"Don't..!"
Falling forward the fairy temporarily loses her shape and the golden pink light pixels flows and then solidify back into the dainty young woman.
Amusement in her eyes, a lesser immortal slightly taller than the fairy, grabs onto her arm and steady her.
" Name's Olga, from the Outer Ocean. "
The fairy looks up with wide grey eyes and gives a shy smile to the other girl.
" Aimee, from the Lesser Gardens. "
A few immortals close to them hear the exchange and their thoughts are the same: the Lesser Gardens? It's been centuries since someone from the Lesser Gardens made it to the House of Lords. And they never make it to inside.
Dismissing her mentally, the two young immortals turn away as one, the taller one unfolding his fan, his slitted eyes already seeking new news.
Inside the House of Lords the man every one is waiting for, Sheldon, is observing the lesser immortals on the big plain outside, through a huge wooden framed window.
For centuries Sheldon has been the head of the House, and choosing the right people to further strengthen their cultivation by studying the Secret Path here, under the leadership of some of the most powerful immortals their realm possess, is a task he does not take lightly.
And everyone knows this.
And fear him.
As evening falls, attendants round up the young people and assign them to the cottages to the far right of the main House.
The Selection will start tomorrow.
With Masters overseeing the preparation of the different tests, it is a lively bunch of people exiting their cottages the next morning and gathering in the centre of the plain.
Olga is Shadowing Aimee, the little fairy having elicited a sense of protection from the Ocean immortal.
Rudman and Halo, the two men who previously overheard where Aimee is from, consider themselves to be the best candidates for selection and thus keep to themselves, standing a bit of to the side of the main group.
With his white, slightly curly, long hair flowing down his back, immaculate dark eyes and perfectly shaped eyebrows, Halo does look like an angel. Place the perfect smile under his red lips and it's no wonder that the majority of the female lesser immortals has an eye on him.
Except for Aimee and Olga.
Their eyes are on the masters and the challenges that awaits them.
Aimee, being the first fairy in nearly a hundred thousand years to have the talent to leave the Lesser Garden in order to further her cultivation, have worked too hard to mess this chance up. Olga comes from a long line of warrior women and for her acing the tests should be child's play.
As the testing progresses, it becomes clear that the standard is extremely competitive and if not for her gift of turning into a flow of energy, Aimee would have failed quite a few of them.
Then she encounters Master Liu, and the Wizard's Ball.
Casting an indifferent eye on Aimee, Master Liu barely registers her frail form, instead he looks at her energy field and his boredom quickly turns into puzzlement.
This young one does not appear to have an energy field. Rather, she appears to be such a blinding energy light on the astral plane, that an idea occurs to him. He will test her differently than the other lesser immortals.
"Name." his voice carries far, causing the attention of the nearby Masters. Quickly she answers him.
"You have to create a reality ball, and the more difficult for me to escape, the greater your chance at passing this test."
"There must be a safe word master Liu." says a very interested voice from behind Aimee.
Looking over her shoulder, she sees it is the lesser immortal with the fan, his white hair blowing in the slight wind. His eyes not leaving her own, he gives a slight bow and she turns back to the master.
Standing to the side, Master Liu keeps his eyes focused on Aimee, waving the questioning looks of the nearby Masters away.
She doesn't have an aura. Yet she made it to him.
Who is this fairy, and what is she capable of doing?
Let's see if she can perform this very difficult task which usually only one of the most advanced immortals can do.
Brows furrowing, the fairy looks long and hard at the master, her thoughts a whirl.
A bubble? She thinks wildly. I've never seen one of those, and to make one...?
"You're not going to give up now, are you? " it's Halo again, his soft whisper heard by only her. She catches his black eyes from where he is standing in the growing crowd. His Perfect lips barely moving, he continues," he doesn't think you can do this, and however strange it seems, you are the only one that can prove him wrong, even if you have never done it."
The fairy straighten herself and turn to Master Liu.
"The safe word is: out. " with her strong voice Halo smile to himself. And listen to the group gasp as Aimee, as fast as any Vampire from the Forbidden Realm, start to run in a circle.
And disappears.
While a beautiful bubble appears, golden pink, with white streaks.
Although she's so fast that no one can see her, they all hear her clearly.
"Done! Enter Master Liu! "
The elderly Master strokes his mustache as he slowly enters the Wizard Ball.
And looks around. Indeed, this is a different world.
Looking down he notice the world streaming beneath him, as he is viewing this place from a bird's eye view.
Master Liu stays in the bubble for almost an hour and still there is no sign of Aimee.
Worried that night will fall with many immortals still untested, Halo and Olga was about to call in the extra master, whose presence was only for an emergency, when Master Liu emerged.
His voice is gruff. "Passed."
The bubble vanishes and the fairy appears, very pale and obviously shaken.
Not looking at her, the master calmly calls for the next candidate.
No one knows what it took for Aimee to slowly walk to her cottage, except for Olga who followed her.
As Aimee rounds the corner she collapse into a small little light, eagerly streaking in through the window and filling the cottage with golden pink light.
The warrior woman does not show surprise, she only whisper softly under her breath.
"Who are you really, Aimee from the Lesser Garden?"
