Approaching footsteps made Jessica turn her attention away from the grieving Diana. Master Warbler was standing before them with his frog perched on his shoulder, “I see you found a way out of the room.”
Diana got to her feet and faced the old man seething with grieving anger, “JASON’S DEAD BECAUSE OF THAT FUCKING ROOM.”
She threw a well aimed punch at the old man but he caught her hand easily with his own, “I am well aware of his sacrifice young one. Which is why you have passed The Trial Of Fate. As did he.”
The ceiling opened and a dust covered Jason fell out and landed on the floor behind Master Warbler unconscious. “JASON!” cried out Diana and Jessica in unity as they rushed to his side.
“Allow me,” says Master Warbler as he pulled a small pouch from within his robes and emptied gold powder onto Jason’s face. Immediately his eyes snapped open and he sat up looking thoroughly confused, “I thought I died?”
“YOU FUCKING MORON!” yelled Diana as she punched him in the arm.
“You might yet,” chuckled Master Warbler as he watched the scene unfold.
“DON’T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!” she yelled as she pounded on his shoulder. Jason staggered to his feet attempting to avoid her punches.
“I was trying to save you!” he said in response as he hid behind Jessica who was completely loving the comedic response and stepping out of the way leaving Jason exposed to Diana’s wrath.
“If you ever fucking die on me I will drag you back from the underworld and kill you myself. Understand?” said Diana crossly as she grabbed him pulling him into a hug.
“Um understood,” he managed as he returned the hug.
“This is quite heart warming,” says Master Warbler with a croak in agreement from Conk making the duo separate.
“Let me guess,” says Jason, “Onto the next trial?”
“Now you’re getting it,” says the old man with a chuckle, “However I do believe that you have all earned a little pick-me-up.”
Reaching within his robes once more he extracted three vials of pink liquid, “These are replenishing potions. They will rid you of any injuries you picked up,” his gaze lingered over the bruising and cuts on Jason’s face, the black eye Jessica had managed to obtain, and the gash above Diana’s eye.
They each accept a bottle each and look at it with apprehension.
“Don’t worry they aren’t poison,” says Master Warbler with a toothy grin, “They actually taste a bit like bubblegum. Quite refreshing if I am honest. The original was quite sour, so glad our kind finally took taste into account with potions.”
With a shrug of his shoulders Jason took a swig of the pink liquid and sure enough it did taste a lot like bubblegum. The other two took initiative from Jason and took a deep gulp of the potion.
Suddenly Jason began to feel extremely tired and felt his vision blur, “What the hell,” he muttered as he staggered sideways into the wall of the corridor.
He watched as Diana and Jessica dropped to the floor unconscious. He looked back to Master Warbler who smiled, “Sleep well Jason.”
“You bastard,” slurred Jason as he tried to fight against the potion. Master Warbler sighed, “There is no need to fight the affects boy.”
The old man slowly morphed into a rather tall muscular man wearing a black robe and a white ceramic mask, “My master is waiting.”
“Oh fuck this,” said Jason as he made to punch the man but simply fell over. Laying on the ground Jason looked up at the porcelain face mask of the man as he leaned over him. He could feel the affects starting to take over.
He felt his head droop onto the floor and the last thing he saw was the dead body of the true Master Warbler suddenly coming into appearance as an invisibility spell faded from his corpse.
When Jason woke he was tied to a chair in the middle of a forest, it was night time and there was no one to be seen anywhere. A mist had already formed and swirled around him as he sluggishly took in his surroundings.
“Diana,” he called out slurred.
“JASON!” screamed Diana’s voice from nowhere.
“Diana!” he called back but there was no answer.
“What the fuck?” he questioned as he fought against the binds that held him.
“Struggle all you want child but it will not do you any good.”
A man in a bird mask appeared as if he was spawned by the mist itself, “Oh I have waited for years for this exact moment.”
“And who the hell are you?” snarled Jason.
“I am someone you do not want to piss off,” says the man, “But I will oblige. I am Lord Chimera.”
“Y-You,” stammered Jason, “You killed my-”
“Yes I did kill your mother,” he said with no emotion, “I would have killed you too if it wasn’t for the righteous Master Jacob Reigns.”
A scream in the distance made Jason’s head snap in its direction. “You’re possibly wondering what we are doing to your wonderful friends. Let’s just say death would be preferable,” chuckled Lord Chimera.
Jason could feel his anger rising like bile in his throat, “They have nothing to do with whatever it is you plan for me. Let them go.”
“Now where would be the fun in that?” responded Chimera, “I would much rather disembowel them and make you watch as the life bleeds from their eyes. Speaking of which. I would like to draw your attention to these lovely ladies.”
Jason looked in horror as two men in cloaks and masks dragged Jessica and Diana out of the darkness, they were littered with slashes and covered in bruises. They were beaten so much they were almost not recognisable.
“Look do whatever you want to me but please j-just let them go,” begged Jason, “They don’t deserve any of this.”
Chimera ignored any words Jason had uttered and approached Jessica pulled a dagger out of his cloak and stabbing her in the stomach making her scream, he dragged the blade downwards and slashed sideways making her guts spill onto the leaf strewn grass beneath them. She let out one last cry before her throat was slashed and the man holding her dropped her to the ground.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Jason roared in anger and fought as hard as he could against the ties that bound him to that chair, “FLAGRANTE!” he yelled but nothing happened.
Lord Chimera laughed as he watched Jason struggle, “You are weak Jones. As weak as your father was before I killed him,” he approached Diana with the blade.
“YOU TOUCH HER AND I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!” bellowed Jason.
“Ding-ding looks like we have a winner,” says Chimera. He grabbed the barely conscious Diana and threw her unceremoniously onto the ground, “Looks like we found yet another weakness you have Jason. Do you love this girl?” he asked as he knelt next to her and held the blade against her throat.
“I SWEAR TO GOD-” snarled Jason with seething rage.
“I take that as a yes,” says Chimera as he plunged the blade into her chest killing her instantly. Jason let out a yell of pure rage and howling grief.
The ground around them cracked and the two men who held both girls had vines erupt from the trees and wrap around their throats hanging them from the branches.
“YES!” screamed Chimera in glee, “SHOW ME THAT POWER!”
Jason let out another roar of rage as his entire body became engulfed in purple flames burning away the ropes that bound him.
“Uh I didn’t know you could do that,” says Chimera backing up sounding panicked.
“I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!” roared Jason as he shot a stream of flames at the man who killed his friends. Chimera conjured a wall of stone from the Earth to protect him from the flames. The world around Jason faded as he was consumed with rage, grief and vengeance.
“JASON,” shouted Chimera followed by indistinct words, but his feeble words fell upon deaf ears as Jason just wanted one thing now, to kill him.
Vines erupted from the ground and wrapped around Jason forcing him to stop his onslaught, Jason let out a roar of anger and the vines began to burn away. Chimera sensing he was not going to win this battle began to retreat.
The vines holding Jason snapped and Jason launched after the escaping murderer. Chimera shot a stream of water from his hand at Jason making the young man stagger backwards slightly.
Jason thought he could hear voices calling out to him from the forest, but he was too focused on Chimera to care. With another burst of determination and pure desire for revenge his flames intensified making the water evaporate before coming into contact with him. Chimera summoned boulders from the ground and began tossing them at Jason. The first one struck sending Jason crashing into the ground. But the flames didn’t even flicker, he rose to his feet once more, “There is no where you can run. I will kill you,” snarled Jason as his power consumed him.
The purple flames slowly began changing colour making Lord Chimera back away quickly. The purple flames morphed into white hot fire making the trees surrounding Jason burn to ash. Jason was gone, now he was just a being of pure lustful revenge.
Jason took a step towards the cowering Chimera, but to his surprise Diana stepped out of nowhere and in between him and Chimera, “JASON STOP! IT’S NOT REAL!”
Jason faltered, “Diana?”
“Jason it’s part of the trial,” says Diana, “All of this was to attack our fears. That isn’t the real Lord Chimera, Master Warbler isn’t dead.”
“Y-You’re an illusion,” says Jason stepping back, but the fire that encased his body grew less intense and some small flickers of purple began to appear.
“Jason I am real,” says Diana stepping closer, “If I was an illusion would I know that I left you my number outside Principal Smyth’s office? Or that you have a Stitch plushy in your bedroom? Or that last year you saved that kid from being beat up by Marcus?”
“Diana?” he asked uncertainly almost as if he could barely trust his own eyes.
He finally noticed all of the forest disappeared and they were actually standing in the middle of the stone arena where The Trial Of Courage had taken place. He looked towards Lord Chimera who was actually another teenager in a black robe with a bird mask in his other hand, looking at Jason with fear in his eyes.
Jason looked back towards the stands and could see his father attempting (and failing horribly) to get past the sorcerers who were separating the parents from the trials. He found himself looking back to Diana. She stepped closer no longer concerned for the heat the flames were giving off, “It’s okay Jason. It’s over.”
“It’s over?” he asked sounding uncertain and almost fearful. “It’s over,” she repeated again in reassurance. The flames surrounding Jason’s body extinguished and he pulled Diana into a crushing hug, “I saw you die.”
“Now we’re even,” she said as she hugged him tightly in response. Jason didn’t answer, he simply hugged her tighter. Jessica ran across the arena towards them. Diana and Jason separated and Jason found himself hugging Jessica as well making her extremely confused.
“Uh what the fuck are you hugging me for?” she asked while returning the hug.
“Just glad you’re okay,” he said breaking away from her with a smile of relief.
“Yeah you too,” she said awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.
“Well done you three,” says Master Warbler as he approached, “Although I must admit the fear potions you were given seemed to have worked a little too well.”
“Fear potions?” asked Jason angrily.
“Oh yes,” confirmed Master Warbler, “The final trial was The Trial Of Mystery and what is more mysterious than fear? But you all battled through and defeated your own fears. Well in your case Mr Jones you completely incinerated it.”
“So congratulations you are now through to he induction where you will be chosen by the Master’s Of Chaos for your place at our prestigious institution. You should feel proud for how well you all performed today.”
“Yeah really fucking proud,” grumbled Jason angrily.
“JASON!” yelled out a voice.
Jason turned just in time to be tackled into a hug by his father, “Hey dad.” Jacob simply hugged him tighter, “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”
“No promises,” chuckled Jason as he hugged his dad tightly in response.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” called Master Warbler from his podium gaining everyone’s attention, “May I ask you all to return to your seats as the selection is about to begin!”
Jacob, Jason, Diana and Jessica made their way towards the now overly crowded stands. Both girls were greeted by their doting parents making Jason thankful his father wasn’t as overly affectionate as these other parents who were literally preening their children to make them look more presentable to the Masters for the selection ceremony.
So Jason sat there in his charred leather jacket, dust covered jeans and torn t-shirt with dried blood making his hair jaunt out in various positions.
Moments later five sorcerers in crimson robes appeared before them all, Jason was barely paying attention. He recognised Master Gorgu who stepped forwards and called out the names of five kids who all stood up and went down to follow him out of the stadium through a large door that had appeared out of nowhere.
An Asian woman stepped forwards, Jason didn’t quite hear her name but yet again she called five names and like the others they went down to the arena and followed her out.
A man with a large scar running across his jaw line with a buzz cut stepped forward and called out five more names. Jason could feel his father’s hand on his shoulder in anticipation, was his dad nervous?
An African woman with tinted skin and long flowing black hair stepped forwards and called out more names. Five more followed her out.
The last person, another woman with pale white skin and red hair that flowed down her back stepped forwards. Jason readied himself, but she began calling out names but...he wasn’t called. Neither was Diana or Jessica.
The last remaining children followed her out of the room and the door snapped shut. Jason looked at his father confused.
“DIANA STYLES, JESSICA WALTERS AND JASON JONES!” called a voice from the arena. Jason could hear his father muter, “Holy fuck,” under his breath. Jason looked down to the arena to see a man in sweeping deep purple robes with a long braided white beard and matching hair.
Whispers and murmurs erupted among the remaining parents and the kids unfortunate enough to not be selected. “Dad who’s that?” asked Jason.
“That son,” says Jacob with a gulp, “That’s Merlin.”