Second test part 1

Looking around, I noticed that Avel was standing near the thrones and looking at me with interest. Nodding to his thoughts and approaching me, it was clear that he was thinking about something.

- Congratulations on passing the first test chick, are you ready to move on to the second? - Shomufi asked me.

Go straight to the second test? Lost in thought, I shook my head; I wanted to rest and only then go to take the second test.

- Do you know anything about the place where I was? - I asked Avel, who was looking at me expectantly.

I didn't know how to describe the place where I was; whether it was another world or something else. But I was more worried about how the shadows knew what Keirin and Cassandra looked like along with my parents.

- The tests take the form of what you know and who you know. Each chosen one has his own trials. - Shomufi said shaking his head, turning his back to me.

Listening to Avel's explanations, I found that it was possible that even he did not know how the tests worked. But how can they help me find a sword style if I don't feel any changes in myself?

Sitting down on the floor, I felt an unpleasant tingling sensation on my hand, turning my gaze to my hand, I saw a wound that I had forgotten about.

Having tried to open the vault, I was faced, as before, with the impossibility of opening it, sighing and shaking my head and bandaging the wound, I turned my gaze to the doors.

Shomufi did not try to give advice on which door to enter; most likely, each chosen one felt for himself which door to enter.

Watching the doors, I did not find any obvious signs of which direction I should go next. If from the first test I felt something, now there was nothing.

I saw that the doors were different, but what they hid behind them. Remembering the door of the first test, it was black, just like the place where I found myself was woven from darkness and shadows.

Looking at the door where the drawing was, I saw how it shimmered with color, I felt how my fatigue began to recede.

Glancing at Avel, who was looking at the thrones and sadness was visible in his gaze, and deciding not to disturb him, slowly approaching the door and opening it and going inside, I found myself in the familiar throne room.

The second test was related to testing my talent for magic in the Cray Empire? Looking at the banners and those who were there, I realized that I was opposite the throne.

I could hear different observers talking, and I could feel laughter or tension in some voices. Trying to remember by their faces who was speaking, but I couldn't. Feeling touches on my shoulder, I turned in surprise and saw myself.

But unlike me, my reflection was the person I was before becoming the chosen one. Embarrassed by what I saw, I tried to pull away; my reflection squeezed my shoulder harder and shook my head.

- Have you ever wondered what happened to you and your loved ones if you did not become chosen by the goddess Ges? - My old voice was heard, in it I felt pain and other emotions such as anger and melancholy.

My reflection just shook her head and released her hand from my shoulder, drawing my attention to the beginning of the test for talent in magic.

I tried to peer at my figure who knelt in front of my parents and how I stood next to my brothers and sisters. I didn't see any changes, the test for talent for magic was no different from what I myself passed.

I still had no talent for magic and I was still expelled from the Cray Empire to the academy. I didn't understand what this test was supposed to push me to or help me achieve the sword style.

- You expect changes so early, but they will come later. - Attracting my attention again, my reflection extended its hand forward and we found ourselves within the familiar walls of the academy.

Looking around, I recognized the place where I passed the sword talent test, looking at myself who was standing near the stone, I saw loss in my eyes and hidden fear. Was I afraid then?

But why don't I remember this, and when my figure slashed his hand with a knife, spilling blood on the stone, I expected to see how the stone changed to a familiar color and stars inside.

But to my surprise, the stone began to turn gray until it remained that way and did not change anymore. The professor who accompanied me then approached the stone and cast his gaze at me and only shook his head.

- Another useless swordsman with weak spear talent. - The professor said irritably.

I saw how my reflection froze after the professor's words and lowered my head, it was noticeable to me that in addition to expulsion, something else happened to me here. Is it possible that I didn't dream of the goddess Ges in this reflection?

But then who became her chosen one? Remembering the entire test for talent for magic, I was the only one who didn't have it.

- If you think that someone from our family became the chosen one, then no, you are wrong. - I heard the voice of my reflection, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

Shifting my gaze from the reflection that was next to me and to the one who stood next to the professor, I found that they were similar, but one was older.

After waiting for our reflection to come out, the eldest again waved his hand and we found ourselves at the entrance to the academy.

Unlike my passage, the reflection passed the test with big problems, and he tried not to get caught in the eyes of Nreu and Heya, who both entered the elite class.

From the look of my reflection, I saw that the tests began to break him, the reflection constantly lowered its head down and in every possible way avoided contacts and communication with other stufons.

His relationships with other stufons did not work out; he was often pestered by a dark elf unknown to me who mocked his reflection in every possible way.

I looked at my adult reflection in anticipation of him starting to say or do something, but he was still silent.

As time went on, the reflection talent for the spear was low, if not to say that it did not exist at all. Just when I was starting to lose patience, I heard part of the conversation that someone had attacked the manager of a magic equipment and skills store in the city.

Hearing the last words, I felt like dangerous thoughts began to appear in me about who could be the victim.

- Did you hear what they did to this light elf? After that, she jumped onto the blade; there was no emotion in her gaze. - The unfamiliar stufon continued to speak.

Light elf and manager, is he really talking about Keirin? But I didn't understand who could attack her and remain unharmed in the store where she worked and there were guards in the city.

Turning his gaze to his older reflection, it was noticeable how he winced at the words of the stufons, but continued to stand with his eyes closed.

- But the worst thing for us is that she turned out to be a runaway princess of the light elves! Rumor has it that the king and queen are gathering troops to the borders of their kingdom. - The voice of another stufon was heard.

Are the light elves gathering armies to the borders? But they will not be able to declare war because they are bound by an alliance between the remaining races.

I didn't know the entire oath of the alliance, but I had doubts that there was a violation of the blood oath.

- The Light Ones want war because of their runaway princess? They won't be able to do anything because of the alliance. - The stufon said in an arrogant voice, shaking his head.

I agreed with him, my older reflection pressed his lips tightly and stretched his hands forward, I had the feeling that he was trying to restrain himself so as not to scream.

We found ourselves in an unfamiliar city, everywhere we could hear impacts on steel and screams, and the smell of burning began to penetrate my nose.

Looking around, we found ourselves on a small street; my older reflection, instead of getting up again and closing his eyes, led me towards the screams.

On the way towards the screams and ringing of steel, we came across abandoned things that were left in a hurry.

Someone attacked the city, but why did my reflection bring us here? How did this relate to me or those I care about?

The sounds of steel became quieter until they stopped, only muffled screams remained, the closer we came, the more destruction there was and figures were visible that lay next to the closed doors.

Coming around the corner, a picture appeared in front of us where both warriors in armor and ordinary residents of the city were lying on the ground. Some tried to resist, but their killers left them no chance of salvation.

With difficulty turning my gaze from the bodies to those who carried out the massacre in the city, I was shocked to see the light elves who were dressed in armor that fitted the entire body, on the belt there were two blades from which blood was dripping, and on the shoulder hung a bow with a quiver for arrows.

Looking over the elves, I noticed that not everyone was wearing helmets, some walked without them, but they all had the same coat of arms on their chests.

I didn't hear the voices of the light elves who were speaking, but from their faces it was clear to me that they were angry.

Remembering the words that one of the stufons said at the academy about the attack on Keirin and the fact that they began to convene an army, did they really break the blood oath and start a war?

Wanting to hear confirmation from his older reflection, who looked around the city with pain and sometimes clenched and unclenched his fists.

- Do you want to hear what you already understood? The troops of the light elves invaded the neighboring kingdom of people with whom they bordered and killed everyone, sparing no one. - My reflection spoke in a quiet, heavy voice.