A moment passed.
Then another.
A thin column of light descended from the sky—not gold, not white, but a muted, uneasy silver. It touched Jace's brow briefly, as if reluctant.
A distant, strained voice echoed across the plaza.
"Gift… confirmed."
"Classification.. anomalous."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Glowing text burned into the air before Jace's eyes—visible only to him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
TRIAL RESULT: PARTIAL RECOGNITION
Primary Gift: Alchemy (Unregistered Variant)
Status: Dormant / Obscured
Devine Authority: LIMITED
WARNING: External Influence Detected
NOTE: Subject does not fully belong to the Trial System
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The text faded.
Jace staggered, catching himself before he fell. His hand came away from the Pedestal unburned—untouched—while the stone beneath it remained cracked and dark.
Deep inside him, something stirred—pleased.
The High Priest stared at him, face pale.
"Step away from the Pedestal," he ordered sharply. "Now."
Jace did.
Whispers exploded across the plaza.
"Did you see that color—"
"That wasn't divine light—"
"Did the Pedestal reject him?"
Cali pushed through the crowd, reaching him just as priests began conferring in hushed, urgent tones.
"What happened?" she whispered. "Jace—what did you do?"
Jace swallowed, his heartbeat steady despite the chaos. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't fully understand."
"Did you get a gift?" Cali searched his face. "What did the Pedestal show you?"
He forced a small smile, "Alchemy."
Her eye went wide. "But they said anomalous. What does that even mean?"
Jace shrugged, "Honestly? I don't know any more than you."
I need to keep this quiet, he thought. Stick to the alchemy lie. But for how long can I really do that?
BOOM
The High Priest slammed his staff into the plaza.
"The Trials are concluded for the day." He declared. Then he pointing at Jace and Cali. "You two. Come with us."
As they followed the priests away, whispers clung to them like smoke. Jace kept his head down, his thoughts locked into a single mantra.
It's just an alchemy variant. Nothing more. Nothing less.
The cathedral doors loomed ahead.
Inside, the High Priest pointed toward a side chamber. "Enter. We will speak with you shortly."
Silent, Jace and Cali inside.
And the door closed behind them.
Cali turned to face Jace, searching his eyes. "This doesn't look good. The priests look shaken. Jace—you have to know something. Anything."
Jace stared blankly for a moment before shaking his head. "Cali, all I did was place my hand on the Pedestal like everyone else," he said defensive. "After that, my vision went blank. Once my vision cleared, I was falling."
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Well… let's hope this was just a fluke. That nothing comes of it."
Jace lowered himself to the floor, sitting with his back against the wall, eyes unfocused.
Cali paced in front of him as they both waited, boots tapping softly against stone.
After some time, a knock echoed through the chamber. Cali stopped abruptly. Both of them turned toward the door.
A few seconds later, it opened.
A young man stepped inside, wearing a plain white robe. His brown hair was neatly kept, his blue eyes soft and professional. He bowed slightly.
"Mr. Jace Lorrin," he said, voice calm. "Please follow me."
"What about me?" Cali protested at once. "He is my younger brother. I should be present if you're questioning him."
"I'm sorry, miss." The young man replied gently. "The High Priest has only requested him. Please wait here for his return."
Jace stood and met Cali's gaze. "I'll be fine," he said quietly. "If this were serious, Mom and Dad would've been called.
Cali swallowed, then nodded. "I'll wait for you."
Jace nodded back and turned to the young man. "Lead the way."
* * *
He was guided through winding corridors into a stark chamber containing a single chair at its center.
"Please have a seat," the young man said, gesturing. "The priests will be in shortly."
Jace sat. The door closed behind him.
The moment the latch clicked, runes flared over the door's surface.
They are only going to ask questions. Jace told himself. No reason to panic.
Three priests entered through a side passage. One took position to the left, another to the right—both batching him closely.
The one in the center, The High Priest, folded his hands calmly.
"Jace Lorrin," he said evenly. "For the record—state the gift you received during the Trial."
"Alchemy," Jace replied without hesitation.
A Pause
"One word," the High Priest said pleasantly. "And yet the Pedestal disagreed."
Another priest leaned forward. "You produced green resonance. No divine glyphs, No god-signature."
"I'm sorry," Jace said carefully, "but my vision went blank the moment I touched the Pedestal. I don't know what happened. When I could see again, I was falling."
"I see," The High Priest murmured, rubbing his hands together. "And that is precisely the problem."
He tapped his staff against the floor.
The sigils flared.
Jace felt pressure—not pain, but weight—like invisible hands testing the boundaries of his presence.
"Do you hear voices, Jace?" The High Priest asked gently.
"No."
"Do you feel watched?"
"No."
"Do you feel compelled toward certain behaviors? Substances? Practices?"
Jace swallowed. "No."
Another pause.
The High Priest gestured to one of the priests, who stepped forward holding a thin slate. Symbols flickered across its surface in an intricate, shifting pattern.
"Place your hand upon this slate." The priest ordered.
Jace hesitated—then slowly placed his palm against it.
The slate pulsed green.
Then went dark.
The symbols vanished.
"…Fascinating," The High Priest said quietly. "I have been the High Priest for forty years, and I have never seen anything like this."
The three priests exchanged looks.
At last, the High Priest returned his attention to Jace and nodded. "Here is what will happen. We will proceed under the assumption that your gift is… incomplete."
Jace blinked. "Incomplete? My sister said it was announced to be anomalous."
"A regrettable necessity," the High Priest replied smoothly. "The crowd needed an answer."
He leaned closer. "Listen carefully, Jace. If you cooperate, you will be allowed to train as an alchemist—under supervision. If you do not—"
He let the sentence end unfinished.
Jace met his gaze. "Then I disappear."
The High Priest smiled thinly. "You understand perfectly."
He clapped his hands once.
The door opened, the young man entered, bowing deeply. "You called, your Holiness?"
"Return Jace to his sister," The High Priest instructed. "Inform her they are free to leave when ready."
Then, with one last look at Jace, he added, "You will be visited by someone from the Academy within the next few days. Get your affairs in order. And head my warning."
Jace nodded. "Thank you."
He followed the young man back toward Cali, his expression calm—his thoughts anything but.