Smoke still clung to the edges of Maelra's cloak as she reached the ridge, the last incline that overlooked the village once known as Elderrest. From here, it looked like a pit of smoldering ash, roofs caved in, fields blackened, bodies unrecognizable. Even the well had collapsed, its stone mouth cracked like a wound.
She didn't stop moving.
Ahead of her, flickering light marking the presence of the Arcane. Hooded figures moved with deliberate speed, forming a half-circle around a portal that churned with dusky mist. Their magic kept it open, but barely. It pulsed with unstable energy, time thinning at it's edges.
One by one, they vanished into it.
Maelra approached in silence, her face unreadable. Her boots sank into the damp earth, each step leaving a mark she didn't bother looking back on. The air smelled of soot, blood, and the heavy perfume of sorcery.
A high-ranking Arcane stood to the side, taller than the others, their robes embroidered in layered runes that shimmered faintly with restrained power. They didn't speak as Maelra stopped before them.
Instead, they held out a folded robe a shade of dark blue. Lined with silver thread. Markings along the hem danced with glyphs too old to translate.
"Cover your face."
The words were precise. Cold. But layered beneath them was meaning Maelra didn't miss.
This was not a question. Nor was it mere protocol.
She took the robe. It was heavier than it looked.
No praise. No acknowledgment. But she understood. She had passed.
The village was gone. The trial complete.
She turned to follow the others. The robe now cloaked her form, the hood casting shadows across her sharp features. The fire behind her roared louder now, as if trying to claw her back.
She paused.
From the hill's edge, she could see everything. The path she used to walk. The well where she lingered too long. Corin's old shop made rubble now. The shadows of what used to be children's laughter.
It looked like hell.
Her grip tightened around the edge of the hood.
"Maelra."
A voice snapped her from the moment. Another Arcane, young but already losing the softness of youth reached out to her. Urgency in their tone.
"We need to go. Now."
She turned without another glance.
And stepped into the shadowy portal.