"Ah!"

"It hurts!"

"My eyes!"

"They hurt!"

"Help me!"

"Someone please help me!!!"

Screams filled with terror burst out from the auditorium hall, creating an eerie cacophony of pain and fear. Every True Scholar and guard paused their tasks, their focus shifting to the source of the scream, with a look of bewilderment etched on their faces.

What they saw left every one of them speechless, as they couldn't quite process the image before their eyes.

There, in front of a perfectly still young man, lay a True Scholar, clawing at the floor like a deranged madman. The man's face looked deathly pale, akin to a corpse that had been utterly drained of blood. His face bore 2 gaping holes where his eyes were supposed to be, with nothing but crimson blood oozing out of them.

The True Scholar kept shouting and crying in pain, his face looking deeply terrified, as if he had just witnessed his greatest horror magnified tenfold.

"Black!"

"It was all black!"

"Nothing but black!"

"Run! I need to run!"

"It wants to consume me!"

The True Scholars in the hall exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes silently conveying their disbelief at the surreal spectacle unfolding before their eyes.

They puzzled over what might have triggered such an intense response from their colleague, a reaction bordering on a vivid display of madness and chaos.

The demented scholar kept clawing at his empty eye sockets, eventually poking his hands into its hollowed-out holes, causing more bright crimson blood to flow out.

By now, his once pristine white clergy robe was stained crimson with blood, transforming him into a figure resembling a crazed heretic engaged in a bloody ritual.

Abruptly, he lunged toward the path of the motionless Elias, unleashing a torrent of profanities while relentlessly clawing at his own eyes.

The other True Scholars reacted swiftly, with most of them holding onto his hands and legs while one stood in front of him, effectively blocking his path to Elias.

The True Scholar before him placed his hands on the head of his disturbed colleague, his eyes shimmering with an otherworldly blue glow adorned with enigmatic symbols. It appeared as though he was employing a technique to pacify the frenzied man, one that transcended ordinary laws and reasoning.

This brought a temporary halt to the frenzied actions of the screaming man, only to see them erupt into an even more erratic state once again.

"Damn it what is wrong with this guy! Did the Tribulation from before not subside yet? But he is acting too erratic, it’s like he has truly gone mad!"

The True Scholar speaking was a middle-aged man with a long, neatly cut beard, his solemn face etched with worry as he gazed upon his screaming colleague.

Another True Scholar grabbing onto the man's arm had beams of sweat trickling down his face, as he regarded the middle-aged True Scholar with worry. "I think we need to move him out of here right now! If it gets worse than this we won't be able to contain it and the situation could spiral out of control, potentially endangering the lives of everyone within these halls!"

The middle-aged True Scholar turned and nodded to his brethren, before turning to the fear-stricken guards to his left, "Get your act together! This isn't the first time you have experienced such an event is it?"

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, their synchronized gulps conveying a shared sentiment: they definitely had never encountered anything as bizarre as this before!

The middle-aged True Scholar scoffed at the timid display of the guards of such a prestigious academy, before issuing his commands with a calming voice, "Just try to calm down and point to the path leading out of the auditorium, we will handle the rest."

The man's voice carried a soothing effect on the guards, causing them to calm down and regain their composure. They then pointed to a small door at the edge of the auditorium, to which the True Scholars moved their deranged colleague, amidst his shouts of pain and fear.

"All I saw was black,"

"All black!"

"There was nothing but black!"

"Run away,"

"Everyone please run away!"

"The black night has come to consume us all!"

The man kept attempting to claw at his bloodied eyes, his voice leaving behind a series of deranged screams of madness that left the auditorium in an eerie atmosphere.

...

Inside the secluded cubicle, dignitaries were absorbed in their individual discussions, patiently awaiting the completion of the final assessment by the last candidate.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The young man with deep blue eyes, known as Prince Mesias, was fully immersed in teasing Prince William and Prince Adele about their earlier antics, prompting both to squirm in embarrassment in their seats.

Bishop Dufresne engaged in conversation with the bishops from other churches, seamlessly transitioning between discussions of politics and conflicting religious doctrines. Their dialogue remained respectful, with neither side outrightly dismissing the beliefs of the other.

Professor Conti sat quietly, a faint smile gracing his lips as he adeptly divided his attention between the events unfolding in the auditorium and the cubicle.

Three other figures were shrouded in shadows at the edge of the secular chamber, quietly listening in on the various topics being discussed without saying a word.

The atmosphere was calm and peaceful, causing Professor Conti to nod his head in delight.

All of a sudden, a piercing scream came from below them, causing all the figures within the private chamber to turn their heads towards the auditorium in unison.

They observed a True Scholar clawing at his face in pain, his eyes resembling two dark holes as crimson blood streamed down his face.

Professor Conti's eyes squinted at the sight, obviously stunned at the harrowing scene before his eyes.

The True Scholar no longer resembled a dignified and solemn priest, but now resembled a deranged madman consumed by hysteria.

Prince Mesias observed the scene with curiosity before casting a glance at the man beside him, dressed similarly to the delirious and deranged True Scholar.

"Bishop Hamilton, what's going on with your priest? Didn't he just endure his Tribulation a while ago and successfully recovered? How can he be thrown into another one so quickly? Is that how it is for you Apostles of Sapience?"

Bishop Hamilton possessed neatly styled auburn hair and remarkably bright, inquisitive eyes. His physical features gave him an appearance beyond his actual age, likely influenced by years of rigorous religious study and experimentation.

Bishop Hamilton regarded the prince with a pensive look, before looking back at his squirming brethren with worry.

"Well in all honesty, yes and no. The Tribulations of a Psyche Priest, which is what he currently is, can occur multiple times a day - sometimes even going as high as 9-10 times a day, depending on certain situations. So this should honestly be quite normal."

Professor Conti nodded his head while leaning out of his chair, all the while still stroking the top of his black gentleman hat. "It is as he says, your highness. This should be a normal occurrence given certain circumstances. The problem is that I feel that this isn't a normal occurrence at all. The aura around him feels too malevolently potent, and I am sensing something wrong wi-"

Professor Conti was interrupted by the terrified shouts from the afflicted True Scholar, as he spewed out words that caused the cubicle to become etched in silence.

"Black!"

"It was all black!"

"Nothing but black!"

"Run! I need to run!"

"It is going to consume me!"

Bishop Hamilton's complexion paled instantly, and he moved to rise from his seat, but a hand from his right side intercepted his path, halting him in his tracks.

It was Bishop Dufresne.

"Why are you blocking me."

Bishop Hamilton grew increasingly agitated, eager to assist his colleague and brethren. However, he couldn't comprehend why Bishop Dufresne was obstructing his efforts to do so.

Bishop Dufresne regarded him with a look of pity, before slightly shaking his head. "Blindly rushing in won't solve anything, so let's try to understand the details surrounding this peculiar incident first. I believe that’s the best method we can currently employ.”

He turned towards Professor Conti, his voice turning deep and serious. "Conti, any explanation for what's going on?"

Professor Conti glanced at Bishop Dufresne, as if to ask why he was asking him of all people, before sighing and looking at the squirming True Scholar.

"He sounds like a seer plagued with cursed visions, which shouldn't be possible since he hasn't yet gotten to the domain of truth as an Apostle of Sapience. Can you gleam anything from this Enir?"

A woman seated in a secluded corner of the cubicle, previously unnoticed, gradually emerged into view. She wore a blindfold over her eyes and was attired in the traditional garb of the Sightless Seers, the recognized Apostles of the Providence Church.

Bishop Enir took a brief moment to respond, before slowly shaking her head at Professor Conti.

Professor Conti slowly stroked his chin, before shrugging his shoulders dismissively, "Then I guess this is just a normal case of intense Tribulations then. Maybe the hysteric warnings were born from some far-gone patient he had healed in the past. I don't have any other explanation for this."

Bishop Dufresne then gave Bishop Hamilton a reassuring pat on the shoulder, causing the latter to relax a bit.

"Calm down Hamilton, he will be fine. This is normal, and if there is one principle each of the churches share, it is that facing and overcoming the Tribulations is a personal matter. You stepping in might just make it worse."

Bishop Hamilton hesitated for a bit, before grudgingly settling back into his seat.

With that, the entire cubicle descended into silence as all attention shifted to the unfolding scene below.

Observing the deranged clergyman's resistance to the psychic calming, Professor Conti silently observed as he was dragged away, before clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"Never mind what I said before, I think we should check up on him. Something doesn't feel right with all of this."

A chorus of verbal agreements echoed throughout the secular cubicle, while Bishop Hamilton continued to observe with a troubled expression etched on his face.

...

The sole True Scholar left in the hall looked upon the bloody scene left by his colleague in a daze, seemingly still shocked at the perplexity of it all.

It appeared as though he still couldn't come to terms with the reality of the situation.

Suddenly, his attention shifted to a lone teenager standing serenely, eyes closed, unperturbed by the surrounding chaos. At that moment, he realized his colleague hadn't finished assessing him before descending into madness.

The True Scholar then slowly approached the young man, carefully avoiding any puddles of blood in his way.

He then placed his hands on the young man’s head, transporting himself to his Spiritual Sea to observe the situation himself.

Before him stood a figure aglow with radiant green light, atop a vivid and ethereal seabed painted with luminous hues.

He took a moment to admire the beautiful sight before his eyes, before mentally extricating himself and the young man from that illusory and dream-like world.

Elias suddenly experienced the sensation of falling once more, yet this time it seemed like he was falling backward, if that made sense. It left him feeling disoriented and quite uncomfortable.

His senses gradually returned, and he felt himself once more inhabiting a tangible physical form. He savored the sensations of solidity and touch, appreciating the simple pleasures he had previously taken for granted.

As he slowly opened his eyes, the light from the auditorium windows reflected into his eyes, causing him to squint uncomfortably.

As he acclimated to the sensation of reality, he surveyed his surroundings and was stunned by what he beheld.

Everywhere he looked, there were numerous puddles of blood and scratch marks, giving the impression that the area had been ravaged by a dying wild animal.

Elias jerked back and abruptly slipped on a puddle of blood, falling to the ground out of shock and fear.

A hand abruptly reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, causing him to halt his descent and avoid another embarrassing display.

He glanced up at his rescuer, half-anticipating to see the face of the True Scholar overseeing his assessment. To his surprise, he was met by a new face, smiling weakly at him with subdued enthusiasm.

"Welcome back young man, you passed the first round of the assessment. Congratulations."

Elias regarded the man with mild confusion, quietly murmuring a sentence under his breath as he was being pulled up.

'Did I step into another dream?'