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Whatever. Don’t let it throw you off your game, Aria. And if you get a chance, kick Merrick’s ass.
Facing the swirling portal, I closed my eyes and stepped through.
There was no forward thrust or tumbling motion like when I’d arrived at the school, and I found my footing much faster than I had the first time I’d traveled by portal.
Opening my eyes, I glanced around at my new surroundings.
So this is the godly realm, huh?
The only thing I’d been able to find out about this place was that there was a lot more magic here than on earth.
And as it turned out, everyone I had overheard talk about the magical surge was right. I could feel the intensity and buzz of my power coursing through my veins. It felt like someone had given me a booster shot and jumpstarted my magic, and a little thrill of excitement went through me as I waggled my fingers.
But I was also certain that with increased magic came increased threats, a power that I hadn’t seen on earth before.
The other challengers were gathered around in a rough circle—we’d all arrived in the same configuration we had been standing in back on earth. Each of us glanced around at the thick, lush jungle in front of us. The colors were so vibrant that it almost hurt my eyes, and everything seemed to be alive and moving. There were sounds of animals I had never heard before, and up above, the sky swirled with wild shades of purples, blues, and oranges.
I closed my eyes again and centered myself, reminding myself that I had to keep my focus.
A thunderous roar broke out, moving across the still waves of air. A loud, booming voice followed. It was Dean Frost, her words magically projected across dimensions.
“Welcome to the Gods’ Challenge. You are the ones who have surpassed all expectations and won the right to compete for the honor of meeting the gods themselves. You did well in the initial challenge, combining your skill and intellect to win the game.”
Across from me, Trace’s lips tilted into a self-satisfied smile, and it took extreme effort to yank my attention away from him and focus on the dean’s words.
“But beware,” she continued, “from here on out, it will take much more to succeed than what you’ve been taught in class. Your goal is to collect an object, a bright and sparkling gem. There is only one gem in the course. This semester’s course is the wild jungle of the gods. Whoever reaches the gem first will be the winner. Remember, you are not only competing against the trials, tests, and dangers of the gods’ jungle, but against each other as well.”
Each of us looked down the line at the other contestants. Friend or foe, everyone was competition.
“However, you are not being led blindly into this jungle.” Dean Frost’s voice boomed overhead, seeming to fill the entire sky. “The gods are just and fair. They have placed clues throughout the jungle course to help lead you toward the gem. Also hidden throughout are supplies, weapons, and other important items and spells that you may need to fight off the dangers of the world in front of you. We wish you good luck and hope to see you on the other side. As the magical community’s saying goes, mageía mésa, ísos se óli, ‘Magic Within, Might Throughout.’”
The dean’s voice dropped away, and the sky’s colors began to swirl wildly before flashing so brightly we all covered our eyes.
When the blinding light dissipated, we stood surrounded by the jungle, our portals gone, nothing but the sounds around us and the magic bubbling inside of us.
This was it. The students and professors back at school—hell, the entire magical community—would still be able to track our progress, but as far as we were concerned, we’d been completely cut off, left alone in the godly realm to face the dangers that awaited us.
My pulse surged, blood rushing through my veins as anticipation filled me. My entire body felt spring-loaded, tense and alert.
Like in the fight ring, it was just me against my opponents.
The only difference here was that my “opponents” could be anything.
It could be the grass beneath my feet, the tree limbs that swayed back and forth in the warm breeze—and it most definitely included the nine other challengers arrayed around the small clearing with me.
The game was on.
And I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.
Chapter Ten
An electric, anticipatory energy hovered on the air. I could feel it all around me, seeming to suck up all the oxygen in this strange place. It wasn’t just my nervousness; it was the anxiety of every single one of the contestants down the row.
For a moment, everything was calm.
Quiet.
But it didn’t stay that way for long.
