“Me?” Priya asks, considering Dana’s question carefully. She taps her chin, smiling brightly after she’s given it some thought. “A sword!” She pauses, adding, “I guess that’s kind of boring, right? But I want to be a dashing swordswoman.” She waves her fork around in motions that are probably supposed to be swash-buckling.

“Mmm.” Says Cara, “I’m not gonna guess, we’ll just find out tomorrow.” She nods to Penny. “I guess we just wait, for now.”

Quiet conversation continues around the tables for the next several minutes, mostly speculation on transformations, weapons, and outfits. Some are more enthusiastic than others, but the mood overalls seems positive—with some small exceptions.

When dinner is finished there’s not much left to do but return to the dorms, most of the on-campus facilities by now closed and no student yet allowed outside into the city. This time at least the girls from the Laurus have more time to sleep before the morning bells wake the candidates once again at some ungodly hour of the morning.

Today is the day.

Each girl in turn finds themselves escorted deep into the bowels of Nova Lux, past secure doors and winding passages, deep beneath the earth into the forge where Ars Magi are made. They find themselves in a circular room, an observation area outside of a small surgical chamber. The walls gleam sterile white and the lighting is bright and harsh, reminiscent of the hospital that they visited earlier. 
Several final checks are done, and the last thing each remembers is a small cluster of white-coated doctors gathered around them, and the gleam of metal instruments before they sink into darkness.

[hr]
[center][b]“Three.”[/b][/center]
[hr]

The next couple days are spent in recovery. It’s a strange sensation at first, to have this foreign object inside of the body. Inset in the navel, each gem is a smooth and gleaming invader that feels notably unnatural for the first 24 hours. 

This is before mentioning the uncomfortable soreness, the periodic dizziness, and the fits of nausea that come as the body adjusts to whatever magic is now coursing inside of it. Each girl was warned of these side effects and given even worse news to go with it: They can’t even transform yet. The Armagus requires a specific trigger, and is nothing more than an uncomfortable lump until their bodies have adjusted to it.

[hr]
[center][b]“Two.”[/b][/center]
[hr]

“This will be your first exercise as a Nova Lux cadet.”

The nausea is starting to pass on this, the third day. Candidates have begun to return to something resembling normal, just in time for the mission briefing in the assembly hall. A holographic map of the city is on display at the front of the room, slowly rotating under the touch of a uniform-clad woman at the front of the auditorium.

“The exercise will take place in the Palmyra Military Exercise Zone, or M.E.Z. There, under controlled conditions, your Armagus will be activated.” A pregnant pause, and the officer continues: “This activation will require the presence of a Void.”

Quiet whispers ripple through the crowd of assembled young women. 

“We will be lowering the diffusion of Nox in the exercise area to a level sufficient for the manifestation of low-class Voids. Your Armagus, an anti-Void weapon, will respond accordingly. The exercise will be supervised by military personnel to mitigate the danger to yourselves, but I won’t lie to you: Any encounter with a Void has the potential for disaster. 

This is your first real trial as an Ars Magi, prepare yourselves accordingly. Ignis aurum probat.”

[hr]
[center][img] https://i.imgur.com/INRP3w2.jpg [/img]

[b] 𝙿𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚢𝚛𝚊 𝙼𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝙴𝚡𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚉𝚘𝚗𝚎 
𝙰𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝙳𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚝 [/b]
[b] 𝙰𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚕 𝟷𝟻𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅 [/b]
[b] 𝟿:𝟶𝟶 𝙰𝙼 [/b]
[i]Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti, Diana Khay Vanna, Astrelle Lennox[/i]
[hr]
[/center]
[center][b]“One.”[/b][/center]

The voice is small and static-laced, a quiet buzz from the earpiece you’ve been equipped with. 

“Now lowering diffusion level. Nox levels rising.” 

You stand in the middle of an abandoned street, rows of empty buildings hemming in on all sides. This is Military Exercise Zone, an older part of the city abandoned and later reclaimed specifically for Imperium purposes. It’s a ghost town, not a single soul dwelling within. The only sign of movement are leaves blowing in the chilly afternoon air, dried and brown foliage that rustles quietly down along the narrow streets.

The candidates have been broken into groups of five, with the Laurus crew finding themselves together once again. Your companions wait in an observation tower some ways behind the exercise area, observing you the same way you did them during their respective turns. 
But now, it’s just you.

“Nox levels still rising.” 

Something is wrong. It’s like static in your brain, gentle at first, growing louder as time goes by. Things begin to feel fuzzy and indistinct. 

“Manifestation of Voids detected.”

They look similar to the thing that attacked the Laurus. Humanoid, impossibly thin, inky black, geometric patterns etched along the flesh. Black clouds of Nox roll off their bodies as they take shape, three in total, seeming to blur and twist into existence out of the air itself. Air that is becoming steadily thicker as small wisps of Nox begin to form.

They advance.

The static is worse now, the world around hazy and indistinct. Hard to focus.

And then you feel it. A single point of clarity, something bright and powerful just barely within the grasp of your consciousness. All you have to do is reach your mind out and take it. 

All you have to do is change. 

[hider=OOC Notes]
We’re getting a little wonky with time here to keep the pace flowing. 

Not everyone is being tested at the same time. In fact, it goes one at a time and your character will be able to watch the members before/after you. However, it’s probably not exciting to just react for 4 posts or so, so we are handling them all together. For your reference, the actual order is: Vanna, Dana, Nicole, Astrelle, Penny.'

Anyway, now's the time to transform! It's real magical girl hours. And, of special note, this first transformation will heal Penny's arm so she'll be at full operating power.
[/hider]