Emily followed the group of newcomers down a long corridor, the walls seeming grim even under the dim yellow light. Wooden doors with iron numbers opened one by one, and the candidates were assigned to rooms. Those who entered first had no idea what awaited them.
Her room was at the end of the corridor. Inside, there was a dim atmosphere: dark walls, heavy curtains, and instead of four beds, there was only one, under a heavy canopy. The rest of the space was filled only with thin mats on the floor.
The girl who entered first clearly wasn't slacking, as she jumped onto the bed and sat cross-legged. She looked like she could kill with a single glance. Her black hair, with a barely noticeable bluish tint, cascaded in waves, and her eyes—deep, almost black—radiated cold indifference. She was dressed in tight leather pants and a loose black shirt, only half-buttoned.
"This bed is mine," she said, not even looking at the newcomers. "You sleep on the floor. Anyone who disagrees should think carefully about whether they want to fight me. My name is Odette Lacroix."
Emily felt a surge of protest within her, but stopped herself, realizing it would be unwise to act out until she figured things out. Wait, was she planning to settle in here? No, just find a way home, she reminded herself! She already missed the routine of her privileged life and even her boring pretty boy in a suit, Grant.
One of the girls in the room was the same blonde she had sat with earlier, and she introduced herself as Charlotte. Her hair shimmered in the dimness, and her skin seemed almost translucent. She didn't argue with the "queen of the room," merely sitting down on the edge of her mattress. She didn't look aggressive, but it was clear she wasn't simple. Emily realized that she couldn't help glancing at her from time to time.
The last girl, Ines, on the other hand, seemed like she had stumbled in here by accident. She was short, slender, with dark hair braided simply. Her clothes—coarse woolen skirt and faded sweater—betrayed her rural origins. Clearly, a potential victim.
"The village always smells like manure," the brunette muttered, not even raising her head.
The girl flushed and pressed her lips together but remained silent. Emily felt an internal discomfort. She had never been one to mock poverty. But now, she was the subject of others' attention—her clothes stood out too much compared to the rest.
"And what about you, escaped from the circus?" the "queen" smiled, eyeing her. "Or maybe from some themed brothel?"
Ines chuckled, but Charlotte didn't laugh. On the contrary, she looked closely at Emily, as if trying to discern something.
Emily barely held herself back. Hunter's voice echoed in her ears: "Don't say where you're from if you want to survive."
She swallowed and, instead of answering, just sat on her mat.
"I heard," Charlotte said quietly, tilting her head to the side, "we'll be forced to choose the best of our most disgusting desires. Whoever makes a mistake will lose their magic, and worse, their chance to stay here..."
She suddenly fell silent, as if she had said something she shouldn't have.
It wasn't missed by Emily or Odette.
"This means we'll be forced to... well, you know..." the brunette smiled, her voice softening almost tenderly. "Some say, after that, they come out... ruined. Or at least with their... hm... ruined. At best."
She glanced at the peasant girl, waiting for a reaction.
Ines, the Breton girl flushed.
"I heard you can lose your mind, too. One girl from a nearby village saw herself in a mirror, on top of a man, and behind her, a werewolf was standing. After the trials, she went to a convent," the Breton girl added.
Odette rolled her eyes and laughed.
"The most virgin and naive fall first, because they are strangers to their own perversions. Most of us will be fine. The first trial isn't the hardest."
Laughing ominously, she gave a sly glance at her roommates.
"Those who can't choose right simply lose their magic—like someone's pulling it out of them, and then... nothing."
Charlotte, slowly chewing an apple she held in her pale, translucent, but clearly strong fingers, glanced sideways and added,
"They say you just have to keep your head cool, because you'll have to face temptations and choose the one that truly speaks to your heart, one that won't destroy you with its power or, on the other hand, its worthlessness. I think sex is probably not the choice. More likely, ambition."
"Stepping into the right mirror, choosing the 'right path,' all that is nonsense. They'll watch how you choose. Whether with a cool head or not. Choose sex, if you like."
Odette reclined on the bed, signaling that the conversation was over. The girls all lay down to rest—the trial was in the evening.
Alright, so some indecent temptations. Emily wasn't an innocent girl, and while magic scared her, she was excited and aroused. She would need to focus on dreams, something deep within herself, and she was sure she could handle it.
A few hours later, when the rain outside began to melt into early twilight, the candidates were called for the first trial.