Chapter 24

                                    

                                          
Miranda, the only invited person from Penchant, greets us after the main celebrations. "I guessed right that you all would be a fitting choice for Penchant," she says. "You may just be mentees right now, but I'm very close to giving you a permanent position in the guild." 
My heart races at the thought of truly belonging to a guild. "What would we need to do for you to accept us?" 
Miranda contemplates for one moment, crossing her well-built arms. "Well... you need to impress me one more time. That's it." 
My party and I contemplate Miranda's words as we head to the final element of the Grand Wedding. The Saria Hunting Grounds are famous for their particular brand of monster, the Sprite, which is almost harmless—if not for its ability to cast a delusion if it gets too close. 
"They say that the person who slays the most Sprites will get a reward," Princess says. "We have to win this." 
We follow the procession through the villas, until we reach a place where the wards let up. The Saria Hunting Grounds consist of a large clearing decorated with large balloons, sculptures of various monsters, and a decent amount of bushes where the Sprites usually hide. 
Note, the rogue instructor, looks like he was forced to host the games. He scowls in every direction. With parents from both the Golden City and Xin, he could be an older fusion of me and Juno. He certainly wishes to be anywhere else when he says, "As you have probably heard, the person who slays the most Sprites will receive a handsome reward. I will count down from ten before you can enter the hunting grounds." 
He begins to count down, and I ready myself to jump into the fray. 
"3." 
"2." 
"1." 
Along with the other wedding-goers, my party and I jump into the grounds and take our place by one of the bushes. Almost immediately, a Sprite begins to form. Unlike the more bloodthirsty Pixie, the Sprite looks like a little ball of light with just a slight imprint of a kind face. I take care to stay far away, in case the monster hits me with its attack, which can sometimes disorient an individual for several minutes. It glows pink and white, showing off its ability to shift to any color it wishes. It floats languidly to Princess, who steps back immediately. 
Mist blasts the Sprite with fire, almost setting the whole bush ablaze. He's rewarded with the Sprite disappearing and dropping its multicolored core. I rub Mist behind his ears, a bit afraid of when he grows older and can set a whole house to ashes with one breath. 
The activity is only meant to last twenty minutes or so, a good activity to burn off all those calories from the feast. I want to win, of course, but I'm also aware of the parties who slay the Sprites as easy as breathing, jumping from one bush to the next. 
"Keep going, guys!" Avery says, as she slashes a Sprite in half. The Sprites make only a little harping noise, like the highest note of an off-tune guitar. 
After another five Sprites slayed, I let my guard down. Perhaps a bit too much so. A rogue Sprite lands straight in front of me, and I raise my staff too late. It covers me with its delusion magic. 
Slowly, the other people in my vision, including my party, slow down. Until they freeze entirely. It feels like time outside my little bubble has halted. I look around. I find Lyla and Braxton nearby, looking like a couple truly in love as they face the Sprites—probably with no goal to win the prize. The love radiates off their faces, in the way they both turn toward each other, as if the other contains a wealth of mysteries. 
Between them, the brother god appears. He looks annoyed in his outfit of a fitted white suit, but his handsomeness and beauty stun me once more. As he approaches me, I realize that he must've taken control of this Sprite's delusion.