The world suddenly turned dark, and Drake was gone once more. The fist smashed into empty air. A palpable shockwave erupted. Jay felt it from multiple paces away, and readied himself to strike once more.
Just as he lifted a new quicksilver blade, Gunther was on him, a fist hammering into his stomach. “AND THE COMMONER GOES DOWN! POINT TO GUNTHER, THE REDEEMER!,” The announcer catcalled.
Jay caught himself on a wall of metal, compressing it as he hit in order to prevent further damage. He felt at his ribs and cried out in agony, feeling the multiple broken ribs, one poking into his left lung. His quicksilver grabbed him as he started falling in and out of consciousness. Why hadn’t he been teleported out yet?
A cool presence within his ribcage surprised him. Metal wrapped around his ribs, aligning them. Jay paused. He hadn’t done that. Stepping away from the wall of metal he’d used to break his flight, Jay noted the metal supporting his arms and legs. He grinned and started to run, the pain disappearing now that the metal was helping him. Then Jay felt something within him. Tentatively, he reached for it, then gasped, not stopping his run. Energy drained out of him from somewhere he couldn’t pinpoint. It flew at the sky, which darkened. Stars glowed above, bright and strong.
One called to him more than the rest. Jay answered it just as Gunther, surprised, turned to him once again. The red star disappeared from the sky, gleaming in his eyes instead.
“The First Calamity: Famine.”
He directed the effect away from his team, but couldn’t stop it from affecting him. A price must be paid for power. Hunger darkened his gaze, his stomach suddenly empty and yearning for food.
Gunther had it worse. He’d never gone hungry. He’d always eaten too much at every meal. His red fur disappeared as he collapsed, curling into a ball. Then he popped out of existence, and Jay released the Calamity, his stomach no longer eating itself as he stood straight.
Then he turned to his team. “We win!”
Crystal poked at him from behind, and he started. How’d she get back there?
“Yes, we do,” Jay said, grinning at her.
The rooms Jay was led to soon after were lavish beyond anything he’d seen before. The bed was the only thing he was concerned with, however. Jumping on it, he felt himself drawn into dreams.
“The First Calamity: Famine.”
“The Second Calamity: Rot.”
“The Third Calamity: Endless Night.”
“The Fourth Calamity: War.”
“The Fifth Calamity: Cataclysm.”
Five voices whispered around him. Each was different in ways the human mind wasn’t built to understand. They spoke-not in words, but in concepts, emotions, images. Famine spoke of hunger, of dying slowly as your body ate itself, helpless to do anything but struggle and curse the betrayal.
Rot rasped out words of fungus, of disease, of parasites slowly taking over your flesh, eating through your body, unresponsive to your cries of surrender.
Endless Night spoke of a slow death as heat and light leeched from your bones. Darkness would overtake you, slowly suffocating your cries for help. You would be alone in the darkness without a single light to help you escape.
War raged in a brutal speech about people dying on the battlefield, whether from a single, merciful killing blow, or from a thousand individual cuts, each of which would Rot and kill you if left alone. Arrows flying from all directions, the press of bodies, magic shooting everywhere, each attack enough to kill you at a glance.
Cataclysm was last, eloquently vocalizing words of walking disasters, of people going insane with power, of entire villages dying from a poisoned river or wild beast. Uncontrollable events which, with no care for your life, would kill you. Small and large, Cataclysm spoke, and kept speaking, not stopping until a figure in the background approached.
Suddenly, the previous Calamities’ figures came into focus, and their appearances could be described-when previously, somehow, he knew what they were and yet could not select their appearances from a line-up.
Famine stood, bent over with hunger, bone poking through skin. No flesh was visible, his ribs pressing clear as day against his chest, barely contained by skin. Famine’s eyes were skin-covered sockets, the eyes long gone.
Rot endlessly screamed, worms crawling through holes in his body, infinitely eating through him and multiplying. Mushrooms grew out of his body, taking his nutrients for themselves. His flesh slowly melted in multiple places, gangrene taking over. Diseases ran rampant, Rot’s left arm visibly swollen.
Endless Night was nearly invisible. They held no hope. The darkness had drawn it all out of them. They were halfway frozen, bloody ice crystals visible poking through flesh. Night moved as if they didn’t care to live anymore, lethargically swaying from side to side. Then they grabbed their head, snarling with an insane grin painted on their face.
War was covered in battle wounds, her eyes stabbed through by twin arrows which should’ve penetrated into her brain. Blood covered her, as did millions of minor cuts. Her guts hung out from a massive cut through her abdomen. Caltrops protruded through her feet and her hand held a bloody spear, a chunk of flesh on the end. She smiled at him, revealing a mouth filled with fangs and blood.
Cataclysm stood silently, a single vibrant eye staring at him. She was one of the Calamities, and yet she held… hope. He walked towards her, and she nodded, looking down at herself. Bloody wounds covered her, some poisoned, some infected, and all of them killing blows. And yet she stood, hopeful, ignoring what had been done to her. The rest of the Calamities had no particular intelligence about them, but Cataclysm did.
“You don’t belong here, do you?”
Cataclysm smiled back, her wounds healing. “No. I was watching you, taking the measure of the new Eternity. I’m not disappointed.”
He stared, watching her smile and dissipate as an unfamiliar figure replaced her, a different woman screaming her head off. He ignored her, turning towards another unknown figure, incomprehensible, unrecognizable.
“The Sixth Calamity: Chaos.”
The rest of the Calamities abruptly disappeared as if they had never existed, Chaos stepping towards him. Suddenly, he understood.
Chaos was randomness, anything that could happen. It could be good or bad, but it was yet a Calamity. Fortune could lead to death. Bad luck could lead to death. Suffering could happen at any moment, any time, and there was nothing you could do about it. The previous master of the Lonely Star had let Chaos into the Star, used it for their own purpose.
Chaos, however, projected its malevolence into his brain, and he knew. It was the Lonely Star, and it hated the world.
For the world hated it.
Then he refused. He would not harbor Chaos inside his star. The past master had made a mistake in letting Chaos in. “I cast you out.”
Chaos screamed, pulling itself towards the star while the star pushed him out. His struggles did almost nothing, Jay’s will unsurmountable. Chaos morphed into a blob of entropy as it left the star until it dissipated into the world.
And he stood, thinking. With Chaos gone, there was a void that needed to be filled. There had to be a Sixth Calamity. Then he knew. There was only one thing that he could fit in its place. “The Sixth Calamity: Eternity.”
He stepped away, a man appearing in the place of Chaos. Eternity was not suffering. He was simply waiting for when he would display his power to the world. Eternity gave him a simple smile before turning his back on Jay and looking to the center of the star. Then a sound of metal tapping on… Dream? Sounded behind him and Jay half-turned to face the newcomer.
The woman who had impersonated Cataclysm was back, waving to Eternity, who smiled at her before dusting away as if on the wind. She stepped up to him. “Do you remember?”
He replied in the only way he could. “No.”
She smiled and let out a tinkling laugh. “Good. I’ll see you soon.”
He nodded, stepping to the center of what he now recognized as the Lonely Star. “Why do I know you?”
The woman grabbed his shoulders, turning him around and hugging him. She ignored his last question, leaning in close. “Always remember this. You’re not alone. I will always be there for you.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
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She waved him off, and he left, disappearing while staring into the sad eyes of the woman watching him leave.
Jay woke up, feeling that the dream had been far too real. Shaking it off, he noted the position of the sun and ran out of the room as fast as he could.
The four of them stood before Diamond’s careful eye, the rest of their class fanned out behind them. “You four are the foremost of your entrance group,” he said. “I can graduate you forward a year in all of your classes. That means your teachers taking you off to the side and giving you work different from the rest of the class.”
The students behind them grumbled, but Diamond silenced them with a look. “I care only for talent and hard work. If you show me either, or both things, you may get the chance to be elevated to the same position I have these children at.”
One student continued complaining, and they were suddenly at the front of the crowd. They stumbled as they appeared, smoothing down their ruffled shirt. “Land a single blow on Jay, and you may enjoy the same benefits.”
Jay turned. As soon as the boy tried clumsily punching him, he sighed, letting the child split his knuckles on hardened metal. More punches came, but every single one impacted his quicksilver, none going anywhere near his body. Eventually, he formed a shell around the boy, creating a screaming metal statue. After a few seconds, the quicksilver returned to his body, letting the boy fall to the ground and cough. As he dejectedly walked back to the crowd, he turned back to Diamond.
A sudden gut feeling had him wrench his head to the side, and a knife flew past his head. With a few tentacles, he blocked the rest of the volley. The boy stood behind him, another knife held in his hand. Screaming bloody murder, he rushed at Jay, missing every stab before Jay grabbed him with a tentacle and lifted him in the air. Jay met Diamond’s eyes. “The challenge is over!,” Diamond announced, and Jay set the boy on the ground. Diamond nodded to him and continued speaking. “He has demonstrated why he is allowed such. If you prove yourselves worthy, you may join them.” Diamond gestured them along, turning and walking away. “Now, let me give you a tour.”
It was clear the display was designed to cause a divide between him and the rest of the class. They looked at him with angry eyes, every single one of them hoping for a chance to drive a weapon between his shoulder blades. Jay stopped a shudder that nearly came out. Instead, he turned to his new team and walked at the front with them.
First, they filed into a giant room, already filled with people eating. Some, Diamond waved to, while others stared at him with open hatred or ignored him. “This is the mess hall. You get food, you eat it. That’s it. The top rooms have the option to request food to their rooms, but if you do it too many times, the cooks will probably get angry.” He turned, adding an aside to Jay and the rest of his new… friends? He wasn’t sure if they could be called such yet. “You don’t want the cooks angry at you.”
Jay dutifully nodded as Diamond walked out of the room, continuing through the school. “If you wish to eat, you may, though you will miss the rest of the tour!,” he called out, sauntering forth still.
After getting through a few corridors, they ended up outside the building. Many of the students had left, though none of the victors of the tournament had. Diamond nodded to them. “Knowledge over a bit of discomfort. Noted.”
Many of the nobles swelled up with pride at the small praise. Were they really so easy to manipulate? Jay eyed Diamond for a moment. He was the leader of the Gemstone Council precisely because he knew how to deal with nobles and the king, so this should come at no surprise.
He turned in a circle, his hands spread wide to present the buildings surrounding the courtyard. “The building we just came from is the dormitory.”
Jay turned around, and the dormitory seemed far smaller than it should have been to house so many. It was a generic tower made completely of stone, with a wooden door set in the front. He opened his mouth and turned to Diamond to ask whether there was any messing about with space, but Diamond beat him to the punch. “Yes, it is spatially expanded. Everyone always asks.”
Diamond pointed at another building, this one immediately next to the tower. It was a simple house with a hat on top of the chimney for whatever reason. “That is the teachers’ and administrators’ offices and rooms. If you go in there, have a reason, or you will be kicked out-painfully, I must add. I would set you on fire for a couple seconds before teleporting you out.”
His finger turned, and another building came under its glare. “That is where you will have most of your classes,” he stated, pointing at a nondescript stone building, nothing but a door visible on the outside. A sign waited outside the building with a picture of a ruler-wielding teacher on it.
The other buildings looked much the same, only the sign on the outside giving anyone an indication of what was inside. “That is the beast pens. There’s the practice-with-things-that-could-kill-other-people building. The students call it the Training Hall. This one is the crafters’ workshop. That’s the Church building, which I’m required to have one of-” he didn’t sound too happy about it “-and those little prats will preach to you all day if you go in there, so don’t. Anyway. We also have the Library, and Ms. Leil with it, the nicest woman I’ve ever seen.”
One noble puffed up to presumably retort to Diamond about religion. He spoke, but no words came out as he bellowed and huffed at the air. Diamond glanced at him for a second before walking once more. “No idiocy from the rest of you, or I’ll mute the entire group.”
The last building differed from all the others. It stood directly across from their dormitory. “That is the Gemstone Council’s meeting room. Do not go in there, at all costs, during a meeting. You will regret it.”
Almost everyone had heard of the legendary Gemstone Council. They had created this school, were a vanguard against all evil, and were also a group you would never want to cross. They comprised every single type of jewel and gemstone imaginable, with weaker members given more obscure or less rare ones. The strongest formed the command of the Gemstone Council, and were known as the Faceted Stars.
Ruby. Sapphire. Emerald. Onyx. Topaz. Amethyst. Opal. Jade. And Diamond.
Diamond was their undisputed leader, and Emerald had even said he could defeat the rest of the Faceted Stars without breaking a sweat.
The building was made of solid crystal. It constantly changed color, shimmering in the light. Jay squinted his eyes trying to pinpoint the type of gem used in its creation. There was nothing he could match to the color-changing property, however. Eight gems glittered on the front of the building, massive ornaments in an arch above the door. Onyx was conspicuously missing, but the rest of the Faceted Stars’ gems were there.
Jay believed him when he said they shouldn’t go into the Council’s meeting room. It would probably be a bad idea. Diamond turned back to their dorms. “You have the rest of today to do whatever you want. Just know I will host a physical fitness session after the cooks stop serving breakfast.”
Jay started back towards the mess hall, as did his fellows. This was an interesting school, to say the least.
Crystal settled next to Jay at the table, while Catherine and Drake sat opposite them. Drake broke the silence first. “Since we have enough enemies to worry about on our own… Truce?”
Jay nodded immediately. “Sure.”
Crystal nodded as well, though her mind looked elsewhere. Catherine responded with a thumbs up, not feeling up to speaking. Soon, they finished eating in companionable but complete silence, and left for the fitness session in mutual agreement. Diamond was waiting for them out in the courtyard. “You’re here early. You can start early. Carry these weights and walk all the way around the courtyard four times.”
Small metal balls appeared in front of each of them, and Jay picked up his. It was heavier than one might expect, but was a simple enough weight to carry. It is not what it seems.
Jay’s head jerked up, looking around for the voice. He was alone. Hello?
Nothing replied, and he shook his head. It was probably a rogue thought or something. It held similarities to the voice of the woman in his dreams last night, however. He jogged to the edge of the courtyard and started running around in a circle. As he completed his first lap, the weight felt slightly heavier, but it was slight enough that he could have been imagining it.
On the second lap, he was holding the ball with both hands, though he wasn’t out of breath yet.
The third left him wheezing, holding the ball tight to his chest and slowly stepping forward.
On the fourth, he was walking backwards, dragging the ball with him. As he completed the lap, he fell to the ground, though the ball stayed put in midair.
It wasn’t that the balls were heavy. They were just refusing to move. They stayed in place and he had to pull them along in order to move them. Any energy you put into moving the ball would swiftly get directed out of the ball, so constant energy was necessary. The ball was resistant enough to movement that it simply hung in midair when it was released.
.
Diamond nodded to him. “Good job.”
Other students had arrived before they had completed their four laps, and were now doing the challenge. Catherine arrived with her ball next, dropping it in midair, falling to the ground, and raising her arms triumphantly. “I did it… you bastard…”
Then she realized she was taking to Diamond and covered her mouth. He simply smiled. “I’ve been called things a lot worse than that, child. It was not meant in ill will. That is good enough for me.”
Crystal brought her ball over, before leaving it in midair and leaning on it. The ball easily bore her weight, a testament to how much it refused to move. “I’m not about to get myself wet in the grass, unlike you dimwits.”
Jay shrugged. “I’m not about to fall when your orb dissipates.”
Crystal cried out in shock when her ball disappeared and she faceplanted in the grass. She pointed at Jay. His eyes widened, and he barely got quicksilver in front of his face before lightning struck it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Diamond watching this with a smile.
Crystal’s anger ended after the one bolt, however, and she sat in the grass waiting for Drake, who finally got the ball over to Diamond. Diamond snorted. “You’re the lightest one in this crew? Bit surprising to be honest, but it makes sense.”
Jay winced, expecting retaliation from Crystal. When nothing happened, he opened his mouth. “Why haven’t you tried to fry Diamond yet? He just insulted your weight.”
Crystal turned to him. “Do you think I can hit him with a bolt?”
“No, he’ll probably dodge?”
Crystal nodded. “That’s why.”
Some of the other students were finishing now, dropping off their balls at Diamond. Some left, while others stayed, resting in the grass. Others simply left their balls mid-lap, giving up on finishing. Diamond simply let these ones go with narrowed eyes.
Meanwhile, the four of them sat in a small square on the dewy grass. Drake chimed in. “We need a name.”
Jay stared at him, uncomprehending, until Drake amended his statement. “A team name.”
Jay reached into his mind, about to ask Amon for a suggestion. Then he stopped. Who was he reaching out to again? “We should be the Leviathans,” Catherine said, leaning back and looking at the sky.
Crystal shook her head. “Nah. Let’s be the Dragons.” She pointed at Jay. “We need code names too. You can be-”
Jay interjected. “Eternity.” He immediately frowned. Why had he chosen the name from the dream?
Crystal nodded. “Eternity.” She turned to Catherine. “The Depths.” Finally, she addressed Drake. “Darkness. I can be Memory.”
“Together, we are invincible. Apart, we are unstoppable,” whispered Catherine, just loud enough for them to hear.
“Aye," Jay said, and the Dragons were brought to life.