The Tale of the Lotus Heart

Chapter 11

"Greetings Headmaster," we all bowed or curtsied respectfully. Tase only stood there with his arms crossed. The headmaster noticed him immediately and offered Tase a bow.

"Second Prince, I had no idea you would be in attendance today. Are you also enrolling in Heavenly Cloud?" The headmaster asked. Tase only scoffed.

"I don't have the luxury of going to school here, I have far too many duties to attend to. I only came to oversee the enrollment of my goddaughter," Tase answered. The masters at Horus' sides began talking amongst themselves before Headmaster Horus cleared his throat to shut them up.

"I wasn't aware you had a goddaughter, Second Prince," he responded.

"Daughter of the deceased Northern General. After finding her as just a seedling after the war, I took her in as my goddaughter. I'm very fond of her and wanted her to recuperate, so she hasn't been seen outside of my Eternity Palace until now. Blame me, I dote upon her and worry about her safety too much. Greet the Headmaster, Aivi," Tase said, effectively giving my falsified story and letting him know how important I was at the same time. I curtsied as I lowered my head.

"Greetings Headmaster Horus. My name is Princess Aivi," I greeted upon Tase's command.

"I can assure you, Second Prince, if the Princess is able to enroll today, we will keep her safe," Headmaster Horus bowed again.

"Continue, don't bother with me," Tase waved him off. The headmaster turned back to the crowd as he cleared his throat again.

"The orb of destiny will judge if you're able to enroll today. One at a time, line up to touch the orb. Your potiential will be gauged by the intensity of light given by the orb under your hand. We will begin now," Headmaster said to the crowd. One by one, the beings stood on the platform and touched the orb. Some made the orb give off a greater light than others.

"Princess, I think it's time you approach the orb as well," Tase hinted. I wouldn't lie, I was nervous. Even with the Lotus Heart, would I have enough potiential? People were being sent away on the spot if they didn't have immortal potiential or higher. The once bustling crowd had dwindled to a couple dozen left, and the testing wasn't over yet. After the crowd separated slightly, I lifted the hem of my dress slightly to walk to the platform. People were quick to move out of the way as I approached. After standing on the platform, I took a breath before placing my hand on the orb. Almost immediately, a radiant light blinded everyone in radius, including myself. The orb shuddered as a gust of wind picked up from nowhere and blew in all directions. I was stunned momentarily with my hand on the orb before pulling it away. When I did, the wind stopped and the blinding light receded. Everyone was silent as they tried to let their eyes adjust.

"In all my 500,000 years of living, I've never seen this before. Princess Aivi has the god of gods potential," Headmaster said in awe after everyone recovered.

"Does that mean my goddaughter has been accepted?" Tase asked even though he already knew the answer.

"We can set up a room for the Princess immediately," Headmaster replied. I curtsied.

"Headmaster, I'm unaware of the rules here yet, but I would like to bring my personal fairy. Is this allowed?" I asked.

"You're of Royal status, Princess. We won't make you suffer without your fairy maid," he agreed. I smiled gently before leaving the platform. After the testing was over, the remaining students were invited into the school for room distribution and orientation, but first, I had to say goodbye to Tase. After Ixia pulled my things from the carriage, I turned to Tase with a frown. I wouldn't lie, I was going to miss him.

"Godfather, please take care while I'm away. I'll have to trouble you to look after Yong for me," I said softly. Tase smirked before putting a hand on my head gently.

"Little Flower, I believe in you. I know you're doing this for his sake. I believe you'll be back in no time, and you'll be stronger and smarter. You're good at adapting, and I've already taken you as my goddaughter. I'll take care of my little brother until you come back," he promised. I curtsied before looking to Ixia.

"We should go settle in. Godfather, take care," I said my last goodbye before going back inside. One of the masters was waiting for me at the steps.

"Princess, Headmaster had a room especially prepared for you," she informed me. I followed her inside and through the campus before finally coming upon a courtyard named Longevity Courtyard. It was separated from the other dorms. Walking inside, the place was spotless. There was a garden before reaching the building. Inside the building there was a desk, two beds, and a partitioned area for bathing and dressing. The room was also spacious. I had full room to dance in the middle of the floor if I so pleased.

"Since your maid is also with you, we're giving you this room for privacy," the master explained.

"What are the other dorms like?" I asked out of curiosity as I ran my finger along the desk.

"Students will typically share rooms, two per room with men on one side and women on the other. Your Longevity Courtyard is situated in between the two wings," the master explained.

"Take some time to settle in, orientation will begin soon," she said.

"No need. Ixia, stay and settle our things. I'll follow the master back for orientation. I'll come find you if I need anything," I ordered.

"Yes, Princess," Ixia curtsied. I found that acting like royalty wasn't too hard. I just had to keep a poised and graceful air about me. The master nodded before leading me to the main hall. The other students were already waiting as they faced the stage. The master who led me to my room, went to stand by the headmaster on the stage.

"Now that you know where you'll live for the next thousand or so years, it's time to classify you all," headmaster explained.