The courtyard where Mira stood was chillier than the bustle of the Ascension plaza, its high stone walls absorbing the cold dawn light. A few scattered onlookers watched in silence, their faced etched with pity or indifference.
Mira's small hand trembled as she lifted it toward the Resonance Pillar. The ancient stone was smooth and cold against her palm, its runes faintly glowing like whispered secrets.
She closed her eyes and tried to summon the same hope she'd seen in Rook earlier. She imagined the rune glowing bright on her skin, the future unfolding with promise.
But when she opened her eyes, the stone's glow dimmed and then vanished altogether.
A cold hush swept over the courtyard
The examiner, a stern man with graying temples, looked down at his tablet and shook his head slowly.
"No resonance detected. You are Cleansed."
The word landed like a blow. Cleansed. A final sentence, a door slammed shut. No academy. No ascension. No hope.
Mira's throat tightened as she glanced toward the towering spires of the Thalspire homes to the Empires magical elite. Those born with glowing runes were welcomed inside, trained, elevated. Those without were left to sink.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, blinking back tears. The guards moved to usher her away, their expressions unreadable.
Her eyes searched the crowd, hoping for one face, Rook's. He had promised he'd protect her. But today, she felt the cruel weight of separation.
As the stone walls closed around her, Mira's steps faltered, and a cold loneliness wrapped around her like a shroud.
The guards' footsteps echoed behind her as Mira retreated from the courtyard, the noise growing faint but never fully fading. The cold wind tugged at her thin coat, carrying whispers of the city's cruelty.
She paused beneath a rusted awning, the weight of the word "Cleansed" pressing down on her chest. Around her, Blackgate stirred to life, vendors shouting over cracked stalls, children darting through the allies, and smoking rising from the hearths.
Mira hugged herself tighter, feeling the sharp sting of tears but refusing to let them fall. If she showed weakness, the city would swallow her whole.
Her eyes flicked to a cracked wall, where graffiti read, "Survive or disappear." She repeated the words to herself like a mantra.
Somewhere, in the distance, she imagined Rook standing tall, his fractured rune still glowing faintly, a beacon she could count on.
She took a tentative step forward.
The streets were merciless. But Mira was determined to be harder.
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