Chapter 26 - The Unworthy and the Champion

The Unworthy and the Champion

" Amongst the hundreds of you, only a lucky few will survive the horrors ahead. Some of you wouldn't last four years. Some won't even make it past the 'coming ahead. Tragic, brutal endings await many, with lives cut short and stories left incomplete, unfulfilled and unavenged. The rest of you will endure a life of suffering, burdened with the memories of those who have fallen before you. This isn't a curse— this is your coming reality. "

"This is your becoming. You've chosen this path and there's no turning back. Did you think this road led to glory? No. No. Let me assure you, the path of the supernatural is treacherous and selfish. Mankind was never meant to walk this path, but our stubborn nature drives us, so we will struggle and revolt until nothing remains of us… until everything good has been taken from us."

Dread filled the hall after Codix's speech ended. The reaction— or rather, lack of reaction— spoke well enough of the state of the examinees.

Jemna stood silently beside Codix, watching him with perfect composure. 'A cold speech meant to provoke and advise. Beautiful done, Master Codix. These youngsters need more awareness of the supernatural path. Their parents have cuddled them long enough. However, I wonder if he went too far.'

Jemna shook her head. Compared to the veteran in front of her, she was just a naive upstart in her agency. Master Codix must have seen something in this batch of young ones to provoke them in such a brutal manner.

"How could you say something so cruel and immoral? Do you wish us to die? You are evil," The crowd screamed back.

"Am I? Perhaps I am, but I do not wish for your death. I am your supervisor, thus my only wish is that a good amount of you will go on to make something out of yourself. Only then can the world become a better place. Thus, the importance of where you stand at this moment. Believe me, you haven't the slightest idea of the examination that you partake in. Fear not, I will burn the truth into you."

Under the examinees' astonishment and confusion, Codix clapped his hands and white mist began to rise from the grounds. The two examiners silently vanished into the mist as it bared its fang on every examinee in the hall.

Codix's voice rang in the ears of all the examinees as they became consumed by the white mist.

"Show me. Show me a spectacle. Decide on who you are. Are you the unworthy or are you the champion?"

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"... Are you the unworthy or are you the champion?"

Raven fluttered his eyes wide open.

'This again? Hmm… no, something's different.'

 He found himself in a murky swamp surrounded by tall trees. The green environment lit with a great abundance of nature, and his clothes were soaked, drenched in the rancid swamp water. The air, heavy with a nauseating stench, a mix of rotting vegetation and something far more sinister. 

There were little to no sightings of the supernatural here, the only thing present was the overwhelming presence of decaying, stinky greenery. 

'What is this feeling?'

Raven's ❰Seventh sense❱ danced at the back of his mind, a ceaseless whispering. He couldn't discern the nature of this sensation, but it alerted him of a supernatural presence in the vicinity.

A peculiar movement rushed into his ear. Raven held his breath and stared at the direction of the sound.

"Ahh, thank the moon. It's you!" Trix ran to him with a hug. Behind her was Leve and an unknown group of two.

Raven's face warmed when he saw Trix. He was relieved it wasn't someone hostile like he expected. He ignored the unknown group and walked up to his only friend.

"Yo, did you miss me much?" Trix grinned playfully.

"I didn't."

"Awwww. Is that a blush I see? I bet you were happy when you saw me. So cute!"

Raven sighed, dodging a hug from Trix, "Stop playing around. Do you know where we are?"

"No clue. Perhaps a pocket dimension. It's a good thing we were teleported together. With my brains and your brawns, we will be unstoppable together. Let's go!!"

"Sure, sure, sensei." Raven rolled his eyes and surveyed his surroundings .

"I don't think we are in a pocket world. Everything is too normal but—"

"What? Yeah, I might be wrong. What do you think?"

"I-I don't know… but I feel like this is certainly not a pocket world. I can't explain it,"Raven divulged.

"A feeling, huh? Oh, apparently, some mystics see these mysterious intuitions as divine visions from the gods. Are you being contacted by the gods right now? Well, tell them I'm in a dying need of material happiness. Those fat men of god hoard so much wealth. Their bellies will burst if they take anymore. Why don't they instead share some love with a plebian, pretty please."

Everyone looked aghast as they stared at Trix, well, except for Raven. He was pretty familiar with Trix's utter disregard towards the divine religion. It was part of why he was able to befriend her so easily. Everyone else in the district seems to think the gods have plans for them and endurance was the best way to enter the gods' graces. If that was the case, was a fulfilled life of tragedy a gift from the gods? Did they smile as they rained misfortune upon misfortune upon the unlucky?

Raven held no belief in the gods, be they real or not. He was sick of people who used these illusory divine beings as weapons against their peers. His father, for one, sacrificed him to some unknown make-believe entity. That did not feel good at all.

Raven shook his head and smiled, "I will leave a message when I commune with the divine patrons. I will let them know their favourite servant still thinks of them dearly."

"Oh thank you!! What would I do without you," Trix cheekily grinned. "Anyway, it doesn't matter if it is a pocket world or something else. We need to figure out why we are here? What is the test?"

"Yeah, you are right. We should move along. There is no clue here."

"Uhmm," a meek voice interrupted the two.

Raven's eyes moved towards Leve. 'I completely forgot about her! We have been talking for minutes. She must have felt so embarrassed. Wow.'

Leve's ears were red with shame as she said in a hurt tone, "Uhmm, did you two forget you aren't alone? I'm dying of embarrassment here. My ears hurt from hearing your cringe conversations. Seriously, get a room. How could you go on and on and on like that in front of us? So this is what being third-wheeled feels like. I got third-wheeled."

Leve's eyes reddened so much that Trix and Raven got scared she was going to break into tears. They gazed at each other and instantly, the two dumbasses hatched a plan.

"We didn't forget you!" Raven hurriedly said in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

Trix slapped a hand on Leve's arm jovially, "We definitely didn't. Yep. Yep. We just thought… you… were going to chime into the conversation. What happened? Why didn't you say anything? Where do you think we are?"

Raven nodded his head passionately, "Yeah. I didn't think you would feel shy. What do you think the test is about?"

"Really?"

"Real as nut, Leve! You know what, let's just put this behind us. Who are your friends?" Trix masterfully asked. She felt her pride burst through the roof as she looked into Leve's innocent eyes. Sure enough, she was smarter than Raven who couldn't trick a nice girl. 

"Yeah, who are they?"

Trix rolled her eyes at Raven. 'Heh, no tact. He's just agreeing to everything I say. Shameless.'

Before Leve could respond, one of the two unknown men— a young boy with an audacious mohawk went forward with a smile. "Haha, never knew Leve to get so red. I'm Malyk, and I suppose you are the student of Mistress Blaike— Master Kase's son."

Raven glanced at Malyk and replied, "Something like that."

"Well, it is nice to finally have a look at you, ain't it? You are the stuff of myths around the Serpents. Hope you are not just all talk though. No offence, but you don't really seem much. It would be a shame to have all that training wasted on you," thoughtlessly said Malyk.

"Malyk!!"

"What?!! Honesty is the best way to make friends, isn't it?"

Malyk's friend shot a daggering glare at him. One of them, a young boy of similar age to the group, apologized with an embarrassed smile, "I'm sorry. Pay no mind to that idiot. He means no harm. My name is Kai."

Raven narrowed his eyes at the boy called Kai. The whispers of ❰Seventh sense❱ became louder after he spoke. There was something different about this Kai… dangerous even. He was unnaturally clothed, fully dressed from top to bottom almost as if he was a cake. He had a dark hood over his head, masking his appearance.

Due to his inept understanding of seventh sense, Raven shrugged off this sensation.

"It's cool. I—"

"Ahhh!!!!"

A scream pierced through the conversation, alarming everyone in the vicinity.