"Achoo-"
Eve struggles to stifle a sneeze inside of the cramped, scratchy canvas bag, as a loose hay begin to tickle her nose. She shifts her body around, pressing her knees against her chest slowly, trying to be as still and discrete. Outside, she could hear murmurs, and chatters between that of mages, and of the cargo workers.
"Did someone just sneeze?"
"Ah- Achoo! Oh, the spirits!" a voice - one of the mages? - launch into an exaggerated fit of sneezing,
"The hay is really cursing me today!"
"O-okay."
Then - a jolt.
The smaller cart she was transferred onto rolled over a bump, causing her to slightly jump and hit her back hard against the wooden floor, shielded only by the course canvas bag, and hay. She silently murmurs to herself.
"Careful with that!" the mage snaps, " The Grand Magister himself orders this to be handled with the utmost care!"
"Yeah. Yeah. Volatile and all that," the worker grumbles, "But, why does it smell like hay in there?"
A beat of silence. Then -
"Ancient containment magic."
She silently exhaled and rested, reminiscing on how she got into this situation in the first place
She stared at the entrance of the entrance of the cargo cart gate, seeing into open to reveal two adult mages, wearing togas similar to that of Elastra. One man, one women, the duo walked towards the end of the cargo cart, and upon seeing Eve, immediately walked up to her.
"Wow. She really does have a long ear"
"Whatever. Just get in the bag, kid"
The lady unfolded a canvas bag, filled with some hay in it. It's like the lady just brought her leftover hay bag for this occasion.
Eve hesitated, trying to stammer up a response.
"Come on. Get in the bag"
Back to the present, having been called by to it by the sensation of stone on her back followed by a poke and a voice, "Get up."
An opening forms up in the bag, and she struggles to stand up for a few moments, massaging her roughened up back. Eve looks up at the mages to grumble a complain but found herself unable to due to the surroundings. She finds herself and the mages within a side-alley, tall marble brick walls surrounding them on two sides.
It can be said this is the first time Eve is in the city, and she's never seen structures like these before. As she tried to examine her surroundings once again, the female mage calls to her attention once more.
"Enough gawking, kid. Follow me."
Eve focuses her attention once more and nods at the lady, following in the steps behind her. They lead further into the alleyway that opens up to a street, stalls lined up on both sides. The street was paved with stones that shimmer slightly. The streets curved up and around a cliff, ending at the foot of a winding staircase.
The opposite side of the streets lies multiple shops, open cauldrons bubbling, rolled up parchments lined on tables and shelfs, and glowing stones suspended in bronze frames, humming softly with energy. Merchants, clad in togas, called out to nearby customers as adults accompanying their child march into some of the shops. Eve can faintly hear some shouting regarding the upcoming school terms.
They went up the streets and up the staircase that leads to a circular building, columns lined its perimeters. That when she saw it.
Eve froze.
A statue stood before her, its feature unremarkably familiar. She blinks her eyes in disbelief as she stares into the statue. But there was no mistake in her judgement. It bears the face of Elastra.
"Ah, yes. The Grand Magister's everlasting wisdom," comments one of her so-called handlers, a sense of respect - or even amusement within their voice, "A true pillar of Medici".
Regardless, Eve turns her attention away to the circular building, intricate markings, and runes mark its exterior. A big bronze gate stood at the exterior, guarded by a lady in toga, lazily covering her mouth as she yawns. The group ignore the front entrance and opted for the side of the building, going around until they find an unremarkable stone door.
The female mage stares at her companion as he fumbles about, searching for something within his robe. He lets out a sigh of relief before producing an ornate bronze coin, an intricate pattern etched onto it. Like the rune with Kieren, Eve can feel a slight bit of hum from the coin. The male friend holds up the coin while chanting, "Aperios".
Then, the door opens, revealing the passage inside. They step in before the door closes in on itself. They walk in darkness, illuminated only by the glowing runes upon the wall.
At last, the female mage pushes open a door, revealing a grand hall bathed in a warm light. A small gathering of people is inside, with Eve noting that each child there was accompanied by at least one adult. The two mages accompanying her walk up to the man clad in layers of intricately woven toga, with silver layering the red fabric underneath. The man mentions something to them, pointing to Eve to which he simply nods.
There is a line of children within the hall, some of them pointing at Eve, and asking their parents, "Why are her ears like that?". The parents merely hush them, pointing at the priest in front. A few others, children and adults alike, cast her an awkward glace - non daring to say anything about her elven nature, not wanting to raise a scene.
"With that, we shall begin the Flux Resonance ceremony, the man declares, as Eve is taken by another of the priest into the back of the line of children, "Celyse Damaris, come onto the pedestal". A child, blond hair and silver eyes, a full head taller than Eve, walks up to a pedestal in the middle of the hall. It was an intricately etched bronze pedestal with a hollow out section at the top, holding a bronze sphere, also intricately etched. A faint hum coming from the sphere, barely felt by Eve - like a breeze hitting your hair.
"Put your hands above the sphere and try to feel its hum, child," the leading priest commands as the gingerly nods and does as instructed. As she did so, the faint hum of the bronze sphere began to grow slightly. As the hum grow stronger, the ball begins to spin off its own accord. Her eyes glimmers in excitement and fascination and the priest smiles quietly as the audience murmurs in fascination.
"You may step back," says the leading priest as Celyse steps out towards an elderly lady that was waiting for her. The lady gives her an approving nod, though her expression remains composed.
"Next..." the priest calls up the next person while at the same time, Eve was distracted by the redhead girl in front of her who was bobbing her finger one at time, counting each person in line. Lastly, she points to Eve before her brows furrow in confusion.
Eve shifts her weight on her foot to the other before looking ahead to see the ball hadn't managed to spin at all for the next participant. The priest calls for the next person as the redhead girl in front of her was still diligently bobbing her fingers up and down. Eve almost feels like grabbing her hand to make her stop.
As the next child is called, the redhead girl finally turns around to whisper to Eve, "Psst! There's one extra kid here!".
"The flux ceremony is only supposed for sixteen kids!" she continues, "But I counted seventeen!"
"So?"
Eve blinks before shrugging at the redhead girl.
"So? There's an extra kid here who wasn't supposed to be tested!" the girl huffs, clearly expecting a better reaction.
Eve stares ahead at the next child on the pedestal, the sphere barely trembling. "Test?" she echoes blankly.
"What kind of reaction is that? Do you even know what we are doing right now?" the girl puffs up in disbelief.
"Hum," Eve hums while moving her hands around slowly in a circular motion, "And ball spins!".
The girl stares blankly at Eve, not believing the words that came out of her mouth. "Had you been living under a cave all this time? Is that why I never saw you around?" she questions, "This is a test to get into Arcanum for the mages' course, you silly!".
The girl shakes her head before continuing, "They say the sphere can sense how strong your spiritual talents are. I heard they were made by an ancient -".
"Yes. Arcanum. I've heard of that before," Eve cuts in, clearly uninterested.
The girl pouted, crossing her arms, "Then, why do you act like you've never seen the orb before?".
"Cause I haven't".
"So, you do live in a cave!"
"Close. I live in a cage".
The girl sputters in disbelief, before standing upright as her name is called, "Sylvaine, from the Grand Order's House of Hope"
Sylvaine murmurs to herself while holding her hands on top of the sphere. It begins to spin although noticeably slower than Celyse but at a much more stable rate, keeping steady the entire time until the priest tells her to step back.
"Eve," the priest stops before staring at the mages who brought Eve to temple. They both shrug so, he continues, "Just Eve".
Eve stares at the mages one last time, with her male handler giving her a thumbs up. She can feel the gaze of the audience on her back. Above, the oculus floods the chamber with radiant golden light - akin to the gaze and expectation of the heavens.
She closes her eye, and places her hand upon the sphere, feeling its hum. She matches the hum, as it grows stronger in intensity. What was first akin to the waves of the sea gently lapping one's feet, grew stronger in intensity into surging waves then, giant tidal waves in a tsunami.
However, Eve stood eerily - only the twitching of her eyes betrays the raging storm beneath the surface.
The audience was witnessing something truly spectacular as the sphere rapidly rotates to match Celyse's speed. But it doesn't stop there.
The sphere rattles, shudders, and vibrates rapidly within its socket.
"O-Okay, child. You may sto-"
POP!
Gasps fill the air as the sphere launches into the air, soaring up into the oculus. Eve blinks her eyes open just in time to watch its rapid descent -
THUD!
The bronze sphere hits her squarely on the head.
"Ow!"
Then, it bounces once.
Thud!
And rolls... thud... thud.
For a few moments, the audience in awkward silence. The oddity of the situation was not lost on them - an elf appearing out of nowhere before causing such an extreme reaction in the sphere. It was unheard of.
A priest breaks the silence by merely picking up the sphere and moving it back into the socket, giving it a spin to ensure it is still working.
"Y-you may step back, child" the priest coughs before continuing.
She looks around to see her two mage handlers waving her over. "Good job, Eve," the male mage says, ruffling her hair with a proud smile.
The female mage, however, pinches her nose and sighs before saying, "Of course this has to happen. First elf in 200 years and first thing she does is nearly breaking the sphere".