The warm water surrounded my body. The liquid in the bathtub covered my from my neck down, leaving only my head exposed. The steam rose, filling the room. The room itself was underground, as was the rest of the community. A network of underground tunnels connected the different buildings, acting as streets.
The crystals in the walls gleamed in the torch-light. Shadows danced across the wall, the flame blazed. Gray stone walls boxed me into the large room.
I let out a sigh as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, relaxing. It was the first time I had been able to in a long time. The challenges of the test had been never ending, but they were over. I would start a new life soon. I could hardly wait!
I stood up, water dripping off of my skin. I heard the hinges of the heavy oak door creaking. I yelped, jumping to face the entryway. Adish stood there, his face blank of emotion.
"W-what are you doing here?" I questioned, a look of horror on my face.
"Relax, it's not like you are the first person I've seen naked."
"I don't care!" I screeched, my face burning.
"At least you aren't a girl, that would have been much more awkward," he said, smirking while leaning on the doorway. He continued to stare at me.
I coulden't do anything. I was too embarrassed to move, practical frozen in place. All of my blood rushed to my face. A crimson shade tinted my cheeks, spreading until it covered my whole face.
"Be ready and at the meeting center in an hour. The Gatekeepers want to talk to you." he said after a long while.
I simply nodded, the pure embarrassment and horror I was feeling rendering me unable to speak.
Smiling at me, obviously amused at my embarrassed state. He turned and left, closing the door behind him.
My breathing slowed and my heart rate returned to normal. I let out a relieved sigh and quickly dressed, looking at the door, expecting Adish to walk through it at any second.
I hurried down the road that led to the town square. It was a path that I used to tread daily, but that had stopped when I was chosen for the test. It was a different time when I had walked down the road every day, a happier time. I would look up at the stone sky, staring at the peculiar fauna that grew on the rock ceiling. My favorite was the fire bloom, a red rose like flower that clung to cave rock and glowed like flames. They dominated our city, casting dramatic shadows across every wall.
I reached the square within minutes. In the middle was a grand plaza. That was were the Gatekeepers would meet me. The streets were deserted, void of any sound or sign of life. An eerie feeling fell upon me.
I entered the plaza. My eyes instantly fell upon the three figures standing in the middle. The plaza was a wide area clear of buildings. Tall spires of rock connected the dome like ceiling to the bare floor. Tall trees grew in iron bar cages despite the lack of sunlight, kept alive by the strong magic that radiated from the area. The center of the plaza was the location of a grand spectacle. A black crystal floated in midair, surrounded by four large pillars of amethyst.
"Come child," a feminine voice as soft as feathers and as sweet as honey sang. The speaker was the Gatekeeper that stood in the middle. The features of her face were blocked from my sight by the shadows cast from the large, dark hood covering her head. All of the Gatekeepers wore black cloaks that covered their entire body, only leaving their heads and hands exposed.
I walked to them, trembling. I'd been waiting for my entire life.
"State your name," demanded the one on the left.
"Alastair," I replied, my voice shaking.
"That's an unusual name," the Gatekeeper on the right said.
"My parents are unusual people."
"Does it have a meaning?" the middle one inquired.
"It means protector of mankind."
The Gatekeeper in the middle asked,"Do you have a last name?"
"I do not."
"I did not think so, most people living in this city don't," she said as she lifted her arms and removed her hood. Her eyes were a stormy gray, her skin fair, and her cheekbones where high on her face.
"You may leave now," she said.
"Are you not going to ask me anymore questions?" I asked, confused.
"No, we have already evaluated you."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, even more confused than I had already been.
"The three of us poses powerful magic. We can read your very essence like a book. Your teachings start tomorrow morning at seven. Do not be late."
With that, the three Gatekeepers turned and left, the one in the middle slightly ahead of the ones on either side of her.
I was left alone in the silent, vacant plaza. I turned to head home, eager for the next day.
