6 The Chosen

Everyone was on edge at that moment. All the children had cold sweat run through their foreheads as they heard the sounds of guns being moved and aimed. This and the sound of their own heartbeats getting louder and louder made them direct their animosity at Sol.

"Who the hell is that kid?"

"Am I going to die now?"

"Please just shoot him down."

These were only some of the thoughts running through the heads of the children. Eve herself was confused and, just like the other children, she was at a loss for what to do. But this intense vibe was washed down by a hand being raised; getting the soldiers to lower their weapons.

It was King Jubilee.

"Pray tell, what do you think are you doing child?" He said, still sitting on his throne.

"Oh, wasn't my name called? I could've sworn I heard Solomon." With every action taken by Sol, Cain couldn't help but get tenser. It was basically suicide.

"What on earth are you talking about you filthy rascal? Don't you know what'll happen to you because of what you did?" The Archbishop mentioned, irritated by the boy who defiled the "sacred" process of selection.

"I do."

"What?"

"I am not allowed to speak unless told. Death is the punishment for going against this." Sol then made a single step.

"I am not allowed to move as soon as I fell in line. Death is the punishment for going against this." He looked at the other boys and girls who were in line. It was the first time he felt that much bloodlust being directed at him. So much so that he thought it to be funny.

"As for the third clause, I mean the guards are too far away for me to even touch them." He said, walking even closer to the stage. He was stopped by a bullet finally being fired right in front of his foot. Some children began panicking and screaming at this point.

"SILENCE!" The Archbishop commanded, with the crowd doing just this.

"Anything I do at this point will result to my death. But that is assuming that I was not the one called."

There was an air of silence around them. Nobody has ever done what Sol did. In fact, nobody even attempted it before.

It was inconceivable. For a child who didn't even have a last name to speak up in the selection. They knew they were trash but, in the hierarchy of trash, orphans were at the very bottom. They thought about the first bullet that was fired earlier. It was enough to make their legs shake in fear; thinking that they were going to be gunned alongside the lunatic.

"Did you not hear me the first time? The name I called was – "

"SOLOMON!"

As if things couldn't get any worse, it did. The children didn't know what they did to deserve it but, another child shouted from the crowd. Sol smiled after hearing the voice because he knew exactly who it was. His most trusted accomplice; Cain.

"Dammit Sol, if this stunt of yours doesn't work, I'm gonna personally torture you in hell." He thought to himself, feeling just as nervous as anyone else.

"Who said that? Come out of the line!" The Archbishop commanded.

"It was me your excellency."

"What did you say just now?"

"I heard the exact same thing your excellency." Cain began by kneeling down, in such a way that he actually looked like a nobleman.

"The name you called was Solomon." He furthered, with his eyes staring straight at the Archbishop.

"Are you all on some kind of drug? Everyone else heard it correct? The name that was called out, it was – "

"SOLOMON!" It was Eve's turn to speak up that time. They didn't know that it was her yet because the Archbishop was not able to make her step out of line. Instead, Sol simply spoke up again.

"You have no way to prove that I am not the one you called. There are no recordings of this incident and, the name on the piece of paper was burnt just like every other. The two who shouted claimed the same thing as me and, I believe that every other child will say the same."

The other children only had one thought running through their heads. They couldn't care less how the idiot would die at that point, but they wanted to savor it like nothing else. That is why they all had the same idea running through their heads. They wanted to send the boy named Solomon to the Culling.

"And if they answer otherwise?"

"Then you can do as you wish." Sol said, without any hint of being frightened nor nervous.

"What stops me from just doing so right now?"

"It's because the King himself is here. In the presence of our lord, a priest, and a crowd, a just trial must be performed."

King Jubilee watched in silence through it all. He was a drunk and a loser but, he wasn't a fool. He watched how the boy played the Archbishop perfectly. A child, not even taller than his own, was forcing the highest ranking official of their church to a corner.

"Give him what he wishes." He said.

"But my liege." King Jubilee showed his bloodlust towards the Archbishop, unnerving him and forcing him into the command.

"U-understood."

The events that followed went just as Sol planned. All of the children gave a resounding "YES!" when asked if it was Sol who was chosen. The Archbishop even asked two more times, to make sure. Adding the concept that liars go to hell and if they were proven to lie, they would be killed along with Solomon. But because Cain and Eve shouted even before everyone else, the other children simply panicked and followed suit.

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

Not even a whisper of "no" could be heard by the Archbishop. Their mouths all moved to make the same sound.

"LIES! You all lie!" The Archbishop was infuriated by how Sol defiled the selection. Never has this act been done before nor did he think that something like this could happen again. But this didn't mean that he wasn't furious because, he was entirely so.

All the pieces were finally placed. The only thing left was for Sol to add the finishing touches.

"Your excellency, majority of the people within this room say that I was the one you called. Yet you are still saying that I am a liar when you have no proof?" The Archbishop was taken aback by the child but, he refused to surrender.

In fact, he already thought of how to counter everything. But even before he could speak up, a roar of laughter filled the room.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" The king laughed like never before. It was genuine entertainment that got his blood pumping and, in fact, he even began clapping his hands.

"Ohh this is rich. EVERYONE I COMMAND YOU TO GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO OUR FINAL TITAN!" It was the king himself who commanded it; making even the disagreeing Archbishop bite his lip and follow.

Sol looked at Cain who just stood from where he kneeled. He gave a wink as Cain thought "You crazy son of a bitch."

As if things weren't already crazy enough, the king even took the cloak and the mask from the nun. He went down the stage and immediately put both on Sol. As he did, he whispered some words to the boy.

"I wonder, what would you have done if he simply looked for your name in the ballot?" The king asked while he pretended to fix the cloak.

"There are times when names are repeated in the ballots. This happened once five years ago so I doubt that it would be impossible for something like that to happen again." The king began laughing again at that point.

"Ohh I hope you don't die early in the Culling boy."

"Who said that I would die my liege?"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" everyone was confused why the king laughed so hard again but, this lightened up the mood. It wasn't as tense anymore and the children were done with the nerve wrecking experience a while ago.

"Do you fancy the game called chess?" The king and Sol walked back to stage. It almost seemed like they were long lost friends who met again at that time.

"I've heard of it my liege, but never got the chance to try it out."

"Oh don't worry. You'll learn it quickly, I can see it in you." The king said as he went back to his throne and Sol went with the other [Titans].

While all of this happened, the Archbishop was at a loss for words. So King Jubilee needed to snap him back to reality again.

"Well? Don't you have some things to announce Archbishop Baron?"

"R-right. Of course my liege."

"To all those watching at their homes and to all those listening to my words right now! I present to you the five [Void Titans]! They will be given half a day to pick up their things and say their farewells to their families. After that, their training for the [Culling] will begin!"

With this, the live feed ended. And one person within the slums hated what just happened. In fact, he sobered up just by hearing his voice being broadcasted.

"You filthy dog!" Arthur said, with his rusted sword on his waist.

"You're not getting away from me."