TF Chapter 49 Drastic Change
***Nathaniel***
A clamor burst out into the room the man stepped out of the tunnel, the sound even causing me to almost become dizzy, yet that didn't even have a chance to happen as I too was releasing a sound of astonishment at the moment, adding to the cacophony of sound.
The voices were filled with surprise, horror, pity, disgust and a myriad of other things as they beheld the figure moving towards the stage.
Could death have been better? That was a question that popped into my mind at that very moment. Apart from his still functional eyeballs, you could say that the man appeared to have been dropped into a vat of acid and the fished out before his skin could completely be dissolved!
The flesh was disgusting to look at, not to mention the pus leaking out and vanishing into thin air.
But what made my heart skip a beat was when I looked into those eyes of his. They were too intense! The willpower needed alone to even be capable of movement was terrifying!
The man's spirit washed upon everyone at the moment, causing me, and everyone else to feel as if we were being scorched!
What was this? I have never heard that the spirit was capable of taking up an attribute!?
All of the noise died down instantly after that scorching feeling.
We all gazed at the stage without speaking, waiting for the man to speak, after he had finally made it to the middle.
"Pray! That you never get to experience this state of mine, or anything close for that matter. I will give you a bit of an insight. If you have the chance and capability to run away from a being with a spirit higher than yours, take it!"
The powerful words caused the atmosphere to freeze, as I tried to digest them. Information had been released, that which we had been curious about during the previous year. The forgers had faced an immense threat and the outcome hadn't been favourable.
Since I had taken a trip to the recovery room, I had witnessed the many within before they had recovered. The others who had made it in as a consequence of the combat curriculum had missed the sight since the forgers in the cylinders had already been healed.
But, looking at this guy's injury, I knew that it hadn't been that simple. The recovery room couldn't deal with it considering that he was showing it off here.
"Now, first off, I congratulate you on surviving through last year. During normal standards, it would have been the hardest of years, but what am about to reveal will make it feel as if it was the simple part of what you have to do to graduate..."
His eyeballs roamed everyone, and due to his immense spirit which was ever present in the hall, everyone, including me had the feeling that he was staring right at us!
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"...tsk! I have waited a long time for such reforms, which I am about to reveal, to take place. I campaigned almost everyday, yet was rebuffed each time. Now, I can tell you with a happy heart that you are going to have to experience true life and death in order to become a forger!"
"...and what's the hell I am talking about? Well, you are going to be dumped onto a planet, and anyone who manages to form an entire armor by the time four years are up, will have passed."
I still hadn't understood what the man was really getting at. I didn't know much about the previous year's advancement, so I couldn't really compare the two. But if he was saying that it was going to be hell, then there was a catch-
"Which planet are you going to be dumping us on? As I, and all of us here recall, we humans haven't yet found any single habitable planet that can support us earthlings." Someone raised a valid point, which many of us hadn't even yet thought about.
"A good question. This planet is different as it shouldn't be capable of supporting human life as we know it. Its a secret project that had been in the making for over 100 years, a place where only forgers have a chance of survival. For you apprentices, that means a less than 10% survival rate. I won't go too deep into details as you will be briefed aboard the space crafts...now, what has brought me here mainly is to tell you one thing and and ask you another..."
"...there is a very high chance of death the moment you drop onto the planet, And let me make this clear! No one is going to save you! For the question; are you prepared to put your life on the line to become a forger?"
The question was heavy. I didn't know what dangers could cause such a high chance of death, but I knew for a fact that the man was serious.
The previous me who had just arrived at this continent could have seriously contemplated whether it could have been worth it to put my life on the line, but the me now simply didn't give it much thought before choosing what I wanted in my mind.
"A few ships have already been allowed outside this city, waiting for all those who want to back out."
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If fear was something that could turn men and women into cowards, that was understandable. But then, there came the issue of not having the will to surpass your limits, just like these people who were streaming by me and entering into the prepared ships.
Most of those with a wealthy background will probably become forgers in the long run as Musana city had already done the task of providing the awakening solution, but ultimately, they would never amount to anything monumental.
Danny had called them cowards, having already chose the same as me; to stay no matter how harsh the things we will have to go through.
Bora was another case altogether. Even as we stood by the the gates of Musana city, looking at the departing apprentices, the indecision within her eyes couldn't be hidden.
"Bora, we humans have an innate desire to achieve greatness due to our sentience and diverse unique personalities. I will only say this, if you can't even fly close to the sun and burn your wings, how will you even know that you can evolve beyond it?"
Danny deserved some applause with that statement, which resonated with me fully. He was right. I had decided to stay because only by bring tempered by the fire that is danger would I be able to come out stronger!
"For you, that's easy. My entire life has been dictated by logic. So, weighing the pros and cons of a decision is part of me."
Logic...she was partially right, but sometimes, you had to take the plunge and follow your heart, whatever it was. I told her that but she didn't appear to have taken it to heart.
"You need to change, to evolve!" Damny shouted at her her.
"You see those weaklings, they will never achieve great things! Most will eventually advance to become forgers, but ultimately, they will never reach the same level as us who decided to stay behind." He continued.
It had surprised me at first how more than half of the people had decided to give up on going through the next phase of education, but after thinking about it clearly, I had understood.
Most of the people here were mostly those with a good background who had never gone through much hardship, even being admitted here had been taking a toll. Imagine that toll now having been added with the flavor of a chance at meeting the grim reaper? Many would ultimately choose to flee!