The Test of Waning: Death Incoming

<WARNING: This chapter contains triggering images of violence. Read at your own risk.>

~~

It didn't work out well. We did made it to the special mark on the map, but we probably won't pass the test at all.

This is reality. A group composed of Sinus Fidei can never win the game, especially not when we were as kind-hearted as we were. No, scratch that. We weren't kind. We were arrogant.

Now, we were going to be sacrificed. Them for the first time, and in my case, the second time.

"I should have done something more..." I murmured, frustrated tears gathering in my eyes.

"I-It's okay, Eleftherion," the girl with big eyes murmured. Even now, Kendra was still so polite. She should just curse me right now. Instead, she said, "They... They're not really going to... kill us... right?"

Alas, I couldn't reply. After all, I couldn't and shouldn't lie.

Thanks to some quick thinking by our older girl companion, the sacrifice was held off until the next few days, owing up to some astrological alignment or whatever nonsense Damia could come up with to give us more time.

So, the three of us have been held in an underground makeshift prison cell made from the musty, old ruins. Based on the window-like features around the dark room, I had suspicions it was actually originally a normal room aboveground, but had sunken into the ground over time. But there's no use in admiring the historical architecture. We had to think of a way to get out of here...

"It's no use," Damia murmured, all curled up in her black clothes at her corner of the room. "With all the henchmen Telken has got under him, we won't stand a chance even if we find a way to escape from here."

I huffed in annoyance. "You're an inner ring member. Prove your worth by busting us out of here."

It took a while for her to respond, slightly shaking her head. "It's all a lie."

Kendra and I exchanged glances, wondering why the girl was suddenly feeling emotional. Well, more emotional than she had been for the past couple of hours.

Damia murmured, "I only advanced into Mare Frigoris because of... the help of others. I never passed the test by my own hands and skills before. The... boys knew I was intelligent, so-"

I cursed at her. "I don't care! If you're so smart, then get us out of here now! You must know about the patrols and movement of Telken's team. Make a plan. Do something!"

Kendra flinched at all my shouting, reminding me of how pathetic I had been acting ever since we got imprisoned. Memories of my death kept haunting me, assaulting me with even worse images as hours ticked by. Time was a fickle thing. I wasn't even sure how long we've been held down here. I couldn't use the light from outside to know whether hours or days have passed. In those times of idleness and powerlessness, I realized it wasn't the feeling of the cold blade against my neck that made me terrified. It was the hands of men who violated me. It was the tickling breaths of manipulative women inside white washed temples. It was the cold gaze of my father.

For two years, I had tried my best to forget these. I tried to simply live out my life as though it had never happened. But now, as the silence trudged on, I knew I was the same girl I had been. Powerless. Weak... A mere girl.

"No!" I mumbled out to myself, probably surprising the other two, but I didn't give them mind. I began to walk around the room, feeling at the earthen walls, looking for a place to hit. But who knew if the whole room would collapse down on us if I even strike once? Who knew how deep underground we really were? The windows were our only option. We had been knocked out of consciousness before we were brought here, but I could sense that there was an entryway, a hollow tunnel down that particular window.

'If only we could break through that magical barrier...' I thought as I examined it up close. The window was about a three feet square, edges all curved out with decay. The only thing that blocked the way out was a black, liquid-like substance that seemed to move around the entryway.

"Don't go touching that again," Kendra called out to me, already stepping back. "You know what happened the first time you cast a fireball at it."

Remembering it clearly, I knew that it would return a stronger magic back at me. But if I touched it gently, it wouldn't hurt me either. Just like a mirror that amplified what it gave back... Even now, the opposite side of the wall was charred black from the first burst.

"So I can't use force..." I murmured, and then thought about a different kind of magic. "So what if I seep out its energy?"

I walked closer towards it, holding up a hand to touch it. I imagined the small living creatures I had experimented with with Sir Whitaker. The flower I had used until it had become nothing but wilted ashes. I could sense the same thing coming from the black substance: the aura of life.

If I could just take the life away from it, then...

"Eleftherion?" Kendra asked, mild panic in her voice. "Don't do anything stupid."

I sighed slightly. "... I won't."

Then, I pulled back my arm in defeat. I knew it was stupid to meddle with magic far beyond me. If I did whatever I wanted, then it could possibly harm not only myself, but the people around me as well.

Groaning, I came back towards Kendra and collapsed onto the ground, closing my eyes in frustration. "We have to find a way..."

After my last words, I heard a shuffle as Kendra sat down beside me. She then whispered, "It's okay to feel scared."

I flinched. I didn't want to admit it. I faced death once before, and it wasn't pretty, but... "I'm not."

I heard her snort, making me open my eyes again. She was looking at me with a raised brow. Seeing her look so confident despite the situation we were in, I couldn't help but imagine her as an older girl, beautiful and strong. Alas, if we didn't survive this, then she'd never become the woman she was meant to become.

I breathed out slowly. Then I said, "Yes, I'm terrified. I don't want to die like this. And even if we won't be killed, something else will die inside me. Being sacrificed... like a pawn meant to be thrown away? I guess that's one of my biggest fears."

Kendra studied me as she rested her chin on her knees, pouting all the while. Then, she grumbled, "Why should a noble-born guy like you feel like this, anyway? Is it because you got relinquished of your power?"

I sighed at her not so inner musings. "That's kind of insulting, you know? Besides, you're a noble too, but you probably also feel this way, right?"

"... Yes, because I was born a merchant's daughter, and even now, I still feel like a merchant's daughter," she murmured. She then grinned. "You know, I think I kind of get you now! You aren't such a mysterious enigma after all!"

I raised my brows at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!" she shouted with a teasing smile. "You're just a stuck up noble boy who wants to change the world."

I laughed at that. "Aren't we all like that?"

Although she still smiled, there was a more serene look on her face when she said, "We're all like that."

After that, we sat there in silence, but this time, the silence was less stifling.

~~

One good thing about being imprisoned was that you got a lot of time to rest. In fact, if you become calm enough, you had a situation where you were almost just idling by. In the few hours we were held down there, I had replenished the energy I lost while travelling nonstop since the start of the test. I finally had a good night sleep.

But the bad thing about rest is that the demons can come and catch you off guard.

In my dreams, I was bundled up in clothes much thicker and heavier than Damia's. My whole body was covered, and even my eyes had a thin veil of dark cloth over it, blurring out the world around me. From my view, everything had a tinge of darkness to it, and the people looked hazier and their smiles looked sinister. I didn't know where I was, but I only knew that I was surrounded by crowds of people.

Murkily, I heard them arguing, urging each other with harried, distorted voices. Soon, rolls of ink-dark cloth were passed around over pale, skinny hands until the person closest to me had grabbed hold of it.

I barely understood it as he said, "Cover her up more. Make sure none of her stench comes out."

Then, the horde of people came forward, hands grasping out to me, draping layer after layer of the rough cloth onto my skin, rolling it around until it suffocated me. I felt them start to move faster, running around me as they rolled the cloth around me, pinning my arms and squeezing my skin. It suffocated me.

I felt the cloth stretch as it barely accounted for my tiny breaths. I felt the need to vomit, but my insides felt so empty. I felt the sting in the parts where the cloth hugged too tightly, or where the embedded decorative beads poked at my skin.

After a long, withering amount of time, I was suddenly let go off, the pack of people and hands disappearing like smoke. The only one left was the faceless man in front of me. He studied me as my back was bent in a disjointed way, my feet aching as I fought for balance. The clothes were heavy, so heavy...

But, I managed to pose a smile at him, thinking, 'Am I pretty enough now?'

He smiled back. Then, taking a slip of red cloth from his front, he held it up against my face and tied it so that it covered up my eyes.

"Good," I heard him say again. "Now all that's left is to burry her."

The next moment, hands pushed against me, and I was in free-fall, every part aching and what little sight I had taken.

~~

"Eleftherion!" I heard Kendra's voice, urging me to wake. When I jolted myself into consciousness, back sweating and cheeks cool from dried tears, I saw the girl look at me with great worry. She said gently, "You were having a nightmare."

I sighed into the stagnant air. I tried to remember the dream, but it was flying fast away from me. Frowning, I mumbled, "Perhaps I was. Did something happen while I slept?"

Kendra still looked anxious for me, but soon began to nod her head. The window opened up a few hours ago. They left us these."

I sat up straight, looking at the item on her hands. It was a bowl of mush and some kind of green meat.

"So they weren't planning on starving us out," I said, taking the bowl from her hands and immediately dipping my hands into it. "Foolish move, since we'll gather strength with this, but it's good news for us."

Then, like a savage, I ate the bowl clean.

"Don't feel too bad," Damia said from her corner, making us jump in fright. We had almost forgotten her presence. "I think the food might have a few drops of Narcus Drought. I already feel a bout of sleepiness. I believe it's to keep us in check if we have thoughts of escaping."

Sighing, I decided I had no choice in the matter. I needed to eat either way. So, I asked the suddenly talkative upperclassman. "How much time did you give us?"

She took a few minutes to answer. "I told Telken that the ceremony should be done when the moon was fullest. Based on the astrological movements in the past few days, I guessed that this moon will be at its maximum capacity in about three days. Well, two days now if a day has already passed since then... These are all lies, of course. I don't think the runes mentioned anything about best times..."

I snorted. "You already guessed you were going to be sacrificed?"

She flinched. "... I guessed from previous similar rituals that... women are usually used as sacrifices for such ceremonies. I had to give them these lies for self-preservation."

Kendra breathed in deeply. "Like that every helped you out. But I do am curious. Why did it choose you, Eleftherion? You're hardly weak at all!"

My eye twitched, thinking up of an excuse, but thankfully, Damia came to my rescue. "Sometimes, young children are used as sacrifices as well. It's not looked upon with approval to use male children, as it is a waste, but... it happens."

Feeling the stares from the two girls, I coughed and said, "Well, I guess I was picked 'cuz of my age. I do am the youngest one here, you know? I'm probably the youngest in the batch."

Kendra blinked at me. "How old are you?"

"... Seven," I muttered, feeling somewhat shy, knowing that I was way mentally older than all of them.

Her eyes grew in size. "Really?! I can't believe I'm almost two years older! You look older than you are, Eleftherion."

I tilted my head at her and smiled wistfully. "And you look younger than you are."

She pouted her lips, looking angry. I thought, 'Ah, she's still not at an age where girls prefer to look younger than their years.'

Alas, I already began to feel the drowsiness brought about by the drought. I leaned back against the wall, staring at the still waking figures of the other girls. I asked, "Why aren't you all feeling sleepy?"

Kendra looked at me with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, you wolfed your food down before I could even stop you. And, well, I thought you could use some more sleep."

Damia then explained, "I told the girl to eat her food slowly, that way the effects of the drought will be slower. In your case, however, I think you'll be fast asleep in no time."

Glaring at them, but knowing deep down that I was the one at fault, I could only let out one more sentence before succumbing to an early sleep.

"We attack the next time they bring in more food..."

~~

Unfortunately, we never made it there. Before I could even completely sleep off the effects from the potion, the window began to open up.

Kendra hastily shook me awake, herself looking quite lethargic as well, the potion probably already affecting her as well. "Get up, Therion. There's movement outside."

Before we could even ready ourselves, a shadow passed over us the very moment the magic blockage was pulled down. Then, I heard Damia's familiar scream as she was hit hard on the abdomen. She doubled over, violently letting out the food she had consumed not too long ago.

The new arrival released a string of curses at her, kicking once more at the girl's legs, making her collapse onto the ground. I could only gasp as Telken unleashed his unbridled fury at the girl.

"St-Sto-" Kendra started while she shivered, but I held her back. I knew that Telken wasn't completely sane right now. If I assumed correctly, he had just found out that Damia had given him utter balderdash to buy us more time. If we were to try to act now, I knew that a single hit from him could possibly permanently injure the smaller girl.

It was cold of me, but I knew I had to wait for the time he would calm down. Besides...

"T-Telken," the older boy standing guard by the entrance window said. "We still need her for the ritual."

Slowly, Telken started to pull back his punch. Then, he stretched his body out, his deadpan face returning to his usual smile. "Right, Con. You've done well to remind me, or I would have utterly massacred this ungrateful sot."

Then, he turned his head to look at us. I tried to hide my fury in the guise of fear. He then said, "Sorry about that, young ones. But this lesson will benefit you greatly, you know? Children and women should know their place. Remember that."

Then, apparently satisfied with our cowering, he herded us out of the room and through the window, forcing the ailing Damia into a premature walk. As we shimmied ourselves out of the window, we found ourselves in a hollowed out area on the ground. Facing us immediately was a makeshift ladder, leading up to level ground.

I knew escape wasn't probable. Telken and Con were leering down at the back of our necks, and above the ladder stood three more robed students waiting with ropes to tie us up again. With the other boy, Con, urging me up the ladder, I could only oblige. I had nowhere to run.

It was bright outside, the foreign sun glaring down at us. It was probably the third or fourth day since the start of the test, but it had felt like an infinity.

"Keep walking," someone spat at me after I had stood in place for more than a split second. My hands were tied up yet again, and in a single file, like criminals on their way to the stake, we marched on to where the circle was.

On the way, I listened to the grumblings of Telken and kept alert for opportunities of escape. But whatever they had fed us, I felt that it wasn't merely some Narcus Drought. I felt my pull at notes grow weaker the more I tried to use it.

Frustrated, I could only try to preserve what little power I had for the right moment.

"This witch probably thought she's the only one with a brain here, but no!" Telken continued to grumble at a silent Con. "We can read runes too! Well, I can't be bothered by it, but of course, once I had it double checked, I knew she were lying about that full moon nonsense. I can't believe I even became so magnanimous to trust the tongue of a witch!"

"... You couldn't help it, Telken," Con murmured in his deep voice. "Women are temptresses by nature. You were only too kind, and she used this to entrap you."

Telken huffed. "You speak truth, dear Con! Vile beasts these creatures are, making a victim out of me. Now I'd like to see her blood on those runic symbols. I want her bled out enough for her to feel death lurking, you got me?"

"Yes, Telken," Con replied. "I'll make sure to make a deep enough wound."

Although their conversation wasn't well-meant, I heard something that gave me hope. If what I heard was true, then...

Telken snorted. "And to think she would tell us the sacrifices were of such great magnitude. A drop of blood will suffice! Stupid, insolent girl. Utterly useless even in her only specialty."

I suddenly felt a sense of calm wash over me. We weren't going to be killed. Our blood will be used, but we weren't going to die.

And why did I even think a school test like this would require life sacrifices?! I suddenly felt so silly that I wanted to laugh.

I tried my best to hold it in, but soon enough, giddiness turned into determination. Now that I knew I wasn't going to die, I felt an inner power surge inside me. I wasn't going to let these bastards get a drop of blood from me!

~~

The three of us were seated on the bare ground just outside of the wide circle. If I stretched out my legs, I could touch the edge of the concrete platform with the points of my boots. Telken's team was busily going back and forth on the circle, checking and reading through the runes with a speed much slower than Damia had done.

However, with a start, I realized that these students had the ability to do what Damia had done, but simply chose not to do so.

'So Damia was basically just being used to do all the hard work,' I thought with a small sigh.

The ritual was nearing us, but I was no longer as panicked as before, with my life still safe. I, however, tried my best to look for openings, but...

Something was bothering me.

"Damia," I whispered at the girl, mindful not to disturb the two boys left in charge to guard us.

She looked at me with a small turn of her head, hinting with her eyes that she was listening. I then asked, "I saw lots of students carrying rocks around the first time we arrived here. What was that about?"

She then whispered back, "The treasure was hidden at the underground ruins a few yards away from here. You probably saw Telken's team clearing out the way towards it. It's locked, though, and after scouting the area, we assumed that this runic platform would be the clue to unlock the vault room."

I blinked at her, my thoughts jumbled up. "So you're not even sure if all of this will work?"

She frowned. "The Test of Waning has always been this... complicated. The unusual answers are usually the right ones. That's why we have to try our luck at everything."

I groaned. "This is stupid. I thought we were going to die."

Damia pursed her lips. "I only told you that because that was the worst possible scenario."

Then, she turned her head fully towards me, graveness in her eyes. "But don't think for one moment that we're safe. I'm rarely wrong with my runic readings. Once Telken sees that nothing is happening with just drops of our blood, he won't hesitate to take our lives. A few souls of girls and commoner boys won't stop him from advancing a ring."

I gulped down, a thin layer of sweat forming on my back. "Won't the Academy do something about this?"

She looked doubtful when she muttered, "... Maybe."

The end was nearing, but I could only feel helplessness. I felt time ticking by me, as though my very hours were counted.