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“Then what level is this?” Kali questions.
“Highest tier,” Professor North announces and briefly stares in my direction. “Or based on our example, Level Three.”
“Damn…” Azrael whispers and looks disappointed. “And I was unconscious the majority of it.” He turns his attention to me, then Hades and Asher. “Sorry, guys.”
“Me, too,” Blair speaks up as she stands. “It felt as if I was a sinking void. I tried to get out of it multiple times, but it was so damn hard.”
“Hmph,” Kali grumbles with a sour look. “More like a sinking space of darkness that never wants to let you go.”
“That’s the point,” Professor Blackbird reveals. “We wanted you all to realize how dangerous the element you all have the ability to use and manipulate in your favor really is.”
“What do you mean?” Azrael asks for elaboration.
“Why do you think the element of Darkness is normally deemed ‘evil?’” Professor North counters.
“Because it’s dark?” Azrael offers.
“Cold and Heartless?” Kali mutters.
“Destructive?” Blair offers with a pout of her pink lips.
“I don’t think Darkness is any of those,” I voice, gauging their attention. “I mean, any element can be tainted. Can create a world of chilled misery and heartlessness. Even fire, as scorching as it is, once it’s done burning everything in its path, it leaves what’s left behind with nothing but frost. All because it takes away the very warmth it brought.” I catch the slight uplift of Professor North’s lips.
“Excellent analogy, Miss Guinevere,” he praises. “Every element carries the same qualities you consider evil when it involves the dark element. That proves that all the elements are on the same tier. The only difference is how we, the hosts who can use these elements for good or evil, use them.”
“Which is what these trials are going to teach you,” Professor Blackbird continues. “Darkness can ignite pain in anyone who threatens its boundaries, but it can also deliver a sense of comfort, closure, or immense bliss. It’s up to you, the host, to determine how this specific element can be a source of power or contribute to your demise.”
“That’s why N.M.U. foundation element is the shadows. Why we maintain the literature that centers around dark magic and philosophies. Why we embrace the gothic cultures and try to maintain a dimly lit environment indoors, despite the sunlight outdoors during day classes. We’re shifting your mindset to move away from the ideologies surrounding darkness being something ‘bad’ and embracing it into an energy that can be used for good... in your favor. Or, specifically, in the realms of fae, a form of protection,” Professor North summarizes. “Once you’re able to realize how beneficial the shadows can be, you’ll begin to understand fae are considered the strongest magical race.”
“Not because they are beings who can tap into the pool of infinite mana, like some of us gifted Vipers and Shadows, but because they are taught at birth what we will be teaching all of you throughout your time here in N.M.U.”
“At birth…” Kali whispered.
“The moment a fae is born, they are bathed either in the elemental pool of light or the elemental pool of shadows. The realm they’re born in plays a significant role in that, but they are introduced to either element right there and then. A babe has no fear of anything at birth. The world is infinite, and the power they can grasp is endless. When you’re born to believe you can unlock anything this world and the realms beyond have to offer, where is the weakness?” Professor Blackbird questions as he scans our group.
“If that’s the case, why are there weak fae?” Kali demands. “Or Hybrids that can’t reach those heights? It sounds all phony to me.”
“That’s the problem,” Professor Blackbird replies and taps the side of his temple with his free hand, making me realize he’s still holding my hand after helping me up. “If you, the host, are already limiting your idealizations of what you can achieve in this world, then you’re the key aspect to stopping you from being great.”
“There are plenty of other factors involved,” Professor North notes as he cracks his neck. “But all those are insignificant if you’ve cut all the barriers stopping you from unlocking your true potential. No one is born to immediately become an Olympic athlete or to join the Wicked Trials. Gilded Mergers aren’t simply born. They are bathed and raised no differently from any other baby born into the world. However, the moment they accept their fate and their destinies entwined with their potential Shadow, they unlock their potentials by tapping into infinite power and being the power source for those who wholeheartedly accept and connect with them.”
“When you think about it, power is an exchange,” Professor Blackbird notes. “Whether that’s with the atmosphere that provides us with the essence needed to kindle magic into a physical element or between each other. Regardless, no matter what you tackle in life, it starts with you. Training your body to endure physical challenges demanded in this world of survival. Mental trials you’re put through that can leave emotional turmoil in its wake. Most importantly, it’s your soul that will enable you the sense of freedom needed to be limitless. The moment you’re able to tap into their realm of acceptance, you’ll be dining at the same seats of royal faes who many of us deem as gods and goddesses.”
He lightly squeezes my hand, as if to give me a sense of reassurance, before his chilled hand leaves mine.
“Now that we’ve given you that private lecture, shall we get back to your trials?”
“I have one more question,” Kali speaks up with a stern look. “Why are you giving us special treatment?” He moves his gaze from Professor North to me, then over to Professor Blackbird. “Is it because of Ophelia?
“Yes,” Professor North and Professor Blackbird say in unison.
“You’re doomed, my friend,” Hades notes to Asher, who groans.
“Can you two wait until she graduates before making a move on my Sweet Cruella, or I’ll never stand a chance here!” He points to Azrael. “And you’re at the back of the line.”
“I didn’t even say anything,” Azrael complains.
“She likes you!” Asher huffs and narrows his eyes at his apparent competitor. “She doesn’t know it yet, but the moment she does, I’ll be pushed aside.”
