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She, if she could call herself a she anymore, couldn't quite get the hang of her new situation yet. From paintings to candles to the stones themselves, she inhabited the world around her. She was both the driver and the vehicle. With only a thought she could peer into any room.
She didn't know what she was. She barely knew who she was. Wasn't she a person once? What little remained of her memories were washing away; dust in the wind. The castle was her. It was as though it was a massive vase and everything that was her was lost inside. Fragments of her former self drifted through the architecture. A memory here, an emotion there. But the longer she searched, the more she lost herself.
Though she didn't know what her old name was, she knew she needed a new name. Something she could hold onto. Ground herself to. A handhold to keep her steady amongst scattered chaos.
This place she was lost in, it was the Octaviary. She knew that innately. It was the most obvious thing in the world.
So she would be Octavia.
Octavia could look anywhere she wanted in the castle, but most of her were hollow bones. Empty halls filled with old memories and fresh blood. Only one place bustled with activity, her core. The grand hall. The first challenge had come to an end and the consequences of failure became clear. The truth written in the viscera of the losers.
Panic spread like a wave, washing up against the walls, pressing against the doors. It infested the very air driving those who still took breath to riot. Some were trampled, others hid, one man fired a shotgun into the air creating a somewhat stable peace around him. A spot of calm in the storm.
Octavia could feel all of it. Every pitter patter of feet, a thousand ants walking around her insides. Their scents leaked into her walls like cigarette smoke. Their screams reverberated through her like echoes.
The people below snarled at each other like caged prey. A young man stood over the body of an old woman, her throat slit. He screamed at the heavens until his throat was raw.
She realized something in her was missing. She should feel something here. Her emotions were dull whispers of memories that were no longer really her. There was a small sadness, but a selfish one, sad that she didn't feel sad. There was a part of her missing now, and she didn't know how to get it back.
Eventually the council appeared. She recognized them. Former students. They had spent years within these walls, though the details were lost at the moment.
The tumult calmed down to a dull roar and eventually silence.
"Congratulations to those that remain. You have proven yourself resourceful, cunning and merciless. Good. These traits will serve you well going forward."
The crowd roared up as one. Intermingled cries of incredulity, denial and rage.
"SILENCE." Another man rasped, making a gesture and muttering a word. Power surged through the room cutting sound off like someone squeezing a hose.
The original speaker continued, his grave voice now with a tinge of annoyance. At the other councilor or the crowd Octavia wasn't sure.
"The Catalysts you've collected are exactly as advertised. Within each of you lies the potential for magic. The sooner it is awakened, the better. But… desperate times." The man trailed off as though the truth of it was plain.
"These catalysts will be the first step on your journey to becoming true mages. Before you," He announced, gesturing at the massive crystal in the middle of the room, "Are the assimilated memories, skills and spirits of mages who have moved beyond to the next great mystery."
Octavia heard another councilor mumble something about it not really being a mystery, but the one in front ignored him.
"Line up before the crystal and place yourself before the Synchronizer."
He pointed, and around the crystal was a golden rail, inscribed with figures, deeds and beasts. But on the southern end, there was a small black crystal built into the rail, small enough to fit in a person's hand. A mirror sat below it, outlined in silver and gold, tilted at an angle.
"The synchronizer will take in the breadth of you. Your past, present, future, potential, desires, inclinations and it will match you with a spirit. What we do today is often reserved for only the wealthiest of mage families looking to jumpstart whatever prodigy brat they push on us. But today we'll be giving you this opportunity so that you may pay us back in the future."
The crowd shifted uneasily. There was a pop, like a tub stopper being pulled and the sound flowed back into the room.
"Now, there are 279 of you left. Come face your future. Receive your judgement. Step into the world of magic."
Without hesitation, the man with the shotgun jumped down from his perch and approached the synchronizer.
The mirror flashed and the black crystal shone bright. A storm flowed within it's larger azure brother. A storm of a thousand souls stirred in the room's center piece. They were similar to her, but opposite in every way. She was a spirit without a vessel and these…
The first volunteer stood before the crystal wearing a confident smile. The black crystal and the catalyst in his belt hummed and glowed in sync. The spirits before him surged like a living tide. A cyclone of souls. Half a dozen broke off, and there was an exchange of force before a single one floated towards the bottom. It drained from the crystal; water through a spout; and the mirror shone bright white. A beam shot out connecting the mirror to the belt and Octavia could feel the spirit dragged into the man. He stumbled back, his body coursing with lances of azure blue energy before they settled.
His arm began to tremble. The tips of his fingers bursting into something feral. His features morphed and twisted, bones cracked and skin tore. A ripple ran across his back and something tore through, pressing against his shirt seeking escape. With another surge and a growl the changes receded. The look of hunger in his eyes didn't.
He stood, heavy breaths pouring from him while his skin shone bright with sweat.
The storm within the crystal settled and for the first time in a hundred years, a new mage was born..