#varlen bo

[sceptilemasterr]

Defenders of the Flame (TE Rewrite) Act 1, Scene 4 - The Test of Attunement

Title: Defenders of the Flame (A CIU Screenplay)

Main Pairings: Shreya x F!MC, Beckett x F!Atlas

Other Pairings: N/A

Genre: Full Rewrite (The Elementalists, Book 1)

Rating: PG-13 for violence, blood, swearing, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Fiora faces some unique challenges in the Test of Attunement.

Previous Scene: “You’re One Of Us”

Masterlist: Link

INT. PENDERGHAST GRAND VAULT - MORNING

The Grand Vault is a room so massive it could easily be mistaken for the outdoors. Glowing multicolored letters float in midair overhead, reading “TEST OF ATTUNEMENT,” with other similar signs floating around below, pointing students in various directions as they file into the room. Several areas at the far end of the Vault have been marked off, with a single professor standing within each area, holding a stack of metal sheets not unlike the one Shreya had shown Fiora the night before. Griffin stands in the middle of the crowd of first-years, helping direct them to the proper places.

GRIFFIN (shouting): Clear Awakenings, this way! Uncertains, Varrah will take you over by the far wall! Watch your step, please, and-- HEY!

His sudden shout comes in response to one student suddenly levitating himself up above the crowd with a gust of air.

GRIFFIN (muttering): Somebody’s an Air-Att... (shouting) I know it’s a big room, but we’re still indoors! Rules still apply!

The levitating student lets himself fall, and a group of other first-years quickly rush out of the way to make space for him. Behind all of this, Shreya and Fiora enter the room.

FIORA: Okay, so... whoa. This room is big.

SHREYA: Yep! It’s the Grand Vault! I keep forgetting you never got to tour this place.

She looks around, and Griffin repeats his earlier directions. Fiora lights up at his voice.

FIORA: Hey, I know him! That’s the guy who helped me yesterday! Griffin, I think?

SHREYA: Oh? Does somebody have a crush?

Fiora shakes her head and laughs.

FIORA: Ha. No, not my type.

SHREYA (curiously): And what is your ‘type?’

FIORA (blushing): Uhh...

Looking around for a distraction, Fiora spots the line of Clear Awakened students forming up near one wall of the massive room.

FIORA: Oh! There, looks like that’s my line. Guess I’ll see you when I’m done! Bye!

She rushes off as Shreya stares after her, puzzled. As Fiora approaches the line, Shreya turns and heads over in the opposite direction, toward the Uncertain Awakening line. Fiora approaches the student standing at the head of the Clear Awakening area.

FIORA: Uh, excuse me? I’m here for-

The student turns around, looking over at her. This is BART NGUYEN, a third-year Water-Att student.

BART: You’re Clear Awakened?

FIORA: Uh, yes?

Bart waits expectantly.

BART: ...Are you gonna tell me your Attunement, then, or is this a guessing game?

FIORA: Oh! Right, sorry. I’m a... Fire-Att? I think?

BART: Fire, right. You’ll be that way, with Dr. Swan.

He points to one of the marked-off areas, where a middle-aged woman with dark frizzy hair and a colorful scarf stands in front of a small group of students.

FIORA: Got it. Great. Thanks!

She heads toward the woman, who fixes her with a curious gaze as she approaches. This is DR. SWAN, one of the professors at Penderghast. Fiora can’t help but stare at her as she approaches, and one of the students, SHINELLE YORK, laughs at her expression.

SHINELLE: Oh my God, don’t you know it’s rude to stare? Even if it is Dr. Swan...

Fiora snaps out of it and stops staring. Dr. Swan looks down at her as she approaches.

DR. SWAN: Ah, another Fire-Att? And you are?

FIORA: I... I’m Fiora Luxen?

DR. SWAN: Fiora... Luxen, did you say? Interesting.

She looks up at Fiora with an expression of surprised recognition before composing herself back to her usual neutral expression.

FIORA: Sorry, is everything, uh, okay?

DR. SWAN: Yes, yes, that will be all. Let’s just wait for the remaining students to be sorted out, and then we shall begin. Okay?

There is a murmur from the crowd as Fiora steps back to join the other students. She looks around, watching as the last bunch of first-years from the Clear Awakening section are sorted between the various Attunement groups. After the last student, a dark-haired boy with an infectious smile, is directed to the Water-Att group, Dr. Swan claps her hands together and gestures. When she speaks, her voice is suddenly amplified as though she were speaking through a microphone, startling the assembled students.

DR. SWAN: Right! Now that that’s finished, I will call you one at a time. When your name has been called, step up behind the desk here and your test will begin. Remember, under no circumstances is there to be sharing any details about what transpires within the test until all of you have finished. Is that clear?

The students mumble a halfhearted “yes.”

DR. SWAN: Good. Now, this part of the test may be essentially a formality, but that does not mean we should not take it seriously! You may already know your Attunement, but there is still much to be learned about yourselves within this test.

She pauses, but no one reacts. She sighs and picks up a sheet from her desk, reading out the first name on the list.

DR. SWAN: Varlen Bo?

VARLEN BO, a boy with spiky blonde hair, approaches the desk. Dr. Swan gestures, turning off the voice amplification, and she converses with Varlen too quietly for Fiora to hear. Then, Dr. Swan makes a pair of strange hand gestures toward Varlen, who becomes surrounded in a cocoon of stoicheal energy. Fiora jumps in surprise.

FIORA: What the--

A brief montage follows of Dr. Swan calling out a variety of names in alphabetical order. Finally, she calls “Jonathan Koss,” and Fiora begins to get nervous again.

FIORA (to herself): I’m probably next...

Several moments pass. Shinelle notices her nervousness and smiles reassuringly.

SHINELLE: First time jitters? Hey, don’t worry. Both my brothers went through this already; they said it was a piece of cake.

Fiora nods gratefully.

FIORA: Thanks. That makes me-

DR. SWAN: Fiora Luxen?

Fiora nervously approaches Dr. Swan’s desk.

SHINELLE (whispering): Good luck!

Dr. Swan shuts off her voice amplification yet again as Fiora approaches. The professor gazes curiously at her, and once again that flicker of surprise crosses her face.

DR. SWAN: Ms. Luxen... hm. You’ve had a Clear Awakening, correct? Describe it for me.

FIORA: Uh, well... I basically shot fire out of my hands? Lit a couch on fire, and my friend had to put it out with a cup of water--

Dr. Swan nods.

DR. SWAN: Yes, very Clear, then. Fascinating...

She stops talking for a moment, and Fiora waits restlessly until Dr. Swan suddenly seems to notice her again.

DR. SWAN: Right... Let us begin. The rules are simple. One: absolutely no stoichi is to be used during the test at any time. Two: treat everything you encounter as though it were really happening. Though you cannot die within the Dreamcase, any attempts to exploit the system will only mean the test must be retaken.

Fiora gulps audibly as Dr. Swan continues.

DR. SWAN: And Three: the things you will experience can sometimes be emotionally overwhelming. If at any time you feel it is too much, stomp the ground three times with your feet. The test will immediately be ended.

Fiora takes a deep breath and steels herself.

DR. SWAN: That is all I can tell you for now. Good luck, Fiora. And remember: three stomps of the foot if things become too much for you.

FIORA (to herself): I can do this. I can do this.

Dr. Swan nods, then raises her arms above her head, tracing two lines of stoicheal energy in the air around Fiora. A cocoon begins to solidify around her, and she closes her eyes.

DR. SWAN (to herself): Let us discover what kind of person you’ve become, Ms. Luxen... (louder) Your Test of Attunement begins now.

Fiora closes her eyes... and when she opens them again, she finds herself somewhere else entirely. She stands in a deep, vast cavern, piled high with glimmering treasures of every kind. She stares, open-mouthed, at the sight around her.

FIORA: Whoa. Is this part of the test? Uh... now what?

She looks around her, but does not see any obvious exit. Unsure of what else to do, she approaches the piles of treasure, and as she draws closer, a few items in particular catch her eye: a beautiful silver necklace, an ornately decorated book, a gleaming steel sword, and a chest of golden coins. She looks down at the items for a moment, then reaches for the book.

FIORA: Hmm... Ian would probably pick this one-- AHH!

The moment she grabs the book, the world around her warps and shifts, until she finds herself now in a small grassy meadow. The book has vanished. She gazes around her, but sees nothing other than a variety of landscapes in the distance: a rocky mesa, a tropical beach, a vast desert, a peaceful forest, and a forlorn junkyard await her in different directions. She looks around, confused.

FIORA: Alright, now what? I don’t...

As she thinks for a moment, a memory crosses her mind of a conversation she’d once had with Diego.

DIEGO (V.O.): If I had to be stuck somewhere, I’d pick a desert. You’d see the monsters coming from miles away, y’know?

FIORA (to herself): It’s as good a reason as any, Diego.

She begins to sprint toward the desert. When she draws closer, the world shifts again.

FIORA: Whoa! Not again!

She now stands in a small room, empty save for a table in the center. Atop the table sit several vials of liquid, in different shapes and colors. She approaches it curiously.

FIORA: Weirdest test I’ve ever taken.

She stares at the vials with suspicion. Then she frowns.

FIORA (frustrated): Alright, that’s it. Time to channel my inner Alyssa... (shouting) Swan or whoever, you’d better not expect me to drink one of these!

Annoyed, she swipes all the vials off the table, where they fall to the floor with a crash.

FIORA: Seriously, enough! Is this test almost done or--

The world shifts again; Fiora stumbles but manages to catch her footing. Here, she stands in the middle of a bank of fog, too dense to see anything through it. She squints, trying to figure out what to do next, when she hears a familiar voice:

ALYSSA (O.S.): Fiora? I can’t see! What do we do?

FIORA: Wha-- Alyssa?

IAN (O.S.): Help! Fiora! Where are you?

FIORA: Alyssa? Guys? I--

ALYSSA (O.S.): Where are you? Please, please don’t abandon us!

FIORA (panicking): I didn’t-- I-- You abandoned me! You left and never even called!

ALYSSA (O.S.): That wasn’t our fault! This place-- we can’t leave!

IAN (O.S.): Help us, Fiora! Do something!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Please!

FIORA (frantically): Alyssa? Guys? ALYSSA!

Tears in her eyes, she starts sprinting blindly through the fog, desperately trying to push it away, as the voices continue:

IAN (O.S.): We’re trapped!

ALYSSA (O.S.): There’s no escape!

IAN (O.S.): Fiora!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Fiora!

FIORA (screaming): NO!

As she crashes blindly through the fog, the world shifts again, dropping her into the center of a dark forest. Fiora falls flat on her face, then shakily pulls herself to her feet.

FIORA: Ow! Alyssa? Guys? ...Hello?

But instead of a reply, a swarm of pixies erupts from behind the trees, headed straight for her and buzzing malevolently!

FIORA: Oh, come on! Stupid test... take this!

Angrily, she scoops up a branch from the ground and charges straight at the pixies.

FIORA: AAAAAAAAAAAHH!

Just as she and the pixies are about to collide, the world shifts yet again. This time, she stands at the bottom of a huge canyon, with a flowing river just in front of her. She looks down... and instead of her own reflection, she sees Shreya’s face.

FIORA: Shreya? Wait... huh?

As she watches, Shreya’s face morphs into into Ian’s, then Griffin’s, then Alyssa’s.

FIORA (weirded-out): ...Okay? I don’t get it. Next test, please!

But the world refuses to shift. Instead, the reflection morphs again, this time into the strange white-haired version of herself that had pulled her through the mirror.

FIORA: ...You again?

The reflection changes back to Alyssa’s face, then changes several more times, shifting faster and faster until it finally fades into nothing more than a blurry outline. A voice suddenly speaks from everywhere and nowhere:

VOICE: But who are YOU, Fiora Luxen?

FIORA (unsettled): I... I’m nobody! I don’t know! I don’t--

She closes her eyes tightly as the world shifts once more. This time, she stands on a stark metal floor. The room around her stretches into darkness as far as she can see on all sides. In front of her are two shimmering portals, and she steps cautiously toward them. Through the first, she sees an image of herself in her old dorm at Hartfeld, laughing and joking with Alyssa, Ian, and Diego as they watch a movie and share a bowl of popcorn. Through the second, she sees herself in an unfamiliar room, equally happy, with Shreya sitting beside her, an arm draped over her shoulder. Next to the two of them sit Griffin, Beckett, and the white-haired version of herself, all smiling and laughing. Fiora looks back and forth between the two of them, confused.

FIORA: The way things were... and... they way they will be here? “Past or present?” Is that what this is?

She frowns as she peers closer at the second portal.

FIORA: Wait, why’s Beckett there? That’s weird.

She looks back and forth again, trying to figure out what she should do.

FIORA: Okay, so...

As she thinks, a shadowy sphere appears directly between the two portals, glowing with dark energy and growing larger and larger as it approaches her. Gradually, a malevolent-looking face appears on its “body,” and it opens its jagged mouth as it glides toward her.

CREATURE: Chhhhhssss!

FIORA: Ahh! What the hell are you?!

The creature opens its mouth and launches a burst of shadowy energy straight at Fiora! She leaps out of the way just in time, and the portals start to flicker and fade. The creature turns and charges toward her, wreathing itself in sinister purple flame.

FIORA: Alright, I don’t like you. Go away! De-spawn! Get going! Whatever!

The creature--and the world--remain as they are. The creature launches another burst of shadow energy, and Fiora barely manages to get out of the way in time. She starts sprinting toward the “Present” portal, but it fades away as she approaches, the creature following closely behind.

FIORA: Okay, you... there’s gotta be a trick to this, right?

CREATURE: SHRIEEEEEEEEK!

FIORA (to herself): You can’t die in the test. You can’t die in the test. You can’t die in the test!

Another shadow burst hits her in the leg, and she falls to the ground.

FIORA: Alright, that’s enough! I’m done! Stupid test!

Frantic, she scrambles back to her feet and stomps the ground three times... but nothing happens. The creature charges toward her, and she stomps her foot three times again before turning and sprinting away from the creature.

FIORA: HEY! I stomped! I’m done! Let me out of this thing already!

The view momentarily shifts to outside the test, where there is a flurry of panic...

...and we see that the creature attacking Fiora is very much real and visible to everyone present. Dr. Swan casts several stoicheal attacks toward Fiora’s Dreamcase, which has now changed color to an angry purplish-red, but none of Dr. Swan’s attacks manage to penetrate it.

DR. SWAN: Someone! Go for help, now!

She casts another attack, and Shinelle nods, rushing off toward a different section of the Vault. As Dr. Swan begins another intricate motion with her hands, a breathless Shreya sprints toward the Dreamcase.

SHREYA: Fiora! No!

Shreya casts her usual Evaporation, but it does nothing. Angrily, she charges at the Dreamcase and starts pounding her fists on the barrier.

DR. SWAN: What are you doing?! That thing is--

CREATURE: SSSSSSHHHHKKKKKK!

The creature turns its attention to Shreya, passing straight through the Dreamcase barrier as though it were nothing. Shreya backs away, drawing back her hands and thrusting them outward at the creature. Two small jets of flame erupt from her hands and toward it, but it appears to be only momentarily stunned by the attack.

DR. SWAN: It’s too dangerous! Let me-

The creature launches a blast of shadow at Shreya, and Dr. Swan projects a shield between her and the creature. The view shifts back into the test...

...where Fiora is pulling herself to her feet, still in the endless dark room.

FIORA: At least that thing’s gone. Uh... now what?

She looks around, but sees nothing. The two portals from earlier have completely vanished. She frowns, and after a brief hesitation, stomps her foot three times once again. Nothing happens.

FIORA (shouting): Hey, I think this test might be glitchy! Somebody? Hello?

Back outside the test, Dr. Swan is sending blast after blast of energy toward the creature, which keeps dodging and attempting to attack Shreya.

SHREYA: Okay, this thing likes me way too much! Go away!

Dr. Swan lets loose another blast of flame, larger this time, and the creature seems to flinch at the impact.

SHREYA: Yes! That’s right, die, whatever you--

The creature abruptly pivots 180 degrees and phases back into the Dreamcase again, ignoring the others completely. Shinelle rushes back into the area, several professors following close behind. A grey-haired woman with a stern expression, DEAN GOEFFE, glances between the creature and Shreya with alarm.

DEAN GOEFFE: Evelyn! What is going on here?

Shreya rushes up and starts pounding on the barrier again, but this time the creature ignores her.

SHREYA: Fiora! My friend’s in there! FIORA!

Back inside the test, the creature has returned.

FIORA (annoyed): Great. You’re back. Alright, time for Round 2!

She grits her teeth and charges toward the creature head-on. Startled, it momentarily backs off, and she turns and swings a fist at it. Upon impact, she recoils in pain as the energy surrounding the creature burns her hand.

FIORA: Yeah, that was probably dumb. Aah!

She stumbles backward as the creature shoots another blast of shadow energy.

FIORA: Look, I know we’re not supposed to use magic-- stoichi, whatever-- but come on!

There is no response. The creature charges toward her, and she lets out a resigned sigh before sidestepping and allowing it to barrel past her. Before it can recover, she concentrates and shouts at the creature, thrusting an arm forward.

FIORA: Fine, screw it. Take THIS!

But instead of the fire that she expected, a brilliant beam of light erupts from her palm, solid and powerful. It slams directly into the creature, disintegrating it completely...

Outside the test, everyone leaps back in alarm as a similar pillar of light lances out from inside the Dreamcase and pierces the ceiling of the Vault high above. Dr. Swan looks on with a knowing smile as Shreya gapes in astonishment.

SHREYA: No... no way...

Back inside the test, reality is beginning to break down around Fiora, with strange lights and shapes popping in and out of existence around her.

FIORA (shouting desperately): That’s not what I meant to do! I swear! Honest! I didn’t even know I... huh?

In front of her, a shimmering portal appears, similar to the two she had seen earlier. But this one displays an entirely different scene from either of the previous two. Fiora sees herself, several decades older, standing in a dark, twisted landscape. She is using powerful fire and light stoichi to battle against unseen foes, along with an older Shreya as well as Alyssa and Ian. Two others that Fiora does not recognize are present as well: a man with long brown hair, fighting at Alyssa’s side, and a woman with a striking scar on her face who stands back-to-back with Ian. Strangely, only Fiora and Shreya look older in this vision, while the twins and their partners still look around the same age as Fiora is now. She steps closer to the portal, peering curiously at it.

FIORA: Okay... that definitely isn’t my past. Or present. What the--

The image blurs and shifts, becoming dark as the portal starts to fade away. But just before it vanishes completely, a sinister voice booms in Fiora’s mind:

VOICE (echoing): ALL THINGS MUST END.

Fiora grips her head and cries out in pain, then collapses to the ground, unconscious, as the test fades away around her. A concerned Shreya calls out to her, her voice fading...

SHREYA (distantly): Fiora? Answer me! Fiora!

_______________________

Scene Notes: So THAT’S where that shadow creature from canon showed up! Watching a professor ask Fiora a bunch of questions wouldn’t be too exciting in film format, so I decided to make the Test a bit more interesting... In order:

Bart Nguyen: no relation to Michelle, if you were wondering. It’s a fairly common last name, and I didn’t even realize I’d given him Michelle’s last name until after I’d written the character! Chalk it up to coincidence.

Why Dr. Swan: Dr. Kontos is busy with the Wood-Atts! Here, each Attunement has its own elemental advisor. Dr. Swan is the Fire advisor, so she handled the Fire-Att test. (The change from “Professor” to “Dr.” was both to further separate this from Harry Potter, and also to keep up the college theme.)

Ian and Alyssa in the test: Were they just illusions drawn from Fiora’s mind, or is there something more going on here...?

The three portals: Probably obvious, but the first two are Past and Present, with a Future portal appearing at the end. Speaking of the future portal: if you’ve read my previous Most Wanted screenplay, the words spoken by the mysterious voice at the end should sound chillingly familiar...

_______________________

Next: Answers and Questions

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis

DotF/Elementalists Tag List: