Chapter 60: Losing Powers
Students clustered in groups, all in various shades of high-quality robes, laughter and excited chatter filling the air like an electric storm.
None of them noticed me at first. I stood awkwardly at the edge, not sure where I was supposed to go until Valeen gave me a slight push forward and then strode off without explanation. I caught glimpses of the other recruiters dispersing too—some joining the teachers on the upper balconies, others vanishing through illusionary walls.
A loud chime echoed through the space, and a woman in flowing robes that trailed sparks stood at the podium near the front.
"Welcome to the Resonance Trials," she said, voice amplified by unseen magic. "Today, you will each be tested for the depth and type of your essence. These results will place you within the appropriate arcane, alchemical, and martial paths."
I didn’t move. I felt like I was shrinking under the weight of a hundred expectations I hadn’t asked for. The boy with a braid of silver hair glanced at me, then whispered something to a girl beside him. They both laughed.
I looked away.
One by one, names were called. Students walked to the central dais where a large obsidian structure hummed with layered energy. It looked like a hybrid between a crystal harp and a monolith. Runes floated above it in gentle spirals.
"The Resonance Gauge," someone behind me whispered. "It reads what kind of magic is inside you and how strong."
When my name was finally called—Athena—the hall quieted. I stepped forward slowly, trying to breathe.
"Why bother?" someone muttered as I passed.
I ignored it.