Chapter 9 Thou Shalt Not Walk Alone
Thou Shalt Not Walk Alone
Arwen
I’m still getting stares and dirty looks, but most of the students are too excited and chattering to each other about the bond ceremony to notice me.
As I step into the auditorium of SinVail Academy, I am struck by the space. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. The little of Pride that I was able to witness left me dumbstruck, but this space is more than the modern and luxurious amenities that I am not used to seeing in Wrath.
Despite my sinless status, I can still feel the magical ambiance that fills the space. Everyone is silent, like the room demands it.
It’s massive, with high, vaulted marble ceilings. I notice intricate symbols that seem to shimmer and move. Large arched windows and red and gold tapestries cover the walls. The light that falls through the windows has an ethereal look to it that adds to the feel of ancient mystery.
I see rows and rows of students already seated in plush red seats arranged in a gentle arc that faces the stage.
The stage is elevated and framed by heavy, expensive looking curtains that shimmer with threads of gold.
A familiar arch stands in the center of the stage. I’ve seen it twice in Furycliff during our city's last two bond ceremonies. The familiarity of it does nothing to understate how powerful it feels.
The bond arch. We learned about it in class the day before attending my first bond ceremony. It’s made of an unknown dark stone that seems to absorb light rather than reflect it. Intricate runes and symbols cover it, appearing as if they were painted on in blood. They glow against the dark stone.
The arch is both beautiful and terrifying in the power it emulates, typical of forbidden relics.
I see Holly stand and wave at me from her seat, with our little troop from lunch sitting beside her.
As I make my way through the crowded rows toward my new friends, I’m surprised to notice we aren’t the only friend group that comprises multiple factions.
“Saved you a spot, roomie,” she says, winking at me and motioning to a spot between her and Brix.
She couldn’t be more obvious if she tried. I’m sure it would make her and Sly’s date nights a little easier if their roommates were also together, but a relationship is the last thing I need right now.
“I’m surprised,” I say, looking around. “I figured everyone would keep to their own factions, but it looks like a melting pot.”
“Well, curiosity beats out fear,” Holly responds, getting comfortable next to me.
“That thing is creepy.” Sly says next to Holly, pointing at the bond arch.
“It’s not creepy; it’s magnificent.” Cleo responds with hearts in her eyes as she stares at the arch.
“The bond arch is a staple of Vail and one of the few resources that is shared among all territories, owned by no one. It makes its way through the country every year, guarded and transported by a fierce guard of powerful mages. Every major city of Vail holds a bonding ceremony yearly. This arch has seen the entire continent hundreds of times over.”
“It’s a Sloth relic. It’s dangerous.” Sly responds.
The bond arch is one of the few magical sloth artifacts that are not banned and do not require forbidden magic to operate. A team from Sloth, the only faction capable of wielding and using magical artifacts and relics, travels with the arch, guarding it.
I push my bag under my chair, turning back to Holly. “How was your first class?”
“Delicious,” she replies.
“Delicious? History of Factions was delicious? I gathered from breakfast that Cleo was our group nerd.” I respond in jest.
“Hey!” Cleo yells from down the row, throwing a pencil at my face.
“I meant that with all due respect, Cleo. You’re a badass hacker. Please don’t kill me in my sleep.” I threw up my hands in surrender with a grin.
Holly punches me in the arm playfully.
“No! It was delicious, because there’s a new professor this year, and my eyes have never eaten anything better. Professor Gabriel can teach me all his ways,” she says salaciously.
I look at Sly on her other side, wondering if he was meant to hear that.
“Oh, Sly was drooling over him too.” She says, laughing, reading my face.
People quiet down, and I see Dean Bellows step up on stage. She’s wearing another skirt suit, hair tied back, highlighting her rigid bone structure. She is a fierce-looking woman. No wonder she commands the room.
“Welcome, students, to another year at SinVail Academy.
It is with great pride and expectation that I stand before you today.
As you know, SinVail has long been a base of knowledge, discipline, and power.
You were chosen not merely for your abilities but for your potential to shape the future of our society.
"The year ahead will be demanding. It will test your limits, push your boundaries, and challenge your very understanding of what you are capable of. Remember that you are part of a legacy that stretches back through the ages. You are the custodians of our future, the architects of our destiny.
"To the freshman class, I suggest you heed my warning. You will face challenges, and you will encounter obstacles, but know this: every trial is an opportunity for growth. Every failure is a step toward mastery.
"In this auditorium, beneath these vaulted ceilings and before this ancient arch, I see not just students, but the future leaders of our world.”
The doors and windows shut and lock. The hum of magical energy gets louder, echoing off the walls.
I rub my chest. It’s been days of non-stop anxiety. I hope this goes fast so I can get some more sleep.
"Many of you are already familiar with the bonding ceremony. We will begin with our most senior attendees, including faculty and staff, and proceed through the grade levels to end with the freshmen. No one may leave until the ceremony concludes.
"If your bond mate is present at the academy, you will feel the tether connect when they walk through the arch. There will be no mistaking it. After your turn, you will return to your seat.
"Remember, your bond's tether will connect for you when your other half walks through the arch, but it won't connect for them until you yourself walk through, tethering them back.
If you are one of the lucky few who tether a bond, this is only the start of your journey.
You get to choose when to complete the sacred bond.
Some students wait until they have completed all four years at the academy. "
Most of the room giggles, knowing that's far from the truth. The bond is a blessing, a joy beyond compare that only a small group gets to experience. Not only the personal benefits, but a completed bond increases both parties’ power.
A unit is stronger than one. There would have to be a very significant, concerning reason not to complete the bond within four years.
“Quiet,” Dean Bellows commands, and the room quiets.
“Although you can complete the bond whenever you choose, prepare that your tether will draw you toward your fated bond, as it yearns to be fulfilled.
You may have already sensed this feeling.
Some powerful bonds will express the urgency to unite even before the bonding ceremony.
This sensation might manifest as intense attraction, curiosity, or even obsession—it varies for everyone.
Once your tether clicks into place, these feelings will only intensify.
"Remember, the only way to fully complete the bond is through blood sharing.
While physical intimacy can strengthen the bond, it is not a substitute for blood sharing.
If you engage in intimate acts, you will find yourself unable to distance yourself from your mate beyond what the bond tether allows, compelling you to complete it.
So be sure you are ready for this commitment if you choose to pursue a sexual relationship, or you will face the consequences of a very short leash.
"For all the grandeur of the idea of bonds, I must warn you not to get your hopes up. Most of you will leave the same as you arrived. Last, if you bond with someone from outside your faction, please see me immediately after the ceremony.”
A heavy silence falls over the room, the smell of fear thick in the air. No one wants to bond outside of their faction, as the pain of being unable to complete the bond would be unbearable.
“What happens if someone bonds outside their faction at the academy?” Brix asks, looking around at us.
“They send the weaker partner away to the stronger partner’s faction.
They can’t have two eternally bonded students, each returning home to their separate factions.
Because of the higher status of most academy students, it opens the door for collusion.
So one must join the other faction.” Cleo explains, her expression grim.
Tabby looks as though she might be sick.
The Dean invites another professor onto the stage who gives a particularly uncomfortable and clinical speech about the practices of safe sex, even in the heated throes of a fresh mate bond.
After the very nervous and sweat-drenched professor finishes his health talk, Dean Bellows takes the stage again.
“Arch Guard, please prepare for the ceremony.” A magical hum fills the air, and the blood-colored runes glow brighter.
“Staff and faculty, head to the stage. We will file through in a single file line. When it is your turn, you will remain on your marker at the front of the stage until the person before you reaches the stairs. During the ceremony, others are not permitted on the stage. Anyone to interfere will be judged and punished by the Council…”
She casts a deliberate, stern gaze across the room, making each student feel as if her eyes are piercing into theirs.
"As Dean of this Academy, I will begin."
The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop as Dean Bellows walks through the arches. Once she reaches the end of the stage, the staff files in.