Celestial Origins

27 〄 The Test

The first of Concordia's three suns grazed Vishnear's hide. A crisp breeze bent the grasses surrounding the Galiruel district, defining the mowed border. While the dew-laden dirt squished between the talons on his feet, he looked over his childhood home.

On the hill, the shanties looked like brown blemishes in the otherwise lush plains. Not far off to the right lay the Core Center. Its shadow grew as grand as he remembered, stretching over the tallest rolling hill and extending into the Sharder mines' valley.

His time working as a Core Reformer there felt eons ago. Yet it's shadow still loomed over his heart. Part of him wondered about simple changes, such as if they had replaced the stone with marble in the extension. Another part wondered how many times he'd walked over the place his father's blood had spilled without realizing it.

The one who raised him wanted to protect him, not revealing this truth until he packed to move to his newly assigned shrine as a Soul Reformer. He wished she'd told him sooner. Maybe he wouldn't have agreed to go there in the first place and be with her now, traveling with his tribe. An ache gripped his heart. Jendrae stepped beside him, blocking the view.

"A perfect day for a spar, don't you think?" His friend tilted his head, and his eyes flashed with glee. His lopsided smile beckoned him to agree. Ever wary, Vishnear glanced back at the house. Vaskili's shadow slid through the open, sheer curtains and onto a portion of the ground outside. His stomach knotted.

"Perhaps a bit further out would be better, to not damage the housing," Vishnear replied. He kept the Vaskili's shadow in his peripheral vision. Jendrae nodded. The two walked out near the edge of the cleared area.

"I do not think either of us would need much further out. We are not newly assigned Celests to their Head, after all."

Vishnear walked over. They could still be seen clearly from here. His eyes betrayed him, darting a glance. When he faced Jendrae, his friend's smile hardened.

"What?" Vishnear asked. Annoyance pricked his tone.

"You look frightened."

He grimaced. "When do I not?"

"When you look angry," Jendrae said, flinching as Vishnear passed.

Silence fell over them as they took positions across from each other. Slowly, they began to walk in a circle. The dry dirt crunched underneath their feet. Their talons created lines behind each step. The sun's rays felt hotter than before, and the waving grasses near them stilled.

Nothing in Vishenar's body wanted to fight, but adrenaline ignited inside him when an orange glow emanated from Jendrae's hands.

He hunched down. His friend was both stronger and better at attacks. He'd have to stay steady and stay alert. Jendrae's right leg shifted. A small tremor raked through it as it hit the ground. While his friend continued, Vishnear knew it was painful. He would have to get through this without aggravating his injury.

His eyes flicked back to the marble house. Vaskili's shadow grew longer. She now stood between the parted, sheer curtains. The judgment he once escaped from her predecessor now seethed from her. He had to prove himself once more.

He had to win.

With that, Jendrae struck. Vishnear slid to the side, barely missing the barrelling flames. Heat licked his hide. His mouth opened, tasting the brine of dust and smoke. A dark cloud from the blow hovered over the area-a simple distraction move.

Vishnear closed his second pair of eyelids. The pulsing lines of his friend's physical aura flared to life. Jendrae's body darted on the edges of his peripheral vision. Quickly, Vishnear turned around. Ready to counter, he halted. A sickly orange thread ran through Jendrea's leg. He hadn't healed properly.