When the Tears arrived at the Great Hall, it was already trimming with activity. From the outside, it already sounded as if the whole of the Academy had gathered, and Isyd reckoned it could well be the case. They entered somewhat discretely, from a side door at the ground level rather than the main entrance. It was all the better, because that way had been cleared, and the main gates had been thrown wide open in anticipation for the other Academies arrival.

  The Great Hall was vast enough to welcome the crowd that had gathered and then some. Natural light poured from above through the glass domes that formed its roof. The curved glass panes were clear and welded together through weaves of silver and lead. The whole was supported by tall columns carved from marble and coursed through by veins of gold. The columns were arranged in such a way that in naturally gave order to the crowd and left the center of the Hall empty and as the focus of the crowd’s attention. Pupils of all years and Openings had gathered against the walls of the Hall or on the higher floor and watching over the railing. The hub of the Academy was buzzing with the sounds of hundreds of conversations, and the very air seemed to vibrate with anticipation.

  Isyd turned to Jadwia and Oliwer and wordlessly told them to stick close and follow. They both waved goodbye to Kewin, before following their Ringleaders as he made his way through the crowd. Isyd wasn’t particularly tall or strong, but when the crowd split in front of him all the same without needing to force his way. The moment a Pupil glanced at him, they took a step back instinctively, even if they were his seniors. It didn’t take long for Isyd, Oliwer and Jadwia to arrive in front of the crowd with a clearer view of the center of the Hall. It wasn’t empty like Isyd had first thought, instead it was where the Primary Tutors stood next to a large object draped over. Next to it, Isyd noticed the back of the head of Hidrss, who appeared more slouched than the other Tutors and seemed to be fidgeting with something in the pocket of his robe.

  Naeht appeared overhead. “Isyd… do you feel it too?” she asked, her voice tout.

  Isyd nodded imperceptibly. Yes, the air was... strange. He’d felt it as soon as he entered the Great Hall. At first, he’d thought it was due to the presence of so many Artysta in one location, but now that he was in their midst, Isyd could say it wasn’t the case. It had appeared diffused at first, but now Isyd could almost feel a sharpness in the air against his skin, making his right arm tingle. He couldn’t perceive anything out of the ordinary in the cacophony of the Song of Grace, however, which reassured him at least that there wasn’t any immediate danger.

  Jadwia leaned into his ear. “Alright, now what?” she whispered.

  Isyd was looking around for something specific in the crowd. When he found them, he pointed discreetly to Oliwer and Jadwia. They followed his gaze to near the stairwells where the six Paramount Rings had gathered in small numbers, still standing among the crowd of Pupils, but at the same time clearly distinct.

  “Let’s go!” Isyd said, but before he could take a step forward, Jadwia yanked him back by the sleeve.

  “Wait! Stop and look at them!” she hissed. “The Paramount Rings stands apart from the rest purposefully. We can’t just insert ourselves!”

  Isyd rolled his eyes. “Don’t be such a wuss,” he said with a sigh. “None of it matters if you decide not to care. Come on now!”

  Before they could protest, Isyd grabbed both Oliwer and Jadwia by the wrist and pulled them along through the crowd and towards the base of the staircases. It was immediately obvious to everyone around where they were heading to. Isyd didn’t want to confront the Paramount Rings right here and now, so when they reached their level, he simply stood on the side, but close enough to force some of the Pupils there to make some room.

  “Seniors,” Isyd greeted them simply with a nod of the head.

  The reactions of the Ringleaders were interesting: Jonn Drago didn’t even deign to notice him, while S?yem Nifritovna gave him a cold side glance. Prinse Krovtur and Henryk Pwom both gave a stiff nod as an answer, while Marzena Tchepwa and Arron Gwemb smiled at him and at his Ringmates.

  In this small gathering, there were other faces he recognized as part of the Paramount Rings such as Arael Lwieserce for the Crimson Gold, Rhys Waaun for the Hammer and Niklas Fisser for the White Flowers. As for those Isyd couldn’t put a name, he assumed that they were also important members of the Paramount Rings, if not the Second-In-Command directly.

  Isyd wasn’t oblivious to the awkward silence that now weighed on this part of the Great Hall. It seemed that aside from their Ringleaders, the other Seniors of the Paramount Rings weren’t certain on how to treat Isyd and his friends. On one hand, they appeared as insolent upstarts with no respect to hierarchy and seniority of the Academy, but on the other hand they had qualified for the Tourney, where they had not…

  Isyd could hear Jadwia squirm under all this attention, but before he could turn to her, a bell started ringing loudly. The conversations died down as everyone turned towards the entrance gate. The guests had arrived.

  It began with the beating of drums, distant as first but quickly growing louder as the procession crossed the Western Gate. It resonated against the walls of the Great Hall. For all the racket they caused, Isyd was surprised by how few of them there were once they crossed the threshold. First came the standard banners who carried their banners on a pole. The heraldry was the one of the Two Crown, the Two-Headed Griffin, but simply adorn with the color of the respective Academies. Where red and white was the scheme preferred by the Academy of Holy Vigor, the Holy Honor had chosen red and dark green and the Holy Temperance had opted for red and navy blue; the red being the constant as it was the color associated with the Two Crowns and the Commonwealth. Those colors distinctions were reflected in the uniforms of the Pupils that followed the standard-bearers and drummers. Isyd was surprised at how similar it was to his uniform and only then realized that it may be standardized across the Commonwealth.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  There were 18 Pupils in total, nine from the Academy of Holy Honor and nine from the Academy of Holy Temperance, walking in two distinct queues clad in their respective colors. Their names were not chosen by chance. The One Church spoke of the T.H.V., the Three sets of Holy Virtues: Vigor and Valor, Humility and Honor, Trustfulness and Temperance. It was from those that the three Academies got their names and their colors as well as their creed.

  Once all the guests entered the Great Hall, the drummers ceased and, with the standard banners, stepped aside. Isyd noticed that the troupe contained more than the Pupils, but also a full retinue of servants, valets and stewards to accompany those who were most likely the scions of the most noble families of the Commonwealth. And at the head of the procession now stood their Tutors, facing the Doyen of the Academy. Six of them, three for each of the Academy. When the procession stopped, silence filled the room. Then, suddenly, the Tutors bowed in front of the Doyen.

  The Great Hall erupted with applause and joyful whistles and the brief tension that had filled the room upon their arrival vanished. Isyd glanced to the side to Oliwer, Naeht and Jadwia who were also clapping enthusiastically, enamored by the ceremony. Isyd rolled his eyes and shifted his attention back to this strange feeling he’d noticed when entering the Great Hall. It hadn’t disappeared, but now that he’d simmer in it for longer, Isyd could narrow its origin from where the Tutors stood. Isyd narrowed his eyes and flexed his right hand, feeling an itch run up his skin.

  One of the Tutors of Honor stepped up, and the applause died own. “We salute you, Wiser One, and thank you for your generous welcome!” she said. She had hazelnut hair tied in a severe bun, a sharp nose, bony cheeks and green eyes. “Today, the Academies are once more joined to celebrate the best that the Pwoskian Commonwealth has to offer: its young talents. It is my sincere hope that the Tourney be an opportunity to reaffirm the ties that unite us all in the pursuit of intellectual and Artystic greatness. May the Grace bless us all!”

  She punctuated her last words with a deep courtesy and the crowd applauded her. When it died once more, the Doyen spoke up.

  “It is with great pleasure that we welcome you in our Academy for this great occasion. Every decade, the Tourney is the chance to foster our young generations to their duties as future users of the Holy Arts. It is because we understand that greatness is fostered in an environment that favors it, that we sought to gather here the better prospects of the future Artysta of the Commonwealth. With Honor, with Temperance and with Vigor, it is my hope that this semester will be the opportunity for you to challenge yourself and push yourself to greater heights!”

  The Great Hall erupted in cheers. At the same time, Kazian turned towards the Paramount Ringleaders and gave them a discrete sign to approach. Jonn Drago and S?yem Nifritovna stepped up alongside two of their Ringmates, and following their cue, Isyd did the same with Jadwia and Oliwer. Those two were visibly shaking in their boots with the eyes of the Academy on them, but they followed Isyd dutifully. The nine of them stood in line behind the Tutors, waiting for further instructions.

  “We all will have the occasion to make acquaintance later in the day, so I will use the opportunity of all you gathered here to provide more information regarding the Tourney. The privilege of organizing it rotates between our three Academies and this year the Academy of Holy Vigor welcomes you for this occasion. The Tourney will last until the end of the semester, giving you plenty of time to compete, grow and demonstrate your prowess. It will be structured by three Trials throughout the semester. As you know, each Academy chose nine of its Pupils, three groups of three, to compete. Though they represent their Academies, each group must participate in the contest independently of the other two. I will now ask you to those Pupils to approach.”

  The selected Pupils stepped up under the applause of the crowd. The Tutors withdrew to give them the room in the center of the Great Hall and Isyd’s attention immediately latched on the mysterious structure larger and wider than a man covered in a drape. Now that he looked at it directly, Isyd couldn’t look away; it was as if he was magnetized to it. He was now sure that whatever stood underneath the cloth was the origin of the disturbance he felt upon entering the Great Hall. The twenty-seven Pupils formed a triangle around the structure, one side for each Academy Pupils standing in a line. It was the first time they could face each other, but Isyd couldn’t even focus on the other Pupils or the words of the Doyen absorbed as he was by the silhouette.

  “… as well as personal glory to be gained,” the Doyen was saying. “Do your best. Challenge yourself. God knows that we live in interesting times, and it is my wish that you, proud representants of our future generations, take full measure of that fact. This is why I present you the gift of this Tourney, what will be at the center of its proceedings.”

  He snapped his finger and a precise breeze blew away the drape. All the Pupils gathered around took a step back, except Isyd. They were blinded by the sudden shine. It was as if the origin of rainbows had been captured and was now displayed here in the Great Hall. Murmurs of awe filled the room, even coming from the Tutors. As for Isyd, he was left speechless.

  In front of him stood the largest Blysht he had ever seen in both his lives. Between two and three meters tall and more than a meter wide, the crystal radiated brightly with iridescent light in all directions, Ingraced as it were by the Holy Grace. The Blysht was full of sharp edges and jagged points were it had been cut away from the earth to be brought here.

  More than by its sheer size, Isyd was stunned by what its light meant. To Ingrace such a large Blysht required an absurd amount of Grace. With the usual [Ingracing Spell] it may have taken weeks, if not months! Isyd had never witnessed that much Grace concentrated in physical form.

  “I did not know they made that big…” Naeht muttered in awe, as transfixed by the sight as he was.

  Her words finally managed to snatch Isyd from his stupor and he turned to try to catch Hidrss’s eyes, but without success. He looked back to the Blysht and let out a trembling sigh. He didn’t know what to make of this. On one hand, he was exalted by it. Such a large Ingraced crystal meant that the Blysht Commission had managed to break through the physical limits on its size. This is everything he had hoped for by introducing the Blysht to the world years before it had happened in his previous life. He could only dream of all the other breakthroughs and discoveries they could make with all the resources at their disposal and without the difficulties of war. On the other hand… Isyd flexed his right hand, feeling his skin twitch under his bandages. Having that much Grace concentrated in physical form felt… wrong. Looking at the giant Ingraced Blysht for too long induced a pain in the back of the head and a strange stiffness in the neck. The very air appeared to warp and twist around the edges of the crystal. It was even strange for something so luminous to not give even a little heat. Despite the fascination and awe that the iridescence could invoke, one couldn’t help but be reticent to approach the Blysht.

  “The Blysht is the symbol of the future of the Arts as much as you are Pupils!” the Doyen declared. “I announce here the title of the 1st Trial: Let the Tourney begin! And may the Grace be with you!”