"I'm glad all of you could join us. You look much better than at our first meeting," Orlando Rainbow, my father, announced.
We were currently in the private conference room in the administration department of Aslan Academy. It resided in a large tower attached to the main building. We had to go through three different clearance points to reach my father's office.
The professors and administrators easily put two and two together. We had heard the buzzing whispers of the headmaster's daughter being one of the special recruits who had been accepted into Aslan after the Forsaken attack. It made me curious to see if the attack was real or if it had been planned as part of our test, but I'd just have to wait until I had the chance to ask my father, who now stood in front of us.
I was sitting between Hunter and Orion. Finn and Theo were sitting on Hunter's side while Cairus and Caio sat on Orion's. Father was standing before us with his wand, which I’d seen when we first arrived, in his left hand. His long blond hair was tied up in a ponytail and his gold cape was decorated with green magic circles rested on his shoulders.
The kindness in his eyes was still present as he talked with us, especially when they landed on me from time to time, but his firm voice reminded us that what we were about to discuss would be more serious.
Ms. Arcadia and Othello were sitting to our left, both of them looking rather intimate sitting so closely together. I couldn't see if they were holding hands, but it was enough to make me curious if they had taken the next step.
Magnor sat on our right, looking as calm as ever. He wore a prideful expression while watching over us, but I did catch him staring at me a few times. He must have still been worried about my health after the attack. Arielle was sitting on Orion's shoulder still, all nestled up. She looked to be asleep but I knew she was quietly listening.
"I bet you have many questions, but first, I'd like to once again congratulate you on being accepted to Aslan Academy. I believe Othello gave you a small tour, but after this meeting, feel free to explore the grounds. It's Friday, so many classes will finish early, so you’ll be able to check out the school grounds and areas outside. On the outskirts of our lands are barriers. It will be quite obvious and I highly suggest you do not cross them. The majority of students who do never return and I wouldn't want that happening to any of you," Father explained, his mismatched eyes landing on me when he said the last sentence.
I frowned at him and he smiled. "Especially you, Celestia,” he confirmed.
"I follow the rules," I replied. Hunter, Finn, and Theo snickered, while Orion coughed, and the twins chuckled quietly. Even Othello, Ms. Arcadia, and Magnor had amused expressions on their faces.
"Oh c'mon." I huffed.
Orion slipped his hand in mine, squeezing it gently. "You do follow the rules...most of the time."
"Celestia is like those shifters in scary movies where everyone says, 'don't go there' and she totally ignores them and goes anyway," Caio hummed.
"Our Dearest is a curious unicorn." Cairus chuckled.
I blushed, wishing I was in front of all of them so I could give them the side eye. "I'm just interested in things, especially if they're forbidden and shiny," I mumbled and this time Father laughed.
"Haven't changed at all, my sweet Celestia." He grinned and I smiled, realizing how much I'd missed his joyous laugh.
"Now that we’ve had a good laugh, let us get back on topic." Father looked at each of us before continuing. "To make explanations easier, let's refer to this place as the New Aslan and the other one as Old Aslan."
We all exchanged glances before nodding. We sat up a little straighter as we prepared for the discussion we'd been waiting for.
"The moment you received your invitations from Old Aslan, the test began. We assessed the way you prepared for the entrance exam and monitored how you responded to discovering your potential acceptance to the well-known school," Father began.
"Wait, so you guys spied on us to see how we reacted? How?" Theo looked incredulous.
"Once each of you left for Old Aslan, an observer went to your home or village to ask how your behavior had been. Some may ask your parents, others will go to the town and ask those who watched you leave towards your town portals. The gatekeeper also made an assessment of you before allowing you through the portal. If they felt you weren't ready and that we made an error in judgment based on the application alone, they have the right to deny your request, which has happened many times," Father explained.
I looked at each side of the table, noticing the guys’ expressions, which were a mixture of confusion, shock, and irritation. I didn't like the idea we had been spied on to assess if we were worthy enough to even attempt the entrance exam, but this sounded like a protocol they had been following for years, so there wasn't much we could complain about if it had worked for so long.
"How does that work or accomplish anything?" I questioned. "There are people like Vincent, who came up and boasted about his acceptance but still got in. I don't see how that helps with anything." I didn't want to sound snarky or let on that his attempt to belittle me back then had brought me down, but it was a question of presentation and attitude.
"Since you've been here, have you seen Vincent?" Father asked us. We all looked at one another before shaking our heads. "No," I replied, speaking for our entire group.
"One thing at Aslan that we try our best to adhere to is respect. Being humble and accepting that you have been given an opportunity to become a hunter or huntress shows that you've been raised to respect what life presents to you. We do accept some who qualified for the sake of avoiding issues or accusations of favoritism from families of higher rank and class, but once you reach Old Aslan, it doesn't matter whether you’re rich or poor. Your performance is what determines whether you will sit before me and hear the information I'm giving you now, or get sent back where you came from," Father concluded.
"Wait, they go back?" Caio asked.
"As in back home? So everyone who didn't survive that attack is either dead or returned back to the dimension they came from?" Cairus clarified.
"Did people actually die?" Hunter questioned.
"And if they did, what do you tell the families?" Finn inquired.
"What happens to those who survive, but fail the test? Won't they go spread the word that the Old Aslan isn't real?" Orion questioned.
Magnor rose up from his seat, walking over to stand next to Father. “You guys have many questions, but let's finish explaining first. Some of your questions will be answered momentarily."
"Sorry," I again spoke for myself and the others, who looked flustered and lowered their heads in apology. I didn't blame the guys; we were finally getting answers but they were only creating more questions.
"When you arrive at Old Aslan, you are tested on multiple things. How you adjust to the rapidly changing environment, your performance on both the written and physical exams, your ability to adapt to working with your team and how you progress in the following weeks, both academically and in overall growth, all play a part." Father paused before continuing.
"Normally, you are tested in a situation similar to what you all experienced, where you have to discover the hidden door which we call the emergency exit. Every student has been told about this at some point, but as you can tell, the majority of students tried to escape in the opposite direction, or were overtaken by the Forsaken during the attack."
"Wait, we weren't told about the emergency exit!" I spoke up in outrage.
Hunter nodded. "I only knew about it because of my brother, who showed me that specific location back when I was younger."
"You were all absent that day when it was discussed," Ms. Arcadia revealed. "It must have been when Celestia and Caio became really sick and you all stayed home. There was a discussion about the exit in class because we knew the trial would be happening two weeks from then."
"But, regardless of whether or not we knew, why does it look like we're the only ones who made it?" I asked, still feeling rather lost about the whole situation. If everyone, or at least the good majority of students knew about it, why hadn't anyone been running towards it? If I knew there was an exit that would guarantee safe haven, why avoid it?
Magnor stepped up to answer. "When you guys were heading towards the emergency exit, what did you notice?" Magnor asked, his eyes on me.
"Well, it was heavily guarded with Forsaken and took the guys a lot of magic to get past and hold them off long enough for all of us to go through," I explained. I wasn't in a position to fight at the time so Orion had carried me while the others fought.
"Exactly. Those who knew about the exit noticed how heavily guarded it was and instead of everyone working together and making a path for them to go through, they dispersed, everyone thinking only about their own life rather than working on teamwork, which was one of the essential lessons we'd been trying to implement. We wouldn't have put any of you in teams if we wanted you to work alone. As a hunter or huntress, many missions are done in groups and your partner or partners must be able to rely on the fact you will defend them and vice versa," Father explained.
"So...basically everyone failed?" Theo clarified.
"Except us," Hunter added.
"Yes and no," Othello answered from where he sat. "This is where things get more complicated."
I glanced at Father and Magnor, who both exchanged glances. Magnor looked to each of us. "Whatever is said here, stays here. We're making this decision based on the fact you've all done well previously in upholding your secrecy regarding the Forsaken attack that happened during your exam. This has never happened before and that is why we need to take precaution."
Orion tightened his hold on my hand. I took a quick glance and saw him frown. Something was bothering him about this conversation and I'd have to remember to confront him about it later. I squeezed back and he met my gaze. I gave him a smile before I mouthed, "Relax."
He smiled, looking less restless than before and we both turned our attention back to Magnor and Father, who'd been eyeing the both of us.
"We agree to those terms. Nothing said here will be spoken of to anyone else," I confirmed. Father and Magnor nodded, glancing over at Othello and Ms. Arcadia who both looked satisfied with my declaration on behalf of my team.
"The test is normally done with Forsaken look-alikes. Generally, if students succumb to the Forsaken, they're put into a state of sleep until we can deliver them safely back home," Othello explained. I grimaced at the memory. That certainly didn't feel like a fake.
"BRU!" Arielle spoke up, flying over to sit on my shoulder, her flames fluttering on as she glared at Othello. "That was NOT a fake," she snarled.
Finn stood up. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's no way those were fakes," he declared.
"Mr. Charm and Arielle, can I finish?" Othello asked with a hint of amusement.
Finn sat back down. "Sure." He sounded a little pissed off and my heart swelled at his concern. I gently stroked Arielle to calm down her anger and her flames slowly dissipated.
"Thank you," Othello replied before went on. "As Mr. Charm stated, those Forsaken did not look fake, and he's correct. They were the real deal."
I peeked at both sides of me; every single guy wore upset expressions, especially Orion and Finn. I didn't know how I felt about it yet, but there must have been an explanation.
"So, them being there wasn't planned?" I questioned.
Ms. Arcadia sighed. "There is a section in the school where we create and store the fake Forsaken the day before the test. They were checked the night before and everything was fine. Because of the change in the environment recently, it was overlooked that a fellow professor, who was the one in charge of checking and releasing the Forsaken for the test, went missing."
I shivered at the revelation, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Missing as in..." I trailed off, already imagining what could have happened.
Father was staring at me and nodded as if reading my thoughts. "It was reported and later reviewed on the surveillance footage. The professor went to prepare the Forsaken for the exam which would have happened about an hour after you all settled into your classrooms. When he opened the room to do the final check, he realized the Forsaken weren't the fakes from the night before, but real ones. Before he could lock the chamber and seek help, he'd already been grabbed by the Forsaken. He was too tainted to save and had turned into one of them by the time help arrived."
We sat there in silence, none of us able to speak. My left hand trembled slightly and I clenched it into a fist to hide my fear. Even though everyone was reassuring me I was okay, I felt like a part of me wasn't. If I overlooked this, would I become a Forsaken too?
I felt something wrap around my left hand and I looked down to see Hunter's hand grasping mine. I lifted my gaze to stare into his orange eyes. They held a level of reassurance that helped keep me calm, even though my growing nerves were trying to get the best of me.
"The Forsaken were able to escape the chamber and thus the reason why the attack happened way before anyone was prepared. By the time we managed to reach the scene, a lot of damage had already been done," Othello concluded gravely.
"So...the students that were attacked and 'failed'...they..." Caio trailed off.
"They're actually dead," Cairus finished.
There was a moment of silence before Father answered. "Correct. It is already known that you can die during your time at Aslan. This isn't a place where we baby you. The moment you apply, you're aware of the consequences and the possibility of facing death in your pursuit to becoming hunters and huntresses. Their families have been notified."
"What about the ones who survived or were rescued during the attack?" Theo questioned.
Hunter nodded. "Ya. Aren't they going to return home and explain what happened to them? None of us have heard of this so-called trial from past students."
Ms. Arcadia spoke up. "Those who fail have their memories of the test wiped. They are informed only that they completed the exam and failed. If they didn't sustain any physical wounds, we provide them with their test results which show they did not make it and they can re-apply, but there are specific factors taken into consideration if a student is given a second chance to reapply after failing the first time."
We were silent once again, unsure what to say at this point. Father gave us a sympathetic smile. "I get this is a lot to take in, but this is how we've run things here for years. Hunters and huntresses are individuals who don't just protect this dimension alone. They travel to many dimensions far and wide and help rid the darkness growing in each of them. Not every dimension or race call the darkness Forsaken. Some refer to it just as 'the darkness.' It's everywhere and there WILL be incidents where your life is at risk and you will have to protect those who are helpless to defend themselves. That is why you are trained and are pushed to your limits here, so you’re prepared for what’s to come.”
We all nodded, unable to argue with his statement. We all were aware when we signed up that becoming a hunter or huntress wasn't going to be easy. It was a position looked upon highly by many, both young and old. They put their lives on the line so that we could live with little to no fear of Forsaken taking over our dimension.
Magnor had a sympathetic look on his face. "I understand this is a lot for all of you and will take time to process, but we don't have much time to give you. Regardless of whether the test was real or staged, you are the only recruits who made it this time. You will notice rather quickly your uniforms are unique compared to many of the students here."
I glanced down at my gold uniform, already noticing how unique the design was and that our uniforms were based on our shifter animals.
Father nodded. "Normally, recruits wear white and work their way up to black, red, gold. The highest ranks will have their uniforms specifically designed in the color of their shifter animal or be allowed to choose their own."
"For example, if a female has reached the highest rank, which we call Elite status, they can choose any color OR base it off their shifter animal. If they are a phoenix, the color of their uniform would be an amber color. If they are a unicorn, the color will be pink," Ms. Arcadia explained, looking at me with a smile.
"So we're gold? So second from Elite?" Orion questioned.
Father nodded. "Correct."
"But...isn't that too high for us? We're new and still learning." Theo frowned.
"Yea and wouldn't we attract attention from the students already here?" Cairus pointed out.
"Exactly, we'd be new targets. Wouldn’t that cause problems or fights?" Caio wondered.
"It's not like we're worried about fighting them. We can manage just fine, but that could cause a disturbance and some students are obviously stronger and more knowledgeable than us," Hunter added.
"In summary, it's not like we're afraid of a challenge. We're Team Misfit and can fight our own battles if we need to together. However, we don't want to cause problems for anyone," I stressed.
I wasn't afraid of fighting and defending my men. We weren't pushovers and I could care less about rank, but I didn't want to cause trouble with our enrollment. Also, knowing Father was the headmaster and that word was probably spreading that his daughter had survived the "entrance test" and was attending the real Aslan Academy, I didn't want to make him worry about me. Even if I was still upset with him.
Ms. Arcadia smiled. She and Othello stood from their seats, walking over to stand at Father's right side. "Team M, or Misfit, I feel you are not understanding why you are wearing gold uniforms, or have details representing your shifter animals," she stressed.
"What are we missing?" Finn asked.
Father smiled at the question. "An attack of Forsaken occurred unexpectedly and your team of misfits were able to single-handedly fight off the darkness after saving a fellow comrade, using knowledge that wasn't provided to you through us to find the exit. You worked together to defend yourselves long enough to reach the portal and now sit here with humble attitudes after we've revealed the truth to you."
"Maybe to your team, you don't understand why you deserve your ranks and uniforms, but you displayed qualities essential for hunters and huntresses. We all know being able to kill a Forsaken is a difficult task for even experienced shifters. You worked as a team, and when given the opportunity to leave a fellow comrade, you didn't." Othello stressed the last sentence, his eyes lingering on me.
Father nodded. "And for that alone, I thank you. Not as a headmaster, but as Celestia's father." He bowed his head to the guys in gratitude. I swallowed the lump in my throat and Orion and Hunter each squeezed one of my hands. I gave them a small smile as Arielle fluffed her wings and began rubbing her head against the side of my face for added comfort.
"We'd do again in a heartbeat. That's our duty, nothing more. You don't need to thank us," Orion said quietly.
"Exactly." Cairus and Caio spoke in unison.
"We'll always protect her." Theo sounded confident.
"And if anyone tries to bother her here, don't be surprised if we beat them up," Hunter mumbled.
Finn declared, "She's ours to protect and it's as simple as that."
"BRU-REE!" Arielle called, hopping up and down as her flames ignited once again. "These men need to settle down. I was here protecting Celestia just fine before they came along. Hmph. Trying to take my glory."
I grinned, petting her. "Yes, Arielle. You're my ultimate protector."
Father smirked, exchanging glances with the others before he sighed. "I think that's enough explaining for now. I know you may still have more questions, so feel free to ask Othello, Ms. Arcadia, or Magnor if I'm unavailable. I think now would be the best time to explore the campus while many classes are still in session before you explore the outer sections. Your living arrangements are almost ready. You can do whatever you wish from now until eight in the evening. Please meet back here and we'll finalize the paperwork, get you to your dorms and give you a detailed overview of everything that happens in Aslan so you're prepared to start your classes on Monday."
We all nodded and rose to our feet.
We’d finally learned the truth of it all, but something told me there was still more to the puzzle we were desperately trying to solve.