Shattered Glass
The building before him was beautiful.
Once he entered the main passage, Ailen smelled the fragrance of scented candles and the smell of musty prayer books. The hall was bright as the warm rays entered through the stained windows, the floor of carpeted with encaustic tiles.
Demarcus guided Ailen toward the dais.
"Oh, right. Will the process take a long time?"
"No, Your Highness. Please do not fret. It'll be a swift process. Let me allow you to explain how this works," Demarcus said.
Two priests were rushing to grab a table, one priest walking with a clear crystal ball clothed with a white cloth on his hands. He put the crystal ball on the table in front of Demarcus and Ailen. Ailen looked at the ball curiously.
"Just by putting your palms onto the crystal ball, the ball will automatically react to your magic. Then I'll see the amount of magic Your Highness possessed,"
"Ah, okay," Ailen nodded his head, quirking his eyebrows up.
There's only Demarcus and Ailen standing on the small podium. Other priests and Meredith anticipated patiently. Eyes sparkled as they watched Ailen.
"Before I start," Ailen started, looking back at Demarcus. "I'd like to ask a question,"
"Please, go ahead,"
"Will everyone know about my assessment?"
"Of course. A royal magic assessment will be formally announced the day after the assessment publically. Though, the process itself can be done informally, such as this,"
"I see," Ailen nodded slowly, eyes lowered to the crystal ball. He gulped.
His heart started to pound rapidly. Series of "What If's" played in his head. What if he didn't have enough magic? What if he disappointed everyone for having not enough magic to protect his people?
To protect himself?
Ailen glanced at Demarcus nervously. The priest smiled reassuringly, nodding his head.
A small sigh escaped his lips. Ailen then positioned his palms onto the crystal ball.
It was cold and smooth on his skin.
The ball didn't react right away. Ailen whipped his head to Demarcus in fright, eyes wide and lips slightly parted—begging Demarcus to explain.
But before Demarcus could say anything, the ball suddenly flashed a blinding light. Everyone in the hall closed their eyes, unable to take the sudden light.
Ailen gasped softly when he felt something warm on his palm. The heat transferred through the tip of his fingers, to the pulse inside his wrists, then to his entire body.
The sudden fever was burning Ailen up in a good way, body, and spirit. His cheeks, ears, and button nose reddened as his temperature climbed. Everyone gasped when a sudden chill swept their skin, lighting off the fire on the candles.
Wind unexpectedly caressed Ailen's entire body vigorously— his body was burning from within, but it didn't hurt him. Ailen fluttered his eyelashes as bits of dust went inside his eyes. But he couldn't rub his eyes because his palms won't budge from the crystal ball.
He was wondering, where did the wind come from? The blue sky he saw through the windows instantaneously shifted to darker shades. Losing its contrast. Beyond those grey clouds, Ailen heard subtle rumbles.
It was so inexplicable. Ailen never witnessed the weather changed so abruptly in a matter of seconds.
"O-Oh dear heavens!"
Demarcus gasped out loud. His eyes popped wide as he saw the crystal ball shattered at the same time when an ear-piercing thunder struck the land. Everyone chanted the Lord's name, frantically running around to pick up the scattered papers and books that were flying because of the forceful breeze.
"Y-Your Highness!" Meredith called in a panic, worried for her beloved Crown Prince and also terrified because of the sudden weather-shift that everyone witnessed.
Ailen stood still, gawking at the shattered crystal ball and toward Demarcus who mirrored his look.
"T-The bond," He whispered. He stepped closer to Ailen, gently wrapped his arms around Ailen's small wrists. "The bond," he repeated, much louder this time.
"The bond!"
"The skies have spoken!"
"The Crown Prince inherited the Niveus bond!"
"Oh hail the sun of Vyre!"
"Hail Prince Ailen!"