbelief.
Kyva scarcely heeded the murmurs and gasps that rippled through the gathering. Though she had sworn she had no desire to be a part of this affair, the knowledge that she possessed even the faintest spark of talent stirred her heart with a strange and eager excitement.
Her gaze turned at once to the dragon-woman, wondering if all that also meant she passed the test.
The woman regarded her briefly, then released a quiet sigh before beckoning her forward with a small motion of her hand, bidding her to join those who had passed the test.
Kyva did not waste another heartbeat.
Gathering Snowpuff and her few belongings, she hastened across the ground to stand among the chosen, precisely with the group she had been conversing with.
"That was remarkable," Cassian was the first to voice his praise. He inclined his head in a courteous bow, offering her his sincerest congratulations.
Selene followed with a warm smile, and Rowan and Liora likewise gave their words of praise.
"You bear all four," Selene remarked. "That is no small feat, by my reckoning. It seems you did not wander here by mere happenstance as you believe. Because just like everyone else here, you were meant to stand among us. I am truly glad for you."
Rowan, however, offered little.
Her acceptance had only, if not, deepened the suspicion he already harbored for the mysterious girl. Yet, seeing that the others had welcomed her into their circle, and was very accepting of her, there was little he could voice out without stirring needless conflict. Liora, it seemed, shared much the same sentiment, though she too kept her thoughts to herself.
The clueless Kyva on the other hand, was truly overjoyed, even more glad now that she got the opportunity to keep seeing the friends she had just made.
"Please tell me we are granted some rest after this," she murmured wearily.
Cassian answered her with a small nod, a faint smile touching his lips as he regarded her. Despite her current state, he found her rather endearing.
"Four affinities," someone among the accepted scoffed disdainfully, folding his arms across his chest. "The only reason such a thing is so rare is because it is near impossible to master them all. With three other powers clamoring for your time, when will you ever perfect even one? It's quite obvious you shall fare worse than the rest of us. I'd advise you to just leave."
The speaker was a young man, and from the richness of his garment it was plain obvious he hailed from a noble house. He cast Kyva a dismissive glance before turning his head away.
Another soon joined in.
"And she is but a peasant. Who among the masters would willingly take a peasant for a student? She has no patron, no standing to her name. In the end, she will prove the weakest among us. As my brother has said, mastering four affinities would take years– maybe even a lifetime."
"That may be true," Rowan retorted coolly. "But it is not your place to speak for everyone present. Keep your insecurities to yourself rather than casting them on others."
Though Rowan did not particularly favor the mysterious girl, neither would he stand idle whilst others sought to belittle her when she had given no offense. He was not as base as that.
The two accepted candidates merely scoffed and kept their mouths shut. But it was not Rowan's rebuke alone that stilled their tongues.
Rather, it was the creature cradled in the girl's arms.
The golden gaze of the small beast settled upon them with a calm, unblinking and almost unsettling awareness. Those eyes seemed to pierce straight through their flesh and bone, reaching into the very narrow of their souls. A chill crept up their spine the longer those gaze lingered, and without another word, they quickly turned away, eager to place distance between them and that watchful stare.
Kyva, not surprisingly, remained oblivious to the undercurrent of the exchange. She understood well enough that the words of the accepted candidates had not been spoken out of kindness. Yet Rowan's defense and intervention touched her more than she expected.
Even though she sensed that he did not find her particularly welcome, he had still spoken on her behalf. For that, she was truly grateful.
But… she would have hated for anyone to make enemies so soon after being accepted.
None could say what path awaited them in the years to come, and it seemed unwise to sow resentment where none was needed. A day might come when they might have to rely upon one another.
Once the remaining candidates had completed their trials, only five more were deemed worthy to be accepted despite their massive numbers. It made her aware of how many people had been rejected, and how insanely lucky she was.
Therefore, the two attendants standing beside the portal beckoned for the accepted candidates to pass through the portal.
Eager and weary in equal measure, they obeyed without hesitation.
Kyva lingered a moment before the shimmering gateway, her gaze fixed upon its swirling depths as she wondered what awaited them beyond. After a brief pause, she looked down at Snowpuff she held up against her chest.
Then she said softly, "You and I are in this together," before stepping forward.
When she emerged on the other side of the portal, Kyva nearly wept with relief.
Gone was the endless forest. In its place stood a modest settlement, small yet welcoming, with rows of simple houses scattered across the ground. Everyone else had landed here too, equally taken aback at the sight of the houses.
"I was told we are to rest here for the night," Cassian informed the group, and a quiet wave of relief passed through them all. After standing and waiting for most of the day during the trial, the promise of rest felt like a blessing.
The settlement had already been arranged simply: the boys were directed toward the houses on the left side, while the girls were led toward those on the right.
Kyva quickly followed Selene and Liora toward one of the nearby houses.
Inside, they found several bunk beds arranged neatly against the walls. There were about four in total.
Without hesitation, Liora claimed one of the upper bunks, scrambling up the ladder and throwing herself onto the mattress with dramatic relief.
A heartbeat later—
"AHHHHHH!"
She bolted upright.
"Holy heavens!' she cried, clutching her back. "Are these beds made of stone? Why are they so hard?"
Selene chuckled at Liora's complaint and shook her head. "Well, we did not exactly come here seeking comfort, did we? And it is not the time to lower our guard. We still have one more trial ahead of us."
"The Resonance Orb," Liora declared eagerly, her earlier suffering already forgotten at the mention of their next test. "I wonder what we shall receive, since we all possess the water affinity. Oh– perhaps get the ice element! Or a storm element! I wonder if we must seek the orbs out ourselves."
"We shall know on the morrow," Selene replied, already lowering herself onto the lower bunk beneath Liora's. "But for now, we would do well to wash and rest."
Kyva could not have agreed more.
It had been far too long since she had felt truly clean, and the thought of having a proper bath filled her with relief.
Snowpuff would need one as well.
Before long, another beast-woman arrived to escort them to the bathing chambers. She presented each of them with a fresh garment for the night, appearing kinder than the ones at the entrance of the portal. Kyva immediately accepted hers with a grateful bow and simply followed Selene and Liora, trusting that they knew their way far better than she did.
After nearly an hour spent scrubbing away the grime of travel, Kyva emerged feeling lighter than she had in days.
She had attempted to bring Snowpuff into the bath with her so she might wash him as well, cause he was just as untidy. But the little fox had stubbornly refused to step anywhere near the water.
What was she supposed to do with him?
Or did he simply despise bathing?
Yet once she had finished and dressed herself, only then did the fox allow her to clean his fur without protest.
Kyva came to the sudden realization that Snowpuff, it seemed, was quite the gentleman.
He was a cute fox baby!
And she did not regret bringing him along with her.
Once the others had also finished refreshing themselves, everyone was summoned for the evening meal.
Kyva couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything, let alone a proper meal. So when the food was placed before her, she devoured it with little restraint. One plate became two, then three.
Thankfully, there was more than enough to go around, and she ate until the hollow ache in her stomach was satisfied.
Of course, she did not forget to feed her fox. The poor thing must have been starving, but he barely ate.
Clad now in the fresh robe the senior beasts had given them, Kyva lay upon her assigned bunk, while Selene and Liora continued their quiet chatter about the trial awaiting them tomorrow.
Her attention drifted to Snowpuff who was lying beside her. Now that he was cleaned properly, his fur shone a brilliant white beneath the lantern light, almost luminous in its purity. There was something strangely ethereal about him, something she had not truly noticed until now. Not to mention that his wounds had mysteriously healed as well.
Was Snowpuff truly just a beast?
What kind of a beast was he?
"We should sleep early," Selene's voice broke through her thoughts, and she turned her head to see her stretching her limbs. "Having the Beast Clan as our senior may prove either a blessing or a curse. Best if we are prepared for whatever awaits us tomorrow."
Liora groaned softly, clearly unwilling to surrender to sleep just yet, but she eventually relented.
"Goodnight Kyva," Selene said gently before settling onto her bunk.
"Night," Liora added, flopping back onto the unforgiving plank they generously called a bed.
Soon, the room grew quiet.
While the others were asleep, Kyva examined her own knee. The dull ache remained, though it was not as severe as before. She could only hope it would not betray her during tomorrow's trial.
Carefully, she applied the same herbal ointment she had made and wrapped the joint with a strip of cloth. Releasing a soft sigh, she lay back against the thin bedding, staring at the empty bunk above.
"Snowpuff," she whispered softly to the fox. "Do you think I made a mistake, joining them?"
Her fingers drifted unconsciously to the mark behind her shoulder.
Thankfully, no one had noticed it yet, or seemed to recognize it.
This was meant to be a new beginning for her. Somehow, she would have to find a way to rid herself of the brand before anyone discovers the truth.
That she was something even lower than a peasant.
A slave.
The thought lingered only briefly before exhaustion claimed her. The weariness of the past several days weighed heavily upon her, and the moment she closed her eyes, sleep took her.
A few hours into the night, while the settlement slept in quiet stillness, the fox remained awake. The human girl was deep in sleep, her arms still wrapped around him as she clung to him.
A faint shimmer of light suddenly spread through the small chamber.
Where the small creature had lain only moments before, a tall figure now took its place within her embrace, regarding her with those keen, judgmental eyes.
As he studied her sleeping form, the severity in those amber depths gradually softened, melting away until only a strangely gentle gaze remained.
Framing them were lashes far too long for any man, and they cast delicate shadows against his skin whenever his gaze lowered.
For a moment, he simply watched her.
Then, almost unconsciously, his fingers lifted, brushing lightly against her cheek, as though testing whether the girl before him was truly real.
Should he just strangle her here for making him eat out of an animal bowl?