A brave face is not an invincible one

Thales is now 5 years of age the time spent in preparations for this cycle has been spent well.

"I am sad I have great opportunity to indulge into my desires but my priorities are on living, unfortunately."

"I do like living." Thales said dryly.

"The only person who cherishes my life above me currently is probably my idiot Mother" Thales said in a mocking tone.

"She would lock me in this dungeon forever if she could even though that could reduce me to atoms quicker."

"Silly, selfish cow"

"And yet she helped me profusely as she was properly motivated for me or for her it's too early to say"

"I've been educated on many things, Chess, medicine, all natural sciences, all formal sciences and around 2-3 steps beyond around a decade of peak scientific innovation and limitations of the world in my dream, well makes sense I wouldn't be able to create anything truly special in a dream in comparison to the real thing."

"I was only told it was a battle comprised of knowledge that could manifest in different ways; Chess was only learned to a layman's level in comparison to the dream world funnily enough"

If I use our Earth as a comparison the level of Chess Thales learned was to the level of an international master.

"I am unmoved it was only natural to give it my all, I feel immortal." Thales thought expressionlessly.

"It is an isolated competition funnily enough social sciences are nonexistent here because it was an isolated competition and as for the humanities I only learned literature, specifically."

 "<< PARABLE of HIS PLIGHT>> by ETERNAL MONOMYTH primordial"

"I'm still unsure of the a lot of its content of the singular page let alone the incomprehensible words of the rest of it"

"It's also not very short for a parable, regardless I am impressed he can challenge my ego so I will have proper diction for the work." Thales said admiring the enigmatic author.

"I suppose I also learned alchemy which is useful for my later plans too."

"Speaking of my latter plans when I succeed Beato will be my friend."

"What is it about you that compel me my dear sister?"

"I'll have plenty of time to know in 2 months." Thales thought distantly while also feeling present and existent.

2 months passed it was time for the so called trial.

"Greetings Young Master Thales, I will be escorting you in place of your mother."

A servant was escorting Thales.

"Thales was concerned not because of it was an unknown servant but the fact his Mother wouldn't show for him.

"Strange that isn't like her, maybe she isn't allowed to be here."

"We have arrived, my lord." The servant said not scared of the child who would likely be dead soon.

"Don't you mean mii lord commoner" Thales spat with venom.

It wasn't that Thales looked down on his lesser he just thought this servant was getting too big for her britches to be being comfortable even disrespectful, she isn't Edmund-Sensei she shouldn't dare.

"That's right mii lord, I apologize."

The servant was trained to serve their masters every whim and didn't dare think bad of Thales lest Lady Lilith's eyes are trained on her head which would be meeting the ground regarding Thales specifically.

"So this is my trial an empty room, what do I defeat starvation to solve world hunger?" Thales joked.

"..."

"You shall see my mii lord, as I hope you remain to be." The servant said cryptically.

Thales entered the chamber his home now and hopefully not forever.

Thales felt something a presence not otherworldly but too familiar.

It was his, own voice.

"I just entered me?"

"F off I cannot be mad already" Thales thought with slight anger.

"Greetings final challenger, I am a homunculus unique to the trial grounds by the dragon child beyond the chaos and the dream."

 "Oh I see."

"Thee shall beest advanc'd with lobotomy needles; non-physical, m'rtal death during the trial to revive thee shalt cleareth all the needles effects"

"These art objects of pure consciousness"

"Thou art f'rc'd to adopteth these devices to cleareth thy p'rsonal trial h're at age 5"

"The hell is you saying you were even more confusing than the first line!" Thales exclaimed slightly agitated.

Thales regained his composure.

"Fine I die if I lose and live if I win, so be it hideous image your trial is merely a stepping stone in the journey of thousands, be a stool once again for the future." Thales uttered with confidence.

"Thou art already dead."

A needle plunged through the frontal cortex and out of the spinal cord.

It pierced deep.

It touched the Pandora's Box.

Thales watched as his own self watched him coldly unable to remember Thales was.

Unable to sense Thales was.

Shivering with fear Thales was.

No courage Thales had.

"Who..."

"Am I"

Thales saw himself a baby it crushed 1000 bones. Birth prior to birth

"Yeah right" Thales spoke.

"Nothing exists" Thales confirmed.

"I refused the world if you robbed what is most dear to me and the me before me and the me before that"

"In the end am I really a good for nothing ape and yet I admit I was never an animal" Thales said expression sly yet somehow with great sorrow.

"Hehe, human suffering is par for the course this was nothing" Thales had a wryly smile.

"I shalt anon administ'r trial 1" Thales told himself.

"Has't thy senses backeth issue who is't chases stars"

Thales told himself.

Thales senses returned he was confident he could keep the situation under control now.

"But Oh no this is only now trial 1"

"Beest ston'd" Thales told himself looking down on himself with abyssal black eyes.

Thales could not perceive himself until now he was a rat in chains.

"Kill the witch"

Creatures with animal mask had Thales strung up and proceeded to belt him with stones.

Thales was not impressed.

"Is that it for my crime, your edict is a pile of trash" Thales the rat mocked while being barely hit with pebbles.

Thales was dropped into a pit and subsequently buried.

Thales realized he was a she.

"I'm a female rat, is this discrimination"

"Well who cares misogyny only matters if you think not of the material cowardly rodents, rodents in name and shape not only name like me" Thales the rat scolded despite his present situation.

Thales looked for mercy eventually he found none he did not play the crowd well.

This female rodent's crime was love of another, wanting to be someone and with someone.

Thales the female rat face was soaked with tears as each stone weakened her resolve.

"Death for this rat is fine I'd rather make memories of world where love cannot be taken from you by such ignorance" Thales stated firmly.

It was a painful barrage bloodied, battered and bruised.

Yet still Thales only saw this as a vessel and was unmoved.

"Who cares? Rats are made for the underground, mere stones and grounds are familiar why would my home scare me"

Thales the female rat toppled begging for a better life, malnourished.

"I remember one day, when we were walking in the prison-yard, a rat ran across the path with a piece of bread in its mouth.'Look,' said one of the prisoners, 'there's a fellow that knows the value of a crust.'

Thales recalled, he was that rat

"Yeah this women-rat I was both, both are the same and both suffered"

"I remain unfazed trust me, I hunger every day you did not reduce me to the pains of a women or the status of a rat, I was more alienated than a women and held my head lower than a rat and hunger much more always."

"I have no courage here; only acceptance courage is not invincibility only accepting you must endure suffering for reasons unknown as I am scared"

"The woman died she bled out.

The rat died he was a rat.

I survive, I do not bleed, and I am not as plentiful as vermin."

"I only have suffering since rights could not be there for me"

"Well have I endured your sufferings?"

Thales returned to the empty chamber.

He was him and saw him.

"Yes that concludes the trial of stone."

"Was that all?" Thales hoped.

"Nay" "Very well then" Thales accepted his fate as he was pierced again.