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“Oh gods, Aria! They called us out of class this morning to watch the finale—well, those of us with good enough grades, anyway. We all got to watch the moment when you grabbed the gem. I’ve been watching bits and pieces when I can, but I want to know everything! Everything about it.”
Normally, I would’ve pulled away from her affectionate assault, but I was too tired to resist at the moment. At least, that’s what I told myself as I wrapped my arms around her and rested my head on her shoulder. Maybe I just needed the contact to stay grounded.
I felt strange, ephemeral almost. Like I might vanish or float away at any moment.
When she finally drew back, she bit her lip. “How do you feel? I can’t believe you won!”
I looked around the dorm room, trying to come up with the right words. “It feels… strange to be back here. I’ve spent as much time at this academy as I did in the godly realm, but it’s like I can barely remember this place. The magic in that other plane is so strong, it almost knocked me off my feet at first.”
I’d hardly realized it at the time, but the magic inside me had seemed heightened while I was in the godly realm, as if the power pulsing all around me in that world had given me a boost of strength and power.
“Wow.” Eden’s eyes widened, and she took another step back to run her gaze up and down my body like she was trying to determine if my magical aura glowed brighter than it had before.
I glanced down at my own arms. Now that I spent almost all of my time around mages, I barely noticed the slight glow of magic around them.
Was mine brighter? Had I actually become more magical while I’d been in the godly realm? I knew I’d improved my skills, but I hadn’t ever considered the possibility that my magic itself had grown in strength. Was that even possible?
Before I could say anything else, the sound of the dean’s voice echoed through the school, magically amplified to reach every room, even in our dorm rooms.
“Good afternoon, Magic Blessed students. As most of you are aware, the Gods’ Challenge was completed this morning. The award ceremony will commence shortly, so please make your way to the auditorium.”
I wrinkled my nose, slipping on my boots. “Ugh. I hope this isn’t some huge, drawn out thing.”
Eden grabbed my arm as we left the room, slipping her arm through mine, and I smiled genuinely as I looked down at her. It was nice to see her face. I had missed her more than I’d thought I would. Or maybe I just missed having things and people around who weren’t trying to kill me.
As we threaded our way through the maze of hallways to the auditorium, I tried to describe some of what I’d been through in the past month to Eden, but my words kept getting jumbled up.
“It’s a completely different world,” I said finally. “Monsters, lakes of fire, killer spiders. I almost fucking died on a daily basis. Is meeting the gods really that worth it? I don’t get it. The whole thing was so… weird. I’m not really sure how to feel about it.”
Eden held my arm tightly, her excitement dimming just a little as she realized I wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as she was.
We walked into the auditorium, and everyone looked up as we entered.
One of the admins caught Eden by the free arm and pointed her toward the seating banks, then told me to go up onto the large stage. There was only one podium on it, placed in the center of the large space, and a surge of guilt rose in me as I looked at it.
The dean met me at the bottom of the stairs, her face placid and serene as she led me up. “Don’t be nervous. You don’t have to talk, just stand right there on the podium and I’ll do the rest.”
I did as she asked, stepping up on the podium. I felt like a fraud somehow in my fresh clothes and clean-smelling hair. The dean put up her hands, and the chattering crowd began to quiet.
“Welcome to the Gods’ Challenge closing ceremony. We will look back at the bright and shining moments of the challenge over the last month. We will see what made Aria the true winner of this event.” Her voice grew somber. “And we will pay homage to those who did not return. May the gods bless their souls.”
The gathered students murmured quietly, repeating the words back to her, and I had to swallow hard as bile worked its way up my throat.
As I stood awkwardly on the stage, hating every minute of my time in the spotlight, footage played on a magically erected screen behind me. It showed highlights of the fights, footage of the guys, footage of all of us making our way toward the gem.
I only watched for a little while, and then blocked it out, not wanting to relive it again.
Once was enough for me.
Once was all some of us had.
When all of that was done, the dean picked up a rectangular velvet box and opened it, pulling a golden medal from inside. It was inscribed with the words mageía mésa, ísos se óli, and it gleamed in the light.
“This is one of the highest honors in the magical community. Aria, today we crown you the winner of the Gods’ Challenge.”
Nearly everyone in the audience cheered, although I noticed a few students here and there standing with their arms crossed, as if refusing to celebrate my victory. My attention flicked from them to Dean Frost, wondering if she noticed. Her gaze swept the crowd, but if she noticed the silent students, she gave no indication.
As several other administrators stepped forward to shake my hand, I glanced back out into the audience again, barely hearing the words of congratulations.
