THE ENTRANCE EXAM PART ONE
The white towers of Alfheim shimmered like dreams made of crystal and mist, rising above green hills kissed by starlight, even under the sun. The air was thin here, light and ancient, and the world seemed to hum with sacred silence.
But silence was broken by a sudden splash at the harbor gates.
A small one-man boat, battered and dripping seawater, limped toward the academy's stone docking pier. Standing atop the mast, cloaked and soaked to the bone, was a figure the elves did not expect.
"Is that?" "It must be him." "Late and soaked."
Three tall examiners stood on the pier, their long robes embroidered with golden branches. One of them, a pale-eyed elf with braided hair and clear disdain, stepped forward.
"You are Rain, son of no House, bearer of no lineage, 'the famed elf of Midgard" he said. "You were due at sunrise....It is nearly noon. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Rain stepped off the boat with a squelch of wet boots and nodded, unfazed by their sharp gazes. He was utterly drenched, his cloak clinging to him like second skin, and the smell of sea brine lingered heavily around him.
"I would've been on time," Rain said, rubbing the back of his neck, "but I got caught in a fight."
"A fight?" the examiner narrowed his eyes. "With whom, exactly?"
Rain looked at them seriously. "Between Jörmungandr and a black Knight."
There was a moment of stunned silence. Then all three examiners burst out with scoffs and incredulous laughter.
"You expect us to believe that? There's only one black Knight in Alfheim and he wouldn't be seen walking about the harbor. Most of all the Leviathan wouldn't dare come here." one asked.
"I don't care if you do," Rain shrugged, walking past them.
Before any further protest could be made, a luminous glyph activated behind the examiners. A portal, its crystal ring pulsing with ancient symbols of the. A voice echoed from the glyph itself, emotionless and commanding:
"Candidate Rain, the elf of Midgard. has been authorized to enter the exam since all candidates have not made it through the first stage in over four hours, he may begin entry."
The examiners looked at one another in confusion.
Rain cracked a grin. "Guess someone believes me."
And with that, the drenched warrior stepped into the portal's light.
The treacherous Descent
Rain emerged from the great tree, not like Yggdrasil, but another living colossus whose canopy scraped the clouds. Hanging from its golden-veined branches were hundreds of silken cocoons, shimmering with Uud. Within each one, a soul prepared for trial.
Rain's cocoon unraveled mid-air, and like a falling petal he dropped softly into a strange, otherworldly garden. But this was no ordinary flora, it was a giant's realm, where blades of grass towered like green cathedrals and the scent of pollen was thick and dizzying.
As he gathered his bearings, others began to fall, elves wrapped in light amor, warriors from foreign tribes, even a few human mages. One cocoon landed near him with a gentle thud, unraveling to reveal a young female elf. She was graceful but visibly nervous, her eyes wide with awe....until the horror began again.
From beyond the towering foliage came thunderous steps and then the ground trembled. A colossal fire giant of 30meters lumbered into view, its molten skin hissing as it tore through the jungle of grass, grabbing an unfortunate examinee and devouring them in a single bite. A sickening crunch echoed across the field.
The girl beside Rain dropped to her knees and vomited, eyes hollow with shock. "Why… why would they send us into this?" she stammered, her voice breaking.
Screams rang out across the garden as more giants emerged, each one gorging on the bewildered participants. But in the distance, Rain saw movement in the grass....seasoned examinees crawling low, avoiding notice, making their way toward a gate shaped like a massive lotus bloom at the far edge of the garden.
Rain crouched beside the girl, steadying her. "This isn't a test of strength," he whispered. "It's survival."
Candidate No.388
Back at the harbor, the three elf examiners who had been assigned to escort Rain stood delighting themselves in snacks and joyful laughter, robes slightly singed from some previous chaos.
One of them sipped from a flask and muttered, "Did… did we ever explain the exam parameters to that boy?"
The second blinked, then shrugged. "No, he rushed into the portal. He was late, remember?"
The third yawned. "Ah, he'll figure it out. Or he won't. Either way, I miss grapevine wine. Let's go."
With that, the three strolled off lazily then a knight in black amour came walking from the sea but not a single drop of water was on him, the examiners marveled at the high elf noble 'Mireth Von-Virmethorn'. He took off his black helm and they saw his face.
"Hey am i hallucinating or didn't we just see a face just like this a moment ago" one murmured.
"No way! are you saying he is the archdukes illegitimate son? that's not possible their house is too noble for something like that."
"The Alfheim Academy Entrance Exam, feared across the Nine Realms. A brutal crucible designed not merely to test strength or magic, but the full measure of a warrior's soul. Each candidate is flung into a living illusion: a real and deadly world where examiners hold no sway. No one may interfere. No one may aid. Only by reaching the designated exit can one survive… and pass."
Rain crouched behind a massive grass blade, panting. All around him, other examinees slipped through the towering green like shadows, inching toward a distant exit he couldn't yet see. The screams of unlucky candidates being plucked by fire giants filled the air like echoes of doom.
Beside him, the elven girl was frozen in terror, pale and trembling.
"Hey!" Rain hissed, shaking her by the shoulders. "Snap out of it! What are we actually supposed to do in this damn test?"
She blinked, lips trembling. "Didn't you read the exam manual? The one they sent out… five months ago?"
Rain's mind flashed to a dusty book Enoch had tossed on his bed. "Read this, twice a week." He'd skimmed the first page, then left it somewhere. Maybe the pirates used it for kindling.
"What? Pfft. It must've been eaten by sky sharks," Rain muttered, trying to save face. Please just tell me!"
The girl groaned in disbelief. "Fine! First test is the Jotun Garden, we're in it now. Fire giants everywhere, obviously. Then the Sky Race, you dive from a cliff and ride feathers into a coliseum. Only the first sixteen who make it get into the final stage...the tournament."
Rain nodded slowly, although he'd stopped listening halfway through. His eyes were locked on a fire giant not far off, watching as it plucked another student from the air and bit down with a crunch.
He whispered, "Right! Sooo… don't get eaten. Got it."
Rain crouched, scanning the ground before he began collecting rocks, small, smooth, and just the right weight to throw.
The girl blinked in confusion. "Why are you picking up rocks? The test is about escaping the garden, not fighting!"
Rain didn't look up. "Didn't the manual mention something about special conditions?"
She paused, eyes narrowing as she thought back. "Yeah… it said 'Stage One contains hidden conditions. Fulfilling them will grant benefits of unknown nature.' But nobody's ever figured out what they are in the exams history."
Rain stood up, arms full of stones. "Well, I have! We're supposed to kill all the giants."
"What?" she gasped. "Kill the giants? With rocks?"
But Rain had already turned, walking calmly back toward the massive tree they had all fallen from. He began to climb, silent and swift, until he reached a perch high above the grass. From there, he could see the full layout of the garden, the wandering giants, the scurrying examinees, the distant exit.
Then, one giant dropped dead. Another! And another!
Confused roars echoed across the field as the fire giants whirled around in fury, searching for their hidden assailant. The girl below stared up in awe. How? she thought, watching Rain's deadly precision. The examinees, still hiding or sneaking through the garden, began to take notice. Giants were falling like flies.
But Rain didn't stop. He left one giant alive, stationed near the exit. He didn't want anyone leaving before he did.
Descending down from the tree with calm grace, his eyes already set on the exit. The elven girl followed a few steps behind, eyes wide, her mind spinning. Who is this guy? she wondered. The ease with which he dispatched giants… it was unreal. Only seasoned elves could handle Uud like that...elders of eighty or more. Could he be over a hundred?
"Umm… how old are you?" she asked, then quickly added, "I'm Irene. Just turned forty-three last week."
Rain blinked, holding back a laugh. "Rain," he said. "Sixteen."
Irene stopped walking, nearly stumbling. "Sixteen!?" she gasped. "No way..."
But Rain was already walking again, weaving effortlessly through the towering grass, calm as a passing breeze.
Near the garden's exit, a cluster of examinees huddled behind a thick stalk, watching the last fire giant pace in confusion. It was restless, nervous. Its kin had been picked off one by one by some unseen force, and now it hid, terrified.
Rain stepped out from the grass and walked straight toward it.
"Hey! Are you insane?!" someone whispered harshly. "It'll eat you!"
But Rain didn't respond. He approached with quiet purpose, pulling a stone from his belt. The giant still hadn't noticed him. Rain's hand glowed faintly as he charged Uud into the rock, controlled and precise. Then, with the flick of a wrist.....
Splatt!
The rock hit its mark. The giant's head snapped back violently, then crumpled to the earth. A hush fell across the examinees. They stared, wide-eyed, at the young elf walking through the garden like it was a stroll through a meadow.
"He… he infused Uud into a rock?" someone whispered. "Who is he?"
Irene exhaled in disbelief. "Sixteen… and he just cleared the whole garden by himself…"
Rain didn't look back. The path to the next stage was open—and he had already begun walking it.
High above the garden, inside a marble observatory wreathed with shimmering leaves, examiners gathered around an enormous scrying orb. The vision of a lone elf walking calmly through the aftermath of giant carnage played in eerie silence. A silence broken only by the murmured awe of the examiners.
"His form… that control over Uud," one of the elders whispered, leaning in, "he's a natural."
Another furiously flipped through the roster scroll. "Who is he? Clan name?"
A pause...
Then, "He has no clan. No bloodline! No noble birth! just the name 'Rain'."
Shock rippled through the chamber. "He has no house?" another examiner echoed. "Nobility will riot to adopt him once word spreads. How did someone like this go unnoticed?"
"Never mind that," the head examiner barked. "Initiate the special condition announcement. Now!"
A ripple of runes activated across the garden's sky, and a voice rang out across the entire site, heard by every examinee:
"Candidate No.388 has fulfilled the special conditions of Phase One. He is now exempt from evaluation in the second site regardless of performance in the sky race. However, he must still arrive at the coliseum before the beginning of Stage Three. Rewards for fulfilling the special conditions will be disclosed after passing the exam."
Gasps rang out across the field.
"What?! He fulfilled the hidden condition?"
"Who is this guy!?"
Most weren't angry. In fact, relief set in as one by one the candidates realized they wouldn't have to compete directly with the monster-elf for a place in the tournament.
The crowd began pouring from the garden's exit, now open and clear of threats. What met them beyond it, however, was an endless desert, an ocean of red-gold dunes stretching to the horizon, wind whipping the sand in ghostly trails.
And above, the cliffs they would need to scale… to dive into the sky.
Dunes of Aleckdre
The dry wind whispered across the vast desert, carrying grains of scorched sand like forgotten whispers. Rain stepped steadily, each footfall deliberate, the woven grass cloak draped over his shoulders shielding him only slightly from the oppressive heat. Irene followed behind, clutching her rolled-up grass bundle with growing unease, her boots already sinking slightly with each step.
"Rain," she called, her voice half-lost to the wind, "are you sure about this? The high peaks are that way."
Rain didn't respond immediately. His eyes narrowed as he paused, scanning the golden dunes stretching endlessly ahead. He pressed a hand to his chest and focused. The flow of Uud was still there, deep within him, but it pulsed oddly, distorted, like water rippling across broken glass.
"I can't explain it fully," he finally said, "but something is wrong with the desert. The Uud isn't just thin here. Its converging somewhere into the desert."
Irene's steps slowed. Her mouth went dry, not from the heat, but the weight of his words.
She remembered the stories whispered in Alfheim's quieter circles, the forgotten places, trial fields where the very laws of Uud had been shattered in ages past by unspeakable battles. If this was one of them, then this wasn't just a detour. It was a graveyard of old powers.
Rain suddenly knelt and pressed his palm against the sand. His breath caught. "There's a current beneath the surface," he said, "not water, Uud?! But it's being drawn... somewhere unnatural."
He stood and turned, facing a massive dune. "That direction."
Irene hesitated, her instincts screaming to turn back. Yet something in Rain's composure, his eerie calm despite the environment, the quiet conviction in his eyes compelled her forward.
They crested a dune and paused.
Below them, half-buried in the sand, stood a blackened ruin, twisted stone, rusted gears, and metallic vines. Ancient elven architecture, but unlike anything taught in Irene's studies. A shattered obelisk pulsed faintly with runes that flickered in and out of view like dying fireflies.
"What... is that?" she whispered.
Rain's voice was distant, almost reverent. "A seal. I think it's holding something... or someone."
Before either could move further, the sand below their feet trembled only slightly, like the breath of something massive stirring beneath. Irene stumbled, but Rain grabbed her arm and steadied her. His eyes were now fixed on the ruin.
"They didn't just put this place here for a test," he muttered. "This wasn't meant to be found. It was meant to be forgotten."
He stepped forward.
The Uud in the air twisted suddenly, and both felt a sharp spike in their chests, like their souls were momentarily pulled from alignment. Irene gasped and fell to her knees, clutching her side.
Rain turned quickly and knelt beside her. "You okay?"
She nodded, pale and shaken. "Whatever that is... it doesn't want us near."
Rain's gaze didn't waver. "All the more reason to see it."
And together, the two walked toward the ruin, one led by a disturbance in the world's breath, the other by faith in the boy who walked against the current of fate.
The Fountain of Essomes
Within the heart of the ruin, where jagged stone encircled a sunken courtyard like the ribs of a forgotten beast, a soft trickling echoed. Rain stepped cautiously across the uneven ground, drawn toward the sound. And then he saw it.
A fountain, seemingly untouched by time, stood in the center. Its marble basin was cracked but still held water, clear and luminous, swirling softly as if stirred by an unseen hand. From its center rose a thin stream, glittering under the sun like liquid crystal. Beneath the surface, strange transparent leaves fluttered slowly, like drowned butterflies suspended in glass.
Rain froze.
"Irene, wait"
Too late!
The girl had already dropped her grass bundle and rushed to the fountain, collapsing at its base. She drank greedily, desperate after hours in the searing heat. But the moment the water touched her throat, she recoiled, her body convulsing, her hands clawing at her neck.
"Irene!" Rain knelt beside her, helpless. Her breath came in ragged, choking gasps. Her eyes rolled as if she were drowning from the inside. He looked frantically at the water, realizing the shimmering leaves weren't ordinary—they radiated Uud in dense, undiluted waves.
"She drank raw Uud."
His hands hovered uncertainly over her. He didn't know how to extract it, didn't even know if she would survive.
Then! a voice, calm and radiant, like light made sound.
"Do not be afraid!"
Reality shimmered like a veil torn open.
A figure stepped into view, not from behind or above, but through the very air, as though peeling himself from the folds of space. His presence bent the light around him. Two vast wings composed not of feathers, but pure living Uud unfurled behind him. They shimmered with shifting colors, reflecting emotion, history, memory.
Rain instinctively stepped back. "Who are you?" he demanded, hand reaching toward his side though he had no weapon.
The winged man said nothing. He knelt beside Irene and placed a glowing hand on her chest. For a moment, her body arched and then she gagged violently, spewing water laced with translucent wisps. The choking stopped. Her body stilled. She breathed again.
Only then did the being speak.
"I am a vessel of Uud," he said. "I am not born. I am formed. Fashioned from the wellspring that gave life to all living things. I dwell here to guard what remains hidden."
Rain's jaw tightened. "Why did you help us?"
The being tilted his head, his eyes glowing pools of starlight. "Because you are near the Eye and it sees you."
Rain's brows furrowed. "The Eye?"
The being looked to the fountain. "That is not water....so please do not drink it but rather it is a key to true sight. The flow of what once was, and what could be. Drinking it is death. But to see with it... is to awaken."
He walked to the edge of the basin. "Smear it upon your eyes. Let the Eye judge if you are worthy."
And with that, the figure folded back into the air as if he had never been. Silence returned. Only the faint trickle of the fountain remained.
Rain helped Irene sit up. Her face was pale, her breath trembling. "What… what was that?" she whispered.
Rain didn't answer immediately. He stepped toward the fountain, dipped his fingers into the gleaming water, and slowly touched it to his eyes.
The world blurred and then....it shattered.