She looked like a slender woman in her late fifties, but her real age neared the six hundred years. She was barely 1.6 meters (5'3") tall, with brown eyes and delicate features.

Yet both her expression and her voice were cold, making her resemble a strict drill sergeant. She wore her long black hair down, revealing them to be streaked with silver and brown all over.

Age had turned some strands of hair into a silvery-white yet they didn't make her look old so much as imposing. Raagu's frame was so thin that a casual onlooker would have been worried that a sudden gust of wind might blow her away.

Once they came close to her, however, they would perceive the vigor that her bright violet core bestowed upon her body, allowing her to fight on par with most Emperor Beasts.

Even her emerald green robe was as deceptive as its wearer. Unlike normal enchanted items, Raagu's clothes didn't hold spells but arrays whose runes had been woven along with the fabric.

"We had prepared this test like we always did. Simply to check who among our disciples was worthy of being freed from the shackles of their apprenticeship before the one hundred years term.

"Yet if Thrud really aims to conquer the Griffon Kingdom with an army of Awakened, it would be a fight that we can't sit out. To prepare for such an eventuality, we prepared threats that would test our disciples more as a group rather than as individuals.

"Our purpose was to assess who among them would be a good soldier, who would be a good leader, and who instead would be a liability. The results of the test are undeniable. The problem doesn't lay solely in our youths, we are part of the problem as well." Raagu said.

"Agreed." Lotho the Treant nodded.

He looked like a giant oak tree that had come to life. Even while sitting, his treetop brushed the high ceiling of the Council Room and squirrels could be seen running up and down his massive body.

If not for his huge amber eyes and the massive tree trunks that one would assume were Lotho's limbs only because they came out of his body at the shoulder and hip level, the Awakened was no different from a regular tree.

"Too many masters have proven to be incapable of properly raising their disciples. They may be great mages and excellent researchers, but their ability to judge people's character is severely lacking.

"Faluel's proposal for the Council to establish and fund an Awakened academy makes more and more sense. If we had it, we could now appoint those of us who have proven to be the best mentors as teachers and entrust those who have failed the test to their care."

"Not only that." Feela the Behemoth said.

In her human form, the lesser Griffon looked like a woman in her late thirties, but she was actually 453 years old. Feela was 1.9 meters (6'3") tall with blue eyes and a muscular yet curvy figure that seasoned warriors and women alike envied her.

Her waist-long chestnut hair had streaks of silver, black, and orange all over, forming a multi-colored tress that reached the small of her back. She had an oval face with delicate features, yet her bearing was that of a battle-hardened general. 

"Most of us focused too much on the magical talent of our apprentices, nurturing their mind and cores, yet we did nothing to prepare them for the challenges that await them once they leave our protection.

"Their hubris originates from the fact that our youths never face a life-threatening situation without a safety net until we make them official members of the Council. No matter what kind of stupid stunt they pull, they know that they can always call us for help.

"People like Lith, Phloria, and Athung, instead, come from experiences either in the army, as mercenaries, or both. An Academy would not only allow the best teachers among us to make up for the masters' shortcomings, but also to prepare more tests like Urgamakka.

"Many hardheads have learned their lesson either by surviving Vareen or by witnessing the death of their comrades. Had they learned their limits before being humbled, many of them would still be alive." Feela sighed at the body count after the Eldritch's attack.

Among the dead of Urgamakka there was even one of the Hordes, reducing their number to eight until one more fungus managed to achieve sentience. The loss of a member of such a rare race along with their millennia of knowledge was a heavy blow for the Awakened community.

"That's what we can say about the past. Now we should worry more about the future." Inxialot, the Lich King said.

"We must prepare boot camps for all those who have failed the test so that they can pull their weight during the war or be assigned to logistics in the case they lack the talents necessary for the battlefield.

"Also, I suggest a thorough psych evaluation for all the survivors. The worst enemy is always that within and many apprentices might have sustained scars they aren't aware of yet. We can't risk their trauma resurfacing while in action.

"Last, but not least, I propose to start the arrangements for the academy right now. Let's not fool ourselves. Even if we start now, it will take us decades to agree on every detail. All in favor?" Inxialot raised his hand.

The other four representatives were so flabbergasted that they remained still, with their mouths opening and closing like a school of fish.

"Well, if that's what you think, then I'll take my leave. You don't need my presence to keep blabbering without doing anything." Inxialot stood up, but Leegaain stopped him.

"I think to speak for everyone when I say that we all agree with you. What stunned us was a reasonable proposal coming from you instead of another rant about wanting to go home quickly." The Father of all Dragons said.

"I'm no Guardian, but I'm not dumb either." The Lich said with a snarl. "I had to sit there for days and then rewatch the footage with you. Using our brains is the only way to make sure that such events never happen again."

The Council gave Inxialot a unanimous standing ovation.

Too bad that their newfound respect for the King of the Liches was based on a misunderstanding. When Inxialot spoke about the recent tragic events, he actually referred to the test and its evaluation keeping him out of his lab, not about the death of the youths. 

***

"I can't believe that I'm about to leave the Kingdom." Raaz wasn't used to travel, let alone going to another country. "Do you think we can buy clothes on the other side? I don't know how the climate in the Desert is and I don't want to pack too much."

"Don't worry." Crevan replied, happy at the idea of going back home after months in Lutia. "Mother will give you everything you need."

"Are you ready, little sister?" Lenanna asked Tista who had stored most of her possessions inside several dimensional items.

"Yes. Ready when you are.." She replied before stepping through the Warp Gate.

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