Ivana's jaw dropped as she stared at the beautiful creature that stood proudly in Anika's palms. It was a Crimson Plume Hawk. A beautiful tier 1 Bronze rank beast. With the right evolution, this beast could grow into a Scarlet Phoenix Hawk. A Silver rank tier 1 beast.
Ivana smiled proudly as she stared at her best friend. It was a beautiful medium-sized hawk with crimson-red feathers that shimmered under the hall's bright chandeliers. The beast's wings had darker red tips and a tail that wrapped around Anika's forearm. Its eyes were gold with slit pupils. It looked fierce and regal. The crowd cheered excitedly and some even clapped as Anika stood up and raised her beast for all to see.
Ivana watched Anika close her eyes as the hawk crawled along her arm and sat against her shoulder, patiently waiting for fusion. Anika looked scared of the beast, but Ivana knew Anika would be an excellent tamer for it.
The fact that the egg chose her, was enough proof.
Anika walked back to the crowd, and the people made way for her, some staring at her with admiration as she made her way back to Ivana and Josh.
"You did it! "Ivana squealed as she held her best friend's hands, and Anika giggled.
"I was so scared. I kept imagining what would happen if I got a stone rank beast. "Anika whispered back, and Ivana waved her hand dismissively.
"That could never happen to you! "she said confidently, and Anika grinned wildly at her.
"You're next. "She whispered, and Ivana looked up at the pillars, as temple workers replaced the red egg with another.
"Standing here right now, I'm nervous. "Ivana confessed, and Josh gently rubbed her back while Anika gently squeezed her hands.
"No need to be. You're so strong and resilient. I'm sure you're not getting anything less than bronze. "Anika said reassuringly, and Ivana smiled.
"Number 106! "The elder of the temple called, and Ivana went rigid.
"You've got this, Ivi… "Josh whispered into her ear before giving a gentle nudge, and Ivana cleared her throat.
"Here! "She called, and teenagers turned to look at her as she made her way towards the temple elder.
Whispers began to ripple through the crowd. Many teenagers didn't like Ivana because they mistook her for a proud person. However, Ivana was simply poor with crowds and didn't know how to make friends.
She grew up thinking people only wanted to be friends with her because she was the princess. Everything she's ever had, she got because she was royal, and each time she shed that title, she shed her confidence with it.
Anika and Josh are the only people she could connect with and be friends with. Unlike others, they got her jokes, and cared for her for who she truly was, and not what she had to offer. They also never asked too many questions about her family and background like the others.
"Look. It's Miss pompous. I wonder what beast she'll get. "Someone whispered as Ivana made her way through the crowd, and Ivana held her breath.
She finally got to the elder and handed him her paper. He read the number on it to be sure that she was truly number 106, and when he saw the right number on her paper, he dropped her paper in the basket beside him.
"Proceed. "He ordered, and Ivana took a deep breath before turning around to face the sea of judgmental eyes.
She exhales through her mouth before walking over to the pillars and kneeling in their middle.
She said a quick prayer as she closed her eyes, and Josh and Anika held each other as they watched on in anticipation.
All the eggs on the pillars began to glow and pulse softly as they normally did when reading soul power, but suddenly, their glows began to intensify pulsing with so much light, the crowd could clearly see the way each egg pulsed with their different beats of light.
Murmurs began to ripple through the crowds, but Ivana didn't open her eyes. She simply shut her eyes tighter as fear began to squeeze her heart. Anika and Josh shared confused and panicked looks, and even the elder of the temple didn't seem to understand what was going on.
The eggs continued this odd display for a few more seconds, but then they suddenly stopped. Putting a sudden halt to the display and this resulted in another round of curious, and confused murmurs.
No egg lifted off the pillars or levitated over to Ivana. Ivana finally opened her eyes, and she was shocked to see all the eggs still on their pillars.
She stood up abruptly in panic and turned to the elder of the temple, expecting him to explain what just happened.
"Look! She has no soul power. Even ston rank beasts rejected her! So much for being proud! "Someone from the crowd suddenly exclaimed, and Ivana turned back to the crowd as the hall exploded in mocking laughter.
Her eyes immediately found Josh and Anika who were holding each other with pale faces and shocked expressions as they watched the scene, and another voice spoke.
"I would feel bad for her family, but no one even knows who they are. "The voice mocked, and another round of painful laughter erupted.
Ivana felt panic begin to pound against her chest as she looked at the eggs on the pillars around her, wondering why none of them chose her. That had never happened before. Never.
"Silence! "The elder of the temple scolded curtly, and Ivana turned to the elderly man with tears now building in her eyes.
His eyes were now filled with pity and confusion as he turned back to Ivana. This had never happened before, so he didn't even know what to do, or what the problem was. If her soul power was so low, she ought to at least get a stone-rank beast. But if none of the stone-rank beasts chose her, did it mean she had zero soul power? That was impossible.
"M-maybe we should try again? "He said, and Ivana could hear the uncertainty in his voice, but clinging on to hope, she obeyed. She turned back to the crowd and knelt in the middle of the pillars. Shutting her eyes tightly for the second time and praying her heart out.
This couldn't be what fate had planned for her. It just couldn't. A human rejected by the beasts? That's unheard of and even worse than tamers with stone rank beasts