A Burden

People were dying.The Necrots rose again to take the kingdoms by surprise after remaining hidden for a while. Now, it felt as if they no longer were finding something important. Or they took a break to recharge themselves with the blood of humans. This had happened in the past before. It was happening again.Currently, there are no other kingdoms as horrible as Solvardia. Now different from the well-known sun-drenched kingdom, in the past few months or years. The people were always very proud of desert nomads. Apart from the magical class, most were skilled merchants and master navigators.But this thriving kingdom fell victim to mass extinction not long ago.Across the markets, courtyards, solar temples... insects buzzed over dry metallic crimson. Blood splattered on the ground and walls - all over. Civilians lay dead inches from their doorsteps. The assailants had shredded the doors. It revealed an interior that showed signs of a ruthless blood spray. Body parts and remnants of organs lay scattered on the floors. They showed signs of consuming and then discarding as leftovers. Decay filled the air, mixing with the scent of sand and blood, while the buzzing of insects was the only sound.This was a part of Solvardia, massacred not long ago by Necrots. And... the other parts weren't safe either.***"Those who signed the waiver have disqualified themselves from this test." His words took everyone by surprise.The amateurs glanced upwards. Those who had signed gritted their teeth, lamenting in silence.'Why, though?' Nero thought.Alaric expatiated, "The life of a fighter is as important as that of thousands of people. Our world is in a very dangerous situation. And losing our warriors to pointless happenings shouldn't be our target.Not that you shouldn't try to save people. But value your life too so you can keep on fighting to protect more."Afterwards, he announced the withdrawal of those four signers. They found themselves back on the Cultivation Highlands before they knew it. The cold, magical atmosphere sent shivers down their spines.Back in the hall, Alaric announced. Before he even did, Zmey got a suspicion.All that happened might be too much to be a coincidence. Or... there was something deeper that made the others sign the waivers. Yet, he thought, perhaps he was overthinking, as always.He rubbed his chin. Another realisation hit him, fast and jotting like a physical slap.'Six more candidates. Withdraw three and reward the rest.' He swallowed the previous anger down his throat. His eyes flashed from one person to the other. He found himself looking with more focus at Nero, his new friend, and Skyler Kingsley.Maybe it's because they were those with whom he was familiar.'Even so, I will play along with their dirty game. But... the higher-ups have got a very tangible reason for all this...'Alaric's voice came out of nowhere."We have a tough future ahead. So I won't intend to waste time here..."The tone of his voice dropped without warning.The candidates glanced around. Could they be given a...?"... Close your eyes. And you're already there."Zmey looked around.His instincts whispered to him from both sides.Skyler's chest tightened beneath her cloth. Now, it seemed even suicidal to trust their instructor. This was becoming different from how it should have been...With a flick of her wrist, she picked an arrow between her fingers. The silver glint flashed in Zmey's eyes as she attached it to her bow.A silver arrow.He creased his brow.'The one that assisted me earlier in the shadows?... Doesn't make sense.'Nero swallowed."... Please close your eyes for a few seconds," Magnus Alaric instructed.Zmey sighed. He rested his shoulders. Whatever.Almost immediately, he closed his eyes; three more people did the same. That included Nero, Skyler, and Kai. Then, the two others did as instructed....Wush...The wind howled.A biting cold itched through Zmey's brows. His brows twitched.Nero, his eyes shut, felt his jacket billowing behind him. Sweat refused to ooze in his palm. He sighed out - he didn't even feel as if he had. It was strange here.... Skyler didn't help but think she was somewhere else. And it didn't seem she was there with others.Wasn't that already true when Alaric had told them they would do it alone?... Zmey sighed. 'Let's see.'In that instant, he opened his eyes. Nero, Skyler, and Kai opened theirs at the same time. As if someone had instructed them to do it at that same time.Zmey's brows creased. Nero's jaw loosened.He was staring at Zmey in a strange place, and Zmey was also staring at him. What was going on?In the same vein, Skyler was staring at Kai with unwavering focus. But neither Zmey nor Nero was there with them.They got an inkling. No, it was a fact instead. They must have paired for some reason right after they closed their eyes. Thus, three of this location were present. And each pair teleported to one another.The setting was the same for everyone. Two candidates found themselves standing atop lush-covered cliffs. They didn't even pass through a portal or anything.Zmey and Nero looked at one side almost at the same time. Nero's jaws dropped, his hands clasped at his waist. Floating cliffs and terrains spaced out above wispy clouds. Just like the Cultivation Highland... no cloud in the sky, but covering the ground as though hiding something away. Maybe the ground surface was a volcano... who knows?In the three different planes, the skies were starry. The atmosphere was smiling with the scent of fresh pine and the sound of rustling leaves.At that moment, Zmey felt a weight pressing down on his shoulders.He creased his brows. No matter how hard he tried to cast it off, in the end, something prompted him to glance backwards. The air shifted with a sudden movement. He saw only a vast space of floating cliffs above wispy clouds, lit by the golden stars."Something's off," he mumbled. As he turned, he tried to converse with Nero. "Nero..."At that moment, he froze mid-statement and mid-step. Nero's brows furrowed as well.Between them, azure words glowed in the thin air. It said:'Fight your opponent and incapacitate them. The Magi Lords and the political arm will reward the winner among the candidates. But neither of the two candidates fighting will result in disqualification. We can always choose the top two, the top one, or none.'The words appeared between the two other pairs as well—Kai with Skyler, and Annie with a lady having a ponytail.Zmey thought, clenching his jaw a little, 'I knew it!'... On another plane, Skyler raised her fist high in the air. Her face carried almost no emotion.'Can I really carry the burden even if I win? The burden of being a Veilcrafter…'She stared that way for a few more moments. Then she glanced at Kai. She said in a serious manner,"Don't see me as a Kingsley and use every opportunity to your advantage in this fight. Only see it as fighting a Veilcrafter exorcist... and I won't be going easy either."Kai's eyes widened. 'That's her ability? Veilcraft?!'