Mission

"Pithar." the figure in the door called. "Come here."

Pithar slowly got up from his chair crept towards the door.

As he entered the reach of the figure, he saw two hands closing in on him. Instead of dodging, he jumped right into them, fully embraced into a hug.

"You little idiot, do you know how much I was worried about you? Just wait till you come home, I'm going to make you clean the whole castle!" the figure exclaimed.

Pithar didn't respond. He just lay in the embrace for a while.

Feeling her shoulder getting wet, the figure let Pithar go of the embrace and looked him in the eye.

"Why've you been crying? Are you trying to give your sister a heart attack?"

Pithar nodded, but his tears didn't stop.

"Hydrus Novis" his sister chanted as she waved her hand at Pithar. His tears seemed to stop in midair momentarily before reversing the flow and heading back into his eyes creating an expanding ball of water on top of his iris.

"How do you like that? I warned you to stop crying didn't I?" she taunted him.

"Fine. Fine. Fine. I'll stop. Promise. It hurts. It hurts." Pithar laughed as the sphere finally stopped growing.

With another wave of her hand, his sister scattered the ball of water into tiny droplets and spread them throughout the floor.

Pithar finally smiled and rushed into her arms again.

"Come on. Tell me what happened. You're being even more of a crybaby than usual."

"Stop teasing me so much. You know I only cry in front of you." Pithar whined.

"I know. I know. Now tell me what happened." she responded.

"I don't know, but I might not become a mage. I thought I performed phenomenally during the exam when I made the whole table disappear, but somehow my name wasn't called.Even with a thousand people, I wasn't qualified for the main trials." Pithar explained.

"I can't believe it. Something must be wrong!" his sister replied.

"No. That's not it. With father managing this, we both know that it's impossible. I guess I'm just a failure after all." Pithar let out a somber laugh.

"You little brat. Making me worry for nothing. I swear it upon my name, Aqila Pyreye, that you are no failure. If you DARE say that ever again, I'll slap you to Arturia." she commanded as she clasped his hand tightly.

Pithar grinned. "Only you know how to cheer me up like that. Alright then. I promise that I'll never say that again.

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be alright" Aqila replied.

"I don't-" Pithar attempted to speak, but Aqila kicked him in the shin.

"Like I said everything will be alright. Or are you doubting your older sister now?" she said as she fiddled with a dangerously sharp blade of water.

"How could I ever do that? I value my life quite a bit thanks." Pithar grinned.

The door suddenly creaked as another figure appeared before the siblings. Pithar's head attempted to return to the depressing position it was in before, but Aqila thrust her hand out and lifted it back up.

"Face him with your head held high. I'm right beside you."

~~~~~~~~~

Pyroth knocked on a crimson door exactly three times before he heard a voice commanding him to enter.

Though Pyroth had been within this room numerous times, the intensity of the room always astonished him. The floors were created of the sun boar's fur, cooled intensely to allow non-pyromancers to step on it. The walls were lined with the scales of red salamanders and the dragon head trophies his father fashioned uniformly along it.

Pyroth made his way to the middle of the room and looked upon a grand chair which slowly turned around.

"Father." Pyroth bowed.

"You weren't first, yet you still dare to face me?" As he said these words, the floor around the chair lit on fire.

"I'm not sure where she came from. I was always the strongest all these years. She must have used some tricks to get ahead. I'll take care of her come the main trials."

"You've already failed me once, but if you lose to that Dehma clan brat ever again, you'll relinquish your privilege of being my son."

"Father, please. Pyroth stuttered. "I prom-"

"Enough. Tell me instead of Lumnius's son. I heard that he didn't even pass to the main trials."

"Of course that cripple couldn't pass. It'd be a miracle if he even got 10,000th place. How's he supposed to move the twig if he can't even summon a spark? He had no chance to begin with. However, I have heard some disturbing rumors that he made the table vanish." Pyroth explained.

Pyroth's father let out a hearty laugh as the floor returned to its normal state. "That's good. I hope Luminus feels even an ounce of pain from this boy as I've had. I've heard you also beat the Dayr clan's pride and joy, Teriko. I didn't acknowledge that yet. You've done well."

"Thank you, father. I'll make sure I don't let you down any further."

"You have my blood, I don't expect you to. I have an extremely important task for you to complete for me. There's a particular candidate in the trials I'd like you to take care of for me. I believe his name was Gonith Hunreer or something of the sort."

"Of course father. What would you like me to do?" Pyroth perked up after receiving the quest.

"Kill him."

It took a second for Pyroth to properly process what he'd just heard, but his smile soon transformed into shock. The hairs on his arms were stiff and his body became warmer. "Kill?" he asked.

"Kill him." his father responded with the most nonchalant expression Pyroth had ever seen.

Pyroth stood silent for a minute, but he quickly made up his mind. "Of course father. I'll accomplish any task you give me. I'll make sure to dispose of him appropriately."

"I'll await your success in the trials then."

Pyroth bowed and turned around to leave. He stopped at the door and turned around to observe the intense red aura emanating from the room. Seeing the grand chair facing away from him now, Pyroth's eyes burned with passion ready to do anything for his father.

Pyroth wanted nothing more than to be just like his father. As he walked out of the room, his thoughts were filled with the greatness of the general Pyrion, who with his specialized magma magic, was one of the strongest magicians in all of Kyriacus. Pyroth wanted to learn the domineering style of magma magic that his father had perfected and follow in his footsteps to become one of the finest magicians of the kingdom in the future.

His father had always told him that their Arcon clan would become the greatest in Kyriacus and had pursued every method to get his clan there. Only the family of the Archmage and the Dayr clan were seen to be above the Arcon clan in Kyriacus, but his father firmly believed the Arcon clan should be at the top. Pyroth was glad to have beaten the Dayr clan's prodigy, but having been beaten by that carefree, irresponsible girl, a fire burned within him to get revenge no matter what.

~~~~~~~~

Luminus walked through the door and saw Pithar staring him right in the eye.

"Well this is a first, isn't it? I never could have imagined a time he would look me in the eye again." Luminus thought to himself.

"Father, I'm sorry I failed you. I understand how disappointed you are in me. I know you wanted me to pass the trials just as my brothers and sisters have, but I wasn't even able to make it to the trials." Pithar bowed but instantly returned to meet his father eye to eye.

Luminus was awestruck at the scene. The little boy that would bawl over the smallest things and run over to his mother or sister was finally imposing his confidence. It took him only a second to realize it was Aqila's handiwork and he gently nodded towards her in gratitude.

"You haven't failed me in the slightest. Pyrus told me just how well you performed in the aptitude test. Causing the whole table to vanish? Very few people have done that in the history of Kyriacus. I know I haven't said it enough, but I'm very proud of you." Luminus consoled.

Pithar was frozen, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. After his mother's death, his father had largely neglected Pithar, only acknowledging his existence when he saw him. His eyes watered, but Aqila pinched him as to warn him not to break his earlier promise.

"You're probably wondering why you weren't selected then." Luminus interjected.

Pithar, still unable to form words, nodded awkwardly.

"There's a hidden system within the trials that only the council knows about. The occurrences of this are so rare that it's not listed in any of the public bookstores. Even with all the libraries you've scoured it's highly unlikely that even you've heard of it."

Luminus looked over to see Pithar excitedly listening to him with stars in his eyes. He smiled and continued, "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luminus walked through the door and saw the scrawny boy across from him staring right at him.

"Well this is a first, isn't it? I never could have imagined a time he would ever look me in the eye again." Luminus thought to himself.

"Father, I understand how disappointed you are in me. I know you had high expectations for me, but I was unable to even be selected for the trials." Pithar bowed but instantly returned to meet eye to eye with his father.

Luminus was awestruck. His son who would cry to his mother or sister if even the tiniest thing hurt him would have the courage to speak to him confidently. He understood this was Aqila's handiwork and nodded his head towards her in gratitude.

"Son. You haven't failed me. I know just how well you performed in the aptitude test. You shocked even Pyrus, but didn't think that would reach my ears? After you struggling to cast magic for so long and finally succeeding; did you think I would not notice?"

Pithar was taken aback by his father's words. So his feat hadn't passed over his father's head. But now he was even more confused as to why he wasn't selected for the trials. As Pithar's thoughts became more jumbled, his father's voice resounded through the room again.

"You must be wondering then why you weren't selected. I called for a meeting with the council after Pyrus told me what you had done. They all agreed that this was a special occasion and you deserve a reward. Pyrus never relayed your name to be put on the list in the first place. Your special burst of magic should be rewarded well, thus we have decided to put you in as a special captain in this year's team selection event. Do your best in the trials and enjoy your reward."

Now it was Pithar's turn to be shocked. Had he heard right? Had his father really just organized a special reward just for him? Pithar really couldn't believe it until all four of the Grand Mages walked through the room and nodded their heads.

"Th-thank you father. I promise to not disappoint you in the trials and do my best to come in first." Pithar looked towards his sister in glee and saw her face in utter shock.

"Run along now Pithar. Join your fellow competitors in the Praetorium. They should be announcing the rules and explaining what the trials entail this year." Luminus gestured the four mages to make way for his son as Pithar merrily skipped between them.

The four mages followed behind him and Aelia once again gestured towards the door as it shut tightly.

"Aqila, there's something extremely important I must discuss with you." Luminus's voice was grim. He looked towards her unable to look her in the eye.

"Yes, father."

~~~~~~~~

Pithar strolled back with a wide smile on his face. It took all his willpower not to scream across the hall. Every time his mouth involuntarily opened, Pithar covered them with his hands allowing only a muffled cheer to let out.

Pithar entered the Praetorim as an announcement rang out.

"We will now begin the team selection process for the next portion of the trial. Will the participants with the numbers one to ten on the back of their token please present themselves on the podium."

Everyone frantically took out their tokens only for most to shake their heads in disappointment. In a matter of seconds, the cheery ambiance of the hall reminded Pithar of the freezing rain he'd practice hydromancy. His tears masked by the teardrops as he failed repeatedly. The few that were unaffected by the announcement Pithar guessed were the top ten. It didn't come too much a surprise as he recognized all those selected.

Allowing a few moments for the crowd to settle down, the announcer once again urged the ten of them to join him on the podium. Pyroth stared him dead in the eye with a nasty grin as he stepped upon the podium, seemingly celebrating his victory.

Pithar attempted to step forward to congratulate Aerin, but one of the senior mages stopped him. "You're not qualified to touch this stage. It's only meant for the top performers. Even the Archmage's son isn't allowed." he scoffed at Pithar.

Pithar didn't understand the mage's behavior at first, but a second look at Pyroth revealed all he needed to know. Pithar simply smiled and stepped back into the crowd stunning the mage. Clearly he didn't expect Pithar to just accept it so easily and was waiting for the opportunity to humiliate him further.

"These are ten of the highest scorers in the aptitude test. They will be specially granted an opportunity to select their teams for the next portion. The order for this selection will be chronological, thus the person with the number one engraved on their token will select their first teammate, then the person with the number two."

Pyroth looked towards his minions as they smiled back at him. Pithar nearly gagged at the sight, but he couldn't wait to see Pyroth's face as he made his way up there.

"Before we begin the selections, we have another announcement to make. Due to special circumstances, there was another participant who has obtained the opportunity to select their own team. With unanimous permission from the council, the son of the archmage, Pithar Pyreye has been presented a special platinum token with the number zero engraved on it. Would Pithar Pyreye please join us on the podium?"

"Excuse me. Can I pass?" Pithar asked the senior mage that had stopped him earlier. His cheeks were like bright cherries as he skittishly moved to the side letting Pithar onto the podium.

"The platinum token grants the holder the right to select their entire team before the rest of the ten select their first member. Please select the members of your party." the announcer stated as Pithar reached the podium.

"Would it be alright to select last? I feel as if it's unfair to the other participants if I selected my team first." Pithar asked.

"I don't see why not?" the announcer was quite confused at Pithar's request. People would jump at the chance to even select their own team, much less be the first to do so.

"Then…" he paused for a second. "Would the prodigy from the Dehma clan of Aeromancers, Aerin Dehma please select their first teammate?"

She proceeded to point to the crowd randomly. "I'll take him." The mage walked to the podium with a confused look on his face.

Noticing Aerin had actually invited a rather decent mage to join her was surprising to Pithar. He totally expected her to just randomly select people.

"Would the prodigy of the Arcon clan of Pyromancers, Pyroth Arcon please select their first teammate." the announcer stated.

Pithar expected Pyroth to select his dogs. The four loyal minions that always followed him around grinned even more than before knowing they'd be selected. To no one's surprise, Pyroth picked one of them.

There were very few people that Pithar despised. Even Pyroth was just extremely pretentious in his eyes, but he could manage it. The one he selected could be considered Pyroth's right hand who would go out of his way to make Pithar's life a living hell.

Teriko went next and picked quite rapidly. He had chosen a genius flectomancer, whose father was the Archmage's most trusted aide. Pithar guessed his team was pre-determined before the selection began just like Pyroth. The others all selected their first member after some thought.

"

Finally. My turn." Pithar thought.

"Would the son of the Archmage, Pithar Pyreye please select his first member." the announcer stated.

Frankly, Pithar was a bit annoyed at the difference between his introduction compared to the other ten captains, but he didn't take it to heart.

Pithar had been carefully observing the crowd creating different team combinations in his head while the other participants selected their teams. After a lot of thought, Pithar had decided on the ideal combination, using both his general knowledge and research of prior trials.

"Could the electromancer on the second row join me please?" Pithar called out. The mage quickly made their way over. Pithar knew how powerful she was. He saw her practicing her magic on various occasions and knew how talented she actually was.

After the selection order reset again, Aerin pointed at yet another person and just called them to join her. Pithar resisted the urge to laugh as he realized he was right. She was just shouting out random people without a care in the world. "Like she'd be the type to strategize", Pithar thought to himself.

Pyroth, of course, selected the next of his goons and Teriko once again quickly selected another talented mage. Once it reached Pithar this time, he'd already prepared his next choice.

"Would the allomancer in the fourth row join me please?" Pithar called. An allomancer not too common an aptitude, nor did they excel in combat. The crowd questioned Pithar's thinking, but he recruited him for reasons directly opposite to combat. The versatility of an allomancer would allow him them to clear numerous challenges with ease as allomancers were able to shape metal with ease and create numerous useful contraptions.

For the third round of selections, Pithar had his eye on a cryomancer. He'd actually met her when they were children and she'd been one of the few people that were kind to him. Though he didn't know her extremely well, he acknowledged her character and her abilities, thus inviting her to join his team.

Pithar planned on getting a hydromancer he'd met at the library for the final round, but he was selected just before it Pithar's selection. Pithar scanned the crowd, looking for the ideal last member to complete the team, but from the people left he was unable to choose.

The announcer grew impatient as time passed, urging Pithar to make his decision faster as he'd already wasted a few minutes. Pithar kept scanning until he saw a familiar shade of crimson hair in the crowd. He could have sworn that there were only two participants from the Arcon clan this year, but that shade of red hair screamed Arcon clan. Pithar didn't recognize him either. Simply out of curiosity Pithar shouted, "Would the Pyromancer all the way in the back row please join me?" The boy was surprised, but he quickly made his way over.

"As all of the special captains have chosen their teams, the rest of you will be divided into randomly assigned into teams by the senior mages lining the rows. The one with the lowest value on their token will be considered the captain of the team."

Within half an hour, the rest of the teams were sorted and they lined up similarly to the captains on the podium.

"This year's trial will take place within a grand labyrinth developed by the Council. As it is the hundredth anniversary of the first trial, the rules are a bit special. The primary task is to reach the end of the labyrinth alive. The sixteen teams that have the greatest number of points at the end of the trials will proceed to the next phase."

Everyone gasped in awe at the sheer magnitude of the trials. This year may be the toughest the trials have ever been.

"There are three ways to earn points. The first is two kill beasts that you may encounter within the labyrinth. The stronger the class of the beast, the more points you'll earn. The second is with special quests you may receive from hidden terminals. The final way to earn points is to snatch the token of the captain, which will reward you with all the points the team has. The starting points of every team is determined by subtracting your token number from a thousand, then collating all the members' scores together. Your total point value will always be displayed upon the back of the captain's token unless it is stolen and the points are transferred to another team."

The only thing people felt was shock. The trials had never been this intricate. All the rumors they heard about the trials simply didn't apply this time. Too much had changed.

"One final reminder. Killing is not allowed, but everything else is allowed. If a participant decides to drop out at any moment, they may willingly crush their token. Their points will go to zero and they will be formally disqualified from the trials. Even if their teams make it through to the next round, they will not be eligible to join back. Once a participant goes through with dropping out, there is no returning as one of the head mages will retrieve them and remove them from the labyrinth. You will all be teleported to a random part of the maze, equidistant from each other to retain fairness. Good luck!"

Two massive gates appeared just as the announcer finished explaining the rules. With no time to fully process all the information they had received, the gate opened and everyone was instantly teleported into the maze.

"Let the trials begin!" the announcer shouted.