Moonlit Vows Of Vengeance-Chapter 59: Meeting Meanies

One that shimmered like a night sky. Stars moved across it in slow motion, like it was alive. Hundreds of students filled the seats arranged in circular tiers, the floor in the centre empty like a duelling ring.

Power hung thick in the air.

My senses sharpened immediately.

Not just the buzz of enchantments or sigils — it was the people. The students. So many different kinds of magic.

I picked up the sharp scent of ozone from the tall girl with lightning in her hair. The copper tang of blood magic from a boy whose eyes glowed faintly red. Someone near the front had wings folded tight across their back and a silver chain embedded in their throat. The wolf in me growled low, unsettled.

"New batch," a voice muttered as I passed.

I didn’t stop.

I moved toward an empty spot along the outer tier when a voice beside me said, "You’re sitting in the wrong place."

I turned.

The speaker was a slim, pale-skinned fae boy with translucent ears and sharp, too-bright eyes. He wasn’t being hostile exactly — just... arrogant.

"Am I?" I said flatly.

"This section’s for bonded initiates. You’re unbonded, aren’t you?" His smile was more teeth than charm.

I raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

He blinked at my tone. His magic prickled against my skin like a cold wind. "Just don’t want to see you get tossed out by one of the Mentors. Some of them get very prickly about structure."

Before I could respond, another voice cut in.

"Leave her alone, Cassian," said a girl lounging across two seats like she owned the hall. Her hair was midnight blue, twisted into thorny braids, and small tattoos of moons and stars spiralled across her bronze arms. "She looks like she can sit wherever she wants."

Cassian sniffed and moved off without another word.

The girl smiled lazily at me. "Name’s Nyra. Don’t worry, that one’s always like that. Fae arrogance. Comes with the ears."

I gave a short nod. "Athena."

"Welcome to Eravyn Academy, Athena. You’re either very lucky or very cursed."

"Why not both?" I muttered under my breath.

Nyra snorted, clearly amused.

Then the crystal bell rang out, and a hush fell over the entire hall.

A beam of golden light swept across the centre ring, and a tall woman in emerald robes stepped into view. Her face was ageless, framed by coiled white braids. Her presence was like stone, silent and immovable.

Not Valeen.

But powerful.

"Welcome," she said, voice echoing through the chamber. "I am Aristhane, a High Mentor of Threshold Magic and Acting Head of Eravyn Academy. Until the Principal returns from his expedition, I will oversee your initial testing and placements."

My jaw tightened. Testing?

"Some of you have been prepared for this your entire lives. Others... were chosen by the recruiters." Her eyes seemed to pass directly over me.

"In either case, you are here now. And here, only one thing matters."

She raised her hand. A sigil flared in the air.

"Power."

After the High Mentor’s speech, the students were sorted into lines, each leading to one of several glowing platforms scattered across the hall.

I found myself in line with Nyra, who gave me a shrug and a half-smile. "They’ll run a Resonance Gauge test first. Basic stuff. Measures your magical affinity. No big deal."

"Right," I said.

Except my skin was already prickling.

Magic pulsed in the floor beneath me, reacting faintly to every step. And inside me, the wolf stirred restlessly — not in power, but in panic. Something about this place was unsettling to her.

The platform glowed blue as it accepted the next student.

Cassian stepped forward with a cocky smirk, placing his hand on the crystal pedestal. Runes lit up around his wrist.

The device flared with a brilliant sapphire light. Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"High arcane resonance, elemental class," one of the mentors called. "Tier Two."

Cassian turned and bowed dramatically as applause broke out.

Then it was Nyra’s turn. She tossed her braids back and approached lazily.

The orb flickered — then exploded in silver and violet light.

"Moon-witch lineage confirmed. Tier Two — bordering Tier One."

Nyra just rolled her eyes and sauntered back toward me. "Guess I still got it."

Then the light dimmed. My name was called.

"Athena. Step forward."

I felt every eye on me as I walked into the centre of the ring. My fingers trembled as I reached for the pedestal, and the moment my skin touched the surface—

Nothing.

A soft click. Then silence.

No flaring light. No colour. No hum of resonance.

The orb stayed dark.

A few chuckles echoed through the hall.

I frowned and pressed my hand harder, trying to will something to rise — the wolf, the fire that burned behind my ribs, anything.

Still nothing.

One of the mentors stepped forward, muttering to another. "Defective registration?"

"No," said someone. "I saw her been brought in. She’s still been processed."

"Try again," Aristhane said coolly.

I did.

Still. Nothing.

"She’s... powerless?" Casian’s voice rang across the hall, full of mock pity. "Poor girl. Maybe she belongs in the kitchen wing."

A few snickers. Someone muttered, "Another charity case."

The blood roared in my ears. But my hands? Cold. Powerless.

Aristhane’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing. Just made a note on her crystal slate.

"You may return to your seat," she said.

I forced myself to walk, every step made of stone, back to the stands. I could feel the whispers trailing behind me like shadows.

Nyra didn’t speak. Just gave me an unreadable sidelong glance.

I sat.

Inside, the wolf whimpered. Trapped. Like something had been caged inside my chest, barred by wards I couldn’t see.

What’s actually wrong with me?

By the time we entered the second testing hall, my nerves had twisted themselves into knots. The room was immense, with arched ceilings woven with floating crystal filaments aand nd walls carved with runes that shimmered faintly with shifticoloursours.