"And since her Anchor is an entity that can move...
She can move as well."
"Exactly."
Vivienne nodded.
"As long as her contractor lives, Aevrienne remains anchored to them. She can travel wherever they travel, see what they see, experience the world through them, all while her Authority flows through their body."
"So she found a loophole."
Lucian was impressed.
"One could call it that."
Vivienne nodded.
"But there is a reason many Spirits do not use a similar method."
"What do you mean?"
"This ’loophole’ comes with a price."
"What price?"
"Most Spirits control their own power directly through their Anchor."
Vivienne began explaining.
"It usually isn’t a problem since an Anchor is an inanimate object without a will of its own, but when the said Anchor is a living entity with a conscious will, most of her Authority is transferred into them.
She can advise them, she can guide them, and she may even occasionally use her power to a certain extent through their connection.
But she cannot freely use her full strength herself."
"So the contractor gets the power and Aevrienne becomes dependent on them."
Lucian understood.
"Yes, and because a mere contractor can never use her power to its fullest extent, even a fully grown contractor is much, much, much weaker than other Ancient Spirits."
"...then why go through so much trouble?"
Lucian couldn’t understand.
"Who knows?"
Vivienne only shrugged.
"Maybe because she gains freedom in exchange?"
"That is an expensive price for travelling."
Lucian commented out loud.
"These entities are tens of thousands of years old, they have existed since before civilisations. Don’t try to understand their thoughts because you wouldn’t be able to."
Lucian nodded at those words.
Honestly, at some level, he could see it.
An entity connected to roads and hidden paths would naturally hate being trapped in a single place.
"What happens when her contractor dies?"
Lucian asked curiously.
"Aevrienne returns to her shrine and sleeps."
Vivienne answered.
"That’s one way to live life."
Lucian chuckled.
He finally understood what Vivienne meant when she said Aevrienne was awake.
"Why is she awake now? Did someone attack her shrine?"
He asked curiously. Vivienne, however, shook her head.
"No one can ’attack’ her shrine, one cannot even find it."
"Is it because she hides it with her Authority?"
"To some extent, yes."
Vivienne nodded.
"They say her shrine changes its location every few centuries. One day it disappears, centuries later, it is in another part of the world."
"All while she sleeps?"
"Yes."
"How long does she usually sleep for?"
"Usually around a thousand years."
Vivienne answered.
"Sometimes less, sometimes much more, there is no fixed schedule. She sleeps until she is ready to search for another contractor.
That silver road you saw was her Call."
"A Call?"
"Yes, her announcement to the entire world that she is awake and is looking for a contractor."
"She called the entire world...?"
Lucian couldn’t believe it.
"Every eligible living being in the world saw it."
Vivienne nodded.
"The Call informs them that Aevrienne is awake, it allows them to feel the general direction of her shrine. Once the shrine is found, those who desire her contract may enter her Trial."
"And I assume everyone desires it?"
"Almost everyone."
Vivienne nodded.
"Aevrienne is one of the strongest Ancient Spirits, every being in the world desires her power. Every known contractor chosen by Aevrienne changed the supernatural world in some way—
One founded a Hidden City that survived several supernatural wars.
One served as an unseen messenger between nations and prevented a war between vampires and werewolves.
Another disappeared from all known records for decades, only to return after destroying several demon-worshipping organisations from within."
"So whoever wins this Trial will become a legend."
Lucian’s smile widened.
He was already having ideas.
"If they survive long enough."
Vivienne shrugged.
"Aevrienne gives them opportunity, not wisdom."
Lucian nodded.
The three of them reached the lift. Vivienne pressed the button, Lucian folded his arms, Evelyn just listened to the story with great curiosity.
"What are the conditions for entering?"
As they walked into the lift, Lucian asked another question.
He saw the path, so he was chosen, but he still wanted to know the competition he would face inside.
"The Trial only accepts beings who have lived for less than one hundred and fifty years."
"One hundred and fifty?"
"It prevents thousands-of-years-old monsters from entering and dominating the Trial, almost no younger candidate would have a chance."
"One hundred and fifty still seems high."
"For humans, yes."
Vivienne nodded.
"But for other supernatural races, one hundred and fifty is still considered young."
"Wait, wait."
That was when Evelyn finally spoke up.
Vivienne turned towards her and she continued—
"I am only twenty-six, why didn’t I see the road Lucian talked about?"
She was offended.
She was a living being.
And she was young.
She was definitely not one hundred and fifty years old!
Lucian chuckled at her reaction as he gently held her hand.
Vivienne, on the other hand, only shrugged.
"You must have seen it, your mind just failed to pick up on it since your eyes weren’t fast enough to perceive it."
"So I am eligible...?"
"You are, but it doesn’t matter, someone like you would be thrown out of the Trial within minutes."
Vivienne spoke coldly and Evelyn only pouted.
Lucian gently rubbed her palm with his finger.
At the same time, he glanced at Vivienne and—
"So when do I leave?"
He asked with a clear, hungry shine in his eyes.
Aevrienne’s contract.
He wanted that power for himself.
"We will know once we talk to Claire."
Lucian nodded at those words, then—
"Do you have any tips?"
He asked.
"What’s the Trial like? Is there anything I should know before I go in?"
And at that question, Vivienne stared at him and—
"Who said you were going?"
"I am not...?"
Lucian blinked at that and Vivienne—
"No."
She made it very, very clear.
"Why not?"
Lucian started complaining.