“Now the tenets of the First House, and the grief of the King Undying," Teacher continues. "I will not tell you what you already know. I seek only to add context. The Lyctors were not born immortal. They were given eternal life, which is not at all the same thing. Sixteen of them came here a myriad ago, eight adepts and the eight who would later be known as the first cavaliers, and it was here that they ascended. Those eight necromancers were first after the Lord of Resurrection; they have spread his assumption across the blackness of space, to those places where others could never reach. Each of them alone is more powerful than nine Cohorts acting as one. But even the divine Lyctors can pass away, despite their power and despite their swords … and they have done so, slowly, over these ten thousand years. The Emperor’s grief has waxed with time. It is only now, in the twilight of the original eight, that she has listened to her last Lyctors, who beg for reinforcement.

"“You have been nominated to attempt the terrible challenge of replacing them and it is not at all a sure thing. If you ascend to Lyctor, or if you try and fail- the Kindly Lord knows what is being asked of you is titanic. You are the honored heirs and guardians of the eight Houses. Great duties await you. If you do not find yourself a galaxy, it is not so bad to find yourself a star, nor to have the Emperor know that the both of you attempted this great ordeal.

"This is not a pilgrimage where your safety is assured. You will undergo trials, possibly dangerous ones. You will work hard, you will suffer. I must speak candidly. You may even die. But I see no reason not to hope that I may behold eight new Lyctors by the end of this, joined together with their cavaliers, heir to a joy and power that has sung through ten thousand years.”

Doesn't sound like a competition, then. (Though Gideon has no issue with hard work and suffering.)

"To practical matters: Your every need will be met here. You will be given your own rooms, and will be waited on by the servants. There is space in abundance. Any chambers not given to others may be used as you will for your studies and your sitting-rooms, and you have the run of all open spaces and the use of all books. We live as penitents do, simple food, no letters, no visits. You shall never use a communication network. It is not allowed in this place. Now that you are here, you must understand that you are here until we send you home or until you succeed. We hope you will be too busy to be lonely or bored.

“As for your instruction here, this is what the First House asks of you.” Teacher pauses pointedly.

"We ask that you never open a locked door unless you have permission."

"Whose permission?" 

Teacher smiles. "The permission of the one to whom the door belongs."

So the doors are part of the challenge...

She nods.

"...Is that it? What's the training?"

"Well, I don't know," Teacher says. "You're the ones who will be becoming Lyctors, not I. I am certain the way will become clear to you without any input from us. Who are we to teach the first after the King Undying?”

He claps his hands in a clear dismissal. "That's it. Welcome to Canaan House!"

"Independent research project, then," she says to her own necromancer, teasingly. (Though the others will be able to hear her.) "Right up our alley."

"Like we never even left."

"Hey, a new library's exciting."

"Technically, we don't know there is one."

"We know there's books!"

"They could be randomly scattered."

"Then we get to collect our own library!"

"And implement a superior classification system?"

"Obviously."

"Sold. Let's get started."

"Let's."

Meanwhile, Gideon and Ellyn are being led fairly deep into the facility by the skeletons, towards the Ninth House's suite. It's already getting dark, which Gideon is both grateful for and a little surprised by. (Logically she knows the First rotates faster. However.)

"Wonder if there's any paths down to the water..." she muses out loud. 

"We can look while we're mapping the doors."

She nods. "Do you want to stick together, or split up for that?"

"Stay together. I don't trust this place entirely."

Nod. "We don't know where the dangers are, yet."

Or who the dangers are, she doesn't say.

Once they put their things away, Ellyn wants to make a start right away.