I made my way inside the first building to another queue. This one took a while and the line behind me quickly began to lengthen. Maun was right behind me. As for Erenol, I decided to queue up behind her as well. There was another person in front of her but Erenol decided to give up her spot to move behind by one person just so she could be beside me.

There were five rooms in the building this time, all with monks standing guard outside. Each participant took about five to ten minutes inside. Some moved on to the next testing site while others moved to leave the Temple grounds.

Eren looked visibly nervous. This girl already knew she was a Conduit. I didn't understand why she would worry so much.

"Did you forget?" Eren asked me as she played with the fabric of her clothes.

"What did I forget?"

"My father," she whispered.

"What of it?" I inquired with a frown of confusion.

"Veneryan royalty usually have Raki as their bloodline Deliverer," she told me under her breath. "That usually means strong affinity for the elements of earth and metal. The energy signature we tend to have is also uniquely gold so even if I hadn't formally awakened yet, I have a big feeling this would be the scenario. But when I underwent that test before when we first met, the guy looked visibly disappointed. I don't know what to expect."

"You'll be fine."

"If that monk knows?" she whispered to me, looking around making sure no one could hear us. "Will he tell?"

"I'm sure Mistress Veronika has already made the proper arrangements," I told her reassuringly. "You've no need to worry about it."

"You sure?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Next in line please," the monk said. He was looking at Erenol.

Erenol inched forward and entered the room while gazing at me for comfort. I just nodded at her to continue. Very soon, the door was closed and it took a good five or ten minutes before she finally came out again. She gave me a nod before moving on to the next part of the test.

It was my turn next. I looked at Maun who was still silently standing behind me and proceeded to enter the room.

There, I saw the Abbot.

The door was quickly closed. I was bathed in the warm glow of an overhead candlelight and utter silence.

"Sit." The Abbot motioned for the pillow cushion across him.

I awkwardly inched my way forward and sat, my legs folded under me and my ankles propped at the base of my spine.

"You're all special cases," he said with a nod. "I'm personally evaluating you to be safe. It's clear to me now why Veronika asked me to personally do so. That girl from before...Erenol, was it?" he began.

I nodded.

"She has the classic signature of the Sixth Dragon," he told me. "I would reckon she also has a high favorability with her Deliverer being of that blood. It is a shame she is born a girl."

"Why so?" I asked, feeling my brow twitch at that last bit.

"Don't misunderstand. I am not downing her for that. Women in the royalty are usually only seen as bearers of the torch. They are not deemed fit for the race. They are expected to pass on their fortune to their sons. As such, having such favorability complicates her fate and puts her in danger of being taken advantage of—the story would be different had she been a man."

"That must be why there was so much disappointment in that first guy who tested her," I said. "Too sexist. No wonder they suggested she take the test in War College. If she entered there, no one would have been willing to take her as a wife."

"If only it was that simple," he said, smiling. "But entering is a challenge. Surviving and making it out is another. There is a reason why Veronika never made it to the end. It will be a harsh fate. The War College is no place for a woman precisely because the men make it so. Had Veronika been given the chance, I think the next distinguished paladin would have been a woman."

"Does the Temple discriminate like the War College does?"

"Dear, in the eyes of the gods, all of us are worthy of receiving their favors whether man or woman. What is the Temple to dictate which is lower and less worthy than who?" he asked me. "You forget that Galatea wields two element over her siblings and she is said to be female."

"And she's made to look greedy for it."

He sighed. "The Temple and the state are separate entities. While we provide advice, we are, in the end, nothing. What we can only hope to do is pass down what we know and hope that the future generations take heed of it." He sighed. "Now, I suppose it is your turn to be evaluated. Veronika tells me to take caution. Do you already know who your Deliverer is? She tells me you've already awakened."

I nodded.

"Will you tell me?" he asked.

"It's Kaliya," I said. "Seventh Dragon."

He looked at me for minutes on end. The confusion on his face was apparent but there was no judgment. "I have precognition and even I did not see that coming. Let me see. How is it possible to embody the energy of death in a living body? It is simply...not possible. Do you think you can show me?"

"I don't think I can. I don't know how to control it," I told him.

He rubbed his chin. "Under what circumstances do you find yourself using it?"

"When I wake up from sleep," I replied. "That's the most common."

"It is. It's universal," he said. "You see, controlling your affinity is also very akin to controlling the body. The most common example is bladder control."

"My mistress did say," I told him with a grimace.

"When you have certain dreams, it tends to make you lose control. It can also seep through during moments of vulnerability—excessive fear, excessive anger. That's why people ask if you pee your pants." The Abbot laughed. "This is a phasing test if you already know. It confirms your affinity. However, if it is what you say it is, I cannot test you here."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because it is being recorded," he answered. "Marks of energy being released here by tapping into your affinity will be known. To be safe, I'll use my own affinity. My Deliverer is Vagun. If I record him down as your Deliverer, you can come study under me directly and I can protect you while you practice your own control."

I stared at him doubtingly.

"Of course, that is if you're willing. Vagun is also not a very physical affinity considering he governs time and order. People will not ask you to demonstrate your ability to them like how they do with folks who can manipulate water or fire directly. We can safely have you trained without ever letting people discover what you can do."

"Is it that big of a deal?" I inquired.

"It is impossible to know what people will do if they find out," he said.

"Don't you have precognition?"

"I don't have a control over what I see. And by precognition, what I can roughly do is peer into the plans of the heavens. I looked in just now. You were not in the plans, dear. It is impossible to know your fate..."

I was dumbfounded at that revelation. I was not in the plans of the heavens? What did that mean?

"Let's talk about this some more later. In order for me to be able to take you under my direct tutelage, you have to perform well. And, of course, you have to pass and become one of the five."

"I don't know what will happen but I'll try," I told him.

"Alright. Then..." He waved his hand. Energy materialized in the room. There was an explosion of colors before the symbol of Vagun, a dragon curled up in an infinity sign glowing in shades of oracle purple, appeared between the both of us. "It is done. Overdone, actually. I forgot to hold back a little."

I nodded. "Is that it?"

"That's right. You can move on to the next part of the test. I'll expect to see you perform well."

I lowered my head to the Abbot and proceeded to leave the room.

I came out to see Maun waiting by the door. I smiled at him when he signed, "Did it go fine?"

I signed back, "Good luck."

He followed me with his eyes and flashed his brightest smile. I was almost blinded. "Okay!"

He enthusiastically entered the room after me. Meanwhile, I made my way to the next building where there was another queue forming. I got in line very quickly. I could not spot Erenol anywhere. She must've gone far upfront—or maybe she was already taking the test.

I waited patiently until a guy came wobbling up behind me with a meek smile. I recognized him. He was...that coward from earlier yelling about the papercut and something about being deceived? Curly blond hair, a freckled face. Plain guy with plain looks. Didn't seem too special. Quite lanky as well.

"Hey, uh..." he began. "You think you can hold my place in the line? I really wanna go pee."

"Not possible," I said, turning to face forward.

"Y—why not?" he asked.

"You've got to make sacrifices," I told him. "Just come back as soon as possible. It's not like there's that many people. They're all being sent home."

He looked over his shoulder to find many people pouring out of the Temple grounds instead of moving on. A huge chunk of the whole ensemble was being sent home. There were not that many walking up the hill to take the third part of the test. Conduits were not that common, after all. Only a small part of the population was fortunate enough to receive the patronage of the Gods. Even among my mistresses, there was only Mistress Lili, Mistress Veronika, Mistress Lamia, and Mistress Marga who had affinities. My mother wasn't one, unfortunately. If she was, she probably would've been able to defend herself better.

"Okay," the guy said, breaking me out of my thoughts. He hobbled away cradling his bladder, asking the monk standing on the corner where he could go and relieve himself.

I shook my head to refocus my attention and stepped forward when the queue moved. For just one room, it was moving pretty fast. I wonder what kind of test these people were going through.

After about half an hour, it was finally my turn.

I went in, guided by a young monk through a corridor. At the end of it was a heavy oak door which he pushed opened by inclining his body and exerting force down his feet.

In the middle of the room was an old monk. He was a little out of shape but still possessed that very serene, classic monk look of deep and heavy wisdom on his face. He had a lute in his hands and he was sitting in lotus position with it resting on his lap.

He didn't acknowledge my arrival even when I gave him my greeting. Once the door laid flat on the frame with a boom, he started playing the instrument in his hand.

An awareness of nature's blood —the many different elemental energies that can be harnessed by Conduits—was something, obviously, only Conduits and a few exceptions possessed. They all had inclination to detect the movement of these energies and manipulate them to an extent. This ability had to be nurtured, nonetheless. Having this blessing didn't being capable of controlling it right off the a bat. Even for genius, it still took a lot of effort and practice. Piano prodigies still had to learn a piece. They just had an advantage in comprehension.

That being said, I caught the energies in the room moving. Only then did I realize that this was very similar to what I had done before. And this melody was somewhat familiar to me. It had some semblance to that song I heard in the in-between—the one being sung by the stars. This song...it was that language that I recalled Amber telling me I could comprehend only when I reached the summit of my existence and my soul was bright enough and polished to ascend to the heavens.

It seemed to have some sort of secret. It had a lot to do with deciphering the nature of...nature. Whatever.

I didn't know why this monk was showing this to me at all. Although it made sense somewhat. I already knew that this music had something to do with controlling the energies tied to oneself, but what else did it matter for? I don't believe Mistress Veronika taught me this.

Then again, she wasn't really a good teacher.

He continued playing. There was no direction to the way the energies were moving. No particular purpose. They just danced lightly to his music and acknowledged it a little bit. There was not much enthusiasm though. If there was a genre in this, this one was easy listening. It was something the listener would doze off and relax by hearing, but they would not remember the beat or the lyrics of the song at all. I did not mean it literally because, technically speaking, the monk was playing quite vigorously with a lot of intensity.

He was like...rocking it out with a lute.

After a bit, the monk stopped playing and looked at me expectantly.

I raised my brows.

"Did you understand what I said?" he asked.

Dafuq. You haven't said one thing, old man.

After a bit of silence, he shook his head. "Alright, out."

I began to stand, confused, until I finally realized it. I sat back down when it dawned on me. "Ohhhh. You mean that playing from a while ago? You're asking if I understood it?" I said dumbly. "I think it was okay. It did bring out a good reaction from the energies, but it wasn't enough to impress them at all."

He stared at me. "You kid! What arrogant little twat. You're calling me not impressive? I have the best comprehension of the cosmic language of all the monks in this temple! To get even a slightest bit of reaction from the energies would be considered good!"

I looked at him strangely. Dude, I was just stating my observations. Why do you have to be so offended? Though I was probably looking at this wrongly. Unlike other people, I had a direct experience with this so-called cosmic language.

"What?" he asked, noticing my silence. "Can you even bring out a tenth of what I'd done? Ha. If you can even get a hundredth, I'll give you full marks. And I don't give full marks in this test."

"How?" I asked.

"See? You're so arrogant yet you don't know one thing. I'll give you a brief lecture to make you understand. There are many ways to coax the energies of nature to do your bidding. This is a very important step towards controlling your element. The cosmic language is the language that can communicate your intentions to the universe. It depends on your fluency in this language how they follow your will as well or how you hear their will.

"Of course, even with your comprehension of the cosmic language, that doesn't guarantee your control over your ability. It's like picking the right words and fluently conveying your intentions. Some people know how to speak but they can only stutter. Do you understand?"

I nodded, finally knowing what and how it was. I read some books but I don't believe this was in any of the ones I read. It seemed to be some specialized topic. "I'm sorry for seeming so arrogant, sir. It wasn't in my intentions."

"Good. Now that you understand it, go. I will not let you embarrass yourself further."

I sucked in a breath. "Do you mind if I give it a try? I have a small understanding of this language before and I seem to have understood a bit of what you played. I'd like to try for the points so as to not disappoint my family. Please allow me." I lowered my head to him apologetically. I was indeed out of line, ignorant, and insensitive. I had to learn some tact for this. After all, I reincarnated. I had some memories of the in-between along with my past life. I doubt anyone else had the same privilege as I did.

This must be the result of being around only nine...ten or twelve people all my life. I unconsciously began expecting people to understand and know me.

Talk about a sad social life.

"Okay. Knock yourself out," the monk said. He folded his arms and waited for me to start.

"Can I borrow your thing?" I asked and smiled sheepishly.