Darkness is illuminated by nature, knowledge, and truth. These are the three lines of light on the Awen. They are also three aspects of the soul, whereas nature represents the body, knowledge represents the mind, and truth represents the spirit. The Draoidh brought this light to the people of every race.

~Mother Danu, The Primordial Goddess of Nature

Maddox clan moved as a group towards the Heavenly Bard Amphitheater to the north of Father Oak. The stage was a wooden platform that came directly out of the tree itself.

“This is the closest you will get to Father Oak’s trunk without getting permission to enter the sacred groves or entering the tower,” Loremaster Quinn told the group. Some older kids who had already gone through the testing in previous years ignored him. “This entire amphitheater is rich in wood mana and is open to the public if any Ovate wants to cultivate here. The testing will last for two or three days, and after you’ve gone through, you are free of all obligations and duties until after the Day of the Dead.”

There were quite a few cheers from the entire Maddox clan’s younger generation.

“You all have your wooden tokens, do not lose those until you turn it in, or you’ll get sent to the back fields and farm for the next six months. Alright, let’s enter.”

A stone gateway divided the amphitheater from the city. Directly on the other side, it was a grassy flatland surrounded by rows and rows of stadium seating—each row grew from Father Oak’s roots. Clans and families headed for the seats, but not the younger generation. Elders led all those of age and qualification to the grassy area in front of the stage.

As the kids passed through the stone gateway, it was tradition to pay their respects to Mother Danu. She watched over them as children and was now witnessing their growth into adulthood. Most of the younger generation just said a few words of thanks, but Crow took out a handful of woad seeds and tossed them in a wide area. More than a few people stopped to look at Crow, curious about his actions.

“By root and limb, I ask Mother Danu to accept my offering as I pay obeisance to the Mother of all things. I make no requests for myself, only that you look after my clan. By the root that nurtures and the limb that shelters, a filial servant requires nothing more.”

While those ignorant of the ritual sneered, the ancient hidden monsters expressed surprise and solemness. Woad seeds were an ancient tradition few remembered, and the current older generation never taught their sons and daughters properly. The ritual had those old monsters regarding the boy’s filial responsibility respectfully, and some felt uneasy that their clans were targeting such a child. A pious person usually had karma backing their actions, and it was dangerous to target a person like that.

“Brother Crow—gods hear,” Otto told him. Luthais brought the giant into the stands with the clan. Because Otto wasn’t of Druid blood, he’d get tested at the end. Only the top one hundred talents would gain the seeded spots, which was a significant advantage during the upcoming trial. If an outsider’s talent was above those hundred, they’d get added to the seeded list—it was the only advantage outsiders would get.

“When did that happen?” One of the Maddox clan elders asked Luthais while watching Crow and Otto.

“It is recent. Otto has always tailed Crow, but they’ve been training together a lot lately and formed a powerful bond.”

“Yesterday, some youngsters were talking about Crow.” Another elder said. “Duncan, Baird, Belgae, and other clans were causing problems for that big simpleton. Crow rescued him and angered all of them in the process because his attacks were heavy-handed.

“That foolish boy,” Luthais sighed. “Why would he risk it when he knows what is about to happen? Otto could have handled it himself.”

“You know Crow would never allow that,” Elder Quinn snorted. “Even if he didn’t know Otto, he’d have stepped in. You think he was heavy-handed, but I think Crow was sending a message. And Otto backed his play, which might be more of a deterrent than anything else he did.”

“Pfft. You give both too much credit.”

“No, you just don’t know them. Watch and see. If I’m wrong, you can have my position here in Oiche, and I’ll go back to the ancestral ground,” Quinn rejoined just as quickly. Out of the dozen or so elders there, they were all paying attention now.

“There is a legend, or a fable if you prefer,” the oldest of the bunch said. Few knew that this old monster was the great-great-grandfather of Crow. “About a crow, a bear, and a wolf. If I’m not mistaken, Otto is an archaic name meaning bear. Could it be that history seeks to recreate a legend?”

Most of them knew of this legend. It was one of the oldest known in Druid history.

Song Xue was with her sister, and they’d been near Luthais when the conversation started. When they heard this comment, the Song sisters turned to each other with startled looks on their faces. No one knew that Song Xue’s full name was Xuelang, which meant Snow Wolf. Their father insisted on the name before sacrificing himself to save them. Neither sister said anything, but both were determined to hear this legend.

Before they could ask further, a silence settled over the crowd while they organized Crow and the others into rows. They stood with arms to their side in a relaxed manner, but their spines were straight and shoulders back—proud youths of the Druid clans.

Neither crowd nor youths were organized in any meaningful way. Clans intermixed mingled among each other, settling in for a long wait. The arrangement of the youths was random with no thought to status. This was the north way, and the clans believed honor determined brought status, not their familial crests. As recent events have shown, it didn’t stop the corruption, and clan elders tried to gain more advantages for their kin.

Despite that, a Druid still held honor, knowledge, and harmony with the natural world in the highest regard. If the council ordered the destruction of a clan, the probability of the clan head taking his own life to restore honor to his bloodline was high.

Crow had even used this honor against elders in the past. Forcing them to give way. It didn’t make him any friends, but those that weren’t wronged respected his actions.

An opening appeared on Father Oak’s trunk, and the ten senior members of the Druid Council stepped out onto the stage. Crow might have felt biased toward this event because of his circumstances, but he felt this aptitude test held a lot of unnecessary pomp. Still, watching stairs form on either side of the stage, followed by a pedestal rising at the center of the stage, incited some excitement. No matter how many times he’d seen Father Oak and Mugna shape the wood like it was clay, it never got old. Once the pedestal reached a meter in height, it opened up, and a glittering sphere rose up and rested upon it.

While everyone was mesmerized by the crystal sphere, the councilman stepped forward.

“Greetings! For those who are unaware of who I am, my name is Eoghan Trinovant, and I am the head of the Druid Council.” Eoghan’s voice carried through the entire amphitheater. “First, let us give thanks to Mother Danu and Father Oak for nurturing and sheltering us all these years. May they bless our mothers and children. May their guidance allow our order to once more rise to prominence.”

“We give thanks!” Thousands of voices boomed in response, making the entire place vibrate with energy.

“We have quite a few people in the younger generation waiting to be tested. I am also told, the new Ovate Circle this year is the largest we’ve had in the last three hundred years.” This announcement brought an excited fervor to the crowd. “Let me explain how this will work, and we can get started. This year, we’ve changed the ordering. Our newest Ovate hopefuls will go first. We will draw names randomly, and once we call your name, do not dawdle. Move up the stairs on the left and approach the Anwen—the crystal sphere. It’ll test your affinity, speed, abundance, and purity of your Source. These will determine your ranking.”

A boy in the front stood up.

“Yes?” Eoghan asked.

“How does the test work?”

“Simple. Where the three lines of the Awen meet, there is an indention in the shape of your token. Place the wooden token there and then put your hand over it. Center yourself and when ready, channel your Source into it. For the best results, channel as much of your Source as fast as possible into the Awen. Pretend you are powering up your most destructive technique and don’t hold back, or you will weaken your result. If your Source is powerful enough, the sphere will light up. The more it lights up, the better your results. The color will determine your affinity, but you might get a false positive if you have more than one. The token will etch all affinities into it, so be sure to check it before handing it over. After you are done, take your token and head down the opposite stairs and hand it to the elders waiting. If you earned a prize for your results during the Hunt, the elder will hand it to you at that time. I will post the list of winners for the Hunt at the temple once your testing is over,” Eoghan explained.

Elder Orla stepped up to whisper in the council leader’s ear.

“Right, you may leave after your test, but otherwise, you must remain here. Your clan may bring you food, but you are to stay in this area. Once again, do not loiter or slow the process because I promise you’ll regret it if you do. Does everyone understand?”

“Yes, elder.” The young people called out, eager to climb the stairs. The elders smiled at their excited faces. Crow was the only one that stood there expressionless, finally feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

“Now, our first Ovate hopeful is…”

Elder Eoghan Trinovant waved his hand, and a cauldron appeared on the ground before him. His hand reached in and grabbed something out of it. His hand lit up as he sent his Source into the object that looked vaguely like a vestige. The item shot into the air above the stage and exploded with a light popping sound. Blue light flashed before reshaping itself into a name the entire crowd could see.

“Crow Maddox.”