Hao had to suffer the little sleep that came with the moonless nights. They were cold and quick. Waking up during the early part of the long days, the Sun was far from its brightest. Still, it took up nearly the entire sky.

It was hot. Far too much for a human, too much for almost anything.

Most of the Summer was spent hiding from the peak of day and night.

I wonder if the mudflats will yield salt on the Island this year. Hao didn’t realize he wasn’t calling the Island home.

Hao was making his way to the trial grounds. He had to look down while outside. The sun was blinding, even when looking forward. The ground wasn’t that much better.

Everything was painted white, nearly pearlescent. The complete opposite of night.

There weren’t many people out. “People on land hide during the day and night when the sun is closest” Hao laughed, thinking of his great uncle’s words. You may just be an ocean of knowledge…

Hao’s laugh got cut short as he passed the Mining Hall. The brown stone was washed out, shadows and shade the rare solace of the summer that only existed when it was not noon or night.

Would I be considered a person from land now?

The idea followed him into the hall. He had no reason to go in other than to dodge the noon sun. He started his walk towards the trial from the mine in the morning. It was taking far longer than he was expecting.

He relaxed inside. Not having to bend his head down, he could look around again. The sun was no longer a threat to his eyes. He could wait for noon to pass and kill some of his questions.

The Hall was nearly full, a rare case, maybe not so during summer.

Few people were at the desk, despite the number of people moving in the hall.

Hao waited till he was clear to step up. “Has Hall Leader Ya returned yet?” Hao asked. Curious about the man’s location and state.

“No, the Hall Leader will return to the mountain once he is done with his business.” The man at the desk said. It was someone new again. The person changed frequently, but the answer was always the same.

Hao had slowly gleaned the information he needed from the desk here. Preparing for the trial. His participation in the trial seemed to be a far cry from his path now.

He could take it if he wished. Just that it was not the path forward but toward the ground; The Second Elder came to tell him of that. Now it seemed he had to accept her ‘education’ and instructions to save his skin.

Hao sighed, not leaving the line for the desk. I hope she keeps her end of the deal after all this.

“Senior, can I turn all my points into silver…” Hao said. Gathering a few looks.

The man nodded his head, not hiding his confusion as Hao made his request to have the silver sent elsewhere.

He showed the seventy-seven silver t Hao before it was stuffed into a pouch. Placed on a note, set aside on a shelf.

All his work was set aside like it was nothing.

“Is there something else?” The man asked.

Hao had no intention of walking to death blindly. He gulped before speaking.

Hao didn’t avoid ears when he spoke, “Can Senior tell me about the bone-shaking trial”

The person at the desk lifted their head and looked at Hao. Surprised, to say the least. Perhaps he just misheard.

Staring at Hao until he took out his badge.

Hao put his hand over top the words servant which was scrawled in blue, the ink turned a faint glowing orange. It was uncomfortable no matter how many times he did it.

“Oh. Junior brother, if you plan to participate in the trial, hurry before the day is over. This will be your last chance before summer ends. I heard there was something special about this season’s trial too…”

“Thank you Senior, but I just want some info about the bone-shaking trial.”

His words collected more eyes.

The looks made Hao freeze up, but not as much as the question made the person at the desk hesitate.

He looked around and scratched his chin. Thinking this possible new junior brother is just a little curious, right?

“Um… Junior brother. I am not sure… As I said, you can still take the Outer Disciple Trial before the day ends. Little brother should join the Sect first.” The man said he was as impatient as the last few that manned the desk, a little more awkward, giving Hao a smile and a nod.

Not sure? Why? Hao thought, turning away. He had heard of the second trial only in passing mention when the normal trial was brought up.

He stood at the door. A little crack let him watch the sun outside as it ran across the sky, waiting for noon to come and pass.

Hao could hear behind him. Snickers and whispers; he could almost feel their pointing fingers.

He doubted his own abilities as much as he assumed they did, but the circumstances demanded it. His life and now a deal are on the line.

Outside of the necessary, he was not interested in backing away from the path presented. This is no time to be indecisive.

The sun began to fall from its perch, light shining through the door getting soft. A little color returning to the world. Shadows returned, telling him it was safe to walk out.

Outside, he walked. His head down as he had to, toward the forest guessing his direction in the light.

He knew little of ‘bone-shaking trial’. Only that it was rewarding, and granted him an audience. Asking about it only made it seem ironically more mysterious. The danger multiplied in his head.

My chances of joining the sect through the normal trial were bad anyway… Hao pinched the bridge of his nose. Everyone who had enough goodwill to not kill told him he had terrible aptitude.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The normal trial had a few simple tests. The first was an endurance test, the second the aptitude, and the third was a little more dangerous; an obstacle to face and prove your skill.

Lastly, display talents for the disciples and the Elders present.

That was what Hao could gather.

Hao assumed the ‘bone-shaking trial’ was similar, just a little tougher.

If the words of the Second Elder are true, I will fail, and then die because of the normal trial.

Wind blustered, making the short walk eventful. Until he found a line of people in different robes. He couldn’t spot any in robes like his, maybe one or two, but he couldn’t see a drop of brown dust on them.

The people stood in a line. A large line in front of a blue vase on a pedestal, ahead of the vase a winding path up the mountain. People pushing past or waiting to start their walk. Most returned red-faced, tired, and embarrassed.

Hao watched as a person dropped a badge slightly different from his servant badge, with a faint blue glow.

The vase shot a blue badge at the person in return.

Hao looked to the side. The yellow vase at his side was identical to the blue one except for the color.

There was no path for him to ascend the mountain.

Behind the vase was something he knew well, a cliff wall.

The wall had a few more protrusions, dents, and marks. The bottom half was more defined, whittled, and scrapped down by fingernails trying to cling to the wall.

Hao dropped his badge into the black vase. There was a pause before a wood token popped back out into his hand.

Voices started to call to him the moment he stepped towards the wall. “Just come back down. There is nothing but madness up there.”

They know as much about the trial as I do. Or do they think I have no chance of returning?

Hao started his ascent, nothing to hear every group that gathered to join the normal trial speaking of his death and failure.

The climb was hard, but it was nothing impossible; the cliff was high, but the grips were not small.

Many hands hand touched the wall before Hao. His blood fingerprints joined the others as his fingernails broke, popping on the stone wall.

The greatest difficulty was the people below. Enjoying themselves at his expense.

One thought it was a brilliant idea to use the knife to reflect sunlight into Hao’s face. Stunning and blinding him for a moment.

It forced Hao to pause until the man was done. Done with the light, he started speaking, “You! There is no point in his trial anymore. The Elders have not used it in a generation! You just going to drive yourself mad.” He said, before bursting into laughter.

Hao was able to look down and see his face. He would remember it. The only real discouragement was the older man in blue disciple robes standing at his side.

By the time Hao reached the top, his stained Servant’s robes were covered in marks. Underneath was far worse. Just imagining his knees touching the wall again made him wince.

At the top, he dragged himself up, gripping onto patches of grass that kept ripping from the ground.

Lying to rest his hands, feeling empty without something to grab.

The day’s light dimmed more. Hao sat up, finding himself surrounded by bamboo. His vision was blocked to the right and forward, except for a small gate forward to his target location. Behind him, a drop. Not far away was a building to his left.

As he turned his head over, he could see the people that participated in the normal trial at a door.

In front of them was a door Hao could see inside. There were no solid walls at the side, just the front and back with an entryway and exit, the front with a stretching door.

The room held a stone in its center. The stone was taller than a man, with four hollow spots in a vertical line.

After a group of people gathered in front of the door, it opened.

The group stumbled in red-faced. Each took a turn to place their hands on the stone. Hao watched the different results. He knew which trial it was: the aptitude trial.

Slowly the light on the stone grew, when that light filled the lowest notch they passed. If not, you turn and walk back down the first trial.

Hao was curious about his result and did not see the elders around. They couldn’t be watching.

He decided to risk it. To make it to the building, he had to hop over a small moat that blocked the two paths. A relatively easy task.

The door just opened as Hao entered, those who failed walking out with new ones coming in.

Hao stood there with his hands on the stone, the bottom light barely reaching halfway. Blood from his beat fingers and torn nails soaking into the stone’s pores.

One of the people who walked it was at the bottom when he was half done with the climb.

He had a belt of leather on his waist, spinning the knife he used to flash light at Hao in his hand.

“Oho, did you know you were wasting your time before you started your climb?” The surrounding people joined in his mockery with laughter. Not all of the group that entered, just the ones the knife wielder traveled with. They did the same when he was blinding Hao. Most of his entourage was missing, including the disciple who was standing with him.

Hao could not tell what the person’s status was. He wore silky robes of dreary color; they had less shine than Hao’s servants’ clothing. His face and hair were groomed neatly.

His handsome appearance contrasted more when taking, not that he had more than one knife in his belt, and the only one out was pointing at Hao.

Hao cared little for the comment. Even less when he looked the person in the eye. He was older than Hao, a few years. The only thing that poked at his side was the knife pointed in his direction; he took better note of the face.

“You could try to climb it yourself,” Hao said. He began to leave the room he entered on a whim.

The well-groomed man scowled at the comment, taking fast strides up to the stone. “Here I’ll remind you of your place with this,” He said.

He ignored the blood on the stone, laying his finger and hand across the red smear. It seemed to be of little concern to him.

The light on the stone went past the second, touching the edge of the third notch. The group started clapping. Not all of them, just the ones with similar less expensive clothing.

A smug look grew on his face, growing smugger as he shot it at Hao and the servant of his that passed in front of him to the stone next.

His face began to turn sour when the first servant after him got the light to the third hollow. He was quick to hide it, congratulating his servant.

Hao didn’t stay to watch the rest of the group. Only a few more, a man in a gray robe like his. Hao felt a foreboding as he watched them fail.

Hao had to hop over the moat again to make it to the bamboo grove to continue.

He did not stop again as he walked forward past a threshold of bamboo.

The world melted around him to reform. Walls of green stretched up to double his height, and more than one path was before him. Forking even more in multiple directions.

One had a dead end, another a trap that sent a needle above his head.

Hao was not unfamiliar with the term maze. He certainly did not think he would find one here. In tells they tell of thieves being stranded in a maze around an emperor’s tomb.

If night comes and I’m here, I will be trapped till morning…

Hao tried to pick up his pace, not interested in being tapped, having to starve till the next day.

Is this part of the test, not just a way to take up more energy? A trap?

He continued in the maze, feeling like hours had passed. The sun was preparing to set, and he had not found his way out. Every turn he took seemed like the wrong one. He thought he could remember one place where he saw bones. When he turned back to find it again, he found nothing.

Rushing even more, but it led to more nothing, his eyes getting swallowed by the dark, he looked for the bag he had hanging on his back.

He could use the source stone as light.

The bag was gone. He felt around, as it was just on his back.

Now he would have to find it in the maze and still escape.

He leaned over till he found a wall.

His hands ran along it as he continued.

Snap!

Hao turned his head to the side, wanting to pull back. It was the sound of a string snapping underfoot. He had heard it a few times already.

The sound of a needle singing through the air, ripping into his neck.

Hao reached up to stop the bleeding. It was just a little pinhole, but he could feel the endless flow, the scent of blood filling up his nose, the taste of iron in his mouth.

We take from the world what was once ours, much more, In doing so we collide with the path, the path unravels, and countless new paths are formed.

A voice sounded in Hao’s head as he fell to his knees.

Then his face hit the ground, his eyes still open, looking at the string which he stepped on, the only thing in the dark. The string that caused his death.

The break in the string got closer. Almost touching his eye, thousands of tiny threads began to grow from the break in the string.

Shooting off in countless directions, some climbing over Hao to connect to the other side, and others reaching places beyond sight.

The world reformed again. Bamboo on either side of him but not in front of him, the Sun was still in the sky. It had not moved.

Hao found himself standing. His foot lifted, going forward to take a step. He stopped himself. Crouching down to sit, he held his head, as a pain pulsed like something was squeezing down on the inside of his head.

It went away in a few minutes.

His head was already looking down when his eyes opened for a second time to the new world in front of him.

He forgot how to swallow, seeing the abyss in front of him. His ears tormented by the sound of one hundred waterfalls.