Zero, standing suspended in a void of purple, felt weightless for a brief moment. Then, with a snap of a finger, the flood of purple energy disappeared and life appeared once more around him. Life, blooming and bright, encapsulated his vision as Zero was transported to a new location. One, filled with hundreds of people.

Exhaling quietly, Zero tried to settle the bundle of nerves and energy that was building in him. Once more, he found himself in the Second Trial. The same location where he first found true weakness. Where he found true evil resides not in monsters, but rather in men. Thus, as he turned his head and bore his eyes on the scene around him, a feral smile of aggression was barely suppressed. Instead, all that was seen were his critical eyes that weighed his surroundings.

Around him, the frantic and startled words from those in his 100-Man group encapsulated his hearing. Yet instead of fright, most discussed in confused words as they looked about them. What they saw, was truly a scene from a fantasy book.

Over twenty groups of people, most ranging between 50 to 65 individuals in a group, were gathered together in a massive circle. The groups, filled with a variety of people and ages, were all similar in the fact that they all lacked weapons and were extremely confused and scared. In sharp contrast to the scared look and panicked voices, were the smiling Fairies that floated together in the middle of the circle. The Fairies, numbering at 27 in total, smiled and laughed together in joyful bliss and they began pointing out various people or groups with vulture eyes of hunger.

Most eye catching of all however, was the massive fort behind the Fairies and people. Walls, made of tree trunks thicker than any on Earth, sprouted from the ground to stab into the air at 12 feet tall with their pointed ends. Behind them, plums of smoke splashed against the crystine blue sky as the black smoke rose from buildings that stood tall and proud. Structures, two and three stories high that were composed of ancient wood and rough stone, stood defiantly against the landscape. The fort, cut through the middle by a roughly hewed stone and rocky road, was displayed proudly atop a small hill that was filled with trenches, holes, barricades, and other assortments of defenses.

Yet even as people pointed and watched in awe of the fantasy-like building, Zero ignored it. Instead, his eyes focused on something much more important. Ignoring the words around him, Zero swept his gaze through the gathered groups before landing on the biggest one. The group, over 80 strong, stood tightly together as they watched and weighed the actions of the people around them. It was in the midst of the tightly connected group, that Zero spotted his target.

Faith Booker.

The woman stood proud and tall in the center of her 100-Man group. Her smile, seductive with a smirk of hidden passion, painted itself across her immaculate face. As Zero watched, he couldn’t help but let himself fall for her grace once more. Memories, horrible and deadly, flooded him as he remembered her and their time together in this god-forsaken hell. Yet he was a fool no more. And as he watched as the woman prowled across her group with small touches and smiles of reassurance, he couldn’t help but look at her in a different light. True, the woman was beautiful beyond imagination, but he would not be deceived. The woman was female fatality incarnate. She was the apple of Eden, beautiful and beyond compare, with a poison that would cripple any who came before her.

She was the Forgotten Queen afterall.

It was as Zero’s mind was wandering, thinking of their past and her nature, that a piercing gaze landed on him. Smiling, all teeth and a flash of tongue that licked his lips. Zero titled his head to greet his foe. The man, bearing a stain of blood that ran just under his eyes and across the bridge of his nose in a crimson line, watched Zero with fury in eyes as he stood protectively around Faith. It was with the same fury that he drew a line across his neck with his thumb before pointing at Zero and turning to guard the woman who commanded their group. As Zero watched it, he couldn’t suppress the chuckle at the man’s actions.

Faith, the once dead Forgotten Queen, held a true Ruler’s prowess. Her Shadows, men and women sworn to kill and die for her, were renowned across Eden. Even here, no more than a few days in, and she had already assumed her role with such grandeur, that already nine people had abstained from life, to deal in death for their Queen.

Still, they were not the only ones to accept such a fate. Nor were they the most dangerous. That, as Zero decided while he turned his gaze to the lone oddity of the entire gathering of people, belonged to the terror of the Trials. The man that slew his 100-Man group the first time around. The man that would claim kingship without a throne. The man that would leave tens of thousands of corpses in his wake, as he stepped toward the path of Divinity.

The man known as Demarco Roux.

Tall. Lean. Scarred. Disabled. Deadly. The nightmare of a man stood alone. The only man in his 100-Man group to survive the First Trial. A man that butchered more than half of his people in the First Trial and took their Skills, Runes, and Equipment. The man was a monster in human skin. Yet...

That was all in the past. Here and now, Zero decided, he would alter fate. Here, in the Second Trial, his legacy would be made, and his first steps to Divinity would be taken. With fire in his eyes that burned molten rage, he vowed to strip Demarco of his stride and cripple the monster of a man. He would track the terror to the end of the Trial, gathering his strength to bury the son of a bitch 6 feet deep. But for now, he would wait. Zero’s anger subsided as the cold rational that was his trademark took hold. Demarco was too strong. Runes and Skills gathered from the entirety of his 100-Man group and wiping clear the monsters of his First Trial. Yet as Zero thought once more of his plan and the actions he would take, a smile traced his lips. Soon, he would gather the necessary Skills and Runes. Soon....

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“Excuse me.... Excuse me? ATTENTION YOU MEAT BAG SACKS OF FILTH!” A voice, meek and muted under the yelling of the gathered people, ruptured into a terrifying roar as a wave of frightening energy swept through the crowd. The Fairy, a being of yellow sunshine with a smile that could dim the sun, soothed her attire as she spoke once more under the now petrified silence.

“Hehehe... sorry about that my precious darlings. But, the next person to speak out of turn will be cooked alive. Afterall, being a Guide is hungry work. For now though,” she continued in her flippant way as the other Fairies all laughed and chuckled in anticipation, “let us begin with the Second Trial! Ya! YA! YA!”

The Fairies, shooting off a dazzling display of colorful fireworks, zipped and danced about the air as the yellow Fairy continued in her speech.

“So! Welcome, welcome my little sows. Congratulations! On making it to the Second Trial. It seems like this will be an interesting one. So many intriguing humans....so little time to be had for slaughter. But what a time it will be! 1000 of you stand before me, formed from a total of 27 groups. Hehehehe... How many will walk away and into the Third Trial?”

“Anywho,” the Fairy controlled her giddy excitement as she directed behind her and to the area around her. “Before we leave to witness the massacre, let me sow some seeds of chaos on my own. Behind me, is a fort, one that your own species has built and improved since their initial arrival to the Trials. In it, you will find numerous weapons, armours, food, alcohol, beds, and other means of needs and wants. But....there are also a number of other secrets in the fort. Secrets that myself and the other Guides have left for you to find. Skills. Runes. Equipment.”

As the Fairy spoke in a giddy voice, the surrounding people in the 1000-Man Group all became excited. Already, the gleam of greed filtered in their eyes and through their body language as people began looking at others warringly. As Zero saw it, he couldn't help but call the lot of people foolish. They were too blind by the chance of salvation and power to see that the Fairies were playing them. Putting them against each other, rather than the true enemy.

And it was only the beginning. In the First Trial, man stood together. Yet as people progressed into the Second Trial, and even the Third Trial, man would turn against man as they slowly adopted to the Abyss’s rules. By the time those that survived left the Trials and entered the 2nd Zone, mankind would all but abolished as human greed and need throttled the life out of compassion and care.

“It is wise to acquire these little gifts and use them...however you see fit.” The wicked smile of the lead Fairy that was soon shared by the rest of the Fairies spoke of their intention. Most disturbing of all however, were the same smiles that appeared on a handful of people’s faces. One of the people, Zero noted with disgust, was Mullet.

“Though, what would be the fun is simply letting you stay safe in the fort? So! Know this. While the fort is...relatively safe? The land outside holds the true rewards. It is up to you to find them. Even more entertaining, it is up to you to survive the threats. The First Trial held a single foe, a prey for you to fight and grow against. This time....you are the prey.”

As the Fairy finished her speech, her sadistic smile bloomed on her barbie-doll like visage. Gone was any semblance of friendliness or false care. There was no mask to hide the Fairy’s true nature, nor would she hide it. The creature, the Guide of humanity into the Abyss, was a killer. A spectator to the bloodiest entertainment in the world.

It sickened Zero to no end. Oh, what he would give to have the power of his old body and ruin the creature. It was as these heinous thoughts entered his mind, that the head Fairy seemed to notice. Turning, she gave him a feral smile before he blew a kiss in his direction. It was her final act before she, and the other Fairies disappeared in a flash of colorful lights.

As they disappeared, a flash of golden light appeared in the distance. The once calm fort that laid across the horizon appeared to come to life. The grand and gargantuan gate of the fort wall’s creaked and groaned as they slide open fully. The road that stretched out from the gate to the main building appeared to glow in welcoming celebration as the slumbering fort flared to light.

The sight, foreign yet enchanting, dazzled the crowd as they turned to look at the safety before them. The awe though lasted for only a moment before the 1000-Man group realized their predicament. It was one that Zero had seen before.

The previous groups had formed a connection, or at least a sense of familiarity with each other. Even in his group, Zero couldn’t help but acknowledge the comradery that was established, partly by him but mainly by the circumstances of survival. Now though, the once established groups had found themselves in a new land, with new people around them. And this time, they were not as naive as they were a three days ago.

Zero, hanging in the back of his pack, watched the unfolding scenes around him. Most groups shuffled in place, eyeing their neighboring groups. A few though, lead by either a singular leader or by a band of warriors that held the lion’s share of power, seemed to strut forward in a display of confidence. Their eyes, hungry and hardened by blood and power, eyed the lambs and lions in their midst as a ranking of power began to form.

Watching from his perch, Zero’s straight lined mouth curved show a hint of a smile. It was cute in a sense. The peacocking and parading around. Worthless though. As he turned his head away from the proceedings, Zero’s eyes settled on The Forgotten Queen. Standing in the midst of her Shadows, the woman’s fatale grin matched her viper’s eyes as she scanned the situation with a delicate gaze. Already she was analyzing the field, weighing her options, and deciding enemy from ally.

Nodding at the proceedings, Zero ignored the rest of the charade. The Forgotten Queen would rise to power by the end of the day, of that he had no mistake. The true worry though, was from the man that would eventually tear away her power. With fire in his eyes, Zero’s anguished eyes locked onto Demarco’s form. Swaying in step to a hum that only he knew, the man seemed all but forgotten among the commotion.

Save of course for Zero’s own deadly attention.

The man would have to die. Zero had already decided such a fate for the monster. Yet...he was too weak as it was. To kill the freak of nature would require patience and power. The first would have to be paid in blood from those in the 1000-Man Group. The second though...

Grinning in anticipation, Zero faded away from his group. His steps, light and even on the ground, attracted no attention from those around him. Using his group as cover, he stalked further away from the now bustling and rowdy crowd that seemed intent on attacking each other. However, just as Zero reached thirty feet away and was beginning to disappear, a voice rang out loudly.

“Oi! Whad’a think you doing mate! Oi, this sonna bitch trying to get away!”

As Mullet’s obnoxious voice rang out, Zero couldn’t stop the roll of his eyes and the stinging words in his head.

This mother fucker...