The Test of Waning: More Bitter the Second Time Around

At our arrival, I felt the need to unleash some deadly magics.

Telken was smiling yet again, sitting on a nearby rock with his legs crossed pompously. He held his hands wide open, just like the first time he had cornered me and Albert. "Welcome again! It seems like we're always meeting each other with one side having their hands tied up."

Not wanting to lose in any way, I laughed as nonchalantly as I can with my hands tied up. Then, I told him, "Perhaps when we have our last meeting, it will be your hands that are forced into disuse."

"Now, now, Sinus Fidei," Telken said, leaning back on his rock. "After this is over, we shouldn't be meeting each other too much in the future anymore."

Then, he smiled a little bit wider, adding on, "After all, our team, together with the prince of course, will be advancing a ring, while you will all stay behind as mere Sinus Fidei."

Inside, I was simpering with fury, but in their eyes, I looked only serene, calm despite the insults. In fact, my indifference only proved to annoy the upperclassmen. Telken coughed once before standing up with a flurry, flicking around his robes flamboyantly. "Come then. Although it pains me to admit, we may need some of your help in order to open the treasure."

~~

In the short, few hours Telken was released from our hands, he had somehow managed to not only double, but more than triple his team's number.

"You've been busy," Albert told Telken as he observed the great number of robed individuals hastily running around the cleared out space, carrying one thing or another. While we walked, the scene around us gradually transformed from a dense forest into a land of ruins and concrete ground. Surrounding us were heaps of ancient looking walls half sunken into the ground, merging into nature after time had done its job.

"Indeed," Telken agreed easily. "We've gathered about five teams now, although some are lacking their members. No matter, we have the number of hands we need to unearth the treasure."

"S-So you won't be needing us then," Kendra tittered, as she tripped slightly over an outcropping rock. Or was that a bone?

Telken laughed. "Oh no, I'm not so barbaric as to force children into manual labor, no, no. An adviser of mine, the brains of our combined teams, well... Although she is lacking in every other aspect, at least she has her intelligence. Bah, but that's all there is to her. She isn't even easy on the eyes!"

I coughed. "Yes, and what about her?"

"Oh, she has her ideas. I doubt they are true, but I'm here to appease her," he said with a shrug, easily sidestepping a fern I was wishing he would collide with. "She was the one to lead us here after receiving the dream commune by Jorish here."

"It's Jordan, sir," the named boy said.

Telken waved his hand around as though his name didn't matter. "Well, either way, her contributions are not to be made light of, even if she is a mere girl."

In front of me, I saw how Kendra's shoulders twitched at the teenager's words. I, having lived through many years now, have grown used to hearing such repetitive insults. Although the wound still hurts, I have grown used to it. But Kendra, who was not only a girl, but also one who had only been recently upgraded to nobility, would still be very sensitive about such matters in a child-like manner.

Fighting the urge to pick an unnecessary fight with Telken, I could only stay quiet. Soon enough, we had reached our destination.

Ruins and vines paved way to a huge circle embedded on the ground, a wide area etched with runic symbols travelling in a spiral manner towards the center. Now finally stepping into an area with no trees or buildings to block out the sky, we were greeted by constellations unknown to us. With a start, I realized that these stars were unfamiliar to my eyes. My previous guess was right. This realm was different from ours.

"Woooww..." Kendra let out an admiring sound as she spun around, almost falling due to her tied up hands.

Fortunately, Albert had caught onto her by using his chest to keep her upright. The black-haired prince muttered with a frown, "Be careful, Lady Kendra."

Kendra let out a giggle, and immediately stood up straight. "Sorry~"

I knew that this was all an act. Previously, she had given a suggestion that she act like a ditzy person in order to make her a lesser target. I was quite at awe to see her still keeping up the act even though we've already been caught.

Too bad Telken wasn't even looking her way, or maybe she had actually succeeded in her goal because she wasn't even being noticed?

On the other hand, Telken was already heading forward, making a beeline towards a heap of rocks of some sort near the center of the circle. When we came nearer, I realized it wasn't a pile of rocks but a kneeling person. She was covered up from head to toe, her dark school robes layering over a thin, black cloth piece that clung to all areas of her skin, concealing everything but her face. Her hair was also hidden by a thick wrap of delicate silken cloth of the darkest color.

When she saw us approach, she bowed over to Telken, despite already kneeling. "Sir Telken, after more inspection, the runes only further strengthen my theory of it requiring a sacrifice. Simply looking at the complexity of the arrangements, I fathom to think why a test of this difficulty be presented to students-"

Telken snorted, immediately causing her to stop her report. He said, "We're not simple students, Damia. You may think we're as weak as your kind, but the other real and deserving students of this school are much stronger than your little mind can even imagine. And by the God and Goddess, does not your attire make you sweat, even in the night? Woman, I could hardly look at you without feeling clammy and uncomfortable!"

I inwardly groaned as I watched the older girl fumble around her words as she bowed once more in apology. "I-It's in my culture to w-wear-"

"No matter," Telken spat out with disgust. "I'll only have to deal with you for a short time. I want this test over with. I quite miss my suite."

The girl looked over at us, observing us with fleeting eyes. "Are these the Sinus Fidei?"

"Who else would be as young and robeless than they, dear woman?" Telken asked in irritation.

"This one was only checking-" But upon another impatient huff from the teenager, the girl changed course. She approached us and began to scan her eyes around at us. She then muttered, "The runes imply that there be three... but of what three, I do not know yet."

"Well, I don't care much about all that puzzle making, but I suggest you deal with it fast," he announced as he started to walk away. Then, he turned back to us, calling out to one of us. "You, Jorish. Report to me at once once the girl has learned something. I'll be out there sleeping, I mean, making orders."

Long after he was gone, we heard the traitor grumble, "It's Jordan, sir..."

Afterwards came a long time of sitting around, becoming unlikely subjects of the scrutiny by the older girl's eyes. She constantly mumbled around in a foreign language, looking back and forth at the runic symbols on the ground. Oftentimes, she would glare at us for seemingly no reason.

While we sat on the bare ground, I leaned over to ask the crown prince, "You doing okay?"

He jumped up on his seat as though I had screamed at him. Then, he turned towards me with wide eyes. "I-I, uh, sorry. What did you say?"

I sighed, murmuring, "You're clearly not."

Charles frowned. "Not what?"

"Not very princely right now," I muttered with a small smile. Then, taking pity in him, I explained, "You've been out of it since we got caught. I was asking if you were okay, but you're clearly not."

He too sighed, and then looked away into the sky, staring at the foreign moon, so similar, and yet different from ours. "I'm angry."

I huffed. "Who wouldn't be? If I get my hands on that sneaky traitor, why I'll-"

"No," he said with a shake of his head. In the night, his brown eyes looked black. "I'm angry at myself."

'He's still hung up on this?' I glared at him. "It's not your fault."

He only looked at me with a complicated expression. But before he could say anything, I began to ask, "Tell me. If I were the princess- I mean, the prince of, let's say, the Saule Kingdom, and I had somehow become the subject of greed by some people, endangering my companions while inside a safe institution, then would you be mad at me for bringing you harm?"

"I, uh," he stammered, and then frowned. "I know what you're doing."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "It doesn't matter. Just answer my question."

"Then, no..." he admitted. Afterwards, there was a short silence before he whispered, probably thinking I wouldn't hear, "You wouldn't understand."

Sighing, I let him be, before inching towards my other companions. I asked, "What do you think the clothed up upperclassman is trying to do to us, with her glaring at us all night?"

Kendra giggled softly before replying, "Solving a hard riddle, I bet."

"A riddle that involves a sacrifice if I heard correctly," I added. "And if so, I bet there will be three."

"... And then there's Telken, finding and bringing a team of Sinus Fidei right into the venue of such a riddle," Albert said, his tone dark and his face worried.

I immediately came to a start, whispering back, "That can't be true..."

Alas, at that very moment, the girl with her clothes hiding her whole body away finally let out a short shout, and then jumped ecstatically on the spot. Afterwards, we could only stare as she went running towards an area on the ground, further out from the center of the circle. Then, after a few seconds of inspecting the concrete, she shouted frantically towards us, "You, um, Jorish? Call Telken now!"

~~

While Damia, Telken, Jordan, and two other boys spoke with each other away from us right outside the circular ground, I quickly began to gather the others towards me as well. While I do applaud their caution in moving away from us to prevent eavesdropping, they sadly forgot that they left us free to do whatever we wanted, far away from them. To the three others, I said, "Listen. I don't know what they're planning to do, but I do know it probably won't be any good. Be alert. If you see a chance to run, run. Now, Albert come here until our backs are against each other."

Then, Albert scooted towards me until we sat back to back. Then, I began to untie his knots. While I did so, I whispered towards Charles. "Hurry, but don't make it obvious. Do Kendra's too."

Soon, the utterly relentless knot finally broke apart, promptly freeing Albert. However, not a moment later, I felt tension rise rapidly from Telken's group.

'Did they find out what we're doing?!' I thought in a panic.

However, I saw that Damia's scream wasn't directed towards us but towards Telken himself. The older boy was rushing towards the center of the circle, an impatient look on his face.

"Stop, T- Sir Telken!" Damia shouted shrilly, but it was already too late. Telken had arrived at the center, just a few paces away from us. He then did something unexpected.

With a makeshift knife from a jagged rock, he cut open his left palm, and then allowed the red blood to drip towards the center.

It was like time suddenly moved slower. The drop of blood came ever closer towards the ground, but I had time to look around me. No, not look, but sense. I sensed fear and anxiety from Albert and Kendra. I sensed panic and determination from Charles. Farther away, I sensed great bewilderment and terror from Damia, who had stepped back onto the runic platform, on her way to stop the noble.

But it was already too late.

The last thing I saw was Telken's smiling face, manic under the moonlight.

When the blood kissed the ground, the world suddenly began to transform into day, intense light gathering all around us that we were all momentarily blinded. Screams erupted around us. With my hands still tied up behind me, I could only roll as the earth suddenly shook. I heard Damia screaming incessantly.

I began to shout as well, my eyes still closed from the shock. "Charles! Help untie me!"

"W-Wait!" his scream came after a horribly long second. "I- My hands are still tied!"

I cursed as another big jolt lifted me up from the ground for a terrifying moment. I tried desperately to open my eyes completely, but they still stung. Tears welled up on them, blocking what little vision it could hardly grant me. Cursing, I crawled towards the direction I thought the others would be.

But suddenly, the ground ceased its movement. It took me more than a few seconds to realize it had actually stopped moving, my mind still confused and dizzy and jumbled up. I fought back the urge to vomit, and blinked a few more times, willing my vision to come back.

The moment I thought I could allow myself even a few seconds of rest, another bout of problems came. The ground with runic symbols suddenly began to heat up, and just as my vision began to clear, an ominous force suddenly surrounded my body. I shouted out in surprise, trying to stand up, but it had me pinned down. I looked around and found the others in the same condition, even Telken and Damia. I saw that the intense light was now gone, and the night was given back to us. However, I knew nothing was back to normal yet.

I felt it build up. I felt it as the mysterious and dark force began to condense around me. I could only exchange a short look with Charles before I felt my body being harshly thrown away into the air, the wind punching me as my body broke against it, and like a ragdoll, I was hit hard against the ground the next second, my breath taken away from me.

I groaned, pain striking every area I knew abrasions were forming. When I rolled away, finally released from the force's control, my entire body stung as the air met my surface wounds.

'I don't think I broke any bones,' I was thinking, but then heard a soft cry from beside me.

"Kendra!" I panted out, finally seeing her, her dress all bloodied up from her scratches.

For the love of all strong, little girls, she managed a weak giggle. She said, her bottom lip wet with blood, "Now I kind of prefer teleportation than this new mode of travel."

I laughed back, circulating notes around my body, willing myself to heal faster. I gingerly inched towards her, asking, "Did you break any bones?"

She sighed, and tried to sit up straight. After heaving out a long breath, she said, "I don't think so."

Seeing her finally look a little bit better, I scanned my eyes around me. The circular concrete ground had somehow elevated itself a few inches above its normal height. I found that Kendra and I were right at the center of the circle, and we weren't alone. Damia was right there beside us, passed out, her dark clothes almost concealing her completely in the darkness.

Taking a deep breath, I edged towards her on all fours, and plopped myself down beside her. I shook her shoulders gently. "Damia?"

After a while, she finally moaned awake. "D-Did he do it?"

I sighed. "If you're asking whether he cut his hand like an idiot, then yes, he did."

Then, the older girl suddenly struggled to get up, panic on her entire being. Her head swiveled around, her satin headdress falling apart, revealing light colored hair. Then, upon seeing something, she suddenly started sobbing.

Alarmed, I looked at where she was looking at and found Telken, slowly getting up from where he had gotten thrown to. He was smiling, even as a thin trail of blood travelled down from his temple. He looked at us like we were his favorite meal.

Suddenly, it all clicked into place.

Locked treasure. Three Sacrifices. Three students thrown right onto the center.

And even if only I knew of it: There were three girls as sacrifices.

Damia's sobbing only proved as evidence to strengthen my worse fears. I gulped down deeply, counting down the seconds in my head. Looking up, I saw the moon staring down at me, glowing dimmer as dawn approached steadily. What time was it? Looking back, it was just like this. Noontime it was back then, but the moon right now was just as round as the sun back then.

I fought back the urge to join Damia in her sobbing.

I was going to be sacrificed again.