9.

The milky white vial clutched in his right hand utterly absorbed all of Lynn’s attention. Somehow, he needed to change this into another element. From how Tiara spoke earlier, he inferred that he simply needed to keep it close and the proximity to him would alter it into something else. But what if it wouldn’t work? Thousands of hours of studying and planning in preparation for any test given by the Mystics of Silvian Island. He had hundreds of topics and information memorized, he even studied riddle cracking just in case. All for naught. He may as well have come with Vivian’s education for this test. It relied completely on chance. Any skills he retained became obsolete. Lynn gripped the vial tightly. He despised games of chance.

In his peripheral vision Lynn noted Alexis Jade taking the seat next to him. It was long after breakfast ended and lunch didn’t begin for several more hours. Lynn had remained sitting here since finishing his breakfast, glaring at his vial. Finally, he slipped the vial under his shirt and looked at the girl.

“Can I help you, Lady Jade?”

“Has yours changed yet?” Alexis’ voice came out uncommonly timid. He noted slumped posture and the bags under her eyes. In her hand, she held a drink in hand.

Lynn sighed. He saw no reason to deceive her. “No. It looks the exact same as it did yesterday. Have you had any luck with yours?”

Alexis shook her head looking downcast. “I put in so much effort. My father has expectations for my return.” She downed her drink. Any other time of the day Lynn would assume it white wine but the day was too young for the beverage.

“I saw Fitz Jasper’s vial earlier,” she said. “The kid wasn’t bothering keeping it under his shirt anymore. It had blue sparks flashing within it like a storm cloud. Cocky bastard.” Alexis paused, studying her empty glass. “I thought we were the intelligent ones, Jet? How is it that we ended up being the ones in last place while a kid like Jasper succeeded while we’re failing?”

“We haven’t failed yet. There’s still an hour until we meet,” Lynn said in an attempt to convince himself more than her. “And Fitz Jasper’s can’t be a child. There’s an age requirement to enter Silvian Island and I’m barely old enough at seventeen.”

Alexis gave him a grave smile. “Excuse me for naming you as an intellectual mind before. He’s barely hit puberty Jet, can you not see that? There’s a reason I have never seen him at a single ball. His father likely just pulled a few strings to get him here ahead of his peers. Besides, anyone with eyes and ears could tell you that Quinton Silver is an idiot. Silts, anyone without eyes or ears can tell that. There’s no possible way he fairly passed the entrance tests.”

“That’s lackluster evidence at best. Silvian’s are very selective on who they permit on the island. I feel as though they wouldn’t allow anyone with juvenile or brutish qualities into their library. Besides, the Jaspers have always been very closed off from court gossip. They likely just felt no need to send him to a ball.”

“What does it matter?” Alexis threw her hands into the air. “Fitz Jasper succeeded. We didn’t.”

Lynn stood. “I am going to the gazebo, there doesn’t seem to be any purpose in waiting here any longer. Maybe one of the individuals there will give some advice.” He doubted his words.

“I suppose I’ll meet you there. I don’t see any reason to rush.” Alexis stood up, swaying slightly as she went to get another drink. Lynn second guessed his assumption of it being too early for alcohol.

Lynn dismissed himself from her company and navigated through the labyrinth of hallways toward the courtyard. The previous day he had spent wandering the halls with several pieces of parchment mapping out the first floor of the castle. Familiarity broke down its complexity. The entire first floor was symmetrical, the left and right sides being exact replicas of one another. The exterior wasn’t quite the same. It seemed as if the gardens used to be mirrored from left to right but the entire left side had fallen to disarray more recently.

After exiting the library, Lynn halted his hobbling. He looked down at the mangled city and shivered. The image of Nornex haunted his eyes. Structurally, the two cities appeared completely different but the similarities still tainted the city before him. Most notably, they both emitted an aura of death. His missing fingers twitched.

Turning away from the ruined city, Lynn made his way to the gazebo. Every step became more of a trial as dread filled his heart. The white savirelet still filled the vial Lynn clutched in hand.

Nyx and Zac Heliodor were already present, both sitting alone and seemingly lost in their thoughts. Lynn took a seat beside Nyx and watched as each of the other candidates came in. Tiara strutted across the bridges with the man named Darius and the thin cloaked man from yesterday in tow…but this time a fourth figure also joined them. A bit further off, the sight of his white hair froze Lynn’s heart. Blood trickled down from his clenched right fist inside of which his fingernails pierced his palm. Chest heaving and physically shaking, Lynn leaped to his feet as he approached.

“Mortium!” Lynn spat the name.

The white haired boy grinned. “What a surprise! You’re familiar with my homeland. It’s really a rarity to find someone with any knowledge of it.”

“You’re going to die.”

“There’s a certain beauty to the inevitable. It’s actually quite poetic. Unfortunately, I’ll probably still outlive most people here.”

Lynn took a quacking step towards the boy. The fake leg almost gave out under him but he managed to catch himself before falling.

“Sit Jet,” Tiara demanded. “Unless you’re intending to disqualify yourself. I don’t warn twice.”

Lynn hesitated. “First, I need to know where this Mortium boy was at four years ago.”

“You need no such thing. Sit,” Tiara said again. Her voice icy,

“Relax, Tiara. Although I appreciate you being all motheringly defensive of me, I don’t mind telling him. I’ve been on this island for a while now. A bit longer than four years. Why do you ask?” The boy’s grin mocked him.

“I’m still going to kill you.” Lynn fell back on the stone bench. Piercing the white haired boy with a hateful gaze from his eye.

“Enough.” Tiara spoke with complete authority. “I see we’re almost all here. Only missing one. Thankfully the Topaz girl won’t be necessary for this first bit. Darius and Edwin here will come to each of you and examine your vial of savirelet. They will assess whether or not you’ll be permitted access to the next elimination process.”

At Tiara’s words the Darius approached Kaylin Garnet and Edwin, the thin man, came to Nyx. Tiara pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

“Pardon me, I need to see your vial.” Edwin’s words seemed to shake Nyx out of her own head.

“Oh really? Certainly.” Nyx pulled her vial out and Edwin took it from her.

Edwin uncorked the vial and tilted it. Deep red fluid poured from it. Edwin’s eyes seemed to pop from his head. “Blood! Now that hasn’t happened in…217 years? That’s simply remarkable! Your name is Nyx Opal, correct?”

“Eh, I have fire over here,” Darius growled. The Mortium boy blinked and studied Kaylin Garnet.

“Keep moving Edwin,” Tiara said. “You have a bunch more to get through.”

Darius moved on to Alexis Jade. “Let me see yours.”

Alexis’ hand moved hesitantly before giving him her vial. Darius flipped it upside down and uncorked it, the white liquid poured out before evaporating a few feet out of the bottle.

“This one isn’t noteworthy. No potential of becoming a Mystic.” Darius’ words were uncaring as he moved on. Alexis collapsed back, her hands covering her face.

Edwin came to Lynn. “Sorry, I got caught up with Lady Opal. I didn’t mean to make you wait. Can you give me your savirelet please?”

Lynn licked his lips as he unclenched his fist, revealing a now cracked bottle in his bloody palm. He must have broken it in his anger. The pain never registered. Edwin plucked it up.

“It’s too bad this blood isn’t part of the savirelet. Can you imagine? Two blood Mystics would be a sight to behold. Now let’s see.” He wiped the blood off with a handkerchief he pulled from his robes and uncorked the vial. Lynn watched his future drain from the bottle. White and milky just as he received it.

“I’m a failure,” Lynn whispered. All he had worked for was coming to an end all at once. All the future possibilities flashed in his mind before dread settled in their place.

“Hmm? What’s that you said?” Edwin examined the vial, oblivious to Lynn’s internal grief. “At first it does appear to evaporate but actually, if you look closely, there is frost within. Barely any, but there’s certainly a small bit. It looks as though you’ll continue on.” Edwin left Lynn with the bottle and a new shred of hope. Examining the vial, Lynn saw what Edwin had. Just a few miniscule crystalized beads of water along the rim of the bottle.

A tear trickled from his eye. He would continue on. Part of him expected Edwin to revoke his previous statement. It felt unreal. Glancing upward, Lynn noted Vivian arriving. She gave him a worrisome look and he responded by nodding. Vivian beamed at him. Weaving through the throng of people, she took a seat next to the white haired Mortium boy.

The next few minutes slipped past dreamlike. Everything was hazy until Tiara stood once again.

The woman looked down her nose at her notes. “Dreme, Zac Heliodor, and Alexis Jade. You must now withdraw. There is no permanent place for you here at the Silvian Library. You will be permitted to stay here for the next two years until the tides permit you back to Neo Regnum, then you are required to vacate. Until that time, you are confined to the first floor of the library and are welcome to spend as much time studying as you please. However, if any of you are found elsewhere, you will be executed immediately with no questions asked. Darius. Please take these three away.” Darius obliged and Lynn couldn’t catch Alexis’ eye before she was escorted back over the bridges. “Kaylin Garnet, Uriah Diamond, Lynn Jet, Fitz Jasper, Quinton Silver, Nyx Opal, and Ivan and Lilian Quartz. You eight must now decide amongst yourselves who will stay on the island. We permit up to six individuals acceptance and, whenever possible, we prefer equal numbers on either gender. That would mean three from each gender. Vivian Topaz has automatic acceptance as a Natural.” Kaylin and Lilian gave Vivian a dirty look. “I trust you’ll decide wisely. You have until there is a consensus, however long that might take. Until then, you too will be confined to the first flood. When you have decided, you must approach me as a group. That is all. I wish you all the best luck.” Tiara left them behind with that information. Edwin following suit.

A silence descended upon the group. No one moved.

“I don’t suppose any of you are wanting to withdraw your candidacy?” the white haired boy said. “The elimination process Tiara uses is quite dangerous. You could easily find yourselves in a...less than idea position.”

Another silence. Lynn noted Ivan Quartz sneering at him from across the gazebo. Obviously plotting how he would ‘convince’ him to withdraw. At least Lynn would be able to see it coming.

“I will leave.” The voice caught Lynn by surprise, recognizing the speaker as Uriah Diamond. “I don’t have the energy to get in a squabble with all of you. Even the eldest of all of you must still be forty years my junior. I’ll study on the bottom floor until my departure. There should be more than enough material to keep me entertained for a long while.” Uriah Diamond stood and slowly began to walk away. “Notify me when you’ve decided who will stay. I’ll go with you to Lady Tiara at that time and officially withdraw.” Uriah Diamond left them all.

More silence followed.

“Well, the old man voluntarily left, doesn’t it make sense that the cripple does too?” Ivan Quartz’s voice cut the silence like a hunting knife through a deer’s flesh. “He knew it would be a waste of resources for him to become a Mystic because there’s only so much he could accomplish while the rest of us have more potential. It’s the same with the cripple. You should bow out now and not selfishly waste one of the few slots remaining.”

“I’m not going to do that. You’re making an erroneous assumption.” Ice coated Lynn’s words.

“What’s that cripple?”

“You’re assuming I strive to be selfless when in fact I’m an incredibly selfish person. There’s no conceivable way I’m stepping aside. I will become a Mystic.”

“You’ll more likely become a corpse.”

“There is a beauty to the inevitable but I’ll likely outlive the majority of the people here. I’ll certainly become a corpse but I promise you it won’t be before you do.” At Lynn’s words, the white haired boy flashed him another obnoxious grin, obviously pleased to hear himself quoted. Lynn ignored him.

Ivan Quartz’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Threats from a man who can’t even dress himself in the morning. You’re pathetic Jet.” With that he rose to his feet. “Lillian, we’re leaving. Nothing else will be decided here.” He left them. Lillian shadowing his steps.

Everyone else began to dismiss themselves. Lynn himself stood to leave when a voice interrupted.

“My money’s on you Lynn Jet. You’d better pass, I like you. You’ll be a lot of fun to have around here.” The white haired boy continued to grin at him.