That night, the four gathered around the crackling firepit, wooden steins in hand. The table had been moved, and placed on top of it were bountiful amounts of fresh bread, stew and cooked meat. "The past few months," Azerael stated, "you three have faced challenges you'd once thought impossible to complete. However, through your patience, determination and perseverance, you stuck it out. And now you stand before me, not as mere students, but ass full-fledged Apprentices, and full-fledged Mages." He raised his mug, a couple of drops of mead spilling out. "You've earned your celebration. Dig in, and cheers to your successes in the Trials."

The three raised their steins, colliding with each other as the mead sloshed between them as they exclaimed, "CHEERS!" Downing their drink, the three enjoyed their night of celebration, laughing and joking, reflecting back on their favorite moments, as well as the bad days that made for good stories. For the first time, they felt alive. And that maybe - just maybe - life here wouldn't be so bad after all.

Alexander sat on a log, watching the sparks float away from the fire as Emily stoked the embers and Taber fiddled with his sword. The table, once packed with lavish meals, now stood barren as Kieran stepped out of the cabin. He made his way down the steps, sitting down on the log opposite Alex. Azerael exited the cabin shortly afterward, drifting elegantly toward the four, his cloak flowing gently behind. "I'm about to go to bed. I'd suggest you do the same. All of you have a long journey ahead starting tomorrow. You'll need all the rest you can get."

"About that," Alexander began. "Where are we going. How do we even start?"

"Kieran knows a lot about the area. Follow his intuition for the first little bit. As for the specifics, I'll let you know tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

There was a brief pause before Azerael gave a slight bow. "Good night. I'll see you all in the morning."

"Good night, Master Azerael," the four replied almost in unison. With that, they all turned back toward the flames.

"Six months, huh?" Alexander pondered.

Taber wiped off a spot of dirt on his sword with a rag, then observed its sheen. "All things considered, it hasn't felt all that long. Every time I think back on everything, it really feels like we just got here." Taber spotted one more blemish and worked to buff it out.

Emily shifted slightly, then finally found her voice. "What about everybody back home?"

"They can wait," Kieran's hushed voice wasn't loud, though its presence cut through the night. "At the end of the day, our enemy is somebody who can potentially do some serious damage to both of our worlds, if he's given the chance. If you want a home to return to - if you want people to return to... then whatever you sacrifice here plays a greater role on whether or not you get to see your friends and family again."

Alexander's attention shifted toward the dimming embers, his face donning a pensive expression as his father came to mind. If he lost him, he'd truly have nowhere left to go. And Alex couldn't live with that thought. "I get your point, I guess," he said.

"I'm only being realistic." Kieran placed his hands onto his knees as he lifted himself up. "Anyway, I'm tired as hell. Night."

The others wished him goodnight, opting to start standing up themselves as Kieran closed the cabin door behind him. Emily used her Water Magic, creating a sizable ball and dousing the flames. With that, they gave each other a hug and stepped inside, closing the door on the dark night and making their way to their rooms.

Emily set up her bed, placing the band that kept her ponytail on the nightstand and got into her sleep attire. It was when she moved next to the bed and pulled back the covers that she was startled by a soft knocking at the door. "Come in!" She called.

Through the frame emerged Azerael, a small box in-hand. "I apologize. Am I intruding?"

"No, not at all," she replied sheepishly. "But I thought you said you were heading to bed?"

"I was," he said, bringing attention to the box as he raised it. "It just slipped my mind that I meant to give you something." Emily stood, watching with reserved interest as he drifted toward her, presenting the box as she took it delicately from his hands. She shifted her glance between the box and Azerael, unsure as to whether or not she was supposed to open it. A small puff of air escaped Azerael's lips, which she assumed to be a laugh, as he nodded.

Removing the lid, her heart fluttered as she gazed upon a necklace, a thin silver rope chain proudly displaying an ovular silver pendant. But the part that grabbed her attention the most was the bright pink gemstone embedded in its center, shimmering brightly even in the soft flicker of the bedside lantern. She looked up at him, tears of gratitude welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"I realized that in the past six months, I've given Taber a sword crafted in the royal city of Sorendelle, as well as given Alexander his enchanted tunic and cloak. Yet, I never got you anything." He paused, his voice filled with a soft tone of remorse. One of the few times any of them had heard any real emotion in his voice. "You may not be as strong or as powerful as your peers, however you've grown the most. 

"You see," he continued, "in Leod, Loralite, is symbolic of perseverence and hard work. It's known to form in only the harshest of conditions, deep within the mouths of volcanoes. When mined, they're an opaque, milky pink. However, with the right jewelsmith and the proper amount of care and effort, they shine brighter than even the most flawless diamond." 

She felt like her heart would explode out of her chest. She'd never been given much in terms of gifts, especially none of real meaning. Every Christmas, her deadbeat 'parents' only ever left her a ten-dollar bill each, spending the rest of their wages on booze and cigarettes, leaving her to spend the money on art supplies in hopes of toning out the rest of the world. Especially the fights that would occur between her parents on the rare occasion her mother was home.

So the thought that anybody, even if it was the closest thing she'd had to a father, would give her something so beautiful, so precious, was unthinkable to her. He broke her train of thought with a pat on the head as he knelt down. "I really hope those are tears of joy because I'd feel pretty bad otherwise," he joked.

She shook her head softly, a genuine smile playing at her lips. "No, it's perfect..."

He himself gave a small, satisfied smile. "After you all head out tomorrow, just make sure to keep it safe. Okay?"

"Of course," she nodded. "I won't let anything happen to it!" With that, he nodded back and stood up straight, pacing toward the door with the same grace as always. As he opened the door, he turned back to her.

"Good night, Emily. I'll see you all in the morning." Emily nodded as the door clicked shut. She got into bed, placing the necklace beside her on the nightstand, keeping her eyes trained on it with a smile as she slowly drifted into her slumber. 

Torches lit the dungeon walls wherein three dark-robed figures had gathered around a red magic circle drawn onto the stone-tiled floor. Their chatter ceased when they heard two sets of footsteps echo rhythmically through the sparsely-lit corridor on the far end of the room. From the darkness emerged two ladies. One donned a moderately-skimpy outfit, her straight raven hair draped over her left shoulder, with eyes that matched the violet accents on her clothes. The other one was shorter, almost half of the former's size. She wore a dirty black robe with yellow lining. Her messy silver hair was matted with dirt, which appeared to suit her sorrowful bright-yellow eyes.

"Good evening, gentlemen," the taller one spoke, her tone and voice bordering on the territory of 'seductress.'

One of the men standing by the circle removed his hood with a sigh, his messy dark-silver hair faintly reflecting the light of the torches and his deep-red eyes putting his dissatisfaction on full display. "Valora... I see you've finally arrived."

"Oh, Ethyn," she flirted. "You're so uptight... You could use a little fun in your life, no?"

"No, I think I'll pass on your little 'offer.'"

"Your slutty antics aside, Valora," the second man's voice hissed. Pulling back his hood, the Demonkin's gold eyes glowed with anticipation. "Where's the sacrifice?"

Valora took a couple steps forward, taking her place at the circle before turning to the younger girl. "Alright, brat, you heard Daerus. Where's the blood bag?" The silver-haired girl remained silent, hesitant to speak. Valora barked, "you got the sacrifice, right?!"

She remained hesitant, remorse coating her face. "Yes, Master," she finally replied.

"THEN GRAB HIM!"

The girl's eyes grew alert as her body moved in haste. "Yes, Master!"

She ran down the hallway, disappearing from their sight. Then after a couple of minutes, a faint set of shouts reverberated into the main chamber. "Please," the man shouted. "What's going on?! Why are you doing this to me?!" She let go of him as Valora grabbed his collar, throwing him to the ground in the middle of the circle. He fumbled to regain his footing. When he finally did, he took a couple paces toward Daerus. "Please, you have to tell me, sir. Where am I? Why am I here? My daughter has a competition tonight, I have to be there!"

"Shut the hell up, you're annoying!" With one quick and decisive motion, Daerus' claws slashed the man's throat. He fell to his knees, choking on his own blood as the tears streamed down his face.

The man got one final glimpse of the girl, whose eyes also began to shed a tear as she whispered, "I'm sorry..." With that, the man fell to the floor, the light fleeing his eyes as his blood pooled onto the floor by Ethyn's feet.

"Man," Ethyn mumbled to himself, gently kicking the corpse. "What a lovely place to land..."

The circle began to glow, red bolts of lightning cracking and arcing wildly. All of the people began to grin, save for the girl. After a minute, the bursting energy ceased, and in the center stood a man. His wild black hair began to still itself, no longer affected by the surge of power, and his crimson eyes scanned the room, then his hands. "I see that I've finally been summoned," he muttered, his voice rough and edged with gravel.

The final man exclaimed, removing his hood to reveal his grey hair before taking a knee. "Lord Anxor!" The rest followed suit. "I am Zerod Nevira. I have been designated to be your assistant."

"Hmm... Don't believe I actually care, but sure. Whatever you say." Anxor took a moment before turning toward Ethyn. "You seem like you can handle yourself. What's your name? What did I miss?"

Ethyn bowed his head lower. "My name is Ethyn Revan, Lord Anxor." He raised his head until he locked eyes with Anxor, for the first time. "As of now, you are in the catacombs of our fortress in the territory of Escad."

"Sounds good enough to me." Before Anxor could move to the next person, everybody's attention turned toward the hallway, where a set of footsteps clapped frantically.

From the darkness emerged a hooded figure. "Masters! I have some urgent news! It seems that-" the underling froze, seemingly trapped by Anxor's intense glare. Finally, he found the will to bow. "O-oh! Lord Anxor! It's an honor to meet you, Your Highn-"

"Shut up and tell us what you want," Anxor barked, shaking the cultist to his core.

"R-Right. Sorry, my Lord... It would appear that the one of prophecy has arrived! He and a couple of others."

"What?" Ethyn took a step forward. "You're sure of this?"

"Very, Master Revan... Warren confirmed it last night in the Territory of Dakir."

Ethyn began to say something, but was cut off by Anxor beginning to chuckle. Then he began to laugh. "And so they've arrived! Well in that case, I'll be waiting...

...for him."