29) A city within a city (II)

The people surrounding the pyramid were not surprised by the failure of these two young men, only once every decade or so there was a gift so powerful that it could be manifested inside the ruins.

The next one up was the woman with the brown ropes. They were all plain looking except for the one wearing the rainbow ropes. But for now, the focus was on the woman. The color of the ropes complimented the chocolatey tone of her skin. She then was handled an egg. She grabbed the egg and hugged it tight until it cracked. Everyone was on the edge of their seats but what came out of the egg was nothing more than a yolk that then fell on the floor.

*Splat*

*Silence*

Everyone was shocked! How dare she drop an egg yolk on these ancient ruins? Before she could apologize, a blade came coming down on her neck and her head rolled. It was the old man that was so mad he did not contain himself. He then cleared his throat and said.

"Everyone knows how sacred these ruins are, no sign of disrespect will be tolerated by anyone. I hope I make myself clear as the ritual is also important, I do not wish to see any more blood spilled in vain but I will not hesitate in doing so. Now, the pride of our kingdom, The Inventor."

Everyone from the Kingdom of tomorrow had a proud look on their faces. They had all heard about The Inventor, everyone but Ryker.

'Who the hell is the inventor? Why would they risk killing someone so precious to them.'

She was handed a small grey box. As soon as she touched it, it started producing a very dull light. After a few seconds, that light only grew brighter and brighter until it was completely surrounding the box. The box then started floating in mid-air and it expanded and expanded till it was the size of a human. It then started changing shape and a semi-human was standing there.

Ryker guessed what that meant by the reaction of the people. She had been successful. Her gift was strong enough to be used here. That only went to prove her talent and the standing of the Kingdom of Tomorrow above the other kingdoms. Even though they were at war, it was still a tradition to have a representative of each kingdom here. That is why there was a shadow user as a contestant.

"She will continue to grow in power and age until the gods claim her back. Good luck!"

Everyone echoed.

"Good luck!"

"Now, the son of the stars, the ruler of the cosmos."

It was the turn of the man in the rainbow ropes. He had very delicate features, almost feminine. Small pointy nose, thin but round lips, a slender hourglass figure. Long light golden brown hair, just past the shoulders. If it were not for certain fruit hanging he could pass as a gorgeous woman. He had a light blue eye and the other was deep purple.

He walked a few steps, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands. Just like the one from the light kingdom, a small light could be seen forming inside his hands. He slowly separated his hands and pushed them into the sky. Small stars came out of his hands and started to spread around the area. He then closed his hands again quickly and the space between the stars started changing colors to purple and dark blue. In less than thirty seconds, the entire pyramid was engulfed in a mini cosmos. There were stars everywhere and what looked like galaxies made out of different colors.

For the first time, Ryker felt attracted to a man. Not just because of his looks but because of this magical experience only he was capable of producing. There are many paths to the heart. Even the old man was feeling something for this young talent. To be able to use one's gift to almost its full potential down here was just incredible.

The young man then put his palms to his side and with very delicate movements he got on one knee. As he got closer to the ground, so did the stars until they were gone and only a man with a few rainbow-colored ropes was kneeling.

"That is what it looks like when the Ancients accept you and recognize you. Young man, you have a very bright future ahead of you."

Then, the man from the Kingdom of Shadows was brought up again. He was laid on a stone tablet. The old man then took out a black knife and slowly cut into the young man. Screams soon filled the entire underground cavern but people were used to this by now. It was part of the ritual after all. Blood started dripping from the stone table.

It lasted for an entire hour before the old man finally pulled out the heart of the young man. It was still beating and it splurted some blood over his clothes. He then took a small stone box and laid the heart inside. After that, the crowd just dispersed. The event was over.

Ryker was still staring at the cosmic caster until he returned his gaze. There was something mysterious about those eyes. But Ryker saw something he recognized very well. Sadness. Desperation. No way out and no one to count on. In that split of a second that their eyes locked into each other, the two men connected on a deeper level. As if the entire world had disappeared. It was just the two of them. Someone pushed Ryker accidentally and their eye contact was lost.

Ryker returned to reality while someone apologized and left. Both of them turned around and went on with their lives. If only Ryker had not been so ashamed and confused by what was happening he would have realized how the rainbow ropes guy turned around to see him.