~CELESTIA~
"Team M. You look much better than when you arrived with Master Rune. My name is Othello Alaska; as you may know, I'm the Headmaster of Aslan and High Council Leader," Othello greeted.
We all exchanged looks, the guys looking at me to answer. I nodded, standing to address him.
"Yes. We feel a lot better after some much-needed rest. My team and I thank you for allowing the best healers of Aslan Academy to aid us in our speedy recovery. We'd like to contribute in any way we can and it's an honor to be in your presence, sir," I stated, using a professional voice as I continued to stand at attention.
We'd ended up spending the remainder of the day in the Academy medical clinic. Our section was made private thanks to Magnor's suggestion and he and a few of the best-known healers from across the dimension had come to assist us. I didn't see what the big deal was, but apparently everyone had taken a special interest in our team of unique shifters, especially with a unicorn in the mix.
We'd been taken to different rooms to receive treatment, so I'd yet to find out what everyone was. I did know that Hunter was a phoenix, Caio and Cairus were tiger shifters, Finn was a pixie and Theo was a bat shifter. I was still left out of the loop as to what Orion was. As much as my curiosity was killing me to find out, I personally wanted to hear it from him and not the others. I also wanted to respect his privacy. Revealing your shifter identity to some was a big risk and could be a weakness in many cases. I knew that all too well.
Being a unicorn shifter, no one knew about my strength or my enhanced abilities. That left me at an advantage. But not everyone had that same luxury and I never wanted to put someone in a position of worry, that included Orion.
The headmaster seemed pleased, exchanging a look with Magnor who wore a proud expression. He stood on the right side of the room, viewing some paperwork.
Othello had arrived at the clinic and told us we needed to discuss what occurred during the exam and that the discussion needed to be private. We had to sign documents to ensure our secrecy, adding a spell for extra assurance.
We sat in the front row of the small meeting room, Orion, Hunter, and Finn were on my left and Cairus, Caio, and Theo on my right.
Othello sighed. "Please, call me Othello. It's easier and your group has earned the right to do so," he began.
I gave him a confused look, glancing to my left. Finn and Hunter both gave me reassuring nods. Orion held my hand in his, giving it a small squeeze for comfort. I guessed they must have seen how nervous I was.
I looked over to the twins and Theo. Cairus and Caio nodded, both of them giving me wide grins of encouragement. Theo had a confident expression on his face, a small smile on his lips.
I can totally do this.
"Thank you, Othello. We are still unsure why we're getting special treatment, but we understand if you are unable to share the details for confidentiality reasons," I replied.
He grinned, walking over to the desk behind him. He sat on top of it, crossing his legs before looking toward us. Magnor came to stand next to the desk and crossed his arms across his chest.
I glanced between the two of them; their expressions grew serious.
"Your exam was held at Omako Forest. It's one of the top examination sites that we use almost every school session for entrance exams and training purposes," Othello began. He glanced at each of us, ensuring we were paying attention before he continued.
"During your examination, you came in contact with a Forsaken, something I feel certain none of you have seen before, correct?” he inquired.
I nodded, looking at the others. The only person who didn't nod was Hunter who had a blank expression on his face. I noticed Othello’s gaze linger on Hunter, but he didn't say anything about it, continuing where he left off.
"Forsaken are beings of darkness and take some hunters and huntresses years of training both physically and magically to be able to defeat. Not to mention the mental aspect that can be tampered with and manipulated due to the pull of the darkness and its ability to pollute a shifter's mind," Othello explained.
Magnor took a step forward. "Your team’s mission was to survive the remainder of the afternoon and all night in Omako Forest. The only thing you were supposed to face was the Rhinroys. The Forsakens were not a part of your exam," Magnor revealed.
"Wait. If that wasn't a test, you're saying they just somehow snuck in?" Finn questioned.
"They didn't sneak in. They must have been there for a long time in hibernation," Hunter replied.
We all turned to look at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" I wondered.
Othello cleared his throat.
We turned our attention back to him, but I glanced sideways at Orion who was still focused on Hunter. He gave me another reassuring squeeze before returning his gaze to Othello.
"As some of you may have heard, there has been an increase in Forsaken appearances in multiple dimensions. We, as Council members, as well as the Hunters and Huntresses of Aslan, have been doing everything in our power to stop the spread of Forsaken. That is, of course, the reason why this school was founded," Othello explained.
Magnor nodded, continuing. "It's also the duty of skilled people like myself to help rid the world of the darkness growing and spreading throughout the different dimensions, Versa being one of them. When you hear about wars or political arguments between two dimensions that were very close prior, we can automatically assume Forsaken are involved and influencing one or multiple people into creating chaos," Magnor revealed.
"We've had a few incidents of Forsaken appearing in Omako Forest, and have had our own graduate students work to defeat and remove their remnants," Othello pointed out.