Celestial Academy: Silver Eyed

Chapter 44

What? Master Tricia?

She must've seen the look of confusion and wonder on my face because she gave me a soft smile. "I'm Seraphea, the current 8th Deity and the strategist and yes, I was an apprentice of Master Tricia."

Was.

I sucked in my breath. I don't know what to feel seeing this woman in front of me, which by the way was the apprentice of my biological mother. It feels like the reality slapped me even more, telling me that this woman in front of me was my mother's apprentice. Was, because my mother's dead and she's now the current 8th Deity and the strategist as she assumed my mother's position as a successor.

I don't care about the positions et cetera. It's just that, after I saw the face of my mother, it feels like everything around me reminds me of my mother. The wound that time healed has opened up and the emotions and memories that I locked and buried deep at the back of my head has resurfaced.

She gave me a sympathetic look as if she could read what's going on inside my mind. I closed my eyes as I tried to regain my composure. It's just a demon Athena, a demon that manipulated you, to make you feel these things, to weaken you and to distract you.

She must've sensed my discomfort because she nodded and turned away as she walked in the center. She just walked but it still held poise and elegance, as if she was trained even from walking. I must say, she handles herself perfectly. She looked at us one by one, addressing us. She's back to her blank face, her eyes calculating and analyzing. I noticed their bodies flinched and stiffened. They must be intimidated because the presence of Deities aren't ordinary. It held power, authority and danger. Your body would sense and anticipate danger even though they're doing nothing.

I was not just affected because I'm not in the mood and I'm also trying to train myself not to be affected by mere presences.

"As you all may have noticed," She started, "The elimination round you've experienced has exceeded your expectation because it's different from the usual. To answer your questions, you guys are right." She paused as if waiting for reactions, but there was none. They must be too afraid to even move and talk. "There had been some circumstances that made us decide to assess your overall skills, and that includes power, strength, wit, and even teamwork especially when you're all under pressure." She's just talking but I can already feel tingle on my skin, it's as if even her words held power. 

She smiled slightly, "And almost all of you passed! Congratulations." 

When you were congratulated especially by a higher one you should feel joy, and be proud but what's happening now was a complete opposite. It makes us confused and feel pressure even more. What's that some circumstances that led them to assess us? What for? And why did she say almost all of us passed? Who didn't?

A lot of questions were running inside my head but, "Almost?" was the only question I managed to ask.

Her gaze landed on us and is it just me or there was really disappointment on her eyes? "Yes, because those men standing beside you?" Her tone became heavier and her eyes became even sharper I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stood up. "They didn't passed."