CHAPTER 57: THE TRIALS AHEAD

A boat gently swayed in the river, shrouded in the morning mist, as a young boy clutched his fishing pole. He kept track of his yawns, anticipating the familiar tug on the line that never came. Frustrated, he turned to his father.

"Dad, why do we have to fish so early? It's exhausting..."

His father's wrinkles formed a kind smile. "Hermes, fish are most active during the early dawn in these parts. Ever wondered why it's not tiring for them?"

"But..."

"Listen closely, Hermes. The early morning holds boundless possibilities. The fish are biting, and nature is at its peak. Can a person truly feel alive if they don't seize every opportunity? Our time in this world is limited, so we must try our best to lead fulfilling lives." He turned around and patting Hermes' shoulder.

"If you have the ability to do something, don't let laziness control you. Because one day, you'll regret not embracing the chances life offers. Every dawn is a fresh start, and it's up to us to make the most of it."

Young Hermes rubbed his chin. "But dad, mom told you yesterday to quit smoking, but you still continued to do it today... Is that not another dawn wasted?"

"..." The father's smile faltered. He glanced at his cigarette, then back at Hermes. "Well, my boy, some dawns are more resistant to change than others."

Suddenly, the visage of his father faded, like the morning mist in the scene. His eyes shuddered open quickly, and he felt a persistent tug on his shoulder.

"Sir Hermes? Sir Hermes? Are you okay?"

Through his blurry vision, he looked to his left. A woman with brunette hair and a worried expression came into focus. The compartment was dim enough for him not to make out her entire appearance.

"Eleanor?..."

"Yes, it's me! Are you okay? Your eyes..."

Hermes touched his cheek and felt the leakage of tears. "Ah..." He swiftly wiped them away and tried to change the subject.

"I am fine... Where are we?..." He could hear a constant buzzing sound all around him.

Eleanor let out a huge breath. "We are currently traveling through the air. A rescue craft was dispatched to us. It's currently taking us to Astrum Aeternum."

'The Marcia Empire's capital, huh?' He had learned of it from his reading sessions. He began to rub his temples as his body remembered the pain he was in.

"The ritual... Is it over? From what I remember, the darkness dissipated and then... I am not sure..."

"I can explain that."

Hermes turned his face to the front. Sitting opposite of him was a man in a black trench coat. He could only get a glimpse of his face from the small flame of his lighter.

Lighting up his cigarette, he took a large puff, blasting smoke all across the small compartment. Eleanor frowned. "Mason, can't you wait until we arrive? My sister is right next to me!"

He looked down at his cigar and frowned. "You are right, young lady. Apologies." He flicked it to the floor and stomped out the flame.

"Anyway, as I was saying. It seems that at the end, we did disrupt the ritual. However, we were too late to do it. The ritual managed to summon the intended entity. Thankfully, it did little to no harm in those brief moments that it appeared, or else we would have all died... I am guessing it probably thought of us as mere insects not worthy of its attention."

Hermes looked at the floor and began forwarding his theories. "From my understanding of that ritual's formation, the flame pillars acted as a bridge between the two realms. Since we shattered it, it probably had only a brief window to enact its purpose before being sent back into its intended ethyric realm."

Mason nodded. "Yes. At that last moment, it's eye was gazing at the distant sand dune I blasted. That's where the Xulu behind this whole thing escaped to. I am guessing it bestowed something to him."

"That bastard is still alive?" Hermes furrowed his eyebrows. Memories of his disfigured mother flooded back into his vision. He grit his teeth.

Mason sighed deeply. "Yes, he escaped. I couldn't kill him. Dream domain Celestials are very tricky to deal with..." He continued. "After that, the ritual abruptly ended, and the darkness faded instantaneously. You passed out from your injuries and cosmic force exhaustion after that."

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"Figured..." Hermes observed the bandages on his arms and feet and sighed. He turned to face Eleanor. "How long have I been out for?"

Hearing his question, she frowned. "12 hours..."

Hermes looked down at the floor once more. 'How many times has this happened so far? Angelica has warned me about the dangers of exhausting my cosmic force like this.... I need to be more careful next time...'

He straightened himself in his seat and turned to face Mason. "By the way, how many people made it out alive?..." This was a question he dreaded to ask, but one that he couldn't look away from. His actions, in a way, contributed massively to this battle.

Mason stared him in the eye resolutely. "Out of the 356 soldiers, 37 merchants, and 253 other workers, only about 50 made it."

"..." The air became stiff as everyone in the aircraft sat in silence. Minutes later, it was broken by a familiar voice.

"Hermes, I haven't done this yet, but I need to thank you for all that you have done during that catastrophe. Without your help, I believe we would all be dead today. Be proud of what you accomplished."

Hermes turned to his left, where the voice emanated from. "Lance?" He could not see his figure in the darkness of the compartment.

"Yes, it is me."

Hermes sighed. "I see... You don't have to worry. I won't blame myself for this. Although, it is fairly frustrating I couldn't do more... I am too weak... If I was maybe stage 2 or higher, things would have been much better..."

Eleanor looked down at the floor while hearing his remarks. 'Too weak? If he is too weak, then what does that make me?...'

Oblivious to her thoughts, Mason decided to forward a question. "The thing that confused me the most about this ritual was its effects. Amplification of emotions and hidden desires. Why did the ritual need sacrificial deaths when it was fueled by emotions? Was instigating a mutant rampage truly necessary?..."

"I have a theory." Hermes spoke up, drawing the attention of everyone. "I believe the deaths were there for the emotions."

Mason frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Mason, when a comrade dies in battle, what do you do with your grief?"

"..." Everyone had finally understood what he meant.

"Exactly, you bottle it up. You keep it to yourself. 'I need to survive. I have a mission. It's kill or be killed', you tell yourself."

Mason grit his teeth. "That fucking bastard..."

Lance turned to face Eleanor and Elara, who was sleeping on her shoulder. "So this is why the young ladies were not affected that much..."

Eleanor heard his remark and tilted her neck slightly. "What do you mean?"

Lance explained. "I heard from Sam that the two of you had a moment of reflection about... What happened with Trevor..."

The name instantly awoke Hermes, as visions of what he had done returned to him. Sweat began to flood his back and face as his skin turned slightly pale. He stayed silent, listening to their conversation.

Lance continued. "These emotions were created from a traumatic experience. The both of you had bottled them up fairly deeply until that conversation sparked up. Letting those emotions escape you briefly helped you from not being affected by the ritual."

Eleanor furrowed her brows as a frown plastered her exhausted face. 'So if I relented to forgo some of my emotions at that moment, both me and Elara would have been tormented by the same delirium as the rest of the soldiers...'

Mason stroked his beard and turned to face Hermes. "That does sound plausible. However, the one thing I don't understand was how Hermes was able to keep his sanity."

Hearing his name be called, he looked up toward Mason's figure. He decided to answer him. "I am unsure... That Xulu you fought, it said that I broke the soul-link. Does this ring any bells?"

Mason pondered for a second before answering. "According to my information, the Dreams domain does hold such an ability. [Soul-Linkage] allows the Celestial in question to form a connection to other people's souls. It is usually invisible to the naked eye, and their ethyric signature is almost undetectable. This is how mutant Dream Parasites form their connection to their host's body from very far distances."

Hermes frowned. "Interesting..."

Mason continued, "what makes this ability so horrific is how impossible it is to get rid of. Because of how tiny its ethyric signature is, trying to attack it will most likely result in a miss. Even with your enhanced sight using [Sensory-Boost], you will only be to see it but won't be able to harm it. The fact that you got rid of it somehow is very baffling."

Hermes began to brainstorm. 'Could Elgacia have something to do with it? But from my understanding of the conversation we had, she only intervened when I was being attacked by the nightmare spell... So then what could have shattered the soul-link?...' He had no answer whatsoever.

He looked up at Mason and shrugged. "I have no idea..." Mason nodded. "Whatever it was that saved you, I am glad it happened..."

Suddenly, the cabin they were cramped in began to flash red. Hermes looked up at the blinding crimson light and squinted. Eleanor decided to interject.

"Do not worry, that's just signaling that we are fairly close to our destination."

Hermes nodded. "I see."

She smiled ruefully. "Have you never been to the capital before?"

"No, I lived in a fairly desolate place." He decided to lie about his origins. He still had no clue what the system behind the trial had chosen for his background information.

She shook her head. "Understood, then I think you will enjoy the view. Frederick, can you open the window?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Frederick replied as he rose to his feet, deftly releasing the latch. A flood of light spilled into the cabin, illuminating the faces of the others. As Hermes gazed through the small windows, he was met by a breathtaking scene.

Martian clouds hung gracefully nearby, their mysterious allure captivating him. Beyond, two other crafts, their large propellers resembling futuristic helicopters, soared in unison. It dawned on Hermes that they likely carried fellow survivors, all bound for the capital city of the Martian Empire.

In the distance, he saw the silhouettes of tall buildings, a network of architecture that was waiting to unfold before him. Although he couldn't understand their allure, a rush of excitement flooded him. He could tell just from the shadows how grand Astrum Aeternum was.

As he gazed out into the distance, memories of Elizabeth's plight returned to him. 'I am almost certain that the mission the trial gave me is tied in someway to this city...' He began to ready himself mentally for how the next 4 days were going to unfold. Who knows what the trials ahead have in store for him...

End of Chapter