CHECKMATE.

ANYA.

The scariest part about entering the portal was the moment you fell. That sensation of shock and surprise as the feet beneath you vanished and you were simply left at the mercy of the sky and the wind. Ever the intelligent, my mother had previously warned me about these circumstances.

"Don't falter." She said, giving me a stern look. "Don't let them catch you off guard. They're trying to scare you into submission."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Sure, mom was definitely right, but I didn't think the experience would be this long or drawn out. The last thing I expected was to be suspended in midair for such a delayed time period. The wind slashed through my skin cooly, my heart pounding out of my chest as I looked down to the approaching ground. It felt like my face would meet with the hard gravel any minute. I clenched my fists, trying my best to keep my composure, closing my eyes and trying to will that things would be okay. The first rule is to never let them win.

I'd be lying if the talons on my shoulders didn't make me sigh with relief.

I looked up to see a gigantic crow, it's enormous wings creating waves of air that emulated shockwaves as it cawed and cooed in the sky. With my path finally steady and eyes able to focus, I finally had the time to analyse the scene below me. It was a large intersection of mazes and rooms, built of vines and thorns which trapped it into its own little world. But what really mattered was the castle behind it, it's long and looming archways dominating my field of vision. Even though I had never seen the school, I almost immediately knew that was where I needed to be.
Eventually we settled down in front of one of the hedge mazes, the other structures beside it fading away as I set my feet on the ground. The crow that carried me began to subtly shrink, his form morphing into the size of an ordinary bird atop my shoulder. He croaked enthusiastically, jumping up and down at the prospect of companionship.

"Hi!!" his voice was rather grating and high-pitched for his appearance. Not shrill on unbearable by any means, but certainly not easy on the ears. As I looked at him he continued to move around on my shoulder, excitement clearly consuming him.
"I- My name is Zaid!" He fiddled with his wings, attempting a clumsy bow.
"It's my honour to serve you as your familiar."
I faked a laugh, grinning at him in an attempt to come off as being endeared. He was loyal to a fault.

I needed to make sure it stayed that way.

"I'm Anya. Anya Mazhar. It's a pleasure to meet you Zaid. I am honoured to be your partner."

I looked around the hedge maze, my eyes scanning the now barren surroundings, realising we were the only ones there. Beads of sweat started to drip down my forehead. What was this? Why didn't I know?

Zaid, noticing my confusion, decided to explain.
"It's the entrance exam. Every student must traverse the maze with only the assistance of their familiar. You're an exchange student, so don't worry! I'm right here to explain the rules."

Oh. I sighed with relief, managing to nod in acknowledgment to his statement. This was different from what we'd planned, but there was no reason to worry. A small test should be nothing compared to the worst of this school. My attention drifted to the walled leaves, walking closer to stare at the greenery carefully. Noticing the tinges of purple I immediately reached into my pouch to grab my bandana, using it to cover my mouth and nose.

Yeah. That was poison alright.

I looked to Zaid expectantly, but he shook his head seconds later in response.
"Don't you worry about me. Toxins only affect humans and severors."
I nodded, grabbing the spare bandanas I had and wrapping them around my arms and hands. I figured as much. If there was trait familiars had asked from undying loyalty, it was immunity to almost every vice. My mother emphasised a multitude of times that fact. That's what made them so hard to kill.

Clenching my fists, I headed in, not sure what to expect. Surely there was some other sort of trial, another way to prove yourself via traps or combat. It would be incredibly disappointing and lazy for them to do so, not to mention an incredibly problematic way of trying to educate your students.

After walking around for a bit, my eyebrows furrowed. I suppose they couldn't even try to make this trial exciting. How boring. I couldn't help but groan when I realised the solution to such a mundane puzzle.
"Could you fly over the maze and give me instructions? I think it would be best if we worked together."

Zaid nodded readily at my statement, leaving my shoulder and soaring up above the plant-heavy prison.
"Okay....First you need to go left- no wait! Right? No. Left."

I bit my lip impatiently, doing my best to hide my frustration as he bumbled through directions.

This was certainly going to take awhile.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Eventually, my hand finally met with the steely gate at the end of the maze, it's cool metal surface being a relief after spending hours ploughing through deadly shrubbery. I checked my watch, my patience beginning to waver. We had to be at orientation by 6:30pm.

It was 6:15.

As I walked through the gate and removed the cloth that protected me Zaid returned to my side, still flying in the air as his beady black eyes gave me an apologetic glance.
"Sorry Anya." He stated sheepishly. "I'm not the best with directions."
I smiled reassuringly, my cheeks hurting from all this acting I had to endure.
"Its okay. What matters is that we made it through. Even if we took awhile to get there, it's because of you we were able to finish in the first place."

I brushed up my now dirty clothes, white shirt stained with soil and grass. It was only then that I noticed the podium in front of me. As I walked forward and read the plaque below it, I grinned sincerely for the first time since I'd arrived here.

"Choose a weapon you desire." It said. On the marble was a sword, a shield, a staff and a bow and arrow. But what really caught my attention was the ball of energy beside them. If what my mom said was correct, risking harnessing it meant I could have any weapon I wanted. Not hesitating for a moment my hands met with the power source, electrifying jolts surging through my veins as it rose to the skies. Then, seconds after, two royal purple pistols fell right into my hands.

Now we're talking.

Grabbing both guns in each hand, I headed further down the bath, the school's white angular peaks and pure pristine golden walls growing all the more visible. It had long, narrow, winding towers at the top- deeply contrasted by the width and generally large base building that held them up. As the skies bc grew dim and I successfully made my way to the prestigious and domineering main gate, I clenched my fists with anticipation.

My name was Anya Mazhar. And I was going to be the one to burn this school to the ground.