Page 259 of The Wishing Game

"Aside from a strong character, we also look for strong spiritual ability, which is why the first test is designed to measure your spiritual ability."

Holding out her hand, she materializes a white sphere the size of her palm. The sphere rotates in her hand, slowly floating in the air until it's above our heads.

I tilt my head back, watching it slither through the lines of participants until it reaches the first line, hovering over the first girl.

"This is the Elegian Sphere. It's empty inside save for particles of chaos that bind onto spiritual power. Depending on the level of spiritual energy, the particles will change color," the high priestess continues. "To establish your level, each one of you shall touch the sphere," she says as she gracefully steps off the ledge. She drifts to the ground, seemingly walking on clouds as she comes closer to us.

The white of our dresses in the inside quadrant is surrounded by the black of the priestesses' garb as they converge around us. The high priestess is a dot of color as she steps forward, infiltrating the tightly formed group, becoming the nucleus.

"There are five broad levels," she speaks as she walks farther into the middle of the crowd. "The first one is the bottom one, wherein the sphere will remain white. That means you have little to no spiritual power, and you will be asked to leave the premises immediately. If the sphere turns blue, then you are a first level—not bad, but not great either. You will also be asked to leave, cultivate more, and return in future years." She pauses. "Contrary to popular belief, spiritual powercanbe enhanced by up to fifty percent the amount you were born with. If you have blue at this time, you can cultivate and level up in time." She smiles—the first time I've seen her do so—as she meets the gazes of some hopeful participants. She nods at them, giving them a little boost of confidence.

"For the third level, the sphere will turn yellow. That means you have a good amount of spiritual ability—but still not enough. Just like blue, you will be asked to leave the premises and cultivate more. And that brings me to the last two levels—black and red. If the sphere turns black, you have a very good spiritual ability. You have likely trained for many years before you have come here, or you may have even failed before and tried harder. We do not judge those who've been turned away before. In fact, we value the perseverance, and if you did improve, that will be noted. The black level is allowed to remain and will pass to the next round.

"There is one last level—the best one. If the sphere turns red, then you have the best level of spiritual ability. You will, of course, advance to the next round."

Whispers ripple among the participants.

She pauses.

"You are probably wondering if black will be at a disadvantage compared to red in the subsequent rounds. The answer is no, for the simple reason that red is exceedingly rare. I have not encountered a red candidate in..." she trails off, pensive. "My, I don't believe I'veeverencountered one." She chuckles. "In fact, working toward the red level will be part of your priestess training."

The girls bubble with excitement when they hear that—after all, it's one of the reasons they want to become priestesses. Red should be the equivalent of a Supreme in spiritual power if it's so rare, and as such, put them onto the path of becoming a Supreme in the future. That makes me wonder what color Ze would be. With his power, I have no doubt he would be an instant red. Hadn't Thea mentioned he is being considered for a Supreme position?

"What if thereis"A red?" Wyn stuns everyone by taking a step out of the line, directly questioning the high priestess. "Will she automatically become a priestess?"

The high priestess raises a brow at her.

"What is your name, child?" the high priestess asks as she comes closer.

"Arwyn," she replies confidently, looking straight into the high priestess's eyes.

"How old are you, Arwyn?"

"Three thousand years old." She pushes her chin up.

"A young adult, I see." She smiles. "Hopeful. Maybetoohopeful." She laughs. Turning with her back to Wyn, she addresses the others. "Arrogance is not something we welcome at the temple. Andyouthis no excuse for it," she adds, her voice cutting just as her features morph into a scowl. "Arrogance breeds recklessness, and recklessness breeds disaster. The temple is herebecausewe have been steady in our devotion."

Silence envelops the courtyard.

"The sphere will now decide who leaves and who goes on to the next round." Glancing back at Wyn, she adds in a low voice, "And it might also give some a lesson in humility."

Wyn's lips flatten as she moves back into the line, her body tense. I reach out and pat her on the back, a small comforting gesture. She looks startled by it, but she musters a small smile as she inclines her head.

The sphere descends to the waiting hands of the first girl in line number one. Her palms are wide open, curving to the sides of the sphere. Her fingers press to the surface of the object as she stares at it intently, waiting for the color to change.

Seconds pass and nothing happens.

"That is enough," the high priestess intervenes. "Unfortunately, your level is white. Please pass it to the next person."

The sphere floats out of the girl's hands and into the next person's. Dejected, the girl takes a step back as one of the other priestesses comes to escort her to the exit.

As the next girl touches the sphere, it turns blue, eliminating her from this round too. The sphere continues to travel through the rest of the line, with most getting yellow, a few blue and white, and only a handful of blacks. The second line goes more or less the same, and it looks like there will not be too many people participating in the second test. Around two to three people per line get the black level. The most common level is yellow, which means they have a good level, but they aren't quite there. Still, with enough training, they will be able to return as blacks in the future.

The sphere passes from hand to hand until our row is next.

Wyn is still tense from her interaction with the high priestess, her expression a mix of confidence and rebellion. And when the sphere floats into her hands, she grips it tightly, her eyes fixed on it. Mine are too, my heart beating loudly in my chest as I hope she'll get black to pass to the next round.

Seconds trickle by.

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