Maius 18, 0090
"WELCOME, LUMEN, to the official meeting of potential mentors. There's a lot to discuss, as you all know, about the third level of the 99th Specialty Competition, especially given the recent events, so let's get started."
The same, familiar, adrenaline rush of excitement coursed through Stephanie's veins. She remembered it fondly from her time participating in the 98th competition, missed it even, and although being a mentor was not the same as being a contestant, fighting for a chance to be a part of an elite society; she knew that beggars could not be choosers. She was glad, relieved even, that she had passed the preliminary testing round and had moved on to this stage. From here on out, she was a potential candidate, putting her one step closer to the front lines of the battlefield.
There was something magical about being around and about the competition – the buzz in the air, the excitement, and the nervousness thrilled her – and Stephanie wanted to milk it for all it was worth. She wanted to teach the current contestants all that she had learned in the year she had been here, and warn them of the dangers. Ever since she and Madeline overheard the highly suspicious, and heartbreaking, conversation, they had both taken different coping roads: she had decided she would become a teacher, or a preacher, and warn all those who were ignorant of the realities, while Madeline chose to close herself off to everyone but those she knew she could trust.
Stephanie wasn't fond of Madeline's withdrawal from society, but she wasn't going to impose her own beliefs on her. She may have suffered from disappointment and disillusionment, but she was going to use the negative experience to her advantage and turn it into a positive outcome. There was no way she was going to sit around, moping.
She wanted to save liveliness that was abruptly snatched from Madeline, but because she was closed off, even to her, Stephanie had to look for other patients and who was better than the people who were in the shoes she had been in only a dozen months ago? She was a healer, a magical being – this had been the hardest aspect to accept – and a lumen. She was good and goodness and she wanted to vanquish the darkness.
Sure, it was a tough task to fulfill, she admitted that, but she was also a dreamer and dreamers were invincible.
Although the meeting had started off with raw passion and excitement, Stephanie had to admit that halfway through it she had become bored. Dozing off, she hadn't realized she was almost half asleep until a heavy weight fell on her left shoulder.
Her eyes shot open as her neck craned to see who had awoken her. Standing directly behind her was a stranger: a man with the physique of a chiseled statue, with bulging veins on his biceps, dark olive skin, and a shiny bald head.
Her heart beating wildly within her chest, she asked, "Can I help you?"
"Please follow me," he said, and, without waiting for her to respond, he walked out of the room.
Perplexed, Stephanie sat there for a few seconds, watching his retreating figure, before her hands and legs began to move on their own accord. She quickened her pace to catch up to him, before she slowed down to remain a few steps behind him. Before long, she found herself being led through parts of the Gales she had never seen before. With a mixture of anxiety and wonder, she looked from left to right, examining her surroundings.
Unable to stop herself, she asked, "Can I know where you're taking me?"
If she had been in this situation in Underworld, Stephanie would've been terrified out of her wits. She would not, in the first place, follow a man who looked like he could bend her in half without even flinching to an unknown location, but had she been foolish enough to do so, she wouldn't be doing it without weapons. There was no way she could protect herself against him if the situation took a turn for the worse, but, fortunately, she was in Alera and therefore, at the very least, her life was not on the line.
