SINS OF ASH CHAPTER 1: TRIAL BY COMBAT

The sky was clear and sunny as Alex ran for his life. Vibrant flower beds, full of color and spirit, were interspersed all throughout the marble walkways that composed the temple gardens. One of the favored spots by Prospects and temple officials to relax in because of its natural tranquility and appeal to the eye, especially with the frequent weather that could only be considered perfect, was now being defiled as a herd of teenagers disrupted the peace.

Alex ran with the rest of his classmates, boys and girls roughly the same age as him, as they continued the grueling test that had taken up their entire morning. Sweat trickled down their faces and soaked their white Prospect uniforms along with the grueling weight vests that they all wore. They had been running for over an hour without any breaks, at nearly twice their body weight, and still weren’t finished. Even worse, they were competing with each other.

Stuck in the middle of the pack, he couldn’t risk slowing down without being trampled by those behind him. It was a constant repetition of one foot over the other and although his chest heaved and his legs felt like they were going to burst from the veins, he and everyone else kept running. Showing weakness at any moment could worsen their chances at being chosen to become an apprentice to a Guardian. At every point, they were being monitored. The monolithic temple that rose into the sky, the home and sanctuary of all Guardians in Eternum and Arcadia, had dozens of balconies and windows that wear filled by instructors and others evaluating their performance, including some actual Guardians watching the exam, their white cloaks blending in with the white temple walls.

The sweaty and panting group raced towards the gardens’ exit, following the intricate maze of walkways in a select path chosen by their instructors and marked with orange guiding cones. Everyone tried to get in front of the other, all vying to be first and definitely not last, pushing and shoving each other out of the way whenever they weren’t all gasping for breath. Alex got an elbow in the ribs and winced as a tall boy surged ahead, shoving people out of his way in a similar manner as he broached the front of the pack. The boy’s hair was dark and cut very short and that was all Alex could see of him before the gap he made running through them filled back up.

Alex frowned. He didn’t recognize him. He knew most of the people in his class, at least by name, and couldn’t remember ever seeing him before. Then again, the birds in the sky looked like they were flying upside down so he didn’t particularly trust his judgement at the moment.

The field of organized hedges and bushes came to an end as they cleared the exit and began running alongside the temple’s walls and towards the entrance. Some people from up above cheered them on but their focus was on one of the instructors ahead of them. He was standing off to the side by the temple stairs, about a hundred feet away and pointing to the entrance.

“Head to the Stability Disc then take off your weights. Keep pushing,” Instructor Riez called out to them.

People around him cheered at finally being able to take the vests off while others moaned at having to run up the stairs in them. Regardless, the running was nearly over and they pushed forward to complete the final stretch. They reached Instructor Riez and took a sharp turn to begin ascending the steps that led to the giant doors delineating the temple’s entrance. They hiked up the stairs three at a time, dodged through the wide swirling columns supporting the huge overhang, and raced inside.

The first thing that people see when they enter the Guardian Temple is the grand foyer set with colored tiling that depicted the elements in its various forms; hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and more, all set out to destroy humanity, except for the Guardians standing in their way. They stood face-to-face with the natural disasters, swords of divine elemental magic in hand, and protected the world as they subdued the winds, calmed the waters, and repaired the ground.

This was what they would become and what they had been training for as Prospects. People born with Divine Essence in their blood who would one day become a Guardian and save lives. Alex shook the brown curls out of his hair. One thing at a time. First, you need to become an apprentice to one of them. Then you can fulfill your duty by becoming a Guardian.

The cool air brought forth by the blue chroma at the entrance invigorated him and his energy levels renewed as they ran across the foyer. Clerical and administrative workers from several offices watched as they stampeded through the temple and turned towards the stairs at the sides of the large expans

Alex was giving it his all and overtaking some of his classmates who looked at him with suppressed feelings of outrage. Now that he was closer to the front, Alex could see the boy that had elbowed him. He had managed to get all the way to the head of the pack but there were two others in front of him as they led the way up the stairs. Underneath the weight vest, his shirt was tucked in and everything else he was wearing matched with the rest of them. However, now that Alex had cooled off, he was certain he didn’t recognize him. His clothes weren’t drenched like the rest of them and with how easily he ran, he didn’t even seem exhausted.

Reporting him to the instructors was the first and most logical idea that came to mind. However, Alex reasoned that this was someone from another class who had snuck into their exam in hopes of getting picked early or was just playing a stupid prank on them. He decided to handle this himself as he leaped four steps at a time to try and overtake some of the students but couldn’t make much headway as even the wide stairs weren’t capable of fitting dozens of people at one time. The stairs turned back around but still climbed up to the next floor. They reached the landing and Alex tried to get in front to prepare for the next challenge but couldn’t muster the energy. He instead kept pace a few steps behind the leaders as they ran down the long hallway surrounded with doors leading to exercise rooms and sparring mats until they reached their destination. They ran through a set of wooden double doors that opened into a large room that took up most of the space in the second floor of the temple.

The Stability Disc loomed over their heads, taking up half of the room in every single direction. It was a giant, raised circular platform connected to a broad pillar at the bottom with engraved etchings and carvings of green translucent crystal all around its bottom edges. Alex could see wisps of green energy, wind energy, moving inside it and felt that familiar pull in his chest; like a gust of wind ensnaring his body and dragging him along to wherever the whimsy of the Wind God took him.

He wanted to summon his sword, feel the wind pulsing through him, and leap ahead of everyone to take the lead and finish this asinine test. Only if he did, he would be immediately disqualified and prevented from testing again for another six months. Further insult to injury would be denying him his familial compensation and leaving his grandfather back home with no financial support.

With a sigh, Alex shoved down the feeling of longing and tore his gaze away from the green chroma. He focused back on the task at hand and saw an instructor pointing to the side of the room that had a large ramp with a set of stairs connected to it along the edge of the disc. They raced across different colored mats of the elements, past the watchful gazes of the Guardians looking to select apprentices, and up the ramp, throwing off their vests as they did. Some of them began to climb the stairs but feeling light as a feather with the extra load removed, Alex jumped up directly onto the ramp and ran towards the disc as he caught up to the leaders. He pushed through and found himself shoulder to shoulder with the boy who had elbowed him earlier.

“I’m gonna get you back for that,” Alex wheezed at him. He suddenly grinned and realized the boy probably had no idea what he was talking about. It sounded ridiculous and was probably not worth the effort considering his lungs felt like splitting open. The boy glanced towards him, yellow eyes and tanned face surprisingly streaming with sweat as he too looked on the verge of passing out. “What?” he managed to say in between breaths. No time to explain, they reached the end of the ramp and jumped onto the disc.

They landed next to each other with over half the distance until they reached the center of the disc remaining, which had a white circle drawn around it spanning a diameter of 10 feet. Immediately, the disc tilted downwards in their direction and they both clambered up towards the center as the rest of the Prospects jumped on, tilting the disc even further. The mysterious boy with the somehow still neat uniform got ahead of him and was the first one to enter the circle. Alex looked to the side and saw a whole set of instructors holding small clocks in their hands with pointy dials on their sides. There was probably one assigned to each of them and they were timing to see how long they could stay in the circle. It would turn into a melee soon but half of them would slide right off if the disc kept tilting so Alex ran around the edge of the circle and towards the top of the disc.

The leader braced himself, clearly expecting a fight, but was left just staring as Alex ran past him. He looked back to see the disorganized troop of Prospects, now a mob more than anything else, race towards the circle as they tried to avoid falling off. Those who were late to the party started sliding off and tumbling onto the mats as the disc became too steep for them and clocks began ticking as more of them reached the circle. The wrestling ensued and Alex turned to see the leader entangle himself among the other fast runners and the rest immediately turn on each other as they entered the circle. They had to prioritize not sliding off the platform over fighting though as the disc was still too steep.

Alex reached the edge of the giant disc and grabbed a hold of it to keep from falling. More and more people dropped and as they raced back towards the stairs, the disc began to reorient itself, tipping back towards him as the center of mass had now shifted after the initial landing. The fighters in the ring now went back to throwing each other out. Alex watched as the tanned boy swung one person over his shoulder and out of the ring before immediately dropping and sweeping the legs of a girl who tried to punch him. She dropped and a brown-haired girl, whom Alex knew as Nya, grabbed him as he was getting up and tripped him so that he fell onto his ass. He immediately began slipping out of the ring and cursed. Other Prospects were getting thrown in and out and Alex heard clocks being stopped then started again to mark their total time in the circle.

The disc swayed again, this time in several tilts as people went off in different directions, people jumped back on, and the contest became about balance and sure footing over anything else. Except strategy.

There were only three people left in the circle now; everyone else was trying not to fall while getting to the center. The tanned boy and Nya were grappling each other while Mason, one of the best students in their class, stayed off to the side grinning. Alex raced away from the edge and towards the circle. No one was on his side so he had a clear path to the ring, and he was currently running downhill. He picked up speed and selected his target. There was really only one option.

With a diving leap, Alex threw his legs out and drop-kicked the tanned boy who had elbowed him earlier. The boy’s aura flashed a dark yellow in the side of his gut where he got kicked and he went flying down the disc with a beautiful expression consisting of wide eyes, gaping mouth exclaiming a profanity, and twisted face to indicate pain. Lovely.

The boy slid completely off the disc and Alex dropped onto the circle in front of Nya who had graciously led him to this grand moment.

“Many thanks,” he said to her from the ground. She stared at him, bewildered, before attempting to kick him in the face. Well, she tried. The disc tilted again and with one foot off the ground, Nya tripped and began sliding off. Alex kept low on his hands and knees, legs apart and leaning in the opposite direction as he turned towards the remaining circle dweller. Mason was watching him, legs and arms apart to keep balance but also ready to grapple should he get too close. Obviously, Alex didn’t want to do that.

“Come at me, Alex!” Mason challenged.

Alex reached down, took off his right combat boot, and threw it at him. Mason’s eyebrows jumped to the roof his head and his mouth dropped in wordless shock, but he managed to catch it before he got pelted in the face. Before he could react any further, Alex ran up and shoulder charged him in the chest. He dropped the boot and went sprawling down the side of the disc. Alex grabbed his boot and quickly put it back on before turning to survey the situation. Most of the Prospects were headed his way but none were organized and most were still swaying side-to-side as the disc turned and tilted in what he imagined similar to the motion of a ship’s deck.

He crouched low to keep balance and catch his breath now that he had a moment to recover and earn time in the circle. That moment lasted for all of three seconds before someone punched him in the back of the head. His head snapped down and he reeled forward, landing on his face as he felt his aura take a hit. The punch still hit him, but it technically hit his aura first and prevented any surface damage. He could get bruised and sore, but he wouldn’t get any open wounds unless his aura broke from excessive damage.

He spun around and clambered back to his feet, still in the circle, and saw the pissed off face of the boy he had kicked off the disc. He really was fast.

“We were even you stupid idiot,” Alex said. He ran towards him but before he could get close, the disc started spinning.

There was a moment where he could have kept his balance and stayed on his feet but the sudden spinning combined with the constant upheavals made by the scattered students caused his inertia to take over and he fell on his face again. Much to his chagrin, the tanned boy was still on his feet.

“What are you even talking about?” he asked, clearly annoyed. He moved to kick Alex out of the ring but was interrupted as another boy, his white Prospect shirt unbuttoned to expose his muscular chest, grabbed him from behind and hooked his arms around his waist. They spun and the tanned boy was thrown out of the ring again with a startled cry. The movement though caused his attacker to sway off balance and fall onto his knees, but before he could stand back up, more people entered the circle. Alex himself was picked up from behind and also thrown out of the ring.

He went spinning but a lucky tilt upwards kept him from completely going over. He crawled to his feet and decided to wait there and focus on staying on the disc while the others fought for space. The tanned boy had rejoined the fray and was in the process of pushing people out when he spotted Alex standing out to the side. His eyes narrowed and he hesitated for only a moment before retreating out of the circle and moving to stand a safe distance from him.

“Clever,” he said. “Let the others tire themselves out then go back in when they’re easy pickings.”

“You were one of those easy pickings in case you forgot,” Alex reminded him. They were spinning clockwise when the disc suddenly stopped and reversed directions. More people fell down and the disc went tumbling in every direction, but the two of them managed to keep to their feet.

“Oh, I remember,” he said bitterly. “That hurt! What exactly did I do to deserve that?”

“You elbowed me in the side during the last lap as you ran ahead of everyone.”

“Ohhh, my bad. That’s on me. My name’s Leo by the way.”

Leo? He definitely knew no one in his class was named that. “I’m Alex, but I don’t recognize-Agh!”. He couldn’t finish as Leo elbowed him in the side again and pushed him down with his body. The disc tilted down and Alex tumbled off its edge, collapsing onto the mat below with a grunt, his aura flashing a dark green above him.

“Prick,” he muttered.

“Five minutes remaining,” called one of the instructors. Alex climbed to his feet, the world still spinning, and stumbled his way back to the entry ramp as quick as he could. The Guardians were watching them; some taking notes, on how they moved atop the disc, how they performed against overwhelming numbers, and how willingly they rose to fight again. All this and more would go into the decision making of who they would choose as their apprentices. If chosen, the Prospect would join their side as they go into battle and learn directly from someone who had already passed the trials necessary to ascend to the rank of Guardian. Honing their skills even further than what was already done at the Temple, the apprentices would continue with their Master until they deemed them worthy to go on their own and make their own decisions amidst a war that had been continuing for hundreds of years, otherwise known as the Centuries War. This usually took years and the bond between master and apprentice was important, so they would be careful in their selections.

This was also not the last test. Tomorrow featured a dueling tournament between all the Prospects vying for a spot to be selected and only afterwards would the Guardians make their final choices. Ultimately, not everyone would get chosen. There were too many students and Guardian numbers were dwindling because of Adamance’s resurgence in the war. They couldn’t send the Prospects out to war because they weren’t ready; they needed the guidance of a Guardian and it was always a pairing. One Guardian, one apprentice.

The idea of actual combat in war terrified him but that was still a long ways away. He would receive training from a professional Guardian first and then he would fulfill his duty by fighting. First though, he needed to get selected.

Alex hopped onto the ramp, his feet cresting nothing but air for two seconds as he pushed away the dizziness and ran towards the disc. The disc looked like it would fall over at any moment but every time it neared that precipice, it reoriented itself and tilted in the opposite direction, the green chroma below glowing with a soft, steady light, like grass shining in the sun, within a clear casing.

There was a surge to get back in the circle and everyone was fighting each other, arms grappling bodies, legs kicking out, and Prospects tumbling as the disc did its job. People dropped in and out and Alex could see Leo wrestling with another boy as they rolled around the center of the circle.

Alex leaped onto the disc and tried to make small, bouncing steps as he raced towards the center. There wasn’t any time to concoct a plan so he entered the fray, tackling the first person he could get to. The next few minutes consisted of a tangle of limbs, rising nausea, and flashing lights as auras shined in every direction from people hitting each other. It was hard to breathe as there was never a moment of respite. He got kicked a few times, thrown out of the circle, fell right back in because of the disc, and fell to the ground a couple more times because of the disc. It was body after body after body and at one point, he stopped registering them as people. They became sacks of flesh that were in his way and needed to be disposed of.

Except for Leo. He was the sole person that Alex remembered and made sure to get a few hits in whenever the opportunity presented itself. Or whenever he felt like. At one point, he was grappling with a girl named Rin who had a grip like iron when Leo threw someone to the floor. They slid down and into Rin’s feet, tripping her. With her feet gone, her grip loosened and Alex grabbed her by the armpits. Hoping he wouldn’t roll an ankle, Alex twisted with all his might and threw her at Leo who tried to dodge, but he stumbled, fell, and wheezed as Rin landed on him. From then on, Leo managed to find ample opportunity to kick him in the face despite the melee surrounding them.

Finally, a whistle blew. The disc kept spinning and turning, but everyone stopped fighting. Alex lay in a pool of his own sweat, trying to keep himself from slipping and moving anything unnecessary. He felt like a piece of metal that had been hammered all over to make work and he thought that if he moved any more, his lungs might burst from his chest. Around him, the others were in a similar state. Six of them remained on the disc but only four were within the circle. Him, Leo, Rin, and Mason. Out on the sides was another girl who actually had blood on the side of her face while the other one was a boy with a bald head. He thought their names were Anika and Jude. Everyone was sweating and gasping for breath, looking towards the instructor who called time. He cleared his throat.

“Anyone not left on the Stability Disc will remain on the ground. The remaining six will continue to compete until they are either knocked off or unable to continue.” He looked at Anika with her bloody head and she blushed. “Proceed,” he called.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of who would initiate. Some of them were staring at Leo with furrowed brows, perhaps finally recognizing that they in fact did not recognize him. Alex thought someone was going to call him out until he noticed Mason ignoring the others and focusing on him instead. “Fuck you,” he said, and charged. Leo and Rin followed him and Alex became target number one.

“Fuck me,” Alex agreed, and ran out of the circle. They stopped before the edge, unsure if they should continue giving chase to knock someone out or continue boosting their own score. Rin decided to compromise by kicking Mason in the knee, dropping him, then punching him in the side of the face. She turned to face Leo but before she could take a step towards him, her feet got pulled out from under her as Mason wasn’t defeated yet. They began wrestling and Leo pulled back only to get caught by the other two left on the disc who had now entered the circle.

Alex watched as they fought each other, limbs flailing and bodies spinning as the disc kept up its rotation. With most of the people remaining in the center, he was free to remain near the edge without worrying too much about the disc tipping him off the side. The other Prospects who had already been eliminated from the test were now standing by the sides of the room, trying to get a view of what was happening on top of the spinning disc that was ten feet up in the air. Some were shaking their heads in regret while others were looking with excitement as to who would win. Others were pointing at Leo and whispering to each other. Some of them were even pointing at him and he caught a few glares his way too. They didn’t like that he was hanging back and letting the others do all the dirty work. That didn’t matter though. The goal was to get the most time spent in the circle but based on what the instructor said, the test wouldn’t end until only one person was left on the disc. Even if he wasn’t currently winning, as long as he could keep in the circle someone who was doing worse than him and someone he could reasonably hold off long enough, then he could surpass whoever was in the lead.

That person in the lead was probably Leo as he punched Jude in the gut, tripped Anika, then kicked them both out of the circle. They fell toward the edge and the disc tilted accordingly. It was still spinning though so the disc tilted up and down like waves in the ocean and they were all fish who had forgotten to swim. The two Leo kicked went sailing off and Alex was forced to head towards the center or risk joining them. Rin and Mason were still going at each other so Alex went straight for Leo.

Leo turned and saw him coming. He flexed his knuckles and braced himself. Somehow, his stupid shirt was still tucked in. Alex didn’t know what Leo was thinking but this joke had run on long enough. This was their test and their opportunity. He was not going to ruin their chances of being selected by being the best and acting like it was no big deal. Alex leaped forward and tackled Leo to the floor. They clawed and punched each other like animals, all sense of human decency overturned by the desire to come out on top. Leo slapped him in the face. Alex grabbed his shirt and pulled it out from his pants. That earned him another punch but this time Alex yanked Leo’s shirt down, pulling him with it, and headbutted him in the face.

The disc kept spinning and tilting as one large incline separated them and they rolled through the circle. Alex managed to get to his feet and briefly noticed that he couldn’t see Rin or Mason. He recognized this meant he could no longer get the most time and that he should quit while he was still ahead of plenty of the others, but something kept him in there. It was either a desire to punch out his frustrations with how unfair life was, fight back against his fears of having to go to war before he was even considered an adult, a general dislike for people being rude, a lot of stupidity, or a little bit of everything mixed in there.

Stupidity, he decided, as Leo dashed forward and threw his legs out in front of him in a mirrored attempt to drop-kick him like how Alex did earlier. There was a moment of smug glee that Alex felt when he saw the attack coming and knew he wouldn’t fall for the same thing. That moment persisted as he moved to dodge, then shattered like glass into a million pieces as the disc tilted again. He tripped and caught Leo’s feet with his face. His aura also chose that moment to break and he felt a flaring pain in his nose as his head whipped backwards and he fell onto his back.

Stars in a black sea flooded his vision and he felt a hot, warm liquid trickle into his mouth that tasted like iron. He also felt Leo falling onto him so he grabbed hold of Leo’s legs and, still blinded, raised his own leg and dropped it like a hammer down onto whatever was in its path. He heard a familiar cracking noise and Leo swore as Alex dropped his foot onto the nail that was Leo’s head.

Bits of yellow crystals flew above him as Alex was regaining his vision. He still had a hold of Leo’s legs so he raised his leg to drop it down again but was thwarted as Leo spun violently, twisting his whole body and kicking outwards with his legs. He kicked Alex in the gut and broke his hold on him as his other leg went sailing up. Instead of kicking back down, he followed through with the movement and twirled into a cartwheel that put him back on his feet. Blood was dripping from his nose now that his aura had been broken.

“What is your problem?” Leo demanded of Alex.

“Your face is stupid,” Alex said, and ran towards him. The two of them grabbed each other’s arms and tried to throw one another out of the circle and off the disc. Leo’s arms were big but they were both the same height, and they kept trying to shift momentum in their favor. That doesn’t work so well atop of a giant platform that spins around and is sensitive to every movement. They kept falling down and an odd punch was thrown in every now and then in order to find some breaking point.

“Did I punch a few screws loose in there because you can’t win!” Leo exclaimed as he reiterated his well made point with another jab to the stomach. He went for another punch, but Alex ducked low and elbowed him in the chin.

“You’re not from here!” Alex gasped. “You were never in my class.”

Leo’s yellow eyes widened as he glanced towards the instructors and everyone watching them.

“Shut your stupid mouth,” he hissed. He ran forward, grabbed Alex’s arm, and threw him across the side in a wide arc. A lucky tilt of the disc helped him keep his feet though and Alex was able to pivot, grab Leo’s arm, and reverse the throw onto him. The disc shifted downwards and they both fell into a heap on top of each other.

“You’re a cheater,” Alex accused. “Probably from a different class who snuck into the test to try and get picked early.” They rolled around, still trying to hit each other, neither one of them remembering the circle and what they were supposed to be doing. Alex kicked him in the shins and managed to push himself away. They both staggered to their feet, chests heaving and blood boiling, welts and bruises starting to appear alongside the torrent of hateful words.

“You’re a slacker who’s well off in a greedy kingdom,” Leo shot back. He ran back to Alex and they grappled each other again. “I’ve spent my whole life trying to get here and I won’t let you get in my way!

“Wait your fucking turn!”

“Excuse me?”

At this point, neither one of them had the strength of mind to focus on form or technique. They just focused on hitting one another as much as they could as if they were a brand new punching bag that needed to be broken in. They both threw a right hook and simultaneously punched each other in the face and threw themselves backwards. There was yelling from the stands, but they didn’t hear it. They each had their sole attention.

Furious yellow eyes, naturally tanned skin slicked with sweat, rumpled clothes, and short-cropped black hair looked at critical dark green eyes with a tinge of brown in them, copper skin, blood-stained clothes, and brown, curly hair that was always a mess. The same height, same outfit, and the same determination not to be defeated. It gave them strength, fueled their lungs in place of air, cleared their vision, and drove them forward, telling them that they would not be stopped here. A mirror stood before them, pure without any blemishes or cracks, and they saw only themselves. Their reflections followed each other in perfect synchrony, their minds acting as one. They held out their hands, breathed in, and summoned their swords.

A dark green katana with gray clouds dispersed throughout the blade. A matching cross-guard in the shape of a cloud and black leather wrapped around the handle with black diamond openings interspersed. A dark blue claymore wrapped in jagged, dark yellow bolts that went up and down the length of the blade. A silver cross-guard in the shape of a widened ‘V’ with the handle wrapped in the same-colored silver; the word “Bravery” written on the pommel. Both blades were semi-translucent, resembling the material nature of chroma and its divine potency.

Wind streamed along Alex’s katana as the familiar weight entered his hands, and he immediately felt lighter and more sure-footed.

Lightning crackled on the tip of Leo’s claymore and the heavy weight filled him with energy, shocking him into focus.

A battle-cry erupted from both of them as they charged each other, swords in hand, ready to renew their fight. However, before even two steps were taken, shadows flew in front of them and both Alex and Leo were swept off their feet and thrown off the Stability Disc.

The world flew past him in a blur, but Alex caught a glimpse of a white cloak before the room became a vacuum and all the air was sucked out of him as he crashed into the ground on his back. Rogue hands pinned his arms down and boots stomped painfully onto his hands as he struggled to regain his breath. His sword fell from his grasp and across the room, he could see Leo being held down in a similar manner. Two Guardians in white cloaks held his arms onto the ground while another two stood on his hands, holding aloft their swords. To the sides of him, Alex could see the Guardians pointing their own swords at him as well. They looked furious, but he couldn’t understand why. This was a sanctioned test and injuries were expected. They were testing to become an apprentice to a Guardian so it would make sense if they fought with their…

All of a sudden, his insides felt like they had shriveled up and died, and he wanted to throw up everything he had ever eaten before. His body went numb and he couldn’t make his mouth say anything, his tongue leaden. He just stared at the blank ceiling, unable to see the various murals or lights supported up above. He heard muffled sounds all around him, slowly being drowned out by a loud ringing in his ears. Something warmed up his face, falling down, slowly bringing his senses back. He saw paintings of Guardians and their apprentices fighting side-by-side against armies that desperately tried to break through their defenses but were unable to break the untouchable duos. He heard yelling, still undecipherable, but nothing that could be described as pleasant. Slowly, his body’s responses returned to him and he realized that they were no longer holding him down. The warmth spread further along his face. He was crying. He still couldn’t hear what they were saying until someone knocked him in the head hard enough to push away the shame and grief that kept him from hearing the awful, awful words.

“I will say it once more!” the instructor yelled. His face was red and there was a smashed clock by his feet. “For complete ignorance of the rules guiding this sacred trial, for resorting to based methods of violence found only in the lowliest of taverns in the Temporal District, for endangering the lives of not only yourselves but of those around you, you are both disqualified from the apprentice selection examination and are forbidden from testing ever again!”