CHAPTER FOUR. TESTS II

"The heart full of worries and doubts is often the most comforting and pure"~Purity.

***

White. Everywhere was white. I was standing in the middle of what seemed like a rectangular box, with no beginning or end and all I could see was my reflection.

Am I dead? Is this some kind of limbo? Where am I? 

I panicked for a second before I realized that it was a good thing. If I were dead, I wouldn't have to participate in the tests and I could finally reunite with Arthur, Maze, and Drake.

The only contrast to this place was my hair which was blacker than the night. It wasn't braided anymore, so it flowed down to my waist. My eyes were brown. Maze said that was the only color that made sense for it to be called. My eyes were the color of dusk and dawn, yet it glowed like it was orange and sometimes, it seemed red.

My lips were almost red and I had a heart-shaped nose and a round face. I was an ethereal beauty and everyone knew it.

The place was white, but it wasn't white. It was... pure.

"Hello," The voice was melodic and it sounded as if she was singing.

I turned around and my eyes met the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Everything about her was white, even her hair. She wore a white sleeveless gown with a v-neckline that hugged her gorgeous figure and flowed freely to her ankles. She looked like a goddess. Her skin was whiter than milk and it felt like I could see my reflection.

Who was she? When I looked at her, I felt like I was dirty and impure.

Purity! She was the twin sister of Pearla, the goddess of peace. She was Purity, the goddess of virtue and salubrity.

"You are the goddess Purity?" It was more of a confirmation than a question.

"Why do you carry gratuitous guilt? It taints you." She spoke again. Her voice was just pure.

"What do you mean?"

"We must not have time. Listen to me, August, they cannot know I have come. Pay heed. Trust no one." Her voice became urgent and she looked around like someone was eavesdropping. She seemed scared.

"Trust no one? What do you mean?" Words I wanted to say but couldn't because my eyes opened.

My eyes fluttered open and my head ached like a thousand giants were stampeding.

I laid on my back and I gazed at the darkest shade of blue eyes.

"Blue?" I managed to say. Everywhere hurt.

"Xarian. Are you alright?" He asked and I just groaned.

"I fell from 30 feet and you are asking if I am alright?" I hoped the sarcasm seeped in.

"Since you are healthy enough to be snarky, then we are ready to go" He offered me his hand.

I took it and he pulled me to my feet. Then he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and supported me as we walked into the forest.

We found a big rock and he placed me on it to sit.

"Rest for a while and tend to your wounds. I hid your bag, so they didn't take it. So you can continue after" I looked at him like he was crazy. He was crazy.

"I'm not going through with the test. I can't survive, Blue. We both know it. I am in this mess because you refused to choose me for the Wyn Hood. I don't care what Meridan has to say, I'm not prevailing."

He bent down and held my hand, "Arthur, Mazikeen, and Drakon died to save you. You have to survive Xarian."

"I trained to be a Wyn or a healer, not a knight. If I magically survive the test, I won't make it in the knight division." I sighed.

"Being a Wyn means curiosity. You Wyns would do anything for knowledge, even putting your lives at risk. Isn't that bravery? Knights would go as far as becoming spies to gain knowledge on their enemies, isn't that curiosity? Just because a trait is dominant in a Hood doesn't mean it doesn't exist in another Hood. The Hoods complement each other. They are not mutually exclusive. You can do this" I was still unsure, until he added, "At least do it for your friends. They would want you to survive"

I didn't respond but I was going to try.

I used my dagger to cut the lower part of my dress into long pieces. I cleaned the wounds with some pieces and the water in my bag. Then I wrapped the remaining on my ankle, left waist, shoulder, and around my head.

Since I was a young child, I could talk to the Flames in their human form. I was the only one that could do it. That was why I was so sure about getting into the Hoods I wanted.

Blue and I just sat in silence, when we heard screaming not too far away. I grabbed my bag and walked as fast as my injury could let me and saw Maze-Eritrea, shaking with fear.

She had a bow and arrow but it was useless. A snake that wasn't too big was in the middle of both of us. It hadn't noticed me yet, so I picked it up with its head and removed the venom. It wasn't as easy as it looked, but I learned how to do it because Maze was also afraid of snakes.

The snake slithered away.

Eritrea looked at me in shock.

She started walking away, and I trailed behind her. I knew the forest was part of our test. We had to get out of here, but I didn't know how.

"How do we get out of here?" She asked

particularly no one. She hadn't said a word to

me.

Then my eyes spotted a carving on a tree.

"Eritrea, look!" I pointed at the carving.

"It's a carving, that means someone must have used it as a landmark to not get lost." My thoughts exactly.

"Let's follow it" I suggested.

We walked in silence, eyes alert to spot the carvings.

"You killed thousands of people, yet you couldn't kill a snake," She said, disgust and surprise in her voice.

"You have a bow and arrow and you couldn't kill a snake" I pointed out and she scoffed.

***

It was getting dark and we decided to stop.

We sat on rocks that were as far away as we could get from each other and Eritrea made a fire that sat in the middle.

I brought out bread from my bag and cut it into two.

"Bread?," I offered, and after a while, she nodded. I tossed it and she caught it.

"How did you know how to do that?"

"Do what?"

"What you did do with the snake?"

"Oh. I removed the venom. Maze was also afraid of snakes" I explained.

"She was?" Her eyes widened in shock.

She didn't know. I wasn't totally surprised. Knights to be started training at a very young age. They just trained and trained and due to the intensity of the training, they had no time for their families and friends. Just like my siblings.

"Tell me about her. Maze" She asked softly.

She was always so tough and moody. I never knew she could speak nicely.

I hesitated for a bit but I finally said, "Healing. That is the Hood she would have chosen."

***

I didn't want to sleep because Purity's words still echoed in my ears, "Trust no one".

Howbeit, as soon as my head touched the harsh forest ground, I slept.

I woke up to find myself tied tightly to a tree with vines.

"What's going on?" I didn't know who I asked. Did someone kidnap Eritrea and me?

"Sleep well?" I snapped my head to the sound of Eritrea's voice. She pointed her arrow at me, ready to release.

"What are you doing?" I asked exasperated.

"I won't kill you because you saved me. We are even. I owe you nothing" She put down her bow and arrow, took my bag and hers, and ran away, leaving me to fend for myself.

"Eritrea! Come back here! You can't do this to me! Eritrea! Please!" I was on the verge of crying.

Why was this happening to me? I had been betrayed and made a fool out of. Did the gods enjoy torturing me!?

I started crying and I let out the most ear-shattering scream.

My body became hot. The vines started burning until they became ashes and I dropped to the ground on all fours.

I stood up, wiped my tears away, and dusted myself. My dress was now only a top. Luckily, I wore pants and she didn't take my dagger.

Suddenly, a brown grizzly bear appeared out of nowhere and growled at me.

"This cannot be happening" The bear just stared at me without coming towards me.

Maybe it was nice, so foolishly, I turned around about to walk away when the nearby used its claws to scratch my back.

"Ha!"

I fell to the ground.

"Xarian!" Blue screamed and the bear went away.

He knelt at my side.

"Do you want me to call Green to heal you?" His eyes were filled with worry.

I shook my head. If I appeared at the Knight's division magically healed, they would be suspicious.

He helped me stand up and my back hurt likes bitch. I was going to get out of here and make Eritrea pay. I thought she was warming up to me. She was just pure evil.

"I need to get out of here" I checked the trees for carving, but it seemed like Eritrea had covered them up somehow. She wanted me to die.

I started climbing the highest tree to see if I could see the Knight School. I fell like a hundred times because of my injury, but I managed to finally climb. I saw the knight school in all its glory. It was a bit distant, but it was tall enough for me to see.

I was going to walk and climb trees to see how close I was to the school. Bearing and distance would be my friend.

"You can't make it out like this. You need to find water." Blue pointed out.

I nodded. I was going to find water first. That was easy. Wyns always told us to look out for low-lying terrains or swarming insects or where trees were most healthy or following animal footprints.

So that's what I did. I looked around to see what direction the trees were facing. When I saw it, I walked in that direction.

I listened carefully to the sound of water and after hours and hours of getting lost, and frustrated, I finally found a lake. The lake wasn't too big, but it was enough.

Blue appeared after I had undressed, removed the pieces of items of clothing on my wounds, and gotten into the lake. My wounds stung. I unbraided my hair and washed myself. The water wasn't that deep, so half of my upper back was visible.

Blue also entered the water. He helped me wash my back. It wasn't sexual. He was older than all the four kingdoms and even some gods. In a way, he was like my older brother.

I turned to face him and he looked at me with pain and longing. I wasn't too sure.

"You remind me of someone." He said.

"Who?" I turned back around.

"Someone very important" A very vague answer. But I didn't press any further

"Do you think I can survive? I would be all alone amid dangerous people. Amongst the thousands of people I killed, I'm sure some of their relatives must be knights. They'd kill me" I ranted.

"Then just steer clear from them." Blue got my 'bandaids' and I washed them and left them to dry on a rock.

Easier said than done. I would know them by their names. I knew the names of everyone who died in the fire. It was a way of honoring them.

"I had a really strange dream, Blue. I'm not sure it was a dream. It felt real"

"Dream? Is it about Arthur and the fire? You have those dreams a lot"

"No. I saw the goddess purity and she told me to trust no one" I finally told him.

Trusting Eritrea was stupid, but I knew I could trust Blue, even though he did betray me by not choosing me.

"Are you sure?" His voice became very serious.

"Yes." And then there was silence.

"Eritrea tied me to a tree. I burnt the vines. I'm finally learning to control my fire"

"She tied you to a tree?" Then he started laughing.

"It's not funny" I snapped.

"Purity said to trust no one and you did exactly that," He said as a matter of fact.

I sighed. "I know, but she reminds me of Maze"

"Well, would Maze tie you to a tree?"

"Yes. Maze would tie me to a tree" I smiled.

It reminded me of when Maze and Drake once blindfolded me and threw fruits at me and I had to judge. Let's just say I burnt the blindfolded and everything else they threw.

They were the only ones who knew about my 'gift'. Arthur also knew. He helped me practice. No one else knew.

"You won't be alone Xarian. Your brothers and sisters would be there. And your crush would also be there. They love you to bits."

I sneered. "I don't want to talk about them." I was in too much pain and too weak to discuss them. When we were done, he disappeared. I got dressed and after waiting for the 'bandaids' to dry, I wrapped them again.

***

I climbed trees and walked and I finally made it out of the forest.

When I got out, I wished I was still in the forest.

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Seriously I wasn't being proverbial.

Behind me was a huge stony wall or cliff. I don't know the difference.

In front me of was the clear path to Knight School. In the middle was nothing. The two places were divided by a gap. The gap wasn't huge, but unless I was Athika there was no way I could jump it.

I wished  I was still tied to that tree. I just sat down contemplating all my life choices that led me here.

I finally got an idea. I went back to the forest, looking for tree vines.

I got a lot and tied them together to make a long rope.

I came out of the forest and climbed the stony wall. I found a strong enough stone and made a tight knot around it. I was going to swing to the other side or I was going to die.

I hated the gods but praying to Arimathea, the goddess of luck didn't sound as terrible as it would have about half an hour ago.

"That's your plan? You're going to swing?" It was green. They all looked different and their eyes were the color of their names. They wore robes of the same color.

"Are you done stating the obvious? Or do you have a better plan?" I asked dourly.

"Don't just burn the vines." I knew he was being sarcastic.

"Very funny." I hissed.

But he was right. If I didn't keep my emotions in check I could burn them.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Self control. I held on tightly to the vines and prayed the knot wouldn't come loose.

I swung with all my might and when I was close to the other side, I let go and I fell. My bruises kept increasing.

I kept on walking to the knight school.

My face was paler, I was catching a cold, the night was falling and everywhere hurt. I was going to die.

It was already night and the gigantic black gates to the school were about to close. I managed to limp as fast as I could and entered before it finally closed.

A man wearing an all-black leather attire walked towards us. I couldn't see his face. All I knew was we were standing in what looked like a courtyard.

About a hundred of us were standing there. I was about to pass out at this point.

"This is where the rest of you will sleep tonight. You are the last batch to arrive. Tomorrow morning all your injuries will be taken care of. This is your punishment" He informed us. His voice lacked an ounce of emotion. And like that, he walked away. Leaving us to freeze in the cold.