Chapter 10: The old world

[Xinhuan District, Independent Colony of Dongtian, The Federation of Autonomous Dominions in North and Central America]

(19th, Iunius (VI), 1921 JCY*; 13th, Si-Yue (IV) 4619 CLCY**)

Daniel sits in front of his parents at their dinner table. They are currently living in the slums of the city of Jinshan. Oddly enough, his parents don't let him go outside to be with the other slum kids. He spends his entire day inside, working and studying. He doesn't mind as he wasn't the most social person. However, during his studies, he came upon something very interesting. In a corner of the room, tucked behind some old books, are some papers. The tax returns. Inside, there was the full list of the Zhou family's property, income, and expenses. Or rather, the Zao family. Tucked even deeper are the birth records and faked papers that made them live in the shabby, run-down house in the pauper's district. Of course, he couldn't say this at the dinner table while they were still eating. He finishes his dinner quietly. It's just simply with a sticky texture and some weird paste. He has read about the finer dishes that people could consume but has never eaten those dishes himself. The only time that he has eaten sweets was after finally beating his father during self-defense training. Even still, those sweets were just a pale imitation of what could be found in the outside world. And yet! Those papers show that they were not just a family of poverty, but an extremely rich family! Then why were they living here when they had a house in the tall steel of New Amsterdam? Why were they here, living amongst the poor, eating food unfit for someone of their monetary status? Why are sleeping in the cold, without so much as a full wall to block winter fury? Why are they here, under the fear of self-slavery? Why were they here, suffering? Daniel's face is a calm mask as his soul is in a hurricane of wrath and confusion. Slowly, his parently finish. As his father begins to leave the table, Daniel speaks.

"Father, Mother, I apologize for bringing this up at the dinner table, but since we have finished and there is no other suitable area for us to talk about this matter, I am forced to speak here," Daniel speaks in a voice and attitude unfit for his age. He hasn't even started middle school and is already speaking as a diplomat would when asking a head of state an urgent question. His father sits back down.

"I understand. Please speak your mind," His father bluntly states as he finishes sitting down. Daniel nods and continues.

"I understand that this might be something the two of you want to keep away from me, but I have found the documents that state that we are not the people we state we are. I am asking for the reason for this decision to keep me from knowing the truth,"

This time, it's his mother who replies, and his father closes his mouth.

"My child, do you know what motivates people?"

"Permitting me to take a guess, the search for a reward greater that what they have,"

"While that is one way to think about it, there is something else that could motivate a person, perhaps even more strongly than reward,"

"What would that be, mother?"

"The fear of failure. Of falling down the ladder and not getting back up. Do not worry, you have not found something we entended to keep secret forever. In fact, I have reason to believe the your father-" she says the words 'your father' with the most malice possible, and he straightens his back, "-had planted those documents in a place that you could find without myself finding out."

"I see. Then raising me here in this desolate place is a way to show me what failure looks like?" Daniel asks.

"That is correct. Due know it was entirely my idea, and your father tried at all times to stop me. If you are to hate someone, hate me,"

"No, I don't think I hate you for this. I'm guessing, then, that the 'test of worth' next week is the final test?"

"That is correct. Afterwards, you will move onto to middle school. Since we are not certified teachers, we will be leaving your education to those who are at that point,"

"I understand, mother. I will do my absolute best to not fail to the same fate as the children who have to do hard labour in the fields to be allowed to live,"

"No, you must not fail. Do not give yourself any leeway,"

"Yes mother,"

[Sulphat Superhighway, Duchy of Grahm, Dalycon Union of Duchies]

(30th, Black Sea Moon (VII), 644 ASY)

"So did you fail?" Moricant asks.

"Hey! Let him finish the story!" Lucya hisses/.

"It's fine, I think that I should stop there anyway… The rest is quite disturbing," Daniel brushes aside Lucya's words. "I technically didn't fail, but…"

"While the mental capability of subject no.18771717 exceeds exceeding expectations, the boards deems him to mentally willed to be allowed into regular society, and thus this board shall sentence subject no.18771717 to six months of hard labour in order to break his resistance to the principles that the state requires of him," Tyson snorts.

"Yes, thank you for remembering the entire line…" Daniel replies sarcastically.

"So, wait, you passed, but didn't?" Moricant asks, confused.

"That is the jist," Daniel sighs.

"That's..horrible…" Lucya covers her mouth.

"At least I didn't outright fail. Those people get put into slavery instead of just hard labour, or in the most extreme cases, right to the 'pedestal,'" Daniel continues.

"Should I ask what the pedestal is?" Lucya asks.

"If you really want to know, I won't stop you from asking," Daniel shrugs.

"Ok, I'll bite. What is the 'pedestal'?" Angelica, who has been quiet so far, replies.

"The 'pedestal' is the nickname by the people of Xinhuan of the execution stage. Since it's just barely big enough to fit a single person standing up but it's really tall, we call it the 'pedestal,'" Daniel answers.

"Wait, execution stage!" Lucya exclaims, putting massive emphasis on the word 'stage.'

"Yup, every single execution, whether it was of a ten-year old who completely failed the Test of Worth, to the eldest man who just wanted to spend his last days in retirement, were broadcast to the entire city. The pedestal was originally white. By the time we moved there, it was a dark red color,"

"A dark red-oh…" Lucya murmurs.

"Oh what? I don't get it," Moricant asks in confusion.

"What's the color of blood?" Lucya asks him in return.

"Red? Oh-" Moricant replies.

"Wait, so let me get this straight. The government that you lived under tested people to tell whether or not they were smart enough or fit enough, and those who weren't were sent to labour camps as slaves or outright killed?" Lucya asks.

"That's right. And only the poor had to take the test of worth,"

"That's...unfair…" Lucya mutters.

"What isn't?" Daniel mutters back.

"So that's why you don't like the way that the Union is treating its citizens?"

"Yes… It's horrifying that this system would find its way to another world when it should have died in mine," Daniel sigh. "Even still, we can only do what me must to topple this state. Though its ideals are shinning, the execution is terrible,"

* Julian Calender, starts at the birth of Jesus Christ

** Chinese Lunar Cycle Calender, starts with the Unification of China