"This is indeed Lord Menarx’s choice, Master. Lord Rodrick escorted her to our gates himself." Elina replied to Master Maloway’s question.

"He even left a note, Master." Elina added, pulling out the note from her belt and placing it down on Master Maloway’s desk.

"Then this is whom all the ruckus has been about?" Master Maloway murmured to himself in disbelief, waving his hand to dismiss Elina

Elina took her leave as Master Maloway bid, leaving Neveah by herself before the strange man.

Master Maloway reached for the note and took it, in all this, Master Maloway had not glanced up even once and Neveah had to wonder if the cranky old man had eyes on his head full of grayed hair.

"What is your name, girl?" Master Maloway asked after he read through the note.

"Neveah." Neveah replied.

"Do you have no last name?" Master Maloway asked with a huff.

"Would that be of any consequence?" Neveah asked back with a frown, she did not see why she had to bring up her last name.

So far, no one in Dragon Keep had cared much for Neveah’s past and her life before she was brought here and Neveah was glad for it.

"And she has a sharp tongue on her. Lord Menarx must have his eyes at the back of his head. It is no wonder he could not see a spear before it hit him." Master Maloway decided audibly.

"Yes, she does have a sharp tongue on her... And you will leave Menarx out of your mouth, Sir." Neveah clarified in a firm tone.

Master Maloway sniggered in amusement at Neveah’s words.

"Well, you are not entirely hopeless. With some effort, you just might talk your enemies to their death." Master Maloway replied.

Neveah pursed her lips, she had never faced someone that she already knew for certain would be impossible to reason with.

"Now, what is the name girl?" Master Maloway asked again, still writing away on a parchment of paper on his desk.

"Neveah... Omega Lothaire." Neveah replied.

"Now, Neveah... provide me one justifiable reason why I should accept this arrangement and take you under my tutelage." Master Maloway said.

"You do not have to." Neveah replied blankly.

Master Maloway paused for a moment before he continued writing, whatever he was working on was clearly more important than acknowledging Neveah’s presence.

"You do not wish to be a rider then?" Master Maloway asked.

"My wish has nothing to do with you. Who to accept under your tutelage or not is your own choice. How to achieve my wish is my own affair."

"You are not the only path to becoming a rider Sir. If we cannot come to an understanding, I shall find another path." Neveah replied bluntly.

"You should know, you are not a favored choice to any of the masters." Master Maloway informed.

"Neither are you to the riders." Neveah said back.

Master Maloway was quiet for a moment before he chuckled in amusement.

"Then we seem to have something in common." Master Maloway said as he glanced down at the note once again.

"Hmm. From this moment forward, with much reluctance, I shall guide you in your quest to becoming a decent rider." Master Maloway said after a moment of quiet.

Master Maloway finally lifted his gaze up to Neveah and Neveah was taken aback when she noticed his eyes.

Master Maloway’s eyes were just two orbs of white, completely white with no pupils whatsoever.

"I do not need my eyes to see, girl." Master Maloway said just as a Raven flew out from somewhere in the study and perched on Master Maloway’s shoulder.

Neveah had not sensed the presence of the Raven but she quickly realized the eyes that had been watching all along was not Master Maloway’s but that of the Raven.

This only left Neveah even more astonished that Master Maloway would imply that the Raven were his eyes.

"Also... my own eyes work just fine, they just do not look like it." Master Maloway added, lifting the note from Lord Rodrick to Neveah’s view.

"Do you know what this note says?" Master Maloway asked.

"I do not." Neveah replied with a shake of her head, with the repeated mention of the note, Neveah had also become curious to know what it said.

Master Maloway hummed quietly as he stretched the note out to Neveah.

Neveah raised a brow and walked over, taking the note from his hands, she lifted it to her view.

There was just a single word neatly written on the note and it read ; ’Worth.’

"Worth?" Neveah asked, unsure what the significance of that word was.

"Do you understand it’s meaning?" Master Maloway asked.

"Literally?" Neveah asked to be sure and Master Maloway scoffed in response.

"The significance, Neveah. You have heard of the five trials?" Master Maloway asked again.

Neveah shook her head slowly and Master Maloway grumbled beneath his breath.

"You are to be a rider and yet you know nothing of the academy?" Master Maloway accused.

"It was not a path I planned on, until a few days ago." Neveah defended truthfully.

"And in these days?" Master Maloway insisted.

"My attention has been kept by other affairs. I admit my knowledge of the ways of the academy is inadequate... I will remedy this the moment the opportunity is given." Neveah replied directly.

"What an eloquent justification for ignorance." Master Maloway praised sarcastically as he rose to his feet with a grunt, picking up a cane that was leaned against his desk.

"The five trials are the challenges every rider is expected to surmount during the days of study in the academy and only when all five trials are surmounted can a rider be considered to have completed his course of study in the academy." Master Maloway explained.

Neveah stepped aside as Master Maloway rounded his desk slowly and then walked past her, heading to the door with his weight leaned on his cane all the while.

~Author’s Note

Mass release today!