Cain P.O.V

Cain waited with everyone in the class for the trial to start. He was nervously fidgeting with his tablet, scrolling through the forums to see what other students thought. He wasn’t the only one as he saw several chat groups open for last-minute talk about the trial. He avoided those and instead looked through the other stuff. Like questions about classes or students, as that helped him get his mind off the trial itself.

Most of the questions and stuff were around the most noteworthy students. The mysterious first rank, who was only known by name and gift. Clo, mainly because of his looks. A few people from big families attracted attention merely by existing. Finally, there was a topic that interested him.

Healers List

He clicked it curiously to see if his own name was on the list, and it was. The list wasn’t just a single list, but three lists that categorized their abilities too. He was under a list titled Regeneration. The other two were alchemical, meaning they could make potions and stuff, and the final category was reversion. That typically meant skills that returned things to a previous state. It was the rarest group, and only a single name was listed under that list. A guy by the name of Isaac, who also turned out to be the person ranked first.

Cain used the search engine on the forum’s thread to find comments on him in particular. Thankfully, his name only showed up a few times, and most of the comments were just asking about him in general. Healing gifts were rare enough that there were only 10 students in this entire academy with them. He never understood what made them rarer than others, but it was something like 1% of all trial goers would get such a gift.

“What’re you looking at?”

Maya spoke beside him as she peeked over his shoulder at the tablet. She was wearing a dark green tracksuit defensive tracksuit. It was the same thing everyone had agreed upon, recognizing that it might help them blend into their surroundings. She carried a cylindrical black sports bag at her side. It likely contained the jacket that he was currently wearing. It was supposed to be to help in case the trial dropped them in a cold zone. He really wished the teachers had given them some more insight into it, but this was more realistic. You typically could only enter and leave a trial with whatever you had on hand, although it somehow knew to exclude weapons.

He realized he hadn’t answered, and that his thoughts were wandering again to the trial and stammered out a response.

“J-just checking the forums to see how the others feel.”

Cain kind of hated how shaky his voice was, and he wanted to explain that it wasn’t nerves. He had just been caught off guard by the question, that was all. His mouth remained closed though since he really was nervous. His hands felt clammy despite the cool touch of his metallic tablet. He had brought the tablet thinking that he could distract himself with a game or something but wasn’t able to focus enough for that.

He lurched forward and nearly dropped his tablet as Maya slapped him on the back. Pain spread from the impact as if someone had dropped an ice cube down his shirt. The noise was loud enough that it drew the attention of the tables nearby, but he did manage not to yelp like a little girl. Instead, he turned toward Maya with a scornful look.

“Fuck! Sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.”

Maya looked genuinely apologetic, so he decided to let it go. What could he do anyways? Smacking her back wouldn’t exactly feel right or fair.

“She’s just the type to get physical when she’s nervous about something. She smacked me twice this morning.”

Sabrina’s comment made Maya’s cheeks turn pink to match her hair. One of Maya’s arms crossed over her chest, and she rubbed at her arm while talking.

“Yeah… I’ll make it up to you somehow. How about I pay for snacks next time?”

Cain nodded eagerly, that was something he would get smacked for. Maya and Sabrina were relatively wealthy, and their definition of snack was rather luxurious. It had been enough to even tempt Clo into a snack break once. As Cain thought of Clo, he glanced about for him. Clo was usually among the first to arrive, but he wasn’t here yet.

“That sounds good. Have either of you seen Clo yet?”

Sabrina responded while slowly moving her gaze through the room.

“No, I was about to ask you that.”

Cain’s nerves only increased. Clo was their leader regardless of what the teacher had assigned, and Cain couldn’t imagine doing this without him. He glanced at the clock nervously and relaxed a little. Clo still had 10 minutes to arrive. Cain took some time to just focus on his breath, content to listen to Sabrina and Maya talk. They mostly talked about other teams and trials from previous years. Cain’s breathing eventually calmed, and he glanced at the clock again.

With only 3 minutes left till the start of class, he was relieved to see Clo step through the door. Clo wore a dark green tracksuit that was dirtied with sand and blood stains as if he had been training till mere moments ago. Clo must’ve noticed them because he walked directly toward them. The number of eyes that had turned toward Clo was truly incredible. It was more attention than a real celebrity should get. Clo didn’t even glance toward those gazes, only stopping his march when he got to the table.

The room’s layout had changed for today. Rather than the usual desks, the room had a few large round tables in it. They were scattered around the room so that each team could at least pretend to have a private conversation. Cain had chosen a table near the windows, which also meant it was on the opposite side of the room from the entrance, and Clo strolled through that room like a small god before his followers. The way students’ heads turned certainly made it seem true.

Clo sat at the table, putting his jacket on the seat’s top. He had been carrying it in his hand, which Cain immediately noticed was covered in scratches and cuts. Cain held out a hand for Clo.

“Want some healing?”

Clo slid his hand across the table, and Cain touched it briefly. The way his gift worked; he didn’t actually need to maintain contact with someone for his gift. It was just stronger and faster when he did. Cuts and scratches would heal with little effort either way though. Cain wanted to press Clo on what he was up to but thought it would be a bad time. Maya though was oblivious enough to ignore the tension in the room.

“Um, what happened to you?”

Cain heard Sabrina sigh from beside him. It was the sigh of disappointment that could only occur between friends. However, Clo was even less socially conscious than Maya and answered her curtly.

“I warmed up. It’s not important, are you guys prepared?”

Cain nodded and saw the other two do the same. Clo saw them and continued.

“Good. Here take one of these.”

He talked while reaching into one of his pockets and pulling out three narrow metal tubes. There was a glass pane on one end of the tube. Cain thought he recognized the object, and Sabrina confirmed it by picking one up and flipping a switch on its side. A light shone from one end, illuminating a wide circle against the table’s surface.

“A flashlight?”

Sabrina said the words like a question, as she stared at the object with curiosity. Cain did the same. It was a well-known fact that electronic devices not physically implanted into the body would not function within a trial. Clo nodded.

“I looked it up and found that simpler devices would work. A group from two decades ago had won by taking something like this with them. It seemed like a wise choice. Most winning teams tend to have expensive boosters, but I couldn’t get those.”

Cain understood.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I mean the stuff about the booster. I bet some teams here will have some. I couldn’t afford them, that’s for sure.”

Maya and Sabrina traded glances and each placed one thin metal box on the table. Both girls blushed a little. Sabrina even coughed lightly before talking.

“We both kind of assumed everyone would have them. But here each of you can take one. These are the cheaper kinds though so it won’t do much more than you already can, Cain.”

Cain hesitated to grab the booster. Even the cheaper ones were expensive. It was the kind of thing his family could barely afford under their insurance. Not the type of thing he would ask or accept as a gift. Clo didn’t have that hesitation and grabbed it, he thanked them with a simple promise.

“Thanks, I’ll find a way to repay you.”

Anyone could say things like that, but the way Clo said it, made it seem like he would do it. It was just a matter of course with him. Cain mustered as much confidence as he could as he grabbed the other booster.

“Me too, thanks.”

He barely stuttered, but he managed to say it. He was thankfully saved from any attention as the teacher finally strode into the room, and for once he didn’t look entirely happy. The teacher’s smile seemed forced, and he looked over the entire class before speaking.

“Ok, class, we are going to skip introductions today and I’m going to move on to the matter at hand. Some of the other teachers had leaked information about the trial. Thus, by not revealing anything to you all, I have put you at a slight disadvantage. For that, I apologize.”

The teacher accompanied his words by dipping his head slightly in apology. Even that was an incredible gesture coming from someone like him. Cain couldn’t remember ever hearing a teacher apologize for anything, and this didn’t even sound like it was his fault. Cain had no idea what to do in this situation and glanced at the rest of the class. Everyone seemed just as uncomfortable as he was.

“Now, I will tell you what I can now, so listen carefully. Yes, Arthur, go ahead.”

Arthur raised a hand and cut off the teacher’s explanation.

“Can you not tell us? I want to do the trial as it was intended.”

Cain almost couldn’t believe his ears. Was Arthur insane? That would put him and the rest of this class at a disadvantage. He looked at the others, and saw Clo nod as if he too shared Arthur’s point of view. Wasn’t Clo always trying to find every advantage he could? Why would he refuse this?

“Does everyone share Arthur’s opinion?”

The teacher’s question made Cain pause. Memories of his own trial flashed through his mind. His trial hadn’t been pleasant, but it wasn’t something he would change either. No, Arthur was right. Cheating of any kind was just plain stupid. This trial was supposed to prepare them for the real thing, and there would be no knowing about that. Much of the class seemed to share the sentiment as not a single student asked for the information. The teacher seeing that smiled more genuinely.

“That is a good attitude to have. Remember that resolve for every trial you face will serve you better than any other preparation. I wish you all the best of luck.”

The teacher wished for them as another sound blared across the room. This came from the academy’s city-wide speakers. It was the kind of alarm meant for emergencies, but they used it here to announce the start of the trial.

THE TRIAL WILL BEGIN IN 30 SECONDS

The words seemed to echo in the silent and stunned classroom. Somehow the teacher had tricked them. There wasn’t enough time to share anything valuable on the trial even if they had asked for it. The teacher had just duped them, and somehow, that made Cain feel better. He felt more confident now than he had minutes ago. Cain liked the teacher, and something like this just proved to him how qualified the man was.

Cain’s hands tightened into fists beneath the table. His knee bounced up and down as he felt the urge to do something. These last few seconds felt long, and he stood up unable to stay seated. His sudden confidence made him more excited too. He wasn’t alone, nearly every student was standing now, waiting for the final few seconds. Cain looked at his teammates. They would succeed. His vision flashed with white light.

He blinked and found himself in a very different place. Instead of the nice classroom, he found himself standing in the middle of a grassy plain. His head darted to each side as he took in his surroundings more carefully. It was a sunny and warm location, so they likely wouldn’t need the coat. The grass was green and looked fresh, and there was a gentle fog that seemed to coat the floor. The odd thing was the enormous hedges that nearly surrounded the grassland. A maze, it could be nothing else. He had seen several previous trials, and it was a fairly obvious scenario. A quick glance at the notification screens at the edges of his vision confirmed that.

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Welcome to the Hedge Maze Trial #87, Your objective is to make it to the end of the trial with all remaining team members…

The message let him relax, so it was a team trial. That was a good thing in his mind, he would just need to find them first. There didn’t seem to be anything else in this area, so he moved toward the only exit. An archway was cut into one of the hedges, and Cain decided to follow the strategy he knew best. The one that worked in all of his favorite games. Cling to the right wall. It only sometimes failed him in the past.

The grass crunched beneath his feet as he made his way to the exit. Maybe he should try to be quieter, but then again, he wasn’t exactly an expert on traversing grass. As he approached the exit, he got to see what was in the next room. Like the room he was currently in, this next room was an empty grassland surrounded by hedges. However, this room had five exits including the one he would use. He noticed other people in the clearing too.

Two guys and one girl stood talking in the center of the room. Cain stopped watching them for a moment. The girl had a bow held in one hand, but Cain saw no quiver. She must have a gift to make arrows. She had middle-length black hair and bangs that covered one of her eyes. Other than that, she wore a black and white battle suit. She also wore a black poncho that covered her torso and hung down to her waist. The two guys held no obvious weapon. One had short scruffy red hair, and he wore a simple white shirt and jeans. It didn’t even look like athletic wear.

The final guy was taller than the other two by a head or two. That had to be a gift related to height, and Cain recognized him. Billy or ‘The Giant’, as he was called on the forums, was ranked 8. He was skinnier than Cain had imagined, and his height made him seem a little wiry. Rather than the build of a fighter, Billy seemed more like a runner with long limbs that seemed designed for long strides. He wore a simple tracksuit, though it was a bright red.

The girl saw him and waved him over. He weighed his options and didn’t see any better choice. Taking a deep breath, to steady his nerves, he jogged over to them. He shouted to them as he got closer.

“Are you guys going to attack me?”

That question got a smirk from the girl and a chuckle from the red-haired man. Billy laughed loudly, which sounded like the rumbling of a bear to Cain. When he got closer, the girl responded in a much more normal voice.

“No, though I don’t know who would answer a question like that honestly. We honestly don’t know if there is any reason to attack one another.”

Her voice was more masculine than Cain had expected. It was deeper than most adult women he had met. Billy nodded and spoke.

“Yeah, I would be surprised if that was what we were supposed to do. It wouldn’t be fair putting you guys with me in that situation.”

His voice was as deep as Cain expected of an 8-foot-tall man. Well, at least these people seemed reasonable. Cain let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god for that. I really didn’t want to get into a fight.”

Billy laughed again as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. Cain laughed awkwardly to match him. The girl looked between them, before nodding toward one of the archways.

“Let’s get going, pretty sure that’s the exit considering that we came from the other ones.”

Nobody protested, and the group walked and talked, forming a natural formation. It was pretty obvious considering their roles. Billy led the way with Cain right behind. The girl with the bow, Ashley, watched their back while Joey, the red-haired kid was supposed to guard Cain. Cain got the cushy position of being in the middle of the pack.

The next room was odd. They stopped at the entrance to it and glanced around. The room was empty except for three new exits for them to take. It was a square-shaped room, and it had an exit on every wall. Billy walked in confidently. Joey and Cain followed a moment later, and Ashley trailed in behind them.

As soon as all of them were in the room, the fog that clung to the ground rose to fill each of the archways. Ashley reacted quickly and jumped back toward the entrance they had come in. She smacked against it like a comic skit and slid down against a literal fog wall.

“It’s a dungeon crawler! I hate these.”

Cain shouted the words as he raised his hands into a defensive posture. He really didn’t enjoy these types of games. The kinds where dying was part of the game. No, he liked the much more mellow games, his favorite of which involved catching and training fictional monsters. Billy shouted and pointed toward the center.

‘What the hell is that?”

Cain was already looking at it. The fog was gathering in the center of the room, building and swirling into a small cloud. It dispersed leaving behind three wolves. Three very big wolves. Each was the size of a horse, and it looked like it could bite their heads off. They howled loudly. Looking at the wolves, Cain did what he thought was the best use of his abilities. He ran over to Ashley and helped her up, healing her as he did.

Billy rushed forward weaponless at the wolves. His strides carried him across the ground quickly, and Joey struggled to keep up with him. Light built-in Joey’s left hand. Cain lifted Ashley by the shoulder, she groaned and thanked him.

“Thanks, and sorry for being such an idiot.”

Cain healed her as quickly as he could too.

“Um yeah, but it won’t matter if you can hit one of those.”

Cain bobbed his head toward the wolf as he replied. She smiled and drew her bow.

“That is something I can do.”

She spoke while setting her feet and raised the bow toward one of the wolves. With her other hand, she drew the string back, though there was no arrow that he could see. The wolf was easily a hundred paces away, yet that didn’t seem to bother her at all. He felt like she should be aiming higher. Aiming directly at the wolf made no sense. Yet, she released the string, and Cain saw it then. A bluish arrow of what looked like ice flew across the air as if gravity broke. It traveled straight and plunged into one of the two wolves that were circling Billy.

Billy had drawn the attention of all the wolves and was grappling with one of them. His hands bled as he held the wolf’s mouth open. The wolf snarled and was clearly trying to snap its mouth shut. Billy amazingly resisted it. He lifted both his arms up and the wolf was carried with them. Cain gaped as the horse-sized creature slammed into the ground like a toy. The thump made Cain wince, and he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the wolf. The creature yelped awkwardly as Billy continued to hold its mouth open. One of the wolves broke off and ran toward him and Ashley, though it limped as an arrow stuck out of its side.

Ashley released another arrow; it struck the wolf just beneath one of its eyes. The creature barely seemed to care about that. It just kept charging madly. Cain almost couldn’t believe what he saw as a boomerang struck the wolf in the side. A boomerang? He almost couldn’t believe the sight and believed it even less as the boomerang went back to Joey’s outstretched hand. The wolf didn’t stop though, and it closed the distance. Another arrow slammed into its chest, and Cain thought for sure that it should be dead. However, it sped up near the end, and Cain froze.

His mind screamed at him to move, but his body remained rigid. The training over the past few days paid off though, and he raised his arms instinctively. The wolf leaped at him, and drops of blood cascaded onto the ground. Cain couldn’t bring himself to dodge, but he did manage to block the beast with his arms. The Wolf’s jaws snapped down on his arm, and he was glad he had listened to Clo and worn the more reinforced tracksuit. The wolf’s teeth couldn’t cut through it perfectly, but the force still came through. Cain fell backward, his back slamming into the grass floor with a loud thud. He felt it squeeze his arms and reacted with the only thing he had.

Cain healed the beast, focusing his ability on the creature’s heart. Healing gifts were rare and were as powerful as they were useful. One of the first things the teacher emailed him about was this. Too much healing, of any kind, was deadly. Cain could somehow tell as the wolf’s heart filled with new flesh. The creature died as it pinned him to the ground. blood leaked from its mouth and drenched his clothes. Cain groaned, shoving the creature off of him. His arms were covered in bruises and his back hurt too. Ashley rushed over calling out to him.

“You, okay?”

Cain grumbled back at her but gave her a thumbs up indicating he was fine. He didn’t quite stand up and just turned to see the fight as he started healing himself. One of the enormous wolves had latched itself to Billy. Its jaws were locked onto his shoulder, and Billy wore the thing like a cape. He still held the other wolf in his hand, though the creature was limp in his hands. Cain was unlucky, he should’ve stayed down for another minute. Instead, he chose to look, and he saw Billy rip the wolf’s jaw apart, blood and gore sprayed over him like a sprinkler. The scene twisted Cain’s stomach, but he held it in like before.

Billy proceeded to grab the wolf that was locked onto its shoulder. He pulled on the creature’s body and twisted it in a sudden motion. A crack resonated across the room as the wolf went limp. For some reason that sight made him feel worse than the gore, and Cain had to swallow down some vomit. As the last wolf died, their bodies began to dissipate into mist, and the walls that encased the archways dispersed too. Still on the ground, Cain flopped onto his back and held a fist in the air in triumph.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Clo P.O.V

Three. Two. One.

Clo counted the seconds in his head as he waited for the trial to start. He knew what to expect, but the white light that filled his vision still caught him off guard. It was too complete as if someone had painted over his eyes.

Just like that, he was in another place. His gaze took on his surroundings quickly. A bright sun warmed his face. Grass kissed his feet, and he noticed to some disappointment that his bag wasn’t there. It seemed like this trial had only taken him along with what he had been wearing. The hedges that surrounded him let him know what type of trial this would probably be. The notification that popped in a blue box, exactly like a real trial let him know the exact rules.

Welcome to the Hedge Maze Trial #87, Your objective is to make it to the end of the trial with all remaining team members…

That felt a little vague and he wondered if there was a way to get more information. In a few trials in the past, two that he had seen, this notification system could respond to his thoughts. He prodded at it and thought up a question. Which teammates? The question, as he hoped, prompted a new set of text to appear.

Party:

Cain Wolfe (Alive)

Maya Winters (Alive)

Sabrina Ether (Alive)

That meant that the others were here somewhere, so the first objective would be to find them. That would be difficult, but hesitating wouldn’t earn him anything. Even still, he decided to check some things first. He pulled the flashlight from his pocket and tentatively flicked it on and off a few times. It did work, which meant the information he had read on the forums had been true. After confirming that, he walked over to the nearest section of the hedge.

It seemed like a simple hedge, albeit thicker and taller than most buildings he had seen. It seemed to stretch endlessly toward the sky. Small leaves stuck out from each branch, hiding the depth of the thing. Pushing some leaves aside, he could see that it had thin branches that were interwoven into a complex web. Holding his hand to the side, he summoned his sword and tried to slice through it. His sword managed to cut into the hedge, but it regrew so quickly that it nearly trapped the blade with new branches. He sighed dropping his blade, and stepping on it so that it would shatter.

After fruitlessly investigating the hedge, he took off his shoes and slowly crept toward the archway. He had seen it earlier but hadn’t wanted to approach it just yet. His bare feet were much quieter upon the grass than his boots, though he did need to leave his shoes behind. That might end up being a poor decision, but for now, it would help him. He snuck along the wall to the edge of the archway. A faint noise petered in from the next room, and he listened while peeking out of the exit.

“Looks like a maze, right Maize?”

The comment came from a short guy with dirty blond hair. Clo didn’t recognize the kid, and the boisterous laughter that followed the pun made Clo dislike the man. Maize, the recipient of the question rolled her eyes. She was someone that he did recognize. He knew everyone in the top 100, and she was ranked somewhere in the mid-seventies. Her gift was a loose kind of flight thing. It had something to do with manipulating density. She groaned, responding with obvious irritation.

“One more pun. I dare you.”

That threat seemed to bounce off the boy, as he continued to laugh at his own words. There was one more person there. A guy as far as Clo could tell, though it was hard to make out much as all he could see was the back of a dirty brown cloak.

Clo had a few ideas on how to best deal with a group like. He left the cover of the wall and began slowly walking toward the group. He didn’t endeavor for a particularly stealthy approach, since he was in a practically empty grassland. Maize was the first to notice him, and the other two turned as she did. He didn’t wave or do anything, just walked without hesitation. The man in the cloak revealed himself then, but Clo didn’t recognize him. Although, he did take note of the flash of knife he had seen on the man’s waist. Clo called out to them as he got within talking distance.

“Who are you guys? Why are you here?”

He wanted to make it seem like he was oblivious to the situation. It paid off as Maize waved him over while explaining the situation to him.

“This is a standard, section-based maze trial. Pretty common type for the pros. They call it a dungeon-type trial because of the type of game they used as reference.”

She had a high-pitched voice, that he felt should’ve squeaked. The girl didn’t though and managed to actually give him some new information. He hadn’t known the bit about the alternative name, not that he thought it was particularly important. The three of them obviously recognized Clo as they all seemed tense now that he was nearby. He ignored how the short man fidgeted and walked up to the group. The other two didn’t seem nearly as concerned. Clo couldn’t help but think they were fools as he held his hand out to Maize.

“I’m Clo, by the…”

His words trailed off, as his sword materialized in his arm. The biggest advantage of his gift was the speed at which he could form his weapon. It was a near instantaneous process, with the only limitation he could see being on the number of swords. He used that to his advantage here, turning on his back foot, to perform a wide cutting arc. Maize who had been reaching out to shake his hand was caught first. Her eyes were wide with surprise, but it was too late for her to react. His sword cut through her arm and torso as if it were made of Styrofoam. He swung the blade in a downward slice, cutting through her and the cloaked man next to her. His blade slid across the cloaked man’s stomach and waist and sliced him in half. The man’s face was partially hidden by a hood, but his mouth opened in disbelief.

Maize died almost immediately as his blade cleaved through her chest. The man with the clock fell, bisected across the waist. Only the final man managed to hop away, though Clo followed through with his strike, by shifting the direction of his swing. The impossible sharpness of his weapon meant that he didn’t need to put that much force behind his swing, and the blade passed through the final man’s ankle. Blood followed his blade, staining the grass in an incredible arc of red blood around him. Maize’s body dissipated to mist almost immediately, whereas the cloaked kid was left to suffer. His wails filled the room, as he thrashed and bled out on the ground.

The final guy tumbled to the ground and managed to turn it into a half-roll. Grass and dirt stuck to his clothes. Although now that the guy was missing a foot, Clo doubted that he would be able to do much. Clo’s eyes caught on the decapitated foot, and he couldn’t help but feel like he might earn a reputation as an ankle slicer. The idle thought didn’t slow him. Clo stepped toward the blond kid who wasn’t crying or wailing in pain but crawling toward one of the empty archways.

As Clo stepped over the cloaked man, he pressed the tip of his blade into the guy’s head. It cut through his hood and forehead, sliding in just between the man’s eyes. His sword sliced into the ground a tiny bit. He hadn’t meant to push the blade that far since it was really annoying to get out in that situation. Rather than trying to swing the blade to smoothly remove it, he kicked the flat side of the blade, and let it shatter like glass. The sword crumbled to dust moments later, and Clo walked toward the footless boy; he hadn’t managed to get very far. The boy turned on the ground so that he could face Clo. His face was red, a mix of fear and effort was painted on his face. He spoke, though it was slow and breathy as his voice was strained by pain.

“Why? You didn’t need to-“

The short boy never got to finish that statement as Clo’s sword sliced through his neck. And just like that he was alone again. A silent room, with nothing but mist and blood around him. The question was a dumb one too. None of these people were on his team. He didn’t need any other reason than that.