For as long as I can remember, I’ve always carried a heft that I couldn’t shake. You know, the kind that makes every day feel just a bit harder. My first thought was that it was because my family wasn’t very warm. Their stoicism, strictness, and emotional distance makes the Le Torneau’s difficult to get along with. Maybe that was it.

Or maybe it was losing Camille.

I lost my sister when I was seven. The magic eater mark appeared on Camille’s face two days after The Calling festival. It was a dark, twisting symbol that drained her life force and magic. There was nothing the Dyaks Healers could do to heal her. They eventually took Camille with them to their sector, and mother followed. They were gone for almost a Season. When Mother returned, she was alone, and Camille was just” gone. We never spoke of it, and we never grieved. The house felt colder and quieter, and I hated it. I hated Camille for leaving, and I hated myself for feeling that way.

Staying invisible in the Le Torneau household wasn’t easy. After Camille’s death, expectations were even more suffocating. My oldest brother, Yeon, was already selected to become my father’s successor, and my other brother, Cullen, was following his own path. Camille was supposed to be the next Kingmaker. I was next in line after she died. Not that anyone ever told me directly—it was just assumed.

“Celeste, have you finished packing?” Zaria’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I turned to see her standing in the doorway of our room, her arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips. She always looked like she knew something I didn’t. “Almost,” I replied, trying to sound more put together than I felt.

“Almost?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow. “We’re leaving tomorrow, you know.”

I sighed, glancing at my half-packed trunk on the floor. “I know. It’s just” going back to Ostonia, seeing my family again, I’m not ready.”

Zaria walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You’re not the only one who feels that way. Almost everyone in the graduating class has been away from home for a decade. None of us are the same people we were when we left home.”

I smiled a bit. “I guess. It’s just that Ostonia is home, but it doesn’t feel like it any more.” It didn’t even feel that way after Camille died.

Zaria nodded. “I understand. But who knows where Gaia’s Selection will lead you? It’s nerve-wracking, but you’ll be alright, okay?”

I nodded back. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

We spent the next hour packing up the rest of my belongings, the quiet punctuated by occasional remarks from Zaria about my lack of organization and my tendency to hold onto things I probably didn’t need. It was comforting, though, to have her there, making the task less daunting.

“So, what’s your prediction for the selection?” Zaria asked, breaking the silence.

After a brief pause, I folded a cloak and placed it in the trunk. “Honestly? I have no idea. It’s not like they give us a manual on how to prepare for Gaia’s blessing. I just know I have a bad feeling about it.”

Each individual’s role and place in the sovereignty is defined through the Selection ritual, in which Gaia blesses all those who have mastered their affinities and are of age.

Zaria frowned. “Bad feeling, how?”

I hesitated. “It’s hard to explain. It’s just” this sense that something I’m nor ready for is going to happen.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s no big deal,” Zaria said. “You’ve got Oriental magic on your side. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just punch it.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Right. Because punching things always solves problems.”

“It does more often than you think,” she replied with a grin. “Anyway, just remember that we’ve all got each other’s backs.”

“Thanks, Zaria,” I said. Zaria was more than just a friend. She was my confidant, my partner in everything that had happened over the last decade. We had both been sent to the Way of Water Academy at the same time, and from the very first day, she had been by my side.

She was fierce and unafraid to speak her mind, which regularly got us both in trouble. Unlike most here, she didn’t come from a noble house. She had a natural affinity for water magic, which even nobles envied.

The next morning, we gathered in the main hall of the Talon Tower, ready to make our way to the Sanctum of Gaia. The entire graduating class of twenty was there. Everyone was whispering to each other, staring at the large Gate that stood at the end of the hall.

Gates were divine portals that allowed for near-instantaneous travel across long distances, especially between Sectors. It could only be summoned by very high-level magic users. It drained not only MANA, but also took a toll on the caster’s vitality. It was also strictly forbidden to open a Gate without the approval of the Central High Council.

The head of Edigu House, Lady Bernadette Bloodworth, stood at the front of the hall. Away from her job as Chancellor of the Way of Water Academy in Odristan Sector, she’s the head of the renowned House of the Oriental Water Witches.

“I despise long speeches, so I’ll get to the grit of this. Today marks the end of your time at the Way of Water Academy. You have learned, grown, and faced challenges that have shaped you into who you are now. But learning never ends. To become truly great, you must continue to learn and evolve every day,” Lady Bernadette said.

She paused, and her gaze swept over us. “Today, you will travel to Ostonia to receive Gaia’s blessing, and with it, your place in the Sovereignty. Trust in Gaia, trust in yourselves, and trust in the path you are meant to walk.”

Then she pointed to the gate, and a hush fell over the room. “Line up according to your rank,” she instructed.

I found myself at the front beside Azriel Bloodworth. We’ve been friendly rivals since day one, and he’s two seasons older than me. That smile, those sparkling blue eyes, always made me think he was unreal.

“Ready for the big moment, lady Le Torneau?” he asked.

“Call me “lady” again, and I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever say,” I retorted.

Azriel laughed. “Always so serious. Relax, Celeste.”

“Right,” I muttered.

Lady Bernadette stepped forward with both of her hands raised, and the gate began to glow with a soft, blue light. One by one, we stepped through, and everything around me blurred as I was pulled through the portal.

The Sanctuary of Gaia was breathtaking. It was a massive circular chamber with high ceilings that looked like it reached into the heavenly realm. And it was decorated with stained-glass that filtered the light into colourful patterns across the marble floor. There was a deck in the middle of the room, and the Fellowship of the Sovereignty, made up of representatives of all races, stood on it.

“Let the first of the Way of Way Academy step forward,” the Lycan of the Fellowship called out.

There was no grand ceremony, no formalities. Just straight into the selection ritual. Our academy, the Way of Water Academy, and the Force of Fire Academy graduates were in the Sanctuary. Traditionally, two academies would undergo the selection process together, to emphasize unity between the different affinities. I wasn’t sure who was going first since Azriel and I both ranked number one, but the Fellowship didn’t seem to care. I looked over at the Force of Fire grads. Those crimson uniforms and robes were so different from ours.

Up until now, I hadn’t really thought about what this selection would mean. Hopefully, Gaia will make me an apprentice researcher for the Supreme Eminence if I don’t become my mother’s successor.

“You’ll have to be more specific,” I told the Lycan Lord. “Azriel and I are tied for first.”

The Lycan’s cold grey eyes stared daggers at me just as muffled whispers filled the Sanctum. Was it because I didn’t address him by his formal title or bow? Such nonsense.

“Step forward,” he ordered me.

It was obvious he was pissed. There are times when I forget all the etiquettes needed with the nobles. I stepped forward and climbed the short stairs leading to the platform, and forced myself to bow slightly this time.

“State your name before all,” the Lycan instructed, his vacant eyes locked on me as though I were his mortal enemy.

“Celeste Le Torneau.”

I could feel the Fellowship’s eyes on me, measuring, assessing. The sudden dryness in my throat made me swallow. Did they intend to punish me now for my insolence?

“Celeste Le Torneau,” the Lycan’s voice snapped me back to the present. “Do you accept Gaia’s judgment, whatever form it takes?”

“I do.” I nodded. Is that to say they’ll just breeze over anything unrelated to selection?

The Lycan glared at me for a moment, then he nodded. “Let us begin.”

I closed my eyes as the Fellowship began to chant, allowing magic to fill my heart. It thrummed through the floor, vibrating through my feet, rising up to the core of my being.

I felt a familiar warmth spread over me, and Camille came to mind. Her laughter, her smile, and the way she made everything feel less heavy. I missed her.

Suddenly, I felt another presence in the sanctum. My eyes snapped open, and for a moment, I could have sworn I saw her standing just behind the fellowship, her green eyes watching me, a gentle smile on her lips.

“Camille?” I whispered.

But in the blink of an eye, she was gone, and I was left standing in the centre of the chamber.