Cedric got up, still amazed by the fact that his legs lined up. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t walking with a limp anymore. It truly was a God-given miracle. The holy elixir had been no more than a single red drop, yet it had done so much. The doctor had used a needle-shaped device to push the elixir into his body. A needle jutted out from a tube, and the doctor pushed the liquid through the needle somehow. It felt warm as it ran through his body, and he had to sit down to let the changes take place. Somehow, he was able to tell that it was healing him, and he let the elixir do its work.
While he was seated, he saw how the others had taken it. Several people had grown a bit, some becoming several times more muscular. He could see the nonexistent muscles in his arms bulk up too. They didn’t become thick, instead forming slender and dense muscles that reminded him of those he saw on messengers. His whole body was changing, and he embraced them happily.
It made him feel especially good when someone failed. Those people had started coughing violently, and the doctors were forced to take them away. Finally, Cedric had been chosen, had been given the chance to prove himself. His body had stopped him from doing things at home, and his family had left him as a glorified pair of eyes, making him sit at the gate and watch for visitors. Feeling the warmth of the elixir running through his body had proved his worth.
The doctor had even gone so far as to say that he was one of the most gifted of the people chosen. His blood was the most compatible with the holy power so far. After some initial tests, the doctor had told him to wait over by the east wall. That’s where he was going now, enjoying standing above those that were less capable than him. Finding it strange to walk without a limp, He stumbled a few times. Thankfully, everyone else was busy and hadn’t noticed his latest slip-up. Most of the people seemed to be in pain, and he wondered what the difference had been.
When the general had asked for Cedric, he believed that becoming a real soldier was simply impossible for him. Things had changed though, and he was determined to become more than just a mere soldier. He would become a hero and would be someone who brought great honor to Larkin. The field where all the people had gathered was filled with sand and he idly wondered where it came from. Outside of the clearing was an open space of thick grass, so he didn’t know where all the sand came from. It didn’t matter much but he wasn’t familiar walking on it, and it only made it harder to avoid stumbling.
With some effort, he managed to walk mostly straight and saw a group of other people lining up against a short wall of stones. Instinctively, he knew that they had gone through the same process as him and realized that they must have been chosen as well. These were truly gifted, and he confidently walked towards them, acting as he belonged. Internally, he was a lot more worried about approaching the group.
As he got closer, he realized that they were standing in a line and moved towards the nearest end. The person at the end of the line was a girl who was a hand shorter than he was. He casually moved his slightly longer arm behind his back. It wasn’t that much longer anymore, only a hand’s length apart now. Still, it wasn’t something he wanted her to comment on.
She was pretty and much more refined than any of the girls from back home. She wore an embroidered shirt that had long sleeves, and pants that cut off just before her ankles. Curly brown hair rolled over her ears but stopped before her shoulders. Though it wasn’t like anyone would’ve looked at him when he was so deformed. However, that might change now too, and he tried to act calm as he moved beside her. Everyone was leaning back against the wall, and he turned to do the same.
Like a cruel joke, he slipped as he tried to lean against the wall. Instead, his back slammed against it, and he heard a cracking sound as he slid down the wall. There was a slight pain in his back, but a glance at the wall told him that it was the rocks that had cracked. All he could feel was a small burn like he was slapped. Still, he knew it was awkward, and the chuckles he heard only worsened his mood. However, he brightened up considerably when he saw his perfectly aligned legs splayed out before him. He didn’t think he would ever get bored of seeing them.
It wasn’t a huge difference, maybe only finger’s length, but it caused him endless amounts of happiness. That small amount of distance completely changed his life. A grin spread on his face, and he grew absorbed in moving his toes. His arms weren’t perfect yet, but he hoped that more of the elixir would heal those too. The doctor had said that he would be getting a drop every day, and he wished they had given him more already.
Cedric almost missed the other people moving and would’ve remained seated if not for someone walking past him. The line had grown along the wall, though not by much, and he guessed there were roughly thirty people now. Quickly getting up, he walked behind the line. He didn’t mind being at the end as he didn’t pay attention to whatever instructions were told to them. In the past, most comments he received were nothing more than insults, and he had grown used to ignoring them. Even the doctor had to repeat questions multiple times.
They had been walking for a while, and Cedric looked back towards the camp. It looked like a temporary base with hastily set up tents, a poor wall, that wouldn’t even stop a big kix, circled the camp. In fact, he could’ve sworn that the mayor’s pet kix had jumped a fence that was a bit taller than these walls. The camp was large, but he wondered why they hadn’t taken them to the capital. Even now they were moving further into an empty field, and he grew more confused as the front of the line entered the woods. Still, he did his best to follow and only tripped once as they trekked through the uneven ground.
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Joy filled his heart as he realized that he wasn’t the least bit tired. Not to mention that he was moving a lot faster than he had before. The elixir had done a lot for him, and he still remembered the exhilaration of having his body improved. Even without the small tests the doctor had done, Cedric had known that he had been transformed, rebirthed by a gift from heaven. His body held a burning force, a new type of power that surged throughout his body like an endless river. He was stronger, faster, and more durable. The trips were nothing more than inconveniences, and even when his head collided with a tree, he only felt a small sting. Before long they had entered another clearing.
It was an open space of grass; a single tent was raised near the opposite end of the field. Their group was designated as group L, and they were moved to a specified section of the field. Cedric tried to figure out how the grounds were separated, and he noticed some paint lay on the grass. The white stuck out among the green grass so he could see the divisions easily. There was no one in the room and he expected another long wait.
That ended up being untrue as General Benton stopped in front of their group. Cedric would never forget this man. He was the one who had given Cedric this opportunity, had saved him from uselessness. Looking over the others in the group he noticed mostly disgruntled faces, though all Cedric wanted to do was thank the man. He didn’t get the chance to do anything, as the General started speaking.
“Stand firm! We are going to conduct some more in-depth tests to measure your maximum capabilities. Form into a line and wrap around the outside of the circle.”
The general didn’t yell, but his voice carried over the people. Cedric had no trouble hearing and immediately moved to follow. He had partially ignored the general when he first met him but was trying his best to correct that now. Although he slowed slightly when he noticed most of the others remained standing. Turning to see what was happening, he saw one of the other people step towards the general. It was a man who looked only a year or two older than Cedric himself, but he was at least a head taller than him. The man was dressed like a noble, but his clothes were marked with dirt. He had relatively long hair that was combed back and fell down his neck, the blond sheen reflecting the sunlight. The man spoke, his voice tainted with privilege and entitlement.
“Don’t give us that. We want some answers, and after the pain, we went through, I think I deserve some.”
“No, you don’t. But you will receive them upon finishing the examinations. So, line up or you will be forced to leave. Do not test me further.”
The general didn’t raise his voice to match the man, instead, there was a chill that accompanied his callous words. His final words made Cedric shiver, even though they were directed at someone else. He was doubly glad that he hadn’t stopped walking towards the edge. It wasn’t as big of a sign as he hoped. He stumbled during his walk but had managed to avoid falling and was still the first to line up. He stood straight, his heels touching to mimic the knights. There were a few snickers at his antics, but he had long grown used to ignoring things like that. Eventually, the others lined up, but he was the only one to stand like the knights.
The general took the role of a bystander as a young-looking doctor replaced him. She looked sickly, and Cedric wondered why she hadn’t used the elixir to heal as he had. Perhaps, she was not chosen? He could feel his focus waning as it looked like she was going to start speaking, but he pinched his sides to keep his attention on her.
“I am going to run some more tests; we have some equipment here to determine your abilities. Your results will determine your privileges, so give it your best!”
She spoke in a monotone voice, but she still threw her fist up in encouragement at the end. The clash of tone and body language had caused the others to smirk and a few of them to laugh. The exchange had caused Cedric to feel a kinship with the doctor. She continued her explanation and gave instructions to the group.
The first test was interesting. It was of pure strength and involved lifting as many weights as they could. There was a strange device they used for the measurement. It was a flat platform that one stood on, and he saw a wheel at one end. They would add rocks into the person’s basket until they couldn’t keep holding it. The wheel at the end of the platform would turn, and they wrote a number down when the wheel stopped moving. He was curious but knew that it was probably too advanced for him. Cedric had never been particularly smart and knew that he wouldn’t be able to understand how the thing worked. Well, maybe the elixir had made him smarter, but not enough for him to notice. He would ask the doctors about that later.
The first person to go up was the man who had spoken out earlier. He managed to fill his basket with enough rocks so that setting the basket down caused the ground to shake and the fancy device to break. The doctor seemed unfazed, and a group of knights brought out another one. It seemed routine, but the next seven people hadn’t managed to carry nearly as many rocks. The device had held easily, and only the eighth person had carried enough to create a problem. It was a tall girl who was incredibly bulky, reminding Cedric of the blacksmiths from back home. He was also certain that she was the tallest person he had ever met. She didn’t break the device though and stepped off the platform before setting the basket down gently. She had even carried more than the first man, and it seemed like she stopped before hitting her limit.
The rest of the people in front of him didn’t do nearly as well, though one other man had managed the same feat as the first. It was finally Cedric’s turn, and he was determined to do better than the arrogant man had. His unequal arm length had made holding the basket difficult, but before he could step onto the platform the doctor had stopped him.
“Will you listen to me! I said wait!”