The next day as light seeped into the cells, by now all the immigrants from the merge have probably been captured, Xavier got up early to find a way to escape. He probably tried everything thing he could to break free.
He tried bulldozing the bars and walls, picking the lock and tunneling a hole. All the usual escape tactics proved frugal.
"Are you done?", Lyra told him in an already yielding expression. "Don't bother yourself, the walls and bars and coated in runes so the least bit of chance any of us would have, is if we had magic."
He inspected the inscription and noticed them. "These things?", he pointed at one of them.
"Yes."
"So we just wait for what ever they say will happen to us and accept it as our fate."
"Exactly. In this world, you fate is left for others to decide. The weak(unawakened ) die off while the strong (awakened) reign supreme."
"Well not me. I am getting outta her."
He was about further inspecting the runes when a crack of intense sound reverberated in the air.
The main door to the entrance of the building was being opened.
All the captives stood up to get a good look at who was coming in, slightly avoiding eye contact with who ever it was.
He walked for some meters down the centre of the hall. He stepped twice on the ground beneath him and raised a floating rock as it lifted him to the central vertical height of the building.
Now, he probably must have gotten the attention of most of the captives and was within the earshot of all, he finally spoke.
"People of Eldoria, and others from realms unknown, welcome to Eldoria. I know you must be asking yourselves why you are here. I assure you in no way have you done any wrong neither will you be put to death but before anything else, introductions first. I am General Keiren, the Founder of this great force and you are welcome to Syllox Academy."
As he said those two words, the walls of the prison began to descend slowly until all the captives could be well spectated.
They were actually quite large in number, about 1000 of them.
Now, Xavier was more exposed to other features about Lyra besides her voice.
She was a young teenage girl, as he could already tell from her voice.
She had mildly long blonde hair, a heterogeneous swirl of red and blue coloured eyes and was putting on a pretty nice adventurous dress that seemed to capture her exact personality.
General Keiren, further raised the building floor above to the surprise of most captives.
They were lifted above to the upper floor - a massive orientation hall.
When the floor stopped rising, every one took in to how nice the present room looked and let out their previous tension in the cell.
"Looks nice doesn't it? Courtesy of yours truly but that isn't why you're here."
He lowered the rock on which he was standing on to ensure they got full grasp of what he was gonna say next.
"Remember, that you must have been running or eating or just doing what ever you were doing during the merge and suddenly, when the merge stopped, you were some how transported here, Eldoria. Do I have anyone like that here?"
Some of the captives gave a weak wave.
"Okay, back then I was referring to those from other worlds but right now I'm referring to those that already resided in Eldoria. If by any chance you didn't experience what I just said to you kindly raise your arm."
Ofcourse they must have been someone who was truly put in the cell for no reason but fear of being the only one left them reserved.
"No one! Ok that's good. Now unto the main reason for your being here. As I said before there is no need to worry. You were brought here because this is the generation that was speculated to habit the return of the Celestial King."
Whispers flew every where as to who the Celestial King was.
"Though the Eldorians among you are quite familiar with the myth, for those of you that will survive, it will be properly broken down to you during your history lectures."
'Survive, what does he mean?'
'I thought he said that were not gonna die, why going on?', panic sparked within the crowd.
"It is a tradition here for the people to go for a monthly awakening test. It is quite dangerous and only about forty percent of all that has taken the test has survived. It is usually a voluntary test but I am sorry to inform you that this time it must be mandatory."
Mummurs ran through the hall.
"Silence. Must I remind you that I am a general and that I deserve an amount of reserved respect from each of you."
As soon as the noise cleared up he continued, "The test will be a sort of a virtual battle to see how you respond to real life scenerioes. In order to pass the test, you are expected to defeat a beast. Only when you have defeated the beast can you claim your element. There will be an orb some where around, guarded by the beast. After your victory, you are expected to hold the orb and absorb it into yourself as that will form a part of your mana core and will enable you to awaken your element, if your are lucky two."
"..."
"Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir," the crowd echoed.
"Our team will be watching you and taking data of your battle from their control center over there."
He pointed towards the apical part of the hall, revealling the position of the centre.
"You will be grouped for each battle, in groups of five to increase your chances of survival. This arrangement was sorted out, reason being because of those that are green horns in this world, as our database reveal from a cummulation of tests taken that only about fifteen percent of those that take the test actually make it out intact."
This was more of an extended inevitable end for some of those who were from other worlds.
"Finally, I am not usually this garrulous but I would like to tell everyone that each of you that I have much faith in all of you and I hope to see all of you after the test. Good luck."
He lifted the rock he was on high above them and raised barriers in-between the crowd ensuring that each division consisted of five people each.
The barriers formed a network structure inscribed into a circular circumference with each end of a network leading to a metal door.
Xavier was separated from Lyra during the division. His team consisted of three boys and two girls.
His team walked towards the door, all afraid of what may lie on the other side.