Yawn!
Raven woke up, yawning, watching the birds leaving their nests, as the Sun slowly rose in the East.
It was finally the day.
They really did end up sleeping through both days.
'Crazy!'
But it felt so good.
In the last 40 hours, they probably slept for 20.
The only productive thing he did during that time was finally read the note he got from the silver woman.
First things first, the way to temporarily shield the mark from anyone.
And god damn was it expensive.
Even for him.
A special metal called Crysalon.
And even that wasn't a permanent solution.
The mark's power was so great that the second it activates, it will start burning through its effects.
In just a few minutes, it could easily burn through an entire shoulder guard.
It was only a temporary solution.
The permanent solution was not mentioned there.
Why was that woman so insufferable?
Anger boiled inside him every time he thought back to her.
But then he let go immediately.
At least it was something.
He didn't really expect much from her.
Now, the next thing on that topic.
Apparently, the orb she made him swallow awakened his powers as an apostle.
He was baffled reading that.
Why was such a big thing being revealed to him in the notes?
But then he remembered how quickly the Cardinals reacted to the situation he was in.
Anyways, the note had his powers mentioned inside.
[1. Trace Vision: A certain physical trigger with the intention to activate the ability would let your eyes see the frail lines of events and weaknesses one isn't supposed to see.]
What is that supposed to mean?
What events?
He moved on to the next one.
[2. Crescent cut: An almost invisible, silent, and sharp curved moon shadow slash you can release at will, whose trajectory is something the Trace could decide.]
And finally, it mentioned one more part.
[Keep exploring the world, and keep on looking for more clues to resurrect Her.]
[Burn this paper after use.]
[May the Goddess be with you.]
And he followed through.
He burnt the note and scattered the ash in the wind.
Those abilities were so cool, even though he didn't understand how they worked.
The second one was rather straightforward, but the first one…
Not so much.
He tried activating it, and his vision lost any evidence of colors.
His world turned black and white, like he was watching a movie from the 50s.
And faint streaks of blue also appeared in a few places and objects.
Maybe those were the 'frail lines of weaknesses'.
But what was 'frail lines of events' supposed to mean?
And apart from his color being drained, he didn't really see much.
He couldn't decipher those blue lines.
He also only understood half the second ability.
The part where it was a crescent slash, not the part where it was connected to the first ability.
He really needed to practice and actually use them to understand.
But it was a good addition to his overall prowess nonetheless.
"Good morning, Raven." A groggy voice greeted him.
"Mornin'," He nodded, his voice groggy as well.
In the last two days, they've eased up with each other quite a bit.
Their previous familiarity and 'acquaintanceship' contributed heavily to this.
"Ready for the day?" He asked, curling up further into his blanket.
"I am, but you don't look like it," Raven commented on his actions.
Something he understood about Pevon was that he was smart and even powerful to a certain extent.
But the only thing that held him back was himself.
More specifically, his laziness and laid-back attitude.
If he could rot all day and be done with his life, he would do it.
"I just hope I don't get in." He grumbled, complaining about it again.
"Wish I had that choice," Raven sighed in defeat.
Unlike Pevon, his admission was guaranteed.
Either he gets in himself or Eve gets him inside.
So, it was better that he did that himself.
At least he wouldn't have the tag of a nepo baby.
…
Inside a facility not too far from the room assigned, dozens of young people had gathered, chattering and waiting for something.
"I really expected a lot more people to be here," Pevon vocalized, standing over the entrance with Raven.
There were barely 60 people inside, and here he was thinking there would be hundreds.
"Well," Raven said, "There are only so many people a cardinal knows and would recommend for a job like this."
"True," Pevon nodded, "Even your sister recommended three people."
"Even that is a very generous number," Raven said, sharing something he had heard from Cardinal Mark in their journey.
"Some Cardinals didn't even recommend anyone."
"But there were some who recommended around five, right?" Pevon asked, recalling something he had heard from him.
"Yeah, Cardinal Mark, but he's still not the highest."
"Damn!"
""Attention!""
Suddenly, a loud voice entered their eardrums.
A rather familiar voice to Raven.
Everyone present simultaneously turned their heads towards the source of the voice.
It was Cardinal Mark.
The chattering and noise immediately halted.
They all went silent, holding back their awe and reverence.
Next to Cardinal Mark was Eve.
Raven's eyes focused on her, and her eyes immediately met his.
'How was it this fast?'
At this point, there was no point in being surprised by her feats.
"Her eyes are so intense," Pevon whispered.
He had met her many times in Shelburg and even arrived here by her recommendation.
But it was still quite intense.
He had never seen her smile once in so many years of knowing.
Eve came forward and spoke in her neutral voice.
"Considering that you all already know what is going to happen, let's just get this done with."
The people inside the facility tensed visibly.
Anticipation gnawed at them.
"Keeping the screening test simple, the first exam would be straightforward."
Everyone's ears perked up, listening to it quite carefully.
"Come here, and attack me."