— We'll continue this later, when the Quiz is over. — said Guide Luria, once again.

— Wait, what? — replied Aurora. — But... But I have no energy left in my entire body. How am I supposed to complete the test? — she added while groaning and looking up.

Luria laughed at her groan, and put her hand in her yellow uniform's right pocket, taking out a small crystal ball of sorts.

— Take this. — she said, extending her hand and showing a really small ball made out of crystal, with a sort of multicolour dust inside it, that kept moving continuously. — We call them "replenishers". It's a kind of first-aid for majka. See those small holes in its surface? — continued while Aurora nodded affirmatively. — That's where the magic happens. You see, you need to put it close to your mouth, and breathe in as deep as you can, so you can take in all of it. — she concluded.

Aurora put the replenisher right in front of her mouth, and she took a deep breath, the deepest breath she could take, one that somehow felt like it echoed all around the arena. The majka inside it started to enter her body, making her feel warm and healthy, while an orange aura appeared all around her.

— Wow, these things are really useful. — she said, while looking at her arms and legs, and stretching a little.

— Yes, they are the fastest and easiest way for majka recovery. It does not involve anyone else's healing, so no one is left with less energy than the other. — Luria said. — Of course those with healing powers prefer to use their own skills to do it. But all faculty members carry some with them, in case they are necessary. Otherwise, they are stored in the infirmary. —

— That's just great. Because by the looks of it, I'm gonna need more of these. — Aurora replied.

— We'll have to see, I guess. — Luria said, laughing a bit. — Shall we continue with the next part? — she asked. To which the girl answered yes, with her head.

Guide Luria put her right arm up, and everything started to move, like a controlled earthquake. The walls move farther, making the core twice as big as it was. Four rock pillars came out of the ground, with fire at the top of each one of them. And the ground started to rupture, making Aurora feel scared because of her encounter with the stone golems moments ago. But this time, a river started to flow through the ground ruptures.

— May the Al'kin Quiz begin! — said Luria.

— What am I supposed to do?! — Aurora shouted at her.

— This part of the test is mainly focused on elementalmajka, so you should try to use it. — Luria shouted back while going to her stone balcony booth just like she did on the first part, where she would supervise the Quiz.

— But I don't know how to do it! I told you I've never used any type of majka. This is all new to me! — she replied. But Luria did not answer back.

Aurora looked all around her, noticing every object and what each one of them symbolized. She tried to focus on the river, listening carefully to the water flow through each small and big crack around the ground's rupture. She tried to connect to the water, to every molecule available to her. But she couldn't.

No matter how hard she tried to focus, something was in the way. So she tried to concentrate on the fire cracking, trying to feel its warmth and power. She extended her hand, inviting it over, trying to control it. But nothing happened. And as there were no answers to Aurora's efforts in her test, she started to get angry and frustrated. So she put both her hands in front of her and tried over and over again to summon her shield, because she needed to feel something, but she only continued to fail.

— Why isn't anything working...? — said Aurora, while clenching her teeth. — Why do I always feel so useless?! — she said while tears started to gather on her eyes. — Why can't I be like everyone else?! — she shouted while falling to the ground.

And as she fell, the ground was suddenly shaken like an earthquake just hit the area. Everything was shaking, the water was crawling out the ground cracks and filling up new ones as they created themselves.

Aurora was clenching her fists and hitting them against the ground a few times, while the ground continued to rupture, but she wasn't aware of any of this. She was alienated and trapped in a sort of bubble of anger and frustration. Feelings that she kept to herself for her entire life until now.

The water started to come out the ground cracks and moved by itself, forming swirls and flowing through the air, but everytime Aurora shouted, the calm swirls transformed into ice spikes that were shot in any direction possible, ending up stabbing the stone walls.

The crying girl continued to sob and shout to let out all she kept inside her, but as she shout louder and louder, the arena started to collapse, with the fire growing and creating firey pillars, and the water flowing through the air surrounding her, almost protecting her.

Guide Luria could not believe her eyes, she felt shocked but at the same time she was watching this poor girl suffer. And although they are not supposed to intervene or interfere in the student's Quiz, the Field's core was now a very dangerous place.

And as Luria started to walk towards her, she saw how a bright aura surrounded Aurora, like embracing her, and somehow, the wrath inside her started to vanish. The aura disappeared as Luria came closer to the girl. Who she held in her hands and tried to calm down.

— Calm down, dear. Look me in the eyes and breathe. — the Guide said to her. — Everything is going to be okay.

When Aurora opened her eyes, she was lying down on a bed made out of grass, leaves and branches, on one side of the Field's core. She touched her head and after groaning painfully, she started to get up. Luria was standing on the other side of the core, talking to what it looked like a red haired woman.

They stopped talking when they noticed Aurora had waken up.

— What... happened? — she said.

— Oh, do not worry, dear. You're okay now. We've decided that the test must... come to an end. — Guide Luria replied to Aurora, while looking at the young woman next to her.

— What?! But... but... you said there were more things to do in the test, that we had to test them all so I can be well sorted! — said Aurora, with a sad but somehow angry tone.

— I know what I said, but... you are not in condition to go on with the test. You need to rest and get ready for the Opening Ceremony where you will be getting the Quiz results. — Luria said, while watching Aurora look at the ground. — Aliana here will accompany you to the exit. — she added, pointing at the woman next to her and then to the portal seal at the core's end.

Aurora wouldn't look any of them in the eye, but they knew she was really frustrated at the time. She stood up and started walking towards Guide Aliana, who was smiling at her kind of awkwardly and tried to grab Aurora's shoulder to help her to the exit.

— Do not touch me. — said Aurora, with a really cold and scary tone, while looking at her in the eyes and walking past her.

— She has quite the temper for being only fifteen years old... — Aliana said quietly, looking terrified.

And after looking at her Guide in charge, she let out a big sigh and started to walk to the exit, where Aurora was waiting for her. And as soon as she took her spot in the seal, the yellow sparks appeared and started to spin around them, and all of a sudden, they were gone.

In the blink of an eye, Aurora found herself back at Mr. Guhndavaar's office, where almost the exact amount of students were sitting and waiting to take the Quiz, she could actually recognize some of their faces from before. But how? She was sure that hours passed since she started the test.

— Crazy, right? — said Guide Aliana, smiling at her. — The Testing Field is located in an interdimensional plane, where time just... works differently. — she continued.

— So... if I've been there for hours... that means? — asked Aurora to her.

— Only a few minutes passed, correct. It's amazing. — answered Aliana.

— It is. — replied a shocked and calmed Aurora. — I'm sorry for... whatever happened in there. — she added.

— Don't be. I know change it's frustrating. Specially if you came here as a supposed nonmajka and now, all of the sudden, you discover new things about you. — Aliana said, smiling at her. — We all have expectations of ourselves. It's my first day as a Guide, my mom was the First Guide before Luria, and I come from a long line of Guides. I feel like I have all this pressure on my shoulders and... it's difficult, you know? — she said, while staring at the other students.

— You'll be okay. — replied Aurora. — You're a really nice person. And you're kind. You'll make a great Guide, I know it. — she said.

Aliana smiled at her, let out a tear and nodded, like thanking her. They walked to the exit of the room and Aurora said goodbye to the Guide, thinking about what to do in the couple of hours left until the Ceremony. She walked up the stairs to the fourth floor and noticed a giant wooden door in front of her, with a metal sign on the side and an inscription on it that read "Lochastus Friedham Library".

— I could read a little. — said Aurora while entering the room.

The library was one of the biggest rooms she saw in her entire life. It looked bigger than the school's main hall, and that is a really big room. It was three stories tall with a glass dome ceiling, and it had probably dozens if not a hundred of bookcases full of books of every kind. After ten or so minutes wandering around in the library, looking for something to read, Aurora tripped over something and fell to the floor.

— Oh, I'm very sorry, are you okay? — said a male voice to her while helping her up. — I was so immersed in my book that I didn't noticed I had my leg fully extended on the floor. — he friendly said.

— It's okay, don't worry. — she replied, embarrassed for what just happened.

She looked up at him, and realized how tall he was, maybe a feet above her. He looked like a very stereotypical Orlean, fair and yellowish skin, golden eyes and short messy gold-coloured hair. Except he was smiling and being nice, and he was wearing normal and non-Orlean clothing.

— I'm Ygriv. Ygriv Lumen. What's your name? — he asked, smiling at her.

— I'm Aurora Nokks. Are you also a first-year? — she replied.

— Yes, and I'm so excited to be here and be far from home. You have no idea. — he answered laughing out loud.

— What are you reading? — Aurora asked.

— Uhm, it's Conjuration theory. Trying to get a little into the arcane arts, given it's gonna be useful around here. Not my specialty, though. But it's good to have information available. — he said.

— And what's your specialty then? — she asked, intrigued.

— I can manipulate light, and do some alteration magic. Kind of normal and basic skills for an Orlean citizen, at least the light manipulation part. — he joked. — What about you?

— It's... complicated. — Aurora replied while looking awkwardly to the side.

— Do you want a reading pal? It's always nice to read with someone. I love learning new stuff. — He asked, noticing how that question bothered her.

— Yeah, sure, that'd be great. — she said.

They smiled at each other and walked out the bookcase aisle and after looking for something to read they say on the couches by the centre of the room, just beneath the glass dome. Hours passed and they were the only ones remaining in the library. When suddenly Aurora got up, startled, noticing how everyone was already gone.

— Where did everyone go? Wait, what time is it?! — she almost shouted at Ygriv, while looking everywhere for a clock, without any results.

— Oh, wait. I have a... pocket watch... somewhere... — replied Ygriv, searching in his bag. — Here! — he exclaimed. — It's... almost 12:30. Why?

— Are you k-... the results-thingy with the banquette is at 12:30! We're going to be late! — started shouting Aurora, collecting her stuff and the books she's been reading these past few hours.

— Oh, but relax... We just have to go down a few stairs, the entrance to the Grand Dining Hall is on the main hall. — replied Ygriv, trying to calm her down.

But Aurora wasn't hearing any of it. And she started walking, almost running, towards the library's exit. — Okay, so we're leaving, it's fine. Wait for me! — he shouted at her from behind.

They ran and ran, passing empty hallways and going down empty staircases, just to arrive to the main floor and find Guide Aliana waiting for them at the Dining Hall's doors.

— Come on guys, you're barely on time! — she said on the low to the two students in front of her.

— I know, I'm very sorry. — said Aurora, with Ygriv behind her.

— It's okay, don't worry, now come in and find a place to sit down. — Aliana answered smiling at them. And as they entered the room, she went in after them and closed the door behind her.