An Owl's Rise

All the other owls stood stunned as the administrator of the trials to be accepted into the Owls Roost came out after having not appeared since the beginning and proclaimed that Evelyn had already passed.

And not only that, but this powerful owl had also said that she wished to take Evelyn as her own disciple.

This was an unprecedented turn of events that very rarely happened.

However, it was the prerogative of the ones running this event to choose any of the participating owls and pass them on the spot. And even make personal offers before they made it to the Owls Roost.

Though while this offer likely would have been immediately accepted by any of the other owls here in a heartbeat, Evelyn was extremely wary.

In her mind this was some kind of trap, or some other trick that would lead her to more pain.

'She must have been watching me this entire time if she knows how many items I collected and about my storage amulets. That means she saw my heavenly flame. If she knows what it is, then she might just be trying to get alone to try and extract it from me.'

With her fears racing through her mind, Evelyn came up with dozens of horrible reasons as to why the owl in charge was trying to get her to be their disciple.

She had been burned too many times in the past, and she found that all she could think about was what sort of horrid schemes this humanoid owl may have in store for her.

Of course, the administrator saw the fear in Evelyn's eyes, and was actually pretty surprised as she never thought that she would be turned down.

This was a once in a lifetime chance to for most owls, and there really weren't any that should have wanted to turn it down.

"Are you doing okay? Did I perhaps surprise you a bit too much?" The administrator asked to Evelyn, after making a connection directly to her with a thread of magical energy.

Suddenly hearing a voice in her head when she was already in a slightly unstable state, Evelyn recoiled and jumped back a bit.

At this point it was clear that she was terrified for some reason or another.

'Hm, I think I am doing a good job of suppressing my aura, so why is she so afraid of me?' The administrator thought.

"Sorry if I scared you, but I was hoping that you would be my disciple. I can tell you now that if you follow me your time in the Owls Roost will be much easier. You will not have to start off at the bottom of the rankings and do menial jobs to prove yourself. I have seen a lot of potential in you, and as one of the leading figures of the Owls Roost it is my job to nurture a talent such as yourself."

Taking a deep breath Evelyn tried to calm herself down. She was still suspicious of this humanoid owl, but she was starting to think a bit more rationally.

If she had wanted her for some nefarious reason, then she would have had ample chance to do all manner of things.

She easily could have killed or abducted her during either trial, as for a great majority of time during them she had been alone.

'Maybe this offer is actually truthful. While she does have that scary glint in her eyes, it does not feel malicious, more like she is just very interested in me. And if I deny her, it could end up coming back to bite me later.'

Shaking her head around, Evelyn really could not figure out what to do.

She began whishing that Mason was here to guide her and tell her what the right answer was.

'I just have to believe that her intentions are not baleful. If she truly wanted to do something awful to me, I doubt there is any way I could stop her right now anyway.'

Having found her answer after much contemplation, Evelyn garnered all of her strength and calmed the storm of emotions she was feeling.

Honestly, she never wanted to put her trust in anyone ever again, but right now she felt that she had no other viable option. And just maybe, if this owl was sincere, it would help propel her forward and closer to her goals.

"Very well I accept your generous offer." Evelyn eventually said.

Smiling, the administrator of the trials said, "That is great. Now I need to stay and watch the final trial and make sure that everything goes well. But once it is done, I will take you along with me to the Owls Roost."

With Evelyn having accepted the offer to become a personal disciple, she was now guaranteed a spot in the sanctuary of owls.

But while this might have been a miraculous situation for Evelyn, it had all of the other owls that had passed the second trial glaring at her.

Naturally they were envious of her for being chosen and not having to fight through anymore trials.

Though if any of them had already gone through what she had, they certainly would have been dead, so her merits did deserve rewarding.

"Melisandre, I know that it is within your rights to pick any of the participants if you desire, but did you have to do it so publicly. You have made all of the other participants quite jealous." Aldan the examiner said.

Looking over at the other owls, Melisandre could see that they definitely were feeling indignant.

Seeing this Melisandre's genuine smile for having recruited Evelyn turned upwards and into a devious one.

"Very well, I suppose that I can give them all an equal shot. We will be beginning the third and final trial right now. So far, we have tested your speed, stamina, and ability to avoid danger in the first trial. And in the second trial we tested your wits and luck. Now it is time we test just how strong all of you are."