The next morning, Ester and Saphy were woken by a sharp knock at their door.
Ester's eyes flew open, a gasp escaping before she could stop it. Above her, Saphy only grumbled, shifting around on the top bunk as she buried her face deeper into her pillow. Through the curtains, Ester could just make out the warm golden glow of the morning sun creeping into their room.
The knock came again, louder this time.
"Y-Yes?" Ester sputtered.
Ester heard Saphy smack herself in the face with her pillow.
"...Please get dressed into your training outfits and head to the dining hall for morning meals," a muffled woman's voice answered from the other side. "Tardiness means you will go without food until later in the day."
The moment the woman finished, Saphy bolted upright.
She rolled off the top bunk and wandered over to the wardrobe, rubbing one eye as she searched for her HoS training uniform.
"So...sleepy…" she yawned. "But...Breakfast..."
She glanced back at the bunk bed when she noticed Ester hadn't moved.
"...Ester?"
Letting out a quiet sigh when she heard no reply, she walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Come on… get up."
Ester reluctantly turned towards her. It felt as though every ounce of strength had left her.
"I'm sorry...I'm just..." She said quietly. "These trials…. W-what if we…" She grimaced. "What if theydon't go well? What if I make a mistake? What if they reveal what I'd done?" Her mind raced. The same fears that haunted her throughout the night refused to let go.
"What if..."
"Ester.."
Ester's voice faltered. Saphy lowered herself beside her reaching for her arm.
"None of that's happened yet."
"But-"
"No 'buts'. You're panicking and we're only supposed to be going to breakfast."
Ester pursed her lips as Saphy looked out the window. They could faintly hear shuffling and whispers from the corridors now.
"Why worry about things that haven't happened yet?" She said.
"...I can't help it."
She felt Saphy squeeze her arm. "You can. Because I'll be right there with you."
There was something pained in Saphy's expression, yet there wasn't a hint of doubt in her voice. She meant every word.
She took a slow breath, letting Saphy's words settle in her mind.
Why worry?
She finally climbed out of bed, earning a delighted smile from Saphy before letting out a long stretch.
The two of them got dressed before following the other Starless towards the dining hall.
Even though everyone still looked half asleep from the early wake up, there was an unmistakeable anticipation hanging in the air.
Before they had even found somewhere to sit, Kris spotted them, pointing them out to Ezekiel.
He waved them over while Kris lazily raised a hand in greeting, a candied stick already hanging from the corner of his mouth. Ester was beginning to wonder if Kris possessed some strange ability to magically produce candied sticks whenever he wanted. Saphy looked as though she was thinking something similar.
Arthur and Se'raf had been invited over by Gideon, the bald headed boy from Ester's training group, and another girl Ester hadn't met before. Though they had looked reluctant at first, the conversation seemed to have won them over.
"I wish Se'raf would eat in front of us…" Saphy sighed.
Kris glanced at her.
"Didn't you ask them that yesterday after the fight?"
She nodded.
"I know they took food back after the banquet…" she murmured, "I just…"
She looked at Se'raf's mask again.
"...I hope they aren't always alone when they eat."
The dining hall buzzed with conversation as maids came around, distributing steaming bowls of porridge.
"...Elijah said he could beat Lin Hua?" Ezekiel scoffed through a mouthful of food. "I'm going to choke…"
Kris yawned.
"That's what he said…"
"He is pretty powerful." Saphy admitted.
Ezekiel snorted.
His eyes drifted toward Ester, who barely touched her food.
"...What about you Ester?"
Ester looked up.
"Um...what?"
"...You feeling okay?" he asked between bites.
"….I'm not sure…"
She forced herself to smile.
"I guess I'm still tired."
Ezekiel stared at her for another few seconds, still chewing, inspecting her as if could see through her.
Then he simply shrugged.
His attention shifted back towards Arthur and Se'raf, who were now laughing about something Gideon had said. He clicked his tongue muttering something about Handsome idiot in Geneevan.
Once they had finished, the Starless were directed outside, where Markos, Burnad and Lillia stood waiting on the training grounds. Ester thought she was imagining it when Instructor Lillia smiled at her.
"Good morning, Starless!" Markos beamed, looking far too cheerful. "I hope you're all properly rested?"
No one bothered to reply.
"...Right." He sighed. "...For the next few days, you'll be learning the fundamentals of Flo manipulation… getting used to the sensation and everything that comes with it." He paused. "But before any of that, we need to determine your Path."
He stepped aside.
Lillia produced a small circular object no larger than the palm of her hand.
"This is a Pathfinding tool."
She held it up for everyone to see. Three gems were set into its face. Two larger ones positioned at the top, and one smaller gem sitting at the lower right. It was a bronze colour.
"When a Synchrite holds it, the gems respond to their Flo signature. The colours and intensity tell us whether you are an Internal or External Flo manipulator." Markos looked around at them. "I'd like each of you to hold it one by one."
"Pure Synchrites," Burnad added gruffly. "already have a natural understanding of their path, so they're exempt."
Lillia smiled at the group.
"Who would like to go first?"
The Starless split into two groups, Awakened Synchrites and Pure Synchrites. Se'raf and Ezekiel shuffled to the Pure Synch side whilst Saphy, Kris, Arthur and Ester remained in the awakened side.
A blond haired boy was the first to raise his hand, beating several others to it. He stepped forward and accepted the Pathfinding tool.
The three instructors gathered around him, watching the gems intently.
"External Manipulation…" Lillia nodded with a smile. "A strong affinity, too."
One by one, the awakened Synchrites came forward to be assessed.
Each time someone touched the tool, the gems shifted in colour, revealing how naturally their Flo aligned with each Path. Most had one strong affinity and another far weaker one. Some could potentially learn both, though one path was more natural than the other.
The results varied wildly.
Next was Kris.
Burnad immediately frowned.
"...What's that in your mouth?"
Kris ignored the question, taking the tool with his free hand.
The gems flickered before settling.
"A strong Internal Manipulator…" Lillia said. She tilted her head ever so slightly. "...And it seems you possess the potential to awaken a unique skill."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the Starless. From ooos to Seriously?
However, Kris looked completely unimpressed, as though it was exactly what he had expected.
The next person up was Saphy.
She squeezed Ester's hand before stepping forward, nervously fidgeting all the way to the instructors.
The moment the tool touched her palm, both gems lit up brightly.
Immensely.
More so than almost anyone else's.
Ester caught the instructors exchanging glances before looking back at the tool.
Usually, a gifted Synchrite was naturally suited to one Path while only moderately compatible with the other.
"...Remarkable." Lillia murmured.
She looked up at Saphy with warm, wide eyes.
"You have a strong affinity for both paths"
Saphy just blinked whilst the rest of the Starless fell silent.
She looked between the instructors, completely speechless.
Ester couldn't help but smile. Somehow, the news wasn't so much a shock to her.
When Ester's name was called, she felt her stomach tighten. Like she'd forgotten how to breathe. She stepped forward on stiff legs until she stood before the instructors.
The bronze tool rested in Lillia's hands as she urged Ester to hold it with a warm smile.
As soon as Ester wrapped her fingers around it, the tool gave a faint hum.
The left gem slowly glowed into a bright green whilst the right darkened into a deep red. A heartbeat later, the smallest gem shone brightly.
"...Hm."
Lillia, leaned in, studying the tool more closely.