H e d g e W i z a r d E x a m i n a t i o n
⊰ O p h e l i a Itzal ⊱xxxxx Shadow x D e m o nxxxxxxx A p p l e Dorm x Room T h r e exxxAfter a few moments of scrawling down notes the Exam Proctors looked up at their next examinee. In total there were three Proctors, two of them were elderly and one young and all were males. The one it middle whom seemed to be oldest and the one in charge spoke first in a low tone than had one straining to hear.
"State your name please Miss."
"Ophelia Vel Itzal."
xxxAlso know as THE Royal Princess of Skygge; the world of shadows behind Door Fifty-Seven of the Thousand Doors.. Ophelia had decided in the last moment not to add her smart remark as it would surly cause a deduction in marks. Which would of course give her a lower score than she wanted. At the moment she stood stiffly in the middle of the Exam room in front of a chair that had been provided for Examinees. By standing she showed proper manners which would gain her a tad bit of respect as her Proctors were mostly old folk. And we all know how O l d Folk like there youth to display proper manners! The elder in the middle cleared his throat and began to speak again. Once he finished Ophelia replied promptly.
"Miss Itzal. If you wish to you may sit down, this Exam will take quite some time."
"Sir. Thank you for the offer however it would please me to stand."
"Alright then Miss Itzal. We shall now begin the Hedge Wizard Exam. Task One: Describe and Show your Meditation."
xxxMy meditation?! Well alright. I understand now why they offered to let me sit...Ophelia took a one long deep breath and trained her eyes on the blank spot on the wall behind the Proctors. She started by taking taking three deep breaths over the course of fifteen seconds while also slowly placing her arms flat on the side of her thighs. "I begin my mediation by taking three deep breaths and focusing on a blank space. After my deep breaths I continue to breath actively and let my thoughts drift away until the only thing left is the blank space." she said firmly letting her thoughts drift off. Since she had already done her daily meditation earlier that morning she wouldn't fully let herself go as that would eat up a lot of her time. For all she knew this was a timed exam and she could get dinged for taking to long.
"Once my only focus is the blank space I picture a seed containing my power. Slowly I add more focus into 'watering' this seed as my power begins to grow. With every breath I breath, the seed evolves and strengthens. Until finally it is something brilliant and alive." She continued with a hint of enthusiasm in her voice. Every time she meditated she would picture a different image such as an egg growing in a chicken or a an embryo growing into a human. "Now when my focus has turned the seed into a flower shinning elegantly with power I take one deep breath and slowly let the flower die. Letting each petal fall one by one, until they have all fallen from the flower and the stalk has withered. I take another deep breath and let the flower turn into dust. This symbolizes me releasing my focus and letting my power get it's 'Morning Exercise'. I let the wind whisk the dust away and thus ending my mediation." As she finished describing her meditation she smiled feeling refreshed, everything was sharp and vibrant which was a very pleasant feeling. I don't know if that was what they wanted though surly anything one says will please them to some extent..
xxxIt was several minutes after Ophelia had finished speaking that the proctors finally looked up from their paperwork to address her. When one of them started speaking she found that she couldn't hear them because she had been expecting the man in the middle to do so. It caught her of guard for a moment but she quickly shifted her gaze to the other old man who was now speaking to her. Between the first man that spoke and this one it was easy to who was younger, though not by much. The youngest man had yet to speak up or even note her existence. He simply looked now at his paperwork, every so often scribbling something down. It was strange but maybe he would ask her something else later on in the Exam.
"Thank you Miss Itzal. Your second task will to show us your Aura through mediation. You may begin."
xxxMy Aura... I have never even seen my own Aura and they expect me to show them... Ophelia was unsure at first in how she should proceed but decided she would see what happened when she was in meditation. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and began to clear her mind. Soon her breathing became focused and her body started to relax. Slowly everything around her faded away and was replaced by a vast white expanse. She looked around and found that in this space there was nothing but endless white, except for her that is. Where am I? Is this where I find my Aura? How can I find something when there is nothing here?
Letting out a sigh Ophelia took a step forward and another and then another until she was brisk pace. As she continued on she still saw nothing but white until she didn't. Seeing a small black dot in the distance gave her some hope. Though her pace was quite fast she did not seem to be getting far so she decided to break into a light run. The black dot grew bigger as she got closer, soon she saw that it was not a dot but a square, then not a square but a rectangle. It was not until she finally reached it that she realized it was a door about as tall as she was. It was very old, yet solid as was the construction in the old days. She reached out and took hold of the shiny golden knob and gave it a twist. At first the door didn't budge but when she slightly leaned into it it hesitantly gave way. Beyond the door was more white, but this time there was something else. That something else being a her own shadow stretched out in front of her. But it didn't feel normal to her, it felt off. It was dark almost black and was almost moving. Maybe quivering or shaking? What is this?
"What are you doing over there? You should be behind me! Wait... Are you here to help me find my Aura?"
xxxThe shadow replied with a loud screech that made Ophelia cover her ears and close her eyes. It was painful at first and lasted for twenty seconds, when it did finally stop it was quite abrupt. She opened her eyes to look at it and was shocked at what she saw. She was no longer in the white land but in the Examination room where her Proctors just stared at her. The two elder of the three began to whispered to each other when she finally opened her eyes while the younger just stared at her with widened eyes. Before she hadn't really taken a good look at him but now she did. He was quite handsome and only looked to be in his thirties. Instead of being able to examine him further the eldest man began to speak to her. So she shifted her attention fully on him as he seemed to be the lead proctor.
"Miss Itzal please tell us what you saw."
"I saw my Shadow."
"What color was your Shadow? Miss Itzal?"
"Sir. It was quite black."
"Thank you Miss Itzal We will now move onto the last portion of the Exam."
"Tell us your element and how you used it for the first time."
xxxOphelia knew that she wouldn't be able to remember the very first time she used her power as it would have been while she was still in the womb or while she was of a very young age. All people of Skygge had the power to control shadows from the moment they were born. It was in their blood or to be technically correct their DNA. Even if she didn't she did however remember the first time she used them after having had her Eldest Brother The King of Skygge strip her of them. It was long after coming here, to the Academy and spending weeks locked up in her dorm room. A staff member finally had enough of her skipping classes and forced themselves into her room. They told her she was wasting her gift and that she was weak. She proved them wrong and continues to do so.
"My element is Darkness but to be more specific Shadow Manipulation. It is the only element I can control. In my life before coming here I had been at Master at my craft. However after some unfortunate circumstances I was stripped of them and placed at square one. So I can not in all truth tell you the first time I 'discovered' or used my powers as it would have been soon after I was born."
"Thank you Miss Itzal you may leave now. Your results will be posted. "
"Sir, You did not let me finish. This first time I used my powers after having them reduced to that of a new born was after coming here to this Academy. It was when a teacher confronted me and they told me that I was wasting my power by not using it. They told me I was weak. I proved them wrong then and I do so everyday when I wake up. I use the gift I was given even though it isn't as strong as it once was. I will grow here just watch. Thank you for your time gentlemen."
xxxOnce Ophelia had finished speaking she gave her proctors a bow and left the room without delay. The two elders just stared at her while the younger one smiled down at his papers. It was more of a grin that made her wonder just what he was thinking. But that didn't really matter so long as it was that she had certainly past and made a deep impression on them all. She too decided to grin at how she thought she did. It wasn't perfect but she figured it would definitely do.
Door Fifty Seven - Skygge Ophelia's Home World