Elderfalls Academy Trials

Chapter 1

"Welcome to your new home; Elderfalls Academy for the Worthy." She announced, leading the group of two hundred to the grand crystal gates. The brilliant white crystal reflected iridescently, sending colour in every direction. Without a sound, the massive gates opened, revealing a large courtyard like area. The thick green grass carpeted the expanse, decorated with beautiful trees and exotic flowers. There was almost nobody in sight just a few figures in the distance, talking.

Once the last person had walked through the gates, they shut, solid and unmoving. There were a few whispers and murmurs as they followed the woman further into the courtyard. With her arms outstretched, she turned a full circle, addressing the rabble of adolescents.

"You all have a lot of questions that I am hopefully going to answer in a moment, but for now, make sure you can hear me." She paused for a moment, letting people shuffle around.

"You are on Godly land. Elderfalls to be exact. The more attentive of you will have already noticed there are four different species here in the group. Werewolves, Vampires, Shifters and Humans. Now, the Humans are by far the minority, but by no means less worthy than the rest of you. By the end of the twelve-week trials, only five of you will remain here permanently.

Now, there will be two tests and ten trials you must successfully complete to be worthy. You are all already elite, which is how you got here. Some from Drumose, Bealoria and Routorths. Others are from Rinwora or Odrixonia. There are even twenty from Earth. Now the challenges are NOT going to be easy, but even if you fail, you are not a failure, because you got further than most can ever hope to achieve.

Those of you who are human, you were picked to come here by team Ceatta, the third most important team in existence. Their job is to select the newest human candidates for the role of joining team Zeta. One day, some of you will be doing that.

For the rest of you, your eye colour half determined it, however, your personality and mindset were also taken into consideration. You will notice that no one is less than a grade ten with NO exceptions. There are also no candidates level eighteen, nineteen or twenty due to obvious reasons.

If you have changed your mind from being considered, please step forward now, and someone will escort you to wherever you desire."

An eerie silence hung in the air, daring someone to step forwards. There was a bit of shuffling, before the crowd split, revealing a short boy, shaking slightly.

"What's your name?" The woman asked, addressing him in a calm tone, offering her hand out.

"O Oliver, Ma'am." He stuttered shyly.

"Well, Oliver, I'll get someone to escort you to your desired location, okay?" she said, before motioning to someone across the courtyard. A tall slender lady with outstanding natural beauty moved gracefully towards them, and offered her hands out to the boy.

"I'm going to take you wherever you choose. Just shut your eyes and imagine." She instructed soothingly, before taking his hands in hers. Almost instantly, they disappeared in a cloud of dust and gold sparks.

Many of the remaining crowd were shocked, their jaws hanging wide, but the humans from Earth were confused.

"For those of you who don't know who that was," The lady started "That was Goddess Retuna, manipulator of time and teleportation."

A wave of awe washed over the humans, as they processed the information.

"What's your name?" Someone asked, their voice ringing out above the quiet chatter of the group.

"My name is Zariah Felds. I'm your instructor and guide. Now, before I give you a tour, let me just make something clear. If you want to leave, for whatever reason, at any time, you may. The portal you need to use if in the teleportation room, and if you leave, we will be notified immediately. We will not come after you. If you don't know how to use it, ask anyone senior to you, and they will assist you to the best of their abilities. There is no shame in asking for help or wanting to leave. Please don't try to use the portal without knowledge on how it works, because it will almost certainly kill you, and that would be unfortunate. Now, follow me." Zariah instructed, heading down a wide path.

Massive structures came into view, the huge buildings standing gloriously, the clouds brushing past the sides, the tops disappearing toward the sky. Colourful windows and carved doors adorned them, emphasising the sheer size of it all.

"This is where the Gods and Goddesses reside when they are not doing their duties. Please don't anger any of them because if they decide to kill you, it is in Sephoriana's hands to either let you pass to the underworld, or have a second chance at life. She does have a heart, but she has no pity for those who are stupid. Anyone who is here is stronger than you, but if you treat them with respect, they will do the same, however, if you disrespect them, they may punish that. Even Antonia has a temper, so be careful and treat everyone nicely."

They continued down the long path, passing twenty-four huge palaces and castles, before stopping in front of one that was even bigger than the rest. Its golden turrets were so far into the sky that they weren't visible, and the palace was so wide, both edges disappeared from view. The spotless crystal sparkled in the light, rainbows dancing across the surrounding areas.

"This is Nyssa's own residence. She is here the majority of the time, and you will be staying here during your trials. Now, before I show you to your rooms, please be aware that you may be summoned at any time by anyone senior to you, and you cannot refuse without good reason."

As they approached the huge golden doors, two stern looking guards opened them. "One day, some of you may be doing this." Zariah said, leading the group of hundred and ninety-nine into an enormous entrance.

"This way, and don't get left behind."

They wound their way through the palace, up countless flights of stairs, until Zariah stopped.

"Ladies, your rooms are here. I want you to all meet me outside your rooms at six o' clock, so you have the rest of the day to explore. Also, wear something suitable for exercise." She pulled out a list, and started reading names and pointing to doors. "Aaliyah Woods, Addison Farr, Athenodora Clearwater, Brooklyn Green..."

The group got smaller and smaller until there was one girl left and the boys. "Zafirah Skye." She finished, motioning to the last room on the corridor.

"Right, gentlemen, the same rules apply. Outside your rooms at six o' clock in sportswear. Not a minute later. Now, Bryan Noels." She started, pointing to the first door. "Carlisle Fuller, Dimitri Silverson, James Haven, James Rewet..." she continued until everyone was in their rooms.

With a sigh, Zariah walked back to the foyer, and took a different door, until she found herself in her own magnificent quarters. She selected a towel from a drawer, and locked herself in the adjoining bathroom, before stripping bare and taking a quick shower. She dried off and, with the towel wrapped tightly around her, headed back into her room, and pulled out a sports outfit and slipped it on. Zariah pulled her long dark hair into a braid that fell down her back. She glanced at the mirror on her dresser as she left her room. A pair of bright blue eyes with flecks of dazzling green and gold looked back.

Just a few minutes later, she was outside, walking down a path, away from the buildings, towards a huge fenced off area. The big wrought iron gates opened with a creek, revealing an extensive training complex. People were already there, sparring each other, some with weapons and others without. A group of people with the black eyes of shifter sentinels were waiting. There were only twenty of them, and they were all from different clans. They were on a training course with Odrixonia and were only here for a week, and Zariah was giving them a three hour course this morning.