The Berunal Dance

"If people thought

  you were dying, 

they gave you

  their full attention."

"Welcome! To the third trial of the first level, in this level You are to dance!"

My eyes widened, dance? I involuntarily looked up at the audience, fighting and talking was something I wasn't opposed to doing, but dancing in front of an audience was on another level.

A couple of girls piped up at that, smiling happily that dancing was at least something they could do without the fear of dying, but of course, it wasn't that simple.

"The Dance of Berunal!"

Almost everybody piped down at that, of course it couldn't be that simple, it never is.

The Dance of Berunal was an ancient dance nobody bothered to learn anymore, it was a dance-like fight, when you danced, it looked like a slow motion fight, a very slow one at that, every move had to be executed perfectly.

"You have three hours to prepare, one wrong move and you're out."

Immediately we were transported, I appeared in a single room filled with food and drinks and I suddenly realized how hungry I was.

  Special Interviews

Interviewer: How are you enjoying the summoning so far?

Kemi: (grinning) I'm enjoying it so much I'm getting goosebumps, I can't wait to see their different dancing skills.

Interviewer: the gossip going around us that you're a very good friend to the only underage to ever have the honor of participating in the summoning, could you predict how this trial is going to go for her, will this be the last trial she participates in?"

Kemi: Raven might be socially awkward, and hates attention on some special level, but I believe this won't be the last trial for her.

Interviewer: So she knows how to do the Berunal?

Kemi: I don't really know, but I know she knows how to dance but doesn't like to be in front of an audience. My only worry is that she'll be more focused on the eyes on her than dancing perfectly.

★★★

I was about to pick up an apple when the voice in my head stopped me.

Don't!

Why not?

Don't eat anything, summon your bag and take as much food and water as you can, but don't eat anything.

Why do you care if I eat anything, I'm starving, you don't probably feel it but I'm really really starving, emphasis on the really.

I took the apple and was about to eat it when the voice screeched.

What the fuck is wrong with you, why can't I eat it.

The voice sighed. It's poisoned.

I scoffed, yeah right.

It's poisoned, you were told to prepare for the dance not eat

So, how can I prepare if I'm starving..

Then eat after you dance

What if I faint during the dance due to starvation? Hmm, what then? Besides, why would they poison the food?

To reduce numbers, it's not poisoned to kill you, it's to make you weak, the dance of Berunal is a dance done with patient, you have to stay in one position for a minute or more excruciatingly slow long moments, how would you stand in one position when you're weak?

Putting it like that, it made sense, but why go to that extent.

But if I'm starving I'd also be weak.

You aren't starving, it's the room making you feel like that

I sighed, how do you even know it's poisoned?

The voice scoffed. I know things

I rested on the wall and tried to decide which form of skill I'd use to perform the Berunal.

The good side of the Berunal was that you could use any form of fighting or skill to do it, as long as you did it excruciatingly slowly, did it like a dance, portray emotions and did it perfectly, the longer you could drag the move the better.

So which fighting skill was it going to be?

The Damisu technique would be perfect, I knew the move like the back of my hand, I just had to portray it very slowly.

They were benefits to having a voice in my head, it practically taught me almost everything I knew and what a girl my age wasn't supposed to know.

I didn't question how the voice knew what it did, they were also benefits of being ignorant, not that I hadn't asked it a thousand times and it refused to give me an answer.

You know the dance of Berunal goes two ways

What do you mean?

You could Dance very slowly or very fast.

I frowned.

Over time people forgot about dancing fast because being slow was preferable, you could start with dancing slowly on the first two solos and fast on the last.

Why not just slow all the way?

The beat of the last solo is usually very fast.

Oh I get it, people were expected to fail on the last solo because their slow dance wouldn't be able to follow the beat and on instinct they'd try to make it work thereby resolving in them making mistakes, but I'd you're dancing as fast as the beat, you'll be less likely to make mistakes.

Yes. the voice answered.

I snorted, if I didn't know better I'd think you don't want me to die.

I don't, I'd you die I cease to exist

I harrumphed. I knew better, what did that say about me, believing everything the voice said despite hating it?

I inhaled and exhaled, raising my hands up to begin the dance.

I prayed as I danced, hoping to goddess Laeta that I survived this, because contrary to the dragon prince, I wasn't about to wish for death...yet.

  ★★★

Okay so, I felt better knowing I wasn't the only one nervous, most of us were openly trembling, no one wanted the reason for their death to be dancing. Who even made dancing a trial.

I wondered if the prince was enjoying the gruesome entertainment somewhere in his palace, he was probably smiling.

I shivered, I wasn't begging for death yet, I wasn't in agony yet.

"Welcome back!" The host shouted and the crowd screamed in excitement, I shook my head, what kind of humanity was this? People being entertained by the death of their loved ones, their relatives, friends.

"We have 373 contestants left, please stand in rows and 7 feet apart from yourself at all sides." We all moved to do as he said.

"Ready?" The slow beats started while we positioned ourselves. "Go!"