The Headmistress didn't blink. "Protection isn't given, Lucien. It's earned."
Lucien's grip on me tightened.
"She's marked. That should be enough."
"For now," she said. "But the mark only delays what must be tested."
She flicked her fingers, and the floor beneath us shifted—stone giving way to mist, mist becoming glass.
And then we were falling.
No scream came out of my mouth.
We landed in a wide, circular room lit by an eerie silver flame. Symbols pulsed along the walls—ancient, alive.
I stumbled, catching myself just before hitting the ground.
"What is this place?" I asked.
Lucien didn't answer.
The Headmistress appeared in the center of the room, untouched by the descent. "Trial Room One. Every new celestial undergoes it."
"I'm not—"
"You are something," she interrupted coldly. "And this place will reveal it."
Lucien stepped forward. "This is reckless. She hasn't adjusted—"
"She doesn't have time," the Headmistress snapped. "The Veil is thinning. Her presence is already disrupting the balance."
Then, to me: "Step into the circle, Seraphina."
I looked to Lucien.
He didn't move. Didn't speak.
That told me everything.
I walked forward, my heart pounding.
The second my foot touched the glowing circle, the air screamed. The flame flared higher. Symbols on the walls surged with energy.
Then—darkness.
And a voice inside my mind:
> "Reveal yourself… or be consumed."
The ground cracked beneath me. Chains of light slithered toward my feet, ready to bind or bless.
Pain bloomed in my chest—right where Lucien marked me.
But this time… the fire didn't burn.
It roared.
Wings erupted from my back—not feathered. Not demonic. Something in between. Celestial chaos.
The circle shattered.
The flames bowed.
And when I looked up, the Headmistress was watching with something terrifying in her eyes.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"Impossible," she whispered.
Lucien stepped beside me, shielding me.
"What did you see?" he asked her.
She didn't answer.
But I did.
"My name is Seraphina Vale," I said.
"And I think I just broke your Trial Room."
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