Chapter 7
“You know, if some random guy was leading me through a forest to who-knows-where, I’d listen to my survival instincts and refuse,” Louis said, jumping over a large broken branch.
“I doubt her survival instincts—assuming she even has any—can resist this handsome asshole,” Aars said, nodding toward Airis while completely ignoring the murderous glare I shot him from behind Airis’s back.
“Oh, come on. He’s not going to do anything to her,” Moirz said calmly, walking with his hands tucked into his pockets as if this route were part of his everyday routine.
“And if he does,” Aars added, “I’d pay to see that.”
I had to admit—
this spirit had a truly awful personality.
God, I wanted to tell him that directly.
“Tell me about the realms,” Airis suddenly said without turning around.
“You said I didn’t have to memorize them.”
“That was me trying to comfort you,” he replied.
“See? You can’t trust him, Fireling. You go completely stupid whenever he gets too close,” Aars snorted.
For the seventh time, I shot him a death glare.
The spirit couldn’t care less.
“What?” he scoffed.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got the memory span of a fish and forgot everything already.”
“Of course I remember,” I huffed, instinctively glancing at Moirz.
I wasn’t even sure why him specifically.
Maybe because my obsession with gothic movies made his appearance feel the most trustworthy.
“Remember—the order matters,” Aars reminded me.
“We’ll help,” Louis said.
“First comes the realm of energy and lightning.”
“The realm of energy and lightning, the human realm, the realm of dreams and illusions...” I repeated aloud, pretending to think while my eyes immediately shifted expectantly toward the trio that had joined us the second we left the training hall.
“The realm of water, the realm of fire, the realm of light,” Moirz continued.
I repeated those too.
“Then comes the realm of air, the realm of death, and the realm of magic,” Louis added.
I repeated them again before finishing on my own:
“And the last three are the realm of darkness, the realm of the Voice of Knowledge, and the hidden twelfth realm.”
Apparently, I’d only memorized the beginning and the end.
“Does the order actually matter that much?” I asked, not expecting any reaction from Airis regarding my “knowledge.”
“It does,” he answered shortly before continuing at an unhurried pace.
“In the human world, there’s something called natal astrology.”
“I’ve heard of it.” I nodded, stepping over a thick dry branch.
“Though nobody on Earth really considers it a science.”
“Yes. Humans tend to struggle with accepting the centuries of observation left behind by the first people of Vuduarus and the knowledge of the earliest civilizations.”
I ignored the jab.
Truthfully, I’d never really believed in horoscopes, predictions, zodiac signs, or any of that.
“So what does natal astrology have to do with this?”
“Noveris was built according to the structure of a natal chart. The twelve realms represent the twelve astrological houses, the zodiac signs, and their connection to the elements.”
A pause.
“And how exactly am I supposed to use that in practice?”
“By paying attention to the light and dark traits of each realm—and the zodiac signs connected to them when you encounter them during the Selection.”
I stayed silent, and Airis apparently took it as a sign to continue.
“The Selection isn’t just a symbol of hope for the twelve realms. It’s also a way of honoring each realm and maintaining harmony between them.”
“For example?” I asked, quickening my pace until I was finally walking beside him.
I was done trailing behind him.
I wanted to feel equal.
“I’ll tell you about three important aspects. The rest—Draxsen will explain during the Selection preparations.”
I nodded.
“To honor the first realm, Saquararus, which stands in the First House under Aries, the Selection begins with competitions. Aries needs to win. To prove itself. To be the best. To feel the thrill of it.”
I exhaled sharply, then grimaced.
It suddenly felt like I’d been thrown into the last pages of some women’s magazine filled with zodiac predictions.
And yet...
This was also connected to the Selection.
Which meant I had to listen carefully.
“And then?”
He paused.
Like he was deciding whether I even needed to know this.
And that irritated me.
Because it proved he still didn’t trust me.
“The worst part belongs to the realm of death—Mataarus, which stands under Scorpio,” he said slowly.
“Every year, participants face the Oracle of Truth. It pulls the strongest emotional memory from your mind and projects it for everyone to see.”
My brows shot up at that, and I stumbled unexpectedly.
Another second and I would’ve fallen face-first into a pile of branches if Airis’s strong arms hadn’t caught me.
“Do I seriously need to hold your hand, Fireling?”
His rough voice brushed against my ear.
“If you wanted to be closer to me, you could’ve just asked instead of throwing yourself at my feet.”
I didn’t even realize my breath had stopped.
The second I looked up and saw that smug, self-satisfied expression, I immediately straightened and stepped away from him, slipping free from his arms.
“Or maybe you just wanted an excuse to touch me,” I shot back, gesturing toward the dark, oppressive forest around us.
“Which is why you’re leading me through this creepy death trap. Where are we even going?”
“You’ll see,” he answered shortly before continuing down the path without waiting for me.
All I could do was scoff in irritation.
A drop in the ocean.
“You said the Oracle shows the strongest emotional memory,” I said slowly, trying to steer the conversation back to the important part.
“Could it show a happy memory instead?”
“If it happened recently enough to overpower the painful ones that tend to stay buried the deepest, then yes.”
“But most of the time, it shows the moment someone’s powers first awakened. That imprint stays with a person for the rest of their life.”
“I don’t want anyone seeing that.”
I stopped walking.
“Neither does anyone else.”
Airis stopped too and turned toward me.
“But if you refuse to willingly give the memory the Oracle chooses, you’ll be punished.”
“And what kind of punishment?”
Airis shrugged.
“The kind that hurts the most.”
Damn.
“Did everyone see your memory too?” I asked immediately.
He gave a short nod.
That didn’t make me feel any better.
My friends were all over that memory.
And there was no way I could let the Oracle expose who they were.
“We’ll talk about it later. Closer to the Selection.”
Airis turned away and motioned for me to follow him.
“The day after tomorrow, we’re going to Vuduarus. I’ll decide whether your friends can actually be trusted.”
“You could just take my word for it.”
“That’s not enough.”
I frowned.
We were definitely coming back to this conversation.
Just not now.
Otherwise, a little more and I’d end up summoning my fire—the heat inside my body had already begun to rise with the emotions raging through me.
“It would be better if you impressed me with your flames tomorrow during training. This isn’t the right place for that.”
I frowned even harder, staring daggers at the broad back of the man walking ahead of me.
How the hell does he keep doing that?
“Are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked, noticing how the trees had started growing closer together the deeper we moved into this... forest.
“Today I decided to combine the lecture with a walk.”
“A walk through a forest? Seriously?” I arched a brow.
“You know, I’m not exactly a fan of ticks, snakes, spiders, and every other creature living in the wild.”
“The third most dangerous initiation comes from the world of Astaarus,” Airis said calmly.
“It’s one of the few realms personally responsible for one of the final trials. It’s called the Meeting with the Subconscious. The most important thing there is not losing yourself.”
“So another mental threat,” I sighed, noticing a clearing ahead where the trees began to spread farther apart.
“Some beings from other worlds don’t possess magic,” he explained.
“So it would be unfair to focus only on magical strength.”
“Then how are they supposed to pass trials involving magical abilities?” I asked.
“With the help of other gifts,” he replied.
“Mental ones, for example.”
“So the Selection adapts to the abilities of different participants?”
Airis nodded.
And when only a few steps remained before the open area glowing beneath the evening sun, he finally said:
“Now you’ll see the place where the Selection—and other academy exams—are held every year.”
The closer we got, the clearer the cliff became, overgrown with vivid green grass and tiny pink flowers shaped like little guppies.
Mountains stretched in the distance, embraced by soft clouds beneath the faintly pink sky.
Fresh air immediately filled my lungs, carrying floral notes balanced perfectly between sweetness and freshness.
“This cliff is still considered part of the capital of Istarus. From here, you can see the abandoned city of Maavislane.”
And before I could ask another question, I reached the edge—
my mouth falling open instinctively.
A small town with sharp blue rooftops sat at the center of the valley, surrounded by lush gardens that, from above, resembled an enormous maze.
In some parts of it, tiny lakes shimmered between the greenery.
But what felt strange was the way the outskirts of the city were wrapped in a thick mist that seemed to appear from nowhere.
“Why was it abandoned?” I asked quietly, feeling a stream of icy wind that the dense forest had shielded us from until now.
“It was one of the cities destroyed by magical burnout.”
My eyes traced every detail hungrily, searching for signs of ruin.
“It only looks this intact because every three or four years they restore it for the Selection.”
At some point—I hadn’t noticed when—the warm fabric of Airis’s jacket settled over my bare shoulders, carrying his sharp, familiar scent with it.
Immediately, I remembered how easy it had been to fall asleep beside him.
I rarely managed to sleep comfortably next to anyone.
But with Airis...
it had felt effortless.
That was... strange.
Though maybe there was an explanation I simply hadn’t found yet.
“Decided to play the gentleman?” I asked, wrapping the jacket tighter around myself.
“I think you need a lecture on gratitude, Fireling.”
I ignored him, hiding the faint smile tugging at my lips behind the jacket’s collar.
“If you hadn’t brought me here, you wouldn’t have had to give up your jacket just to keep me warm.”
And the second the words left my mouth, I mentally smacked myself.
Damn it.
Now he’s going to think I like him.
Or worse—that I want him.
Which, admittedly, wasn’t entirely far from the truth.
But I was never going to admit that.
Especially not to him.
So I hurried to change the subject before he could say anything.
“Can we go closer to the city?”
A stupid question, honestly.
But it was the only lifeline I managed to grab onto.
“The barrier surrounding Maavislane won’t let us through while preparations for the Selection are underway.”
Silence settled carefully between us after that.
And suddenly remembering that only minutes ago Louis, Moirz, and Aars had been walking nearby, I turned around.
No one was there.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Nothing.
As if they had always been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.