Aiden’s body had scarcely surrendered to the comfort of the plush bed before a deep sleep swallowed him whole, as if the past few days, with all the wonder and changes they bore, were demanding their toll all at once.
As the night slowly withdrew from the castle walls, the first threads of dawn began to creep through the vast window, tracing golden lines across the floor of the quiet chamber.
Yet, that tranquility did not last long.
A rhythmic knocking rose upon the door, sharp enough to rouse any sleeper, followed by a venerable voice carrying the strictness long accustomed by the inhabitants of the palace.
“Aiden…
it is time to wake.” The youth slowly opened his eyes, taking a few moments to comprehend his surroundings.
He was no longer in his modest room within the school, but rather in his new suite inside the Castle of the Thirteen Mages.
Rising swiftly from his bed, he adjusted his nightclothes as he answered from within: “Coming…
I will be out right away.” He opened the door to find the head butler standing with his customary posture, his stern features betraying little emotion.
Aiden bowed respectfully and said: “Good morning, my Lord.” The head butler gave a slight nod, then extended his hand, holding a set of garments folded with meticulous care.
“This is the attire of the palace servants.” Aiden received it with both hands, signs of curiosity rather than astonishment appearing on his face.
The garments were simple in design, yet crafted with a precision befitting a palace ruled by the continent’s greatest mages.
The head butler said calmly: “Put them on, then follow me.” Aiden asked no questions.
He closed the door once more, changed his clothes quickly, and stood before the mirror, contemplating his new appearance.
A small smile formed on his lips as he muttered to himself: “I never imagined I would wear the uniform of a servant within a palace that rules the world…
but no matter, honest labor remains honest labor.” He stepped out minutes later to find the head butler still awaiting him in the long corridor, and together they set off through the castle’s halls, which were gradually awakening with the breaking of day.
The high windows allowed the sunlight to flood the stone passages, while some servants moved in silence, performing their daily chores with a discipline they had practiced for years.
Aiden kept glancing around in admiration, striving to engrave the details of the place into his memory, as he walked behind the head butler with steady strides.
After a few minutes of walking, the head butler came to a sudden halt, then turned toward him and spoke in his calm yet resolute voice: “Today…
you shall begin your labor in the palace’s main kitchen.” Aiden froze in his tracks, his eyes widening so much they nearly started from their sockets.
He took a step back, shouting with a spontaneity he could not suppress: “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!
But…
why the kitchen of all places?!” A brief silence blanketed the corridor, while the head butler continued to gaze at him with the very same composure, as though he had anticipated this question from the very first moment…
before preparing to answer, thereby unlocking the door to the first true trial awaiting the youth inside the castle.