I felt cold, a feeling all too familiar from my days in training. The time I wanted to develop my stamina. The cold embraced me…as I sank deeper and deeper still, in a mass of darkness. The only thing to remind me of my conscious self being the bubbles that rippled the water with each breath I took. Yes, I was sinking. Deeper and deeper into the sea.
Slowly, Anemone opened her eyes. Her body releasing a gust of wind to prevent her from sinking any further. No sooner had she opened her eyes than she noticed that she was submerged underwater. The sunlight shimmered against a surface that seemed all so distant.
What the hell? She wondered, reaching for her throat only to notice that she could breathe still. How exactly did I end up here? And….why can I still breathe when I am underwater like this?
Oh! That's right. The last thing I remember was placing my finger against that crystal. I must have teleported to a new location. Wait, what of Kano and Walter? She closed her eyes, allowing her mind to dwindle before she opened them once more. No luck….I can't sense them. The distance between us must be too great….my ordinary perception won't cut it. I guess I will try it in magic release then.
As she was dropping her hand from her throat, she noticed that her body was already shrouded in aura. A thin lining of green aura, more controlled than the one she usually envelopes her body in.
Huh, what's going on? I know for a fact that I am not in magic release so…what's with the aura? Is the new environment interfering with my natural flow? Focus….try and observe my whole node network. Figure out where the spiritual vibration conversion is happening. She closed her eyes once more. The node located at my abdomen…but the magic is going elsewhere. Where? My left thigh! Something is absorbing it. Could that be what's inducing this state?
She reached for her left pocket. There, she felt something hard. She pulled it out. It was a white card with a red crystal on its bottom right. It too was shrouded in aura. On it, she saw some writing. Suddenly, she felt the drain point shift from her thigh to her left palm.
Ummmm….I get it now. This card has someone else's ability woven into it. This must be an art in the Eta, no, Epsilon series of power. It's absorbing my magic for an ulterior use.
She looked at hand once more. A lining this thin…it's a barrier art. That makes sense. I am underwater yet, I am not the least bit drenched. Further, I can breathe just fine. So it must be absorbing my magic to make those two things happen. My wind nature allows for my spiritual vibrations to become air after all. Just to be sure, I will try a small experiment. If I let it go, will I stop breathing?
Hardly had she let go of the card when the lining dissipated. She could breathe no longer. She gasped for air, swallowing some water as she began flailing. Calm down….Calm down! I need to compose myself. She felt her consciousness slowly begin to fade as she tried to reach for the card. Flailing with all she had. The card continued slipping between the currents generated. She slowed down as she stood on the verge of drowning.
Her hand then touched the card. The lining spontaneously formed around her body, separating her from the water. She began coughing as she could breathe again. She then grabbed the card tightly.
That was close….I almost drowned. That was dumb. She began panting before adding, I know that curiosity can never be a basis to justify reckless behavior but I thought that I had to try it just once.
That experiment made two things obvious. The card is a way to exempt you from this world's logic using your magic nature as the basis. My clothes are dry again and I can breathe. That means my wind nature allows for me to survive even otherwise dangerous conditions. This application of magic is super advanced.
I was right to suspect the Epsilon series. Magic deals damage both to the host and the target but with the right control, it can be used as a basis for vitality. But not many people have ever been able to reach this level of magic, they call it Element mimicry.
The second assumption I can pull from this is that real-world logic applies here regardless of it being a magic fabricated space.
She looked at the card to read what was written. A simple notice:
[Name: Anemone Zephyr] [Candidate Rank: E]
[Attribute: Wind]
[Unique Ability: Unidentifiable]
[Point Value: 50/1000]
She panted, trying to compose herself. This must be my data then. E…huh. I know that I was hoping for too much but couldn't I have at least been ranked C. As things stand, I am second from the bottom. With this, I am severely handicapped. My victories won't even be about power even a bit. I have to lean to strategy. No other choice.
'Unidentifiable'…what do you mean 'Unidentifiable'? The system put in place here can't ascertain the nature of my unique ability. Is it because since it is governed by magic, my ability, that distorts all magic cannot be named because it is causing a glitch. It can't be read because my ability is an anomaly.
She lay in the water and allowed herself to drift about as she looked at the shimmering water surface. Strategy is what I need to win. I need to see what I can do…what I have to work with? Usually I just let my mind wonder and weaknesses are analyzed as I go but this is different. There is so much more on the line. I can't fail! I need to understand what the King is looking for in all of us….
Analyze his rules and figure out ways to ensure I am step ahead of everyone else. From what he said, combat starts at sunset. He told us to be mindful of what we did but he never specified what exactly. It was like he was baiting us…daring us to ascertain what it was. He also told us that we were being watched by eight sensory mages. Since his Majesty is hosting this event himself, they are probably the best of the best. So our transgressions will not go unnoticed.
Telling us the exact number seems unnecessary though, was he just trying to drive the point home? She watched the water ripple as though a gust of wind blew past the surface. No, the king didn't seem like that kind of a person.
From the rules he told us. They were meant to ensure a manner of fairness but while maintaining the Rift in hierarchy. Us at the bottom will have to work harder to reach the top while those at the top reap the most benefits. His system is meant to draw out cunning…forcing us to resort to methods we wouldn't otherwise use. If I am making a jump, I think these three are related.
Why put us in a position where caution is the most important thing? Or rather, why tell us something to emphasize caution? She turned, looking to her right when she saw green lights suspended in water. She spread out to as far as the eye could see. To her, they stood out as they weren't dark like her entire surrounding. Though she was color blind, she could see them at least. I can't clearly analyze their vibrations but if nature is a part. Then they have a wind nature just like me. She continued turning before she stopped. She faced the ground, staring deeper into the water where she thought she saw a light.
At the bottom stood a giant belt of bright blue water. That's really bright…but what's that? She squinted her eyes to have a better look. All she saw were serpents, and fish alike. Their scaly bodies, coated crimson. They had hoops of fire around their fins and bodies. Are those Bystier?! As she looked down, she suddenly locked eyes with one of them. Seeing her from afar, it attempted to swim toward her before it bounced back. It was as though there was an invisible wall.
There must be a barrier between them and us…otherwise they would have already left by now. She sighed in relief before continuing with her train of thought. He said that we would have to fight humans and bystier alike…the fighting starts at sunset.
What do we do in the mean time?
We are being watched? It's like he is searching for something. He made us cautious. He wants knights who will make his name great? OH!
How couldn't I see it before? If the candidates start fighting, naturally the Bystier will join in. It will just become a senseless blood bath. Not only that, if everyone here is of the wind nature, our abilities will be weakened since water dissolves wind. Our arts won't match our magic potential. That kind of fight is dangerous. He never prohibited anything that isn't related to combat before sunset, in fact, he welcomed it. He nonchalantly added the mages watching us as a way to prevent curiosity from taking root. Everyone here wants to become a knight so they won't do anything to jeopardize their chances.
But we won't jeopardize our chances by simply relocating. What the hell? He is trying to make us think even before the trial starts. In fact, the trial itself never stopped from the moment we completed the first one. If this is the case, I need to get to the surface where nothing will hinder me.
She began swimming to the surface. The aura coating her body began to dim. She felt the water brushing against her body as she could breathe no longer. She held her breath until she made it to the surface of the water. She was panting as she looked north. There, a deserted beach was.
The other candidates underwater looked on, watching as their guinea pig so graciously stepped up for the experiment.
"If she leaves and isn't disqualified, we will do the same," they thought, anxiously waiting the outcome.
I made it to the surface without thinking but….What if I am wrong? What if the moment I leave this water, I get disqualified? What would I do? My dream…no, my only purpose would die. I doubt a chance like this will ever present itself. What do I do, Mom?
She recalled;
"Honey?"
"Yes, mom…."
"Sorry, I was just checking if you have fallen asleep yet. I guess not."
"Mom?"
"Yes, Honey…"
"I was thinking. What makes a good knight? I mean, they should be powerful right."
"They should but that's not the only thing. Your father once told me that a knight has to be someone who is intellectually brilliant."
"Intellectually brilliant?"
"Sorry, I meant smart. They have to have knowledge on a lot of things so that they never act without being sure first. But he also said that, sometimes, you just have to be reckless. If you can't risk it, you can't grasp the future that you desire."
If I am wrong then so be it. She looked her bracelets before adding, if I don't risk it, I can't actualize the future I want. I want to become a knight more than anything else in this world. She began swimming to the beach. Becoming faster with each stroke. No sooner had she lost contact with the water than the aura that coated her intensified. Gales began forming around her as they violently rippled the water.
Stricken with fear, she wondered, Was I really wrong?
For those looking on from under the water, they saw the light disappear as the water stopped rippling violently. Her silhouette, which they all saw, disappeared. It was as though, she was removed from that world.
~
As she king walked, he suddenly said, "Right hand…. Two hours are yet to pass in the world I created but someone has already discovered the bait I set. She is but a young woman. Yet, her prowess astonishes even me. Rationale may as well be her driving principle."
"Is that so, Your Majesty? Pray, who might this young woman be?"
"I know not her name but the nature of her magic. She is of the wind class. The fact that she uncovered this in so little time shows that she is suited for that position, no?"
"Marry, it does. Your Majesty."
~
Anemone opened her eyes, panting as the winds had cleared. Wait! That didn't do anything to me. Then what purpose did it serve? Doesn't matter, I am out just fine. Let me focus on searching for Kano and Walter. She began running before she stopped. Wait, I am missing something though? Let me see how many have followed me…I might be able to steal a few points or so.
Having waited for roughly ten minutes, she decided to give up. It doesn't seem like anyone has followed me yet. That doesn't make any sense, I left and remain unscathed so following what I did would be the most logical thing to do if you don't want to take part in that blood bath. How come no one has done it? She recalled the gale that consumed her earlier.
Hold on, they bought that. I guess from down there it looked really bad. They must have assumed that I was disqualified. The King doesn't play nice…if I also saw something like that, I would have also stayed put. Thank God I was the first to figure it out. After all, only a fool would passionately walk to their death.He did good…maintaining the risk to check for those who are willing to die for a chance to serve him. What a screwed-up king! I haven't even known him for long and I already know that I won't be able to stand him.
She took off running heading toward a forest she saw in the distance.
~
Windy…Windy….Windy…Cloudy and the storm just will not settle. A breeze so strong it could lift me at any moment. Or rather, that was what I wanted to believe. This storm is most disappointing. I need not assume a magic release state to conquer it but the dust it raises is most undesirable. I am of a nature of lightning…a windy place suits me not. The charge that should so naturally gathers around me dispels in mere moments. It is so bad that my body is having to release magic in its place. Walter let out a sigh as he aimlessly strolled through the barren wasteland that spread out for miles on end.
How long as it been? Five hours…three hours? I lost track a long time ago but we are nearing sunset. He let yet another sigh. It is not like I particularly dislike this arrangement, but why so many giant birds. If I can not gather charge then learning that spell served no purpose. I will have to resort to using the magic in my body, not as a catalyst but as the art itself. I wish I could still rely on Epsilon series magic but my silver and regular arts will have to do. Once the trial starts, I will hunt those…those bystiers, was that what she called them? Yes, they will go first. It will prove most stressful if they get in my way when I try to hunt.
[Name: Walter Silverette] [Candidate Rank: C]
[Attribute: Lightning]
[Unique Ability: Divine Silver; Hands Of a Spiteful God]
[Point Value: 200/1000]
~
Hey…
Hey, are you particularly fond of heat?
'Why do you ask, Master? Should man not be attracted to fire as nature dictates? You think it warm and pleasant so you hurdle over it in large numbers. Is that not how it should be?'
I am not in the mood for your rhetorical jokes right now.
'That was not a jest as I had no such intention. I simply quoth what I thought true. Was I wrong?'
Of course you were! No one wants to stand on the side of a volcano about to erupt.
'Oh'
Kano stood at the peak of a volcano that was mere moments from erupting. He looked down, watching the lava boil as he feared falling over.
When I opened my eyes, this was where I stood. The heat isn't too unbearable because of this thin coating of aura that is wrapped around my body. But…I can still feel it. If I stumble for even a moment, I will die in a very excruciating manner.
'Master….
The feeling you possess at the moment. I am appalled by it. You need not fear simple flames. If I consumed you over something as trivial as that, your life would have amounted to nothing.'
Control yourself. No more of the morbid talk, bear your desire for my flesh for a little longer. I am cautious because we are at the very edge…plus, I am sure you've noticed it too. The insane amount of blood lust here. It's probably from those bystier.
Aside from the overgrown flamingos, was it Phoenicoparrus minor, we should also be alert of the iguana, Conolophus subcristatus. They are really big too. I can't believe merging with magic screwed them up that badly. Their coloring is different too, they are red. Crimson flames tipping parts of their bodies, the beak, and mouth, the tail, and tail feathers, even their talons and claws. They were already created for heat when they were normal. But, with their new make over. We are dead. They just had to be at the base of the mountain. But the alarming part is why do they want to hunt us? As far as I know, we aren't part of their diet.
Having lived as a hunter, Kano possessed some manner of knowledge with regard to animals. It was a prerequisite, something necessary for efficient hunting.
'Master…..Am I permitted to try something? You seem to believe that their behavior is rather uncharacteristic. Am I permitted to ascertain why? I only have but one guess.'
Go ahead. But I already told you, you don't have to ask for my permission. Act when you think it is necessary.
'I understand. Ready yourself, this will be most unpleasant.' His surroundings began to glitch. Darkness permeated his vision as everything disappeared. He fell to his knees.
What's happening? What are you doing?
'Relax for a moment. I seek a catalyst. This space is most perplexing. The spiritual vibrations that are usually abundant in the air are present no longer. This space is ideal for us…your body is constantly expending energy to maintain the barrier that is keeping you cool.
Without Redstar vibrations in the air, our resonance is slightly better. They act as a deterrent since they belong to her. You will naturally seek me out and resonate with me better than you do her.'
What a…re….you…
He felt suffocated when his body became enveloped in a black aura. The feint blue lining of aura expanded and detached itself from his body, giving way to the fog that was forming. He grabbed his throat, feeling a strong pain at his neck. He heard;
"Asi….Why did it have be this way? Why did I have to die just because they wanted to spite you?" The fog that shrouded his body condensed as his eyes gained a blue glow. A pulse of black fog was sent from his body. The darkness he saw shattered as behind it, he saw the horns of a ram. His surroundings appeared once more.
'My Apologies, Master. But I have ascertained the reason for their rather hostile demeanor. They serve another master.'
Is that so? Looks like we will just have to kill them then.
'Master, pardon my asking but are you still truly Asim.'
I am. What is it?
'I am unable to ascertain what exactly…but your demeanor is rather calm for what you witnessed. To you, great woe usually arises when you hear her voice. Why is it that you are calm now?'
It doesn't matter, does it? What we have to do remains the same? They are all around me, aren't they? Let's give them a nice exit to commemorate this blood tainted dusk.
He got back to his feet before a blue crystalline estoc began materializing on his left palm.
[Name: Asim Binger] [Candidate rank: F…]
[Attribute: Water]
[Unique Ability: Divi…..Unknown]
[Point value: 20/1000]
They glitched before another reading appeared.
[Candidate rank: D]
[Unique Ability: Unknown]
[Point Value: 100/1000]
[The second trial, officially begins.]