Mikael^

—————

"I think the school's having a meltdown!" Sam grunts as he and Mikyla are pushed even faster up the spire, only the continuous centripetal forces an explanation of how they didn't topple over like dominoes.

"What?" Mikyla yells over the echo of a nearby alarm.

Something was definitely off. Mikyla had done her fair share of fire drills and not one time had she gone deeper into a building. It was always calmly walk to the nearest fire point and await further instructions but as Mikyla's legs strain to keep up with the pace, she wondered how everything didn't fit right. For one, none of the Drows seemed to be affected and furthermore, speaking about fitting, how was a few hundred Nobles going to squeeze into the Spire which could only accommodate around fifty tops?

"Ugh, I've been up and down the spire more than three times in the last twenty four hours! I swear, they're working us even harder than the Dregs!"

A wave of murmurs and nods in agreement flood around Mikyla and she has to remember its just a colloquialism. No matter how much disdain is associated with the derogatory term, its just a saying now and no matter how many times she could try to stop people saying it, it wouldn't work. The thought of defeat is disheartening and Mikyla wonders if she can truly uproot the indoctrinated discrimination. It's just a word but words have power. She'll just have to find words with more power.

Suddenly the hustle pauses and Mikyla was forced to do the Conga. Gasps soon followed but strangely instead of gasps of fear they were gasps of awe and in a new found form of energy, the charge towards the Spire increased.

"What do you think just happened?" Mikyla asks, letting go of Sam's waist.

"Heh," Sam shrugs. "Beats me. It could be a lot of things, I mean, they might have found some old geyser who actually knows how to speak the ancient language we've been learning."

"Quen-" Mikyla starts but chokes on her words. The sudden oxygen debt had caught up with her and the sheer size of the renovation of the Spire was more than breathtaking.

Having climbed a thousand steps in record time, Mikyla had her doubts as she clutched her ribs, massaging the throbbing pain. Surely the burst of anaerobic exertion must be causing her to hallucinate but the drastic change to the Spire was as real as the Mirror in Kismet's shack.

The old mysticism imbued walls had been replaced by freshly installed glass panes which displayed a view which a Drow couldn't afford in their lifetime and the standard row of desks had been replaced by rows of theatre seats. The old voodoo feel had been cast out to allow space for state of the art technology and the crusty chalkboard was now but a shimmering screen that was impossible to see from the side. The volume of the room had inflated more than a balloon and what was more shocking was that from the outside it actually seemed to be smaller!

Mikyla found a seat beside a guppy fished Sam and found herself grinning. She was getting used to the luxuries of being a Noble but even this was a step above.

As everyone took their seats, the screen flashed into life and the teacher whom Mikyla had only met the day before took a seat facing the front. The behaviour was confusing but as a 3D figure apparated into existence with a blue tinged glow it was more than clear who the superior was.

"Vendui'" The figures gravelly voice spoke softly yet with crystal annunciation.

"Vendui'" Everyone repeated back before Mikyla realised what she was doing.

Just like earlier, the words were seemingly pulled out of her mouth and it wasn't until they vanished from existence that she realised she was speaking Quenya. It was as if she were breathing life into the words - no - it was more like the words were breathing life into the world itself. Words that shaped not only the listener but the speaker as well. Words that were being used in real life communication.

From out of the corner of her eye Mikyla could see the shock plastered on Sam's face but the grave expression etched onto the hologram who greeted them prevented her from making a jive.

"Usstan'bal ul'kas nindol emergency talthalra yallt p'wal de' fol ulu'fashrit issues." The hologram's voice scratched the air itself and whilst not everyone reacted straight away, the general consensus left the atmosphere heavy.

Mikyla understood for the most part, the occasional words gradually forming a total translation in her mind. She was right. Something was up. She shuffled in her seat hoping it they didn't catch onto her but the next sentence dispelled that fear completely.

"Gaer uriu tlus biu uprising wun lil' capital. Ulu prevent ulin outbreaks ud'phuul aluin ulu inbal ulu accelerate dosst faer lessons ulu dosst senior drasv. As of now, you will undertake The Trials."

Without even allowing time for the hologram to finish, mutters erupted within the room filling it with a cacophony of questions with the common word 'faer' or 'magic' being thrown around faster than wildfire. It didn't take long for the teacher to shorten our string who was visibly embarrassed even from the back of the room.

"Silence! Have I not taught you respect? Especially for the Elder Council from the Capit-"

"It's quite alright, I still remember the day the wool was torn off my eyes..." The stony expression chiselled into a softer sheen. "Up until that day I bought into the lie of science but-"

A few students fainted as their view of the world collapsed before their eyes yet Mikyla merely sat with a leg crossed over the other mirrored by her arms. She had her suspicions ever since she met the Mirror but it was still surprising to find out that the myth of science was a hoax. Things were getting interesting...

The hologram returned to his steely gaze. "But there is no time anymore to be lax in your cultural studies. For those who still have the guts to watch their version of the world fade away, listen closely for the time is nigh. The knowledge I shall impart upon you is stretched far and thin and I warn you this; The world is full of riddles, the blind see the clearest and the deaf hear the truth. The mute speak words of wisdom, the paralysed run faster than lightning and the dead roam more than the living."

As if by coincidence the room falls deathly silent before the hologram erupts into a bout of gruff roars of laughter with the teacher rubbing her temples meticulously.

"Please Sire, do not make jokes at such serious occasions."

"Fine, fine. If that can't handle that though." Mikyla swears the hologram stares directly at her as goosebumps litter along her arms. "They won't be ready for the Trials."

"Nonetheless!" The hologram fizzles. " Although the undead no longer linger with us, the stuff if nightmares are very much alive and active. The Trials will be a learning experience in themselves, if you make it back to school you pass, simple as that."

"Excuse me Sire, what exactly do the Trials entail?"

"Ah, good question but unfortunately one without an answer. I cannot tell you what are in the Trials, however, I can tell you that it is generally a very gruelling graduation exam, an exam you would not take until your senior year."

"Senior year? Then why are we doing it now?"

"Well, it usually takes one to two years for magic to completely manifest in an Elf but by inducing large quantities of mana coupled with demanding scenarios, magic manifestation can be fast tracked. Before the creation of the academies it was the only way to awaken your magical powers but due to 'health and safety' we now use the indirect route. Don't worry though, it's a relatively safe process."

The hologram fizzles again and the Elder raises a hand to silence anymore restlessness.

"Further enquiries can be addressed when you return. As for now, it is not time to doubt nor sleep!" The Elder waves a hand and assumingly by magic, the Nobles who had fainted earlier were revived. "My transition stream will collapse into a portal soon therefore it is imperative that-"

"Where are we going and what do you mean by 'relatively safe'."

The hologram purses his lips with a slight grimace but answers after a sigh. "You will be transported to the heart of the forest. Your one and only goal is to return to school via the end portal which will be clearly labelled. There is no time limit. The only potential dangers are the mythical beasts that reside within the forest. You will have your book to guide you an~ an~"

The hologram flickers causing the voice to waver between pitches. The teacher aware of the situation curtly stands up and before long Mikyla and the others stand in one line facing the dissipating hologram.

"an~ con~ con~rac~s you are not worthy of being a Noble."

Mikyla smirks at the jumbled sentence. He clearly meant to say that if they couldn't pass this test they didn't deserve nobility but it was fun to hear him say otherwise.

Suddenly the hologram implodes into a swirling mass of blue that crackles with electricity in the air. The resemblance is almost uncanny to a whirlpool as long as you imagine it sideways, tearing at the fabric of space and having a faint smell of blueberries. Thin swirls of black and white act like static within the core of the spiral and Mikyla can only feel sorry as each Noble is either given a helpful or not so helpful shove inside. They disappear without a trace.

Mikyla blinks as she is drawn towards the frontier of the dwindling queue. The gravitational tug imitates the words of Quenya and ironically she feels a cooling breeze escaping the wormhole. She feels the teachers hand press against the small of her back but she embraces it as she watches her foot disappear into oblivion. She leans forward thrusting the the rest of her into the unknown and she swears she hears the Elders once as she's swallowed by the cerulean mist.

"~and try not to die~"

—————

Word Count for Chapter 15: 1738
Total Word Count: 22822

Authors Note:

Hope you liked the UNEDITED chapter 15! Don't forget to press on those magical stars to light up Mikyla's future path and leave a comment telling me what you like so far or what you don't like. Thanks for reading so far.

Happy reading
~ Dracollavenore