Yearly Rankings

Location: Gloria's Temple / Serina's Chamber

Time: Y1503 / 1st day of the Fire Moon

POV: Amigarde, High Priestess of Gloria

"Welcome, Children of Gloria! Today, the first day of summer, your magic will be ranked by the Council of Gloria! As it has been for centuries! Let us show Gloria the powers of her children!" (Amigarde)

**cheers** (Everyone)

This is the third time I hold the rankings. Under my watch the church lost more than half of its domains. But we are surviving.

"High Priestess Amigarde will demonstrate her magic first. You may take your place in the centre of the stage." (Geneva)

The two hundred meter wide square is full. As usual. I take off my dress and take my place in a circle paved in stone at the centre of the courtyard. The Council is watching me from a small tent twenty meters from here.

I close my eyes and start weaving.

I take my time. After three minutes, I'm ready. It's the third time, but the pressure of having to best everyone else is crushing. Please, let it be enough!

(Amigarde)

I weave a magic that is now my trademark spell. I incrementally improved it over the years, and this time I have ten lifelike maidens dancing and throwing flowers around me. The flowers fall like snow, and I can change the patterns of the dance.

This year I even manage to have two patterns at once! Five dancers are jumping while walking, the others five are spinning on themselves.

*exhale* (Amigarde)

That went well! I rescind my spell and wait for the ranking.

As usual, each of the five members of the Council has ten stones, and cast a number of them. The score will be the sum of all stones in the basket.

"High Priestess Amigarde scored 30 stones out of 50!" (Geneva)

*grin* *nod* (Amigarde)

That's more like it!

It's far from Meridia's top score of 42, but it's fair at least. My first time as High Priestess, the Council gave me only 22 stones. I deserved at least 24 back then.

I put back my dress and walk toward the Council tent.

"Next up is the former High Priestess. Sister Meridia." (Geneva)

This again...

(Meridia)

Meridia has improved again. This time she didn't bother to show off a weak She weaved a spell to make a small rock floats. She doesn't seem in pain. She is probably capable of more, but I guess there is no point in trying, because...

"Sister Meridia scored zero stones out of fifty..." (Geneva)

Vaerminia really is petty. It's like a new tradition to call Meridia as second contestant and give her zero stones no matter what does she do. She did mess up badly, but punishment should yield more than just personal satisfaction. And it's not like she is a dead weight either.

Meridia is trying hard to be useful to the church. As teacher she is doing a good job despite the ones that sneer at her. She ought to be treated more fairly.

I'll try and talk some sense in Vaerminia later. But I feel I'd have a better chance talking to a wall.

**BOOOOOO** (Everyone)

"I weave better magic in my sleep!!!" (Sister)

*dress up* *smirk* (Meridia)

Some amongst the audience loves to smack down the former number one. Meridia no longer cares about them. She covers her unsightly body and... Wait, is she smiling?

I can't help but think that Meridia has something up her sleeve... We'll see. I feel no compulsion to warn Vaerminia about my hunch. You reap what you sow, old goat.

"Next up is..." (Geneva)

This will be long day.

Yearly Rankings: Serina

Location: Gloria's Temple/Serina's Chamber

Time: Y1503 - 1st day of the Fire Moon

POV:

"Sister Serina, you are next. Please take your place inside the circle." (Geneva)

"Members of the council, I'm going to weave a great spell this time. Please don't panic." (Serina)

What was that? The councilwoman are puzzled. Serina is usually meek and modest. For her to boast like that... Even Pernida is smiling!

Serina got fifteen stones last year, if I remember right. Is she aiming to close the gap and get a score close to mine? Not possible.

Serina undresses as she prepares her routine~

???

**murmur** (Everyone)

She is spinning on herself? Serina is dancing! What is she thinking??? Is she mocking the Council? That's a grave offense! If you keep this up you will be disiplined!

"Sister Serina! Your mock~ (Vaerminia)

What is this?

How can this be??

Serina is weaving threads of unbelievable purity, thickness and length! There are so many that they are forming a mass around her body! So much that is almost blinding my magic sight!

I have never seen so much magic being weaved so quickly! The only thing that came close in my memory is during the war, seventeen years ago. And it took hours and many magi from the Royal Court to weave that much! Not seconds!!!

(Serina)

**shock** (Everyone)

...

...

"Members of the Council. I can sustain this barrier for as long as you desire, but if you are satisfied, I'd rather leave the stage to the next in line." *smile* (Serina)

I have no words. I can't even imagine the defensive value of that barrier. A dome almost twenty meters in diameters and ten meters high.

I practiced barriers myself, and I can't weave anything even remotely close to that. Nobody in this world can!

Is it an illusion?

"Sister Serina... Can I try your invisible wall?" (Amigarde)

"Be my guest, Blessed One. Only make sure you aim high. This barrier has reflective properties. Your spell might bounce back at you otherwise." *smile* (Serina)

Magic reflection??? This can't be!

My pride is at stake here!

I undress once more. I look at Merce, my attendant. He never neglects his duties and always carries a bag of artifacts with him. He catches on and pass me an artifact.

I start weaving as many magic threads as I can.

Without realizing, a full five minutes have passed. Everyone is holding their breath. Only the sound of an occasional breeze and a weird humming coming from Serina's barrier can be heard.

She look relaxed! Not only sustaining a barrier of this magnitude isn't taking it's toll, but she has absolute confidence that my spell will not pierce it!!!

We'll see about that.

I channel magic inside the artifact. A golden rod about ten centimetres long with a spiral coiled around it. It was made by Faber and enchanted by Meridia herself! An offensive spell designed to break through every and all defences!

(Amigarde)

In an instant a beam of blinding pure white light flickers into existence.

It's like a line of light that originates from the tip of the rod and reaches the barrier.

...

And it's deflected at a sharp angle, pointing up, reaching for the skies!

**shock** (Everyone)

*nnngggggg* (Amigarde)

It's taking so much out of me to sustain this spell.

Just a couple more seconds!

I try to move the rod. Heavy! It's like the beam is made of metal!

It's no use!!! It doesn't matter where I aim! The surface of the barrier is reflecting the beam like a mirror would reflect light!

(Amigarde)

*collapse on knee* *heavy breathing* (Amigarde)

It wasn't good enough to punch through Serina's barrier.

"Is the Council is satisfied by the performance of my barrier?" *smile* (Serina)

My spell didn't even crack it? The barrier is pristine. Like nothing hit it at all. And Serina is so calm! You are telling me that my every efforts were nothing to you?!?

Even Meridia in her prime wouldn't have been capable of that!

How??? Is this because she is nursing Liara?

"Serina. Last year... How could your aptitude increase like that?" (Pernida)

"It didn't. My aptitude for magic barely improved at all. It's just that Liara and Meridia taught me a better way to weave magic. Liara will show you later. You should look forward to that!" *smile* (Serina)

Her aptitude didn't improve? A new way to weave magic? What's that supposed to mean?

"Sister Geneva. Aren't you supposed to tally our stones?" (Vaerminia)

"!!!" (Geneva)

She can be excused for forgetting her duty. Everyone here is frozen in shock by what just happened. What will her score be?

*gulp* "Sister Serina scored... fifty stones out of fifty..." (Geneva)

**murmur** (Everyone)

Fifty. A score that was never given before in the long history of the church. There are two special scores:

Zero means that the candidate wasted the Council's time.

Fifty means that the candidate's skills are too high to be evaluated according to this scale.

I, The High Priestess, have been surpassed by a sister. Something that happened only a few times in the history of the church. And I was not defeated by a stone or two. I was totally outclassed.

I never felt so ashamed in my life.

Sister Serina, Meridia's favourite, has surpassed me.

Why must I live under Meridia's shadow???

*sniff* (Amigarde)

A lonely tear trickles from my eye.

Yearly Rankings: Liara

Location: Gloria's Temple/Serina's Chamber

Time: Y1503 - 1st day of the Fire Moon

POV: Amigarde, High Priestess of Gloria

Everyone that took the stage after Serina, underperformed. It was decided to take a break.

Things have more or less resumed their course. As well as one might expect at least.

Seeing a sister that scored fifteen stones last year grow this much, broke the will of many. Half of them retired from the rankings altogether.

I'm struggling to reconciliate with my feelings as well. But I must put up a facade at least... I'm still High priestess. At least for now.

Sigh... Serina is the strongest mage in the church now. Actually, she is in a league of her own, now. But she is totally unfit to be High Priestess. She is too good natured. Too naive. And Vaerminia knows this. I can feel her dilemma.

"Our last contestant will be a first timer. Initiate Liara, the Gifted One, please, come forward and take your place in the middle of the stony circle. Undress, then weave a spell of your choosing. Take your time." (Geneva)

Usually there would be a warning about not wasting the Council's time. It won't be needed this time apparently. What did Serina mean with Liara and Meridia finding a new way to weave magic? Is it something I can learn too?

*clench fist* (Amigarde)

I'd better pay close attention to her performance. The other sisters must think so as well. Everyone is in complete silence, watching the little girl walking toward the centre of the courtyard.

I heard she weaved a remarkable barrier to defend against the knight initiate, but she can't possibly top Serina's performance, can she?

POV: Liara

Do I really have to undress? In front of all those people???

That's embarrassing! And I don't even need to undress!!! I can do magic perfectly with my clothes on!

[You are a child Liara! You are not supposed to care about nakedness yet.] (Bookworm me)

But I'm the Gifted One! I grow up quickly! Everybody knows that!

[Do you really want to make things harder for yourself? In Rome do as the Romans do.] (Bookworm Me)

*blush* *undress* (Liara)

I have never been so embarrassed in my life! How did Mother do it so nonchalantly?

[Different cultures. As Meridia explained, clothes can interfere with magic. Because of the magnitude of your weaving you can't really tell yet. Lesser magi can. Society says that magi weave in the naked. You would only stand out, and for the wrong reasons. People that go against the norm are frowned upon. You need to fit in, at least for now.] (Explorer Me)

That's so easy for you to say! It's not like you have to be the one naked in a crowd!

[We share this body, Liara. We feel what you feel. Also, in the old world, there was this time when I had to go through an initiation ritual with this tribe to access a ruin, and...] (Explorer Me)

!!! Too much information!!! I don't want to see that memory ever again!!!

"Are you ready, initiate Liara? You can skip this year's ranking if you feel you are not ready." (Geneva)

[Just start weaving. You'll forget about your situation. Your inability to multitask might come in handy this time.] (Doctor me)

Here goes nothing.

I dance, and collimate aether at my fingertips. I need quite a bit for the magic I'm planning to weave.

...

There! That should do it. Thirty seconds worth of magic threads!

Why is everybody's jaw dropping? They saw Serina already. This isn't THAT much more than what she gathered!

[You are a little girl, and you weaved more than the one who outclassed the High Priestess.] (Science Me)

Alright. You have a point there. Should we really be doing this?

[Meridia proved to be knowledgeable about both magic and the inner dynamics of the church. Serina trusts her. Following her advice to show off our magic is probably the correct move. And we would be hard pressed to explain why we want to hold back.] (Doctor Me)

Ok... Then the real deal starts now. Ready?

[This is my time to shine! Leave it to me!] (Artist Me)

This version of Me became a painter. Not a successful one, unfortunately. Still, I really like the paintings he made. I can see them in his memories, I find it relaxing to look at them.

(Liara)

It turns out my barrier was just a mass of magic threads arranged as dome, it was not a proper spell... Caleidoscope is the first spell magi learns for a reason. Drawing empty shapes with no substance in the air is the easiest thing to do.

The way Meridia taught me requires to constantly focus on the whole shape. Which is why they have an hard time drawing many at once. I can draw only one small simple shape that way!

Real magic requires tons of practice to master, apparently.

But Science Me outdid himself this time. He modified !

Now rather than imagining all the shapes at once, I sculpt the image in he air piece by piece. The shape remains even without me focusing on it. As drawback, it slowly fade over time. A drawback that does not apply to me beacuse I can pour so much aether in those shapes, he he he.

This spell will allow me to draw an image large enough to blow their minds!!

Feel the difference between you and me!

I'm the Gifted One!

MWHAHAHAHAH!!!

[Don't go mad with power. Please?] (Bookworm Me)

I'm joking!

Mostly.

[It's time we show those backward fanatics what the scientific method can do when applied to magic!] (Science Me)

Artist Me focus on building a picture in his mind. Science Me give me instructions on what to sculpt next, and I act like a scalpel, forming the air like clay. Teamwork for the win!

...

...

...

Done!

I really focused like a madman to do this, I have a bit of an headache.

I'm not sure how long it took but the hologram is really pretty! And big! Well done Artist Me!

[Thanks Liara! You are too kind.] (Artist me)

You deserve it. Let's see if the council likes it.

"My spell is complete! I hope. You... like... It? ..." (Liara)

Uhm... Yes... Maybe I should have held back. Just a little bit.

Explanations

Location: Gloria's Temple / Council Chambers

Time: Y1503 / 2st day of the Fire Moon

POV: Liara

"Don't worry, Liara. You did nothing wrong. In fact you did incredibly well! The council is simply surprised by the magnitude of your weaving. I am too to be honest. When I told you not to hold back I honestly didn't expect... That. Well, when they call you in, just tell them the truth." (Meridia)

Or so Meridia said. Meridia and Mother have been inside the Council chambers for hours! I feel like a child in front of the principal's office with my parents talking inside.

I can't hear anything, unfortunately.

[Noise abatement magic? I wonder how would such a magic would work. An enchantment on the door perhaps? Meridia was an enchantress. We should ask her to teach us. It might be the key to unlock , which is an enchantment too.] (Science Me)

You sure are easy going.

[Worrying will just stress you out. We decided to trust Serina and Meridia, and what is done is done. Leave it to them. Relax.] (Doctor Me)

*door opens* "Initiate Liara, the council will see you, now. Please, come inside." (Guard)

So this is the Council chamber. It looks like a court. The council sitting behind a semi circular table surrounding the one speaking.

[The drawings on the wall are remarkable. I like the art style!] (Artist Me)

Sister Geneva, the scribe, sit in the corner. Meridia and Serina make room for me. They want me to stay in between them.

*teary eyes* "Are you angry at me?" (Liara)

[You are becoming scary good at exploiting the fact that you are a three years old little girl, you know?] (Doctor Me)

"... No, young initiate. You did nothing wrong. We just want to ask you a few questions." (Cassandra)

"Also, it is customary to speak only when asked a question, when in front of the council. Do you understand, Initiate Liara?" (Vaerminia)

*nod* (Liara)

"My name is Pernida. I'm a mage, just like Sister Serina and Sister Meridia. Just like you. I would like you to weave a few magic threads for me. Can you do that?" (Pernida)

I like how they are being nice to me. The cat is out of the bag, so I have no reason not to show them.

Meridia and Serina make some room for me. I make a few spins, and collimate aether into magic threads. It's a puny amount compared to what I usually do, but it should do.

"Like this?" (Liara)

"... Yes... It's perfect." (Pernida)

"My name is Cassandra. I'm a mage too, young initiate. I am curious, can you please tell me for how long you can sustain those magic threads?" (Cassandra)

"For as long as I like? It's not hard." (Liara)

"One last question, then you'll be free to go. How did you discover that by moving like that, you could weave that many magic threads?" (Pernida)

"I don't know. I was exercising, than I was dancing, then I tried to do both at once and it was easier? I think?" (Liara)

[I still don't like making them think that it was an accident. We discovered it because we are not troglodytes like them!] (Science Me)

Bear with it. It was the explanation Meridia came up with first, and it's much more believable and acceptable than having help from a split personality that is also me from an alternate reality who was an old particle physicist with space age knowledge.

[Touché'] (Science me)

“I see. Thank you for your testimony, Liara.” (Pernida)

"That would be all, Initiate Liara. I want you to know that by teaching Sister Serina this way of weaving, you performed a great service for the Church. The kind of service that warrant a reward. What would you like to have?" (Vaerminia)

"To be with Mother forever!" (Liara)

"Being too modest can be a flaw too, Liara. But you are a small child after all. Feel free to ask in the future if there is something you would like to have. You can go, now." (Vaerminia)

[Trusting Meridia was the right call. Sooner or later we would have had to show off our magic anyway. This way she handled all the intricacies for us, and nothing will change.] (Bookworm Me)

I guess you are right. I look toward mother. Will she come with me?

"I need to stay a bit longer, I'll join you to our chamber shortly. You did great, Liara. I'm proud of you!" *kiss on forehead* (Serina)

*smile* "See you later, mother! Uhm... Many blessing, council." *leave* (Liara)

We'll need to hear Meridia's impression of the meeting, but things seems to be going well. My position as Gifted One should be rock solid now. Hopefully they'll reduce the amount of potatoes I have to peel.

...

I should have asked for that!!!

[For one, I think peeling potatoes is good for you!] (Doctor Me)