Chapter 12

The preliminary ended an hour after the incident with Henry and Sarah. A team total of forty tags after they had run into one last team. 

"Congratulations on the remaining one hundred teams! Unfortunately, some of you are no longer capable of moving forward. So those that made it as the last standing, good job on carrying them this far. We have gone from one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, all the way down to four hundred and thirty-two! With this number, we can now begin the actual exams and assessments. In addition, any and all tags that were collected, if you collected them, have points that will be added to your final assessment. Red tags are worth one point, yellow tags are worth three points, green tags are worth five points, blue tags are worth ten points, black tags are worth twenty points, and white tags are worth a whopping fifty points. Additionally, each team that your team was responsible for eliminating, is worth thirty points, even without the tags. Here is the list of our scoring so far. I will announce the top three people. First place is Lewis Padova with four hundred and fifty-six points. In second place is Joshua Hemmings with three hundred and twenty-three points. Third place goes to Damien Wright, with two hundred and sixty-eight points. These three were MVP's and hold the most worth for the final portion of the assessment." An announcement was immediately made upon returning. The colosseum was now practically empty compared to earlier.

"So those tags were really worth points. You are a very knowledgeable master." Sarah commented praisingly.

"Shut up, don't call me master. Don't even talk to me unless I ask you to." Lewis replied.

"Yes." Sarah responded plainly.

"Man, you really treat her like garbage. Are you sure she won't retaliate?" Damien questioned Lewis, his facial expression spoke of skepticism.

"She can't, the choices I gave her were absolute. She cannot disobey. Sarah, strip." Lewis turned to Sarah and commanded. Sarah immediately began to discloth without hesitation.

"Stop. Recloth yourself." Lewis stopped her after she was half way with her shirt off. The only view anybody got was her delicate and smooth abdomen.

"That's wild as shit. She'll actually obey any command given to her based on a decision? I expected she'd at least hesitate." Damien looked entirely baffled.

"It's like a contract. I don't really know how it works though." Lewis replied.

"I'm not going to ask how it works, but I am going to avoid making you mad enough to give me choices I can't deny." Damien shook his head.

"You've given me no reason too. I don't have intentions on using it often as is." Lewis shrugged in response.

"Then why use it now? What kind of skill even allows such a contract?" Damien continued to grill Lewis.

"Convenience." Lewis replied simply.

"Hah, alright, I'll accept it as it is." Damien sighed and dropped the subject.

"I think we gave enough time to check over the scores. As you noticed, the teams that took out teams, but then got taken out, their points did not transfer over to the winning team. Now, for the first exam, teams are no longer required, we will have students sorted into three groups. Red and Yellow, Blue and Green, Black and White. Each group will be transferred over to another Gate, where your abilities will be tested. There will be a point system. The main reason for having the extra points from the preliminaries, is to make up for any non-passing scores for these main exams. Your abilities will be scored based on; reflexes, strategy, critical thinking, and fighting potential. Weapons must be used during this exam, so please use them if you have them. If you do not, one will be provided for you. Alright, good luck and good fortune." The announcer explained, as she was, the examinees moved into their respective groups and waited. Three different gates appeared in front of the groups, followed by two teachers that stood by each. The teachers filed the applicants into the gates two at a time, checking them off on a tablet.

"Lewis Padova… okay, go on inside." The teacher in charge of the Red Tag applicants was a tired looking middle aged man, with long unruly black hair. As soon as he looked at Lewis's tag number, he scrolled through the tablet, clicked and moved Lewis along. Stepping through the gate provided the usual disorientation, but its scale was significantly lower than before.

"Hmm, maybe I'm getting used to them." Lewis muttered as he came through to the other side. Inside was a wide open field with multiple facilities and teachers standing by. The applicants that came before Lewis were still disoriented and some vomiting dryly.

"Pathetic." Lewis commented before walking towards the closest teacher. A stiff looking woman with a mean build. Her brown hair was tightly wound up into a bun, military style, and her uniform was well addressed in neat orderly fashion, making her look like a military model. As Lewis approached, her disgusted look changed to that of surprise.

"Did you just get in?" She asked Lewis in an equally surprised tone.

"Yeah." Lewis replied simply.

"Well… Lewis, A.K.A, Mr. Tough Guy, if you're ready, I'll take you into the Reflexes Assessment." The woman regained her posture and began to lead Lewis into the first of the facilities. Inside was a simple gym, minus all of the gym equipment. Just an empty building with gym flooring. The distinctive features were the multiple red circles on the ground, varying from small to large.

"The assessment is simple. There will be small Magibots released from their charging stations above, and those circles will shoot out from the ground. You must dodge all of them, or dodge as many as you can. The longer you last without getting hit, the higher your score. For every minute that passes, the speed and pattern change. You may begin when ready." The woman instructed.

"Do I not need a weapon?" Lewis inquired.

"Not for this assessment." The woman answered. Lewis nodded and stepped onto the gym floor. As soon as he did, a whirring, clanging metal sound filled the gym as small imp like metal creatures dropped to the ground. They were bare handed, and glowed faintly blue within the joints and eyes. While Lewis was distracted, the circles around him shot up, causing Lewis to step to the side quickly, taking his eyes off the droids, which was also a mistake as they shot forward and tried to hit Lewis. Lewis had to dodge their punches, while dodging the pillars. The task proved to be a challenge. Lewis dodged in zig-zags, back and forth, side to side, and in every mix of the patterns. Once a minute passed, the need to react intensified. The Magibots began using the pillars as a chance to dash in at Lewis, giving him an even smaller break window.

"Holy shit this is insane!" Lewis stated between attacks. Everytime a pillar was about to emerge, there was a slight tremble in the floor, giving Lewis just a brief second to avoid it. The second minute passed and once again, the reaction window shortened further. Multiple pillars began to emerge, and the droids quickened their attacks. Lewis was now hard pressed, each movement strained, and sweat began to bead down his face and body. A pillar would emerge, followed by one or two others in unpredictable patterns. Dodging became a thought process and a prediction. Sometimes he would dodge and then have to dash forward to avoid the follow ups, then he would have to avoid the Magibots. At the third minute, the metal imps began to use the force of the pillars to launch themselves upward, making their attacks even harder to avoid, mixed with the five to ten pillars that would pop out like a whack a mole game, reacting became a tedious chore. Lewis was reaching the limits of his basic capabilities, the movements of the imps and pillars so unpredictable, not even the tremors were of help. The fourth minute began, and the pillars began to entrap Lewis in small areas, forcing him to avoid the droids in rapid succession, until a flying one finally landed a solid punch that hurt like hell. Once that happened, everything shut down, and the imps returned to their stations above. Lewis stood, blood dripping from his busted bottom lip, breathing heavily.

"That was impressive, four minutes and seventeen seconds. Almost a new record, you were forty seconds off. No need to transfer any points, you've passed this assessment. You may proceed to any other assessment you wish." The teacher instructed, and led Lewis out of the facility. Waiting outside, was a line of applicants, some still pale from the distortion sickness. Damien was nowhere to be seen, so Lewis assumed he was in another assessment. The lines for each facility were at the lengths of football fields, all except one in the back, where the teacher sat in a chair, practically sleeping. So, in order to not stand in a line for hours, Lewis chose to approach the sleeping man and the run down building.

"Which assessment is this for?" Lewis asked the teacher, a young man in his early twenties. His whitish blue hair stood out against the dull dark gray building he was leaning against. He opened one eye and looked at Lewis, again it was an odd color, a pure amber with red undertones.

"It's a bonus assessment. It's not a requirement, but it tests your mental strength and will. When you enter, it blocks all blessings and ninety percent of your base capabilities. I will warn you, this bonus should only be attempted if you're not doing well in the main assessments. You will not be told what you scored or if you passed or failed. This will only be added to your score after the end of the exam, and you will be notified the following week, two weeks before the official start date so you have time to either prepare for the first day, or find another academy. This is the end of my explanation, will you take the bonus assessment?" The young man looked boredly at Lewis.

"Let's not waste time. I came over here to take the test, so open the door." Lewis answered calmly.

"Yeah, I didn- Wait? You are taking the test? Uh… alright." The man stood up and unlocked the door, opening it and standing to the side. It was pitch black and silent inside, the smell of dampness and metal wafted through the opening.

"Appealing." Lewis commented as he walked through.

"Heaven help you." The young man sighed before slamming the door shut behind Lewis with a resounding thud that immediately silenced itself. It was as if sound itself absorbed into the surroundings, not even Lewis's breathing or heartbeat could be heard, only the rushing sound of his blood. When he opened his mouth and spoke, no noise emitted, his words falling silent upon leaving his tongue. The silence was so deafeningly loud, it overshadowed his own thoughts, drowning them out. The further in he walked, the heavier he became, until it felt suffocatingly thick around him. His breathing, was he breathing? It felt labored, but is he feeling? The room was like the physical incarnation of madness. His vision, if he was even seeing, played tricks in the absolute darkness. Shadows within the shadows, waiting, stalking, mocking him from the unknown abyss around him. Something touched his head, or was it his own hand as he held it from the maddening silence? What was time? How long had he been in the room? What was light? It felt like they had forgotten what light even felt like, what it looked like and even the smell of the air and the sounds of life. What was even their name? Who had they been? Where were they? The darkness consumed them, driving them all mad. Whispers of screaming falling upon deaf ears. They were not alone in the darkness, the darkness existed in all things, even deeper within them. They thought furiously about escape, about freedom! They wanted chaos and destruction! They craved blood and despair! How dare they be held so deep, caged within the rotting darkness, simply waiting for eternity?

A bead of sweat dripped off of Lewis's face and landed on his arm. The sudden cool wetness jolted him from the madness. What just happened? It felt like he had been struggling furiously for power over himself. From the darkness inside him, the many dark feelings and desires. He understood why the young man said what he said, but not even heaven's light could pierce the dark veil of the abyss that existed within him, or any living creature. The room amplified it, housed it, coaxed it out. Its only purpose was to tempt evil, or test the evilness inside. There was no pass or fail in here, only the understanding that there are no heroes, only villains that have yet to awaken. The door opened behind Lewis, the light filtering in, vanishing mere inches away from Lewis. He had been standing in the same spot he had been when the door closed. He had never moved, simply stood in a mad trance.

"Damn, you beat the ten minute record by miles kid. You've been here for three hours. Are you even alive?" The young man touched Lewis's shoulder, sending pure electricity arcing through him, causing him to instinctively flinch and stab a non-existent sword through the man. Lewis stood and stared at the empty fist in confusion, before his mind returned to normal.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I was just… somewhere." Lewis shook himself and exited the building. A short line of kids waited outside with pale and nervous faces.

"Better hurry and finish the other assessments, there's only half an hour left in this portion of the exam." The young man warned. Lewis took off towards the other exams, rushing through each of them quickly. The critical thinking was similar to the reflexes, but judgment was needed to differentiate between threats and allies. Occasionally knowing when or when not to attack. Strategy was a written and visual assessment. How to direct and work as a part of a team. Fighting Potential was as the name suggested. Fighting against the magibots effectively and proving his ability to do so. Of the assessments, fighting was his best score. Critical thinking was his worst score, actually needing a few points to transfer into it in order to pass. Once he was finished, he exited from the gate and was met by an even smaller number of applicants. The number was closer to four hundred now, most of the red and yellow tags had been disqualified due to extremely poor performance.

"You took an awfully long time to finish." Damien walked up to Lewis and commented.

"Some sort of bonus assessment." Lewis answered shortly.

"You actually took the Hell Trials?" Damien looked at Lewis incredulously.

"What a fitting name." Lewis commented dismissively.

"I heard about that from kids who took it and failed. It's supposedly a test that erases your rationality and puts you through an experience akin to a trip in Hell." Damien described.

"I feel it's a little worse than that." Lewis responded shortly.

"So, three, four minutes extra?" Damien asked Lewis with a smug smile.

"Try three hours." Lewis corrected.

"Three hours! Jesus, you spent the whole exam in that place? Fuck, are you mentally alright?" Damien shouted in surprise, but lowered his voice for the second question.

"Frankly? N-"

"Congratulations to the final three hundred and sixty applicants for making a basic passing score so far! As we don't have a lot of time left, the final portion of the exam shall commence! Remember the points that were gained? That's right! The final exam is point gathering! Now point gathering can be done in a few ways, so pay attention. The most popular and usual method is beating an opponent into submission, and taking the points. This is a preferred method, because it further thins out the weak. Here in Aaru we only want the elitist of elites. Another method, stealing tags. The tag that is stolen comes with all the points gained. For privacy purposes, we won't be releasing who has what points. This is a test of ability and perception. Remember, not everyone appears the way they look. A third way of getting points is point sharing. In this assessment, you are allowed to form teams, but be aware that the points will be distributed according to contribution and ability. So if you join a team, and do nothing or very little, your points you've worked hard for will be distributed to the harder working members. The final way of getting points is by locking your points in now, and stepping away from the battle. You will get all the points you have currently and the exam will be over for you. As always, good luck and good fortune." The announcer interrupted Lewis before he could answer.

"Well, should we separate, or team up?" Damien looked at Lewis for instruction. Ben and Bianca were also making their way towards them, with the same thoughts in mind. Sarah had long since arrived, but was ignored.

"None of you better hold me back." Lewis sighed, but agreed to team up. Looks of relief passed across the faces of Ben and Bianca.

"What about Sarah?" Damien motioned towards the silent girl, who looked at Lewis.

"Sarah… seeing as you snuck away to find your cousin somehow, you'll be tasked with stealing tags for the team. Damien, you're the tank while Ben and I will be the vanguard. You'll initiate combat while me and Ben flank them or their teammates, if there are any. Bianca, you will provide rear support with your ice skills, maybe freeze them, cause them to slip, or however you feel will give us openings. Once me and Ben start attacking, Damien will fall back to protect you. This whole strategy depends on you, Bianca. We deal damage while you give support and distractions." Lewis began a solid strategy meeting on the spot. After having worked with them before, he had learned their strengths and weaknesses. This strategy brought out all their strengths and covered their flaws.

"That's… actually a really good plan." Damien looked surprised.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Lewis inquired with a squinted glare.

"No, just… You tended to work alone during the preliminary." Damien explained. With the team formed, and a strategy in place, they were ready to tackle the final exam. After the five minute interlude given for those that were locking in and stepping out, all hell broke loose. Kids began attacking each other furiously, some in teams, others alone. Sarah immediately slipped away and blended into the chaos to fulfill her order, while the other three surrounded Bianca and moved forward. Immediately the group was set upon by a blue tag applicant, only to be met with opposition by Damien. Lewis and Ben shot out from either side, while Bianca held the boy in place with a tendril of ice that held his left foot. Ben gave a solid punch to the kid's stomach, while Lewis clocked him across the jaw. Damien picked off the tag from the slumped boy and the group continued forward. This strategy continued to work for the group, their points steadily climbed, a path of unconscious, broken, and crying applicants in their wake. Damien was in charge of picking the tags up, and Bianca was charged with holding onto them in a bag she had made from ice. She repeatedly told the group that her ice doesn't affect her and that she was fine.

"We might just get first place like this!" Ben exclaimed excitedly. Bianca and Damien laughed in agreement, and Lewis smiled, taking it as a compliment to his strategy. But, like all similar statements, a flag was triggered, and Ben met his fate when a fist buried itself under his ribcage. The force was so intense, Ben shot backwards roughly ten yards, rolling to a stop, entirely unconscious. Lewis and Damien surrounded Bianca, Lewis looked to the origin of the fist. It was a taller boy, roughly five eleven with short light pink hair, styled in a twenties mobster, but his fancy white and black suit and tie brought it to a modern mobster look. His golden eyes looked at Lewis in pure joy and malice.

"Hello, first place." The boy stated with equal malice in his tone.