The stained glass in the dome of the Holy Light Academy's testing ground cut the sunlight into seven colours, shining on the grey linen robes of the Class F students.I looked down at the wound in my palm pierced by a bronze chain, blood dripping down the clasp engraved with cursed runes.
"Bastards are bastards."The blonde teenager stomped on my back, his shiny knight's boot crushing his spine, "How dare you steal the Holy Wrecking Cloth even for the entrance test."
"I didn't..."I struggled and tilted my head back, the taste of rust churning in my throat.The holy light crystal in the centre of the testing arena reflected my wretched appearance - my black hair messily covering my oriental face, and my clerical white robes torn halfway open, revealing a green oracle birthmark at my collarbone.
Snickers came from the viewing gallery.The red-robed bishops shook their wine glasses, the gilt candlesticks casting shadows on the cuffs of their sleeves embroidered with the Cairn family coat of arms.It was under this coat of arms that I had watched my mother being crucified three months ago.
"The evidence is overwhelming!"Magistrate Kane unfolded the blood-stained linen, the dark red blood stains glowing an eerie blue in the sunlight, "The fingerprints on the Holy Skeleton Cloth are an exact match to that of this half-breed pariah!"
The chains tightened abruptly, and the bones let out an unbearable groan.I suddenly remembered the whisper of the dark figure in the silver mask when he shoved the cloth bag at me on the rainy night three days ago, "If you want to live, bring it with you to the test."
In excruciating pain, the birthmark at my collarbone suddenly burned.Ghostly blue data streams flashed across the retina:
[The host's vital signs have been detected to be below a critical value]
[Forced activation of the Taichu System]
[Fusing the Chaotic Dao Body.....1%....15%...]
"Kill him!"Kane's roar was wrapped in the pressure of holy light, and the giant sword of the Third Order Holy Knight slashed down with blazing flames.A cry of surprise came from Sister Irene from the viewing gallery, and the cross on her chest suddenly glowed with a shimmering light.
Chaotic Qi rushed through my meridians, and I instinctively raised my hand to clutch the blade.The knight's pupils shrunk - the holy sword that should have severed his head was currently pulsing with ghostly blue arcs of electricity in my palm.
"So divine power..."I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth, and my five fingers closed violently, "It's a compressed version of aura."
The moment the sword exploded, I heard the crunching sound of growing bones.The power of chaos flowed down the meridians into my right arm, and bronze-coloured veins emerged beneath my skin.The knight's silver armour tore like parchment under his fingertips, revealing a beating golden heart.
"Stop!"Kane's Spear of Judgement broke through the air, but it disintegrated into dust of light the moment it touched my collarbone birthmark.Oracle lines wandered like living creatures, devouring the holy light.
Silence spread like a plague.I stood in a pool of blood, looking at the healing wound in my palm, where the scorching marks of an oracle topography lingered.Kane took two steps backwards knocking over the candlestick, the flames spreading across his scarlet clerical robes like the snow on the night his mother was burned.