A knock on the door woke the two girls. Barely any sleep was had, but it was enough. They were nervous, terrified of what was to come. The day had finally come and both of their fates were to be tested and set in stone. If anything went wrong, they were screwed. One, of course, more than the other. Luz rose from the floor, covered in glyphs. Her eyes were groggy as she rubbed them clear.

" It's time!" The voice from the other side sounded.

" We're up, we're up!" Amity yelled back, throwing her pillow at the door. Once the footsteps outside faded, she flopped back down onto the bed, sighing. " I guess this is it."

Last night was full of fear and nervousness, along with the occasional breakdown from both parties. Nothing could prepare them for this. They're literally 14 and fighting for their lives at this point, you couldn't expect much from them. They got ready, they pretty much had to. They were slow, yet persistent. If they weren't there on time, it would be an automatic decision from the Emperor, but they didn't want to leave the comfort of the room just yet.

The trip to the castle was short, as they were pretty close by. Once there, guards led them through the gates and through the corridors. The inside was magnificent and beautiful. The walls and floors lined with golden yellows as far as the eye could see. Tapestries were hung, showing the glory of the Emperor's Coven and the Emperor himself.

Some of the tapestries put Luz on edge. There was one in particular that frightened her; a picture of Emperor Belos with his hand out, tons of witches seemingly worshipping the light coming from his hand. His mask was the worst part. Who knows what kind of secrets he's got hidden away. Only evil people wear masks like that.

The doors at the end of this corridor opened, leading into the Emperor's main chamber. His throne room. There he sat, mysterious and vague in the shadows that were lit up by the fires of the torches within the room. You could hardly see even with those "candles". Beside him was someone donning a similar look to the Emeperor's clothing and mask, though they were much shorter and less decorated. Lilith emerged from the side, greeting the guards. The guards took station besides the Emperor, waiting for the show. Luz and Amity moved forward until they were in the middle of the room, all eyes glued on them. Lilith approached them.

" Here, today, we are gathered to test this human on her abilities as a witch in training as per agreement with Amity Blight on behalf of her life. If the human is successful in performing at least one perfect spell, then the Emperor will decide her fate. If she is not," she looked at Amity, " then she is to be thrown to the Boiling Isles and Amity Blight is to be demoted to the lowest ranking official. Let the test begin."

Lilith walked over to stand below Belos' thrown, looking on to the possible failure of her student and the human. She expected her to fail. How could a human perform magic without a bile sac?

Luz was shaking, she didin't usually get this nervous in front of a crowd. She was always the type to jump up and start dancing, not caring who was watching. This, however, this was different. She could feel their eyes burning holes into her, tearing down her walls that she didn't even know she had. Every inch of her began to shake, but she couldn't stop it. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear.

She could feel a hand on her shoulder.

" Hey, it's okay, just remember what we practiced." Amity whispered. Her voice was soothing, firm. It was the only stable thing in this god forsaken world. One of the only thing that made sense right now.

Luz swallowed her fears and doubts. Her shaking lessened. She stepped forward slightly, taking in a few breaths. If she focused on Amity, it didn't seem as terrifying. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small piece of paper and a pencil, raising it up.

" What is this?" Lilith whispered, seeming to be annoyed.

Luz put the paper on the ground and began to draw on it. She drew a glyph and tapped it. The paper folded in on itself and formed a ball of light that began to float up, guided by Luz's hand. She stood up, presenting the light to the Emperor. The air was thick with wonder.

" Is that it?" Lilith exasperated. " You did a simple light spell as the one that's supposed to decide your fate before the Emperor?" She pointed at the ball. " That's not even true magic, that's glyph magic!"

" You said any spell executed perfectly without a training wand." Amity piped up. " That's a spell done perfectly without a training wand." She grew irritated, Luz stiffened.

" You can't be serious. Emperor Belos, this is a mockery of this test. The human should be dealt with immediately, and possibly worse than before for taking your time like thi-"

Belos struck his fist into the throne's armrest, silencing Lilith. He spoke calmly, yet firmly.

" The human has fulfilled your requirements. She has done as you asked. However, she has used glyphs, wild magic, in my presence." Belos' voice grew slightly harsher, " This is disheartening, as I was eager to see how you would accomplish such a task, human." He thought for a moment. " Perform a few more spells, if you have them."

Luz nodded, fumbling with her satchel to pull out more paper. She drew the other spells she knew, activating them all with a tap. Ice, fire, plant, light, and icy winds all filled the room. They were small spells, but they were impressive.

" How did you figure out how to do this, human?"

" I, uh, used this." Luz pulled out her phone, showing it to the Emperor. " I took a video of Amity using a spell and just traced the glyphs that I saw."

" Interesting." Belos stood up, walking over to Luz. He practically towered over her as he stood like a giant. She wasn't short, either, so you could just imagine how large he was. He leaned down to meet her eye level. They stared at each other for a moment, his black, lifeless hollowed out eye pieces of his mask staring straight into Luz's soul. She could practically see the abyss.

" Golden Guard, retrieve the staff." Belos commanded. The guard next to the throne nodded then made their way to another door. When they came back, they held a white staff with a light purple oval orb that came to a point held on top by a light blue crest that wrapped around it. Belos grabbed the staff as the Golden Guard moved back to their place next to the throne. Emperor Belos looked down at Luz once more, then handed her the staff. " This will be your new glyph. I do not condone the use of wild magic, but I do not want this opportunity to go to waste." Luz took hold of the staff, her eyes glowing.

" Wait, what is that? What's going on?" Lilith tried to start, but she was hushed by the Emperor's hand signal.

" I have been saving this item for a special occasion. It does not require technology, and it does not require the normal use of magic. I would like you to use it, at least for the time being. You will be my test subject on it. This will serve as a reward for completing the task given, and a punishment for using wild magic. Do not dissapoint me."

Belos walked back to his throne, sitting down in it, pleased with what has happened. Luz looked the staff up and down. Amity came over to observe it as well.

" Oh, and Ms. Blight," Belos piped up, " you will be given a staff as well." He nodded to a guard, who brought out a chunk of Palistrom Wood. " You have shown great strides in your magic, and have proven more than that today with this human. I look forward to seeing what you may do next."

Lilith stammered, unable to comprehend what was happening in front of her. Luz and Amity had just been given their own staffs, and Luz wasn't even a witch. They couldn't believe it. Not only did they pass the test, but they were given such a brand new opportunity.

" Human. You may choose to stay with Amity or presume your own room in a lower barrack."

" Lower barrack?"

" You are apart of the Emperor's Coven now, aren't you? You may stay where you are during your training or be placed in the lowest chambers until you work your way up."

Luz looked over at Amity who couldn't believe what she was hearing. She nodded. " I'll stay with her, I guess."

" Good. Now, off you go." He waved his hand in a shoo kind of motion and Amity and Luz were ushered out of the room by two other guards. Once they were gone, Lilith fumed.

" What the hell was that!? You just gave a staff to a human for doing the one thing you punish others for!" She couldn't hold in her rage.

" Calm down, Lilith. This is a new way. A new path has been set by the Titan and it involves the use of this human child. She will be of use to us. Be patient."

The room was still, thick were the walls and ceilings that held these words and the meanings behind them. The worst was yet to come, along with the best. Things were in motion and they weren't planning on stopping. A revelation was to come and the human was its bearer.

Oh how sad to see such a light die out.