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Chapter 44
One could argue, with much ease, that confusion was the predominant sensation among the procession of candidates. In fact, the procession itself was no longer one. Instead, it had become a cramped flow of people that made their way through the craggy passageway beneath the amphitheater. That much was clear to the members of Group Eight when the surrounding candidates began to mesh into a mob and the distinct lines of their parade disappeared.
All looked forward, muttering amongst themselves about the peculiarity of their situation. Many pondered the fact that they had descended into the mine instead of walking straight onto the main floor of the amphitheater. And, rightfully so as they could no longer sense any sound of the celebrations above. - Others were quiet with steeled faces and unbroken focus. Ezabel, after eyeing such drive, wished it upon herself as much as she could. Unfortunately, her lack of knowledge concerning their situation was absolutely driving her mad.
“Did Leland mention anything to you about all this?”, Ezabel suddenly asked in Dani’s direction.
“He didn’t..”, Dani shook her head. “Did he say anything to you?”
Ezabel shook her head all the same. It was a hunch, but if Leland had told Dani that the Order would be watching their every move, then he might have known more. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Dani was just as lost. - In a way, there was relief on the part of Ezabel.
The sound of rushing water grew dense, loud enough to fill the passageway with a cloud of its whining noise. With their heads still wandering from side to side, Group Eight reached the opening with much curiosity and a little precariousness. The rocky path flowed down into a clearing in the mine. At once, Ezabel was taken aback. She stared below at an underground quarry, dug out from the rock.
A trained eye would quickly discern its strange smoothness and worked facade. The quarry had been there for quite some time, adjusted, cleaned, and even deepened. It was hard to believe that such a sight was possible underground.
However, despite the quarry and its magnificence, there was something else entirely that stood out as the single most important presence in the mine. Even those who knew nothing and had nothing would fall to the same conclusion. There was nothing more paramount than what presented itself in the center of the quarry.
Before the candidates, rose a massive crystal. It nearly reached the peak of the quarry with a sharp tip. It was the size of a building on the Windroad, and its shape only got wider as it neared the floor. It was uneven, raw, unprocessed. And yet, it seemed almost pristine. Within its bends and angles was a subtle, white glow. If it had not been for the aura of light that stretched from its body, most would guess it to be transparent from a distance.
In the same way that a piece of magictech would humm when powered by a sealstone, so did the towering crystal. Only, its exuberance was beyond anything the realm could invent. It was omnipotent, unreachable. Not a single soul that arrived upon the quarry’s boundaries could bear witness to its power with a calm demeanor.
Ezabel, whilst standing at the opening, could not quite feel her limbs. It was as if her own blood began to pull away and sink back into her heart. She was trembling. Her vision dimmed and was overcome by an abnormal grayness. It took all of her strength to lift her own hand, with which she cradled her falling forehead. Her mind became light and spun in a slow circle. Yet, amidst all of it, her striking green eyes could not take themselves off of the crystal.
Around her, all seemed to fade away. The walls melted into the ground which then collapsed into a void, as if it was made from sand. All around her came a cold darkness. The only warmth was straight ahead, a scorching sensation that threatened to burn her. And, it came directly from the crystal. She felt its blinding light skewer her soul; it restrained her and kept her frozen against the threshold.
Ezabel hoped to tremble. She wanted to look away, she wanted to run. It was a presence that was all too overwhelming, like a force of nature that had no other equal. She was but an insect under its feet, and she could do nothing but watch as its omnipotence dominated with her mind. An ear splitting ring suddenly screamed into her senses.
‘Run, RUN!’
‘They’re all gone.. WHY!?’
‘I’M GOING TO KILL THEM ALL!’
From the void came the crackling of a raging flame. She could see none of it, but for some reason, she knew that it was a blaze unlike any other. There were voices within. One.. perhaps two voices. Her mind struggled to stay clear enough to understand them. But, she knew that they were in pain. The same pain that so suddenly struck her chest and purged from it every breath of air she had.
But, was she even breathing? She could not tell. Every bit of control she had over her own self seemed to be too far away. - The voices echoed aloud, then faded into the void where they ceased to scream.
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“Ezabel?”, Dani tapped her on the shoulder.
At once, the mine around manifested before her. The walls reconstructed themselves atop a floor that rose from nothing. All seemed to be normal again. All, save her strength.
“We have to keep moving, Ezabel.”, Hubert whispered. “We’re holding up the line.”
Ezbael nodded without a second thought, although it was forced and nearly saw her trip forward when she started off. She stepped forward and walked, but her breath was nowhere to be found and her forehead dripped with sweat. It felt as if she had just sprinted the length of the Windroad. She desperately lifted an arm to prop herself up against the cave wall.
In response, Dani and Hubert immediately went aside to help her. It took but a second for them to gesture to the candidates behind them to continue on. Gilford and Kieran had already gone on ahead before their group had even crossed the opening into the quarry. As such, they were nowhere to be seen.
Ezabel dropped to a knee and pressed against the wall for fear of falling head first into it. It was the fear of the unknown. She knew not which afflicted her body and especially not which captured her mind mere seconds ago. It was frightening and pushed her bearings to their limits. It was the first time in her entire life that she felt something akin to death. It was as if her entire being was stretched thin and threatened to tear itself apart.
She could see both Dani and Hubert at her side. They wore faces of concern. Their lips even moved, but she could not quite understand anything that came out of their mouths. All was silent, save for a painful ring in her ear. Then, there were the faces of the other candidates that passed them by. They looked on with curious stares and judging leers. On the outside, Ezabel guessed that she looked as if she was on the brink of a mental breakdown; perhaps even a panic attack. Such a thing would have been quite understandable for a candidate.
All of it pressed her conviction down into the depths of her mind. Her need to black out came closer with each passing face. To look at them and to be looked at was the last thing she wanted at that moment. So, her chest heaved uncontrollably, breathing sporadic breaths as her anxiety rose.
Wait. Ezabel blinked once, quickly. She was breathing; she could feel the air flow into her lungs. She could suddenly control the rise and fall of her chest. There was no time to think about it. Her first priority was to slow herself down. She needed deep, calm breaths. Her eyes closed, but not tight. Her palms loosened up, but were not lazy. In time, she could hear the soft descent of the waterfall again. It came first, in all of its soothing mist. Then came the scraping of boots against rock. It was one stride, then another, until each passing candidate could once again be heard.
The airiness of her frame returned to her sway. Color once again covered her fingers, with which Ezabel pushed herself off of the wall. Dani, with genuine caution, caught her by the shoulders.
“Ezabel, Ezabel? Let's get you to the infirmary.”, Dani said aloud.
“No!”. It was quick, but when Ezabel realized that she could hear Dani clearly, her resolve returned and chose to push forward instead. Her feet pressed against the floor and stood her up. At first, she stumbled several lengths forward, but her bearings returned soon after. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I just got dizzy for a moment there!”
Ezabel nodded to Dani and Hubert, who in turn, exchanged looks of skepticism.
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She was not about to let something get in the way of that, no matter how frightening or omnipotent it may have been. - Still, what in the world was that? It lingered in Ezabel’s mind and refused to leave. Even as she descended into the quarry alongside her peers, she could not quite shake the feeling of dread. There was suddenly pressure on her shoulders, pressure that she knew absolutely nothing about.
°°
“You’re not even the least bit excited, Leland?”, Leonora asked as she leaned her forearms across the ledge of the balcony. They waited alongside the rest of their brigades in a section of the amphitheater carved out for distinct personnel. The roar of the audience lifted high but not quite enough to reach their portion of the structure. While the rest of the crowd sat within their seats, they were afforded a wide room from which they could view the festivities.
It was, by all accounts, a ‘seating’ designed to be far out of each of the common folk. Even as a captain and vice-captain of the Order, Leland and Leonora only had this space due to the festivities. They were among a large number of brigades that were present in neighboring spaces, much like their own. The opening ceremony was where most would meet the year’s candidates for the first time. And, while many captains had already sponsored a candidate, they still looked on with genuine curiosity on the chance that another promising individual showed up.
As for Leland, he sat on a chair and kicked his legs atop the ledge. He gazed downward into the crowd below, then to the empty floor of the amphitheater. Both arms were crossed against his stomach.
“At the very least, be kind enough to show a little support to Ezabel and Dani.”, Leonora added. She watched until she realized that Leland still had not responded to her. - She looked over and glared at him. “I’m talking to you, Leland.”
When Leonora took a step his way, Leland suddenly turned, as if startled. His arms broke their hold upon each other and lifted towards his ears, where he pulled from them a set of ear plugs.
“Huh? What?”, he muttered aloud.
“W-why are you wearing earplugs right now!?”
“It’s loud. I have sensitive ears.”
“You didn’t hear a single thing I said to you, huh?”
“You were talking to me?”
“Forget it.”, Leonora rolled her eyes and returned to her place on the balcony ledge. “How is Ezabel as a candidate so far?”. This time, her words did not cross Leland’s path, not that he cared in the first place. Instead, it fell upon Soren Graye, who idled by the wall of the section.
He too, leaned on the ledge there, albeit with one arm. His silver gaze turned to Leonora. “She’s a bright woman and surprisingly talented. - What sort of spell training has she been given?”
“I don’t believe she has any at all.”, Leland replied, although his face never once turned to either of them. Instead, he kept to the bustling amphitheater, entirely unconcerned. Even the mingling noise behind them was not quite enough to throw him off his calm. The members of the Aster Brigade had come to the amphitheater for the festivities. And, more importantly, see the two candidates that their captain so boldly sponsored. It was only natural for them to be kept company by the members of the Rose Brigade that had accompanied Leonora to Gracewind. They clinked glasses, laughed, and shared many of their intentions for the week they were about to spend here.
“None at all?”, Soren asked, genuinely curious about Leland’s reply. He then turned his head to Leonora for any sort of support for his claim.
“I wouldn’t know, unfortunately. Although, she is very well trained with a sword. Her brother has made sure of that.”, she answered.
“If that’s the case, I look forward to seeing her wield one. - But, as far as the candidates are concerned, shouldn’t they be here by now?”, Soren turned slightly to the gate of the amphitheater, where he assumed the candidates would arrive through.
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