It was the top of the mountain, where the cold, intense air yowled with every gust of wind. Goosebumps prickled Isadora’s body as the chill seeped through her layers of clothing.
Taking a step forward she fell flat on the ground.
’I can’t feel my legs’ she thought mortified.
Her body finally registered the pain of walking a thousand steps. Her muscles throbbed and ached, causing her to groan each ti she tried to work them.
The sudden approaching footsteps caught her attention, and black boots stopped right before her.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze, eting Nyssa’s piercing stare as she looked down at her.
"Never in our history have anyone taken hours to climb the stairs of endurance" Nyssa began, in a mocking tone. "You must have weak bones"
She observed Isadora closely like she was cataloguing every detail about her. Her skin was porcelain that shone like glass—never knowing the harsh taste of the sun.
Beautiful long golden blonde hair that caused Nyssa feel repulsed. Maybe if she had spent more ti working her body to adapt than she did her hair then she wouldn’t be so useless.
"Get up" she commanded, irritably.
"I-I can’t feel my legs" Isadora replied, frightened, because any more movent her legs would ache and the pain would be unbearable.
"Then crawl if you have to. You have five minutes or you run the Spine" She turned on her heels and walked away.
Gulping, Isadora forced her body to move but it was a hard feat, she held onto a surface for support, gasping for breath.
Taking a step forward her legs gave out again. Her face pressed into the dirt, she blew her hair away with a frustrated huff before rising to her feet.
Gripping the surface tightly, she guided her steps, each limping movent a hellish jolt through her entire body as she made her way to join the line ford by the others.
Countless eyes turned toward her, murmuring amongst themselves. Isadora couldn’t tell if it was because of her ears or the color of her attire since others were on gray tunics. Maybe both.
"Everyone!" Nyssa called out, her voice commanding attention. A smirk played on her lips as she paced back and forth, her every movent exuding power and authority.
"We have a recruit, a mannfae,"
Attention turned toward Isadora, causing her to fix her gaze to the ground which beca a better view. Her legs shook but she did her best to bite back the pain, she had a feeling that collapsing right now would make things worse for her.
"The last of you here are yet to get ready for the Hunt and you have three moons as ordered, I suggest you do your best. Your scores will determine if you’re ready" Nyssa turned the board beside her with nas on it in the Faetong rune, and X marks in place of scores.
"And Isadora" she pointed the chalk at her before writing her na below. "You’re bottom. And your five minutes were exhausted"
Isadora bit her bottom lip nervously.
"Run the Spine!"
"Spine!"
"Spine!"
"Spine!"
"Spine!"
"Spine!"
The rest of them chanted energetically.
Isadora looked between them with erratic eyes until they followed what they ant by the Spine. She didn’t realize this until now but there were gigantic structures built around the vast edge of the mountain.
Her wide eyes turned to Nyssa. ’She can’t be serious’ she thought terrified. But it doesn’t seem like anyone was joking.
Isadora took a retreating step.
"What’s wrong, stray?" Nyssa amused. "Can’t do it"
"I-I can’t," she said with clenched teeth, this was a death sentence, not a punishnt.
"By the olden gods, you have no choice!"
Isadora passed a long look at the others chanting and then back at the Spine that awaited her. Hesitantly she took a step forward, walking toward her pending doom.
Rav ca forward, grabbed her arm, and leaned to her ear. "There’s nothing to prove,"
She nodded and pulled away from him, she reached for the ladder and climbed her way up, her muscles screaming in exertion.
Finally, at the top, her eyes fixed on the thin wooden path ahead, her hands clutching the ropes at either side.
Her breath grew unsteady as she glanced toward the safer side—a drop of five feet that still felt daunting if she slipped—and then to the other side, an endless abyss that promised certain death.
"Co on Isadora we don’t have all day,"
She faced Nyssa, everyone else was watching as if it was so sort of ritual. Was the thousand steps of endurance just a stepping stone?
Isadora turned back to the path ahead of her, a long line of wooden steps and the first obstacle to overco, the swinging pendulums: consisting of heavy logs, swinging unpredictably across the path.
Her eyes tracked the swing, carefully asuring the timing before she took off. Her heavy muscles weighed her down, restricting her movents. Speed had always been Isadora’s strength, but it beca her downfall.
She yelped as one of the logs swung dangerously toward her, forcing her to lean against the rope—but not on the safer side that might result in injuries, instead, certain death.
Her bulging eyes were in the distance, where the clouds obscured the abyss below and not an imaginary cushion to break her fall.
"Isadora, look out!"
It was Rav’s voice that warned her, and at his shout, she ducked just in ti.
The log swung back toward the other side but her body had already been slamd off the steps, sending her crashing to the ground.
A sharp cry of pain escaped her as she landed on her shoulder, the impact dislocating it.
The tears fell before she stopped them, the pain unbearable. She gripped her arm tightly because sudden movent caused an excruciating ache.
Rav swooped in and held her close, her body trembling in his hold. Worry stord his heart and mostly anger ate him up.
"Again!" Nyssa commanded.
"Enough!" Rav bood. "Can’t you see she’s hurt?!"
"Others had worse, Rav, she can deal with it"
"Well she’s different, she’s weak!"
A foreign feeling found Isadora’s heart when he declared those words out loud.
She should be grateful he was here for her sake, this was enough to give them a reason to exempt her from the disastrous path that awaited.
Yet why does it feel frustrating?
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