The next week was pretty peaceful. Train, teach Bella, talk to Callie, I just chilled and did my own thing, getting ready for my first trial for the Lady of Lamentation. I had a feeling it would be a doozy. I made another fifty six scrolls, bringing my total to one hundred twenty seven, and I had Callie and the others use a hundred of them (I didn’t tell them what FOR, just asked they hurry up).

Fifteen points per scroll netted me fifteen hundred, and I got another fifteen hundred from the renown gathered during the trials (kicking the shit out of the D-ranker with pseudo Domain and fighting a crazy spirit monster serial killer on a B-rank planet really paid off) split evenly among Might, Focus, and Perception. I got fifteen D-rank chits for the lot of it bringing me to forty five, and it became clear exactly how much help I needed to rank up.

I’d have to start pushing to higher per wish stat payouts soon, and more than that, wishes weren’t going to let me keep up if I didn’t push myself. I kept two scrolls for personal use, gave the other twenty five to Callie and my friends, and left it at that.

It was becoming clear that advancement, even independent of Path stuff, wasn’t something the Wish power could support on its own. Not quickly at least. EVENTUALLY, if I kept at it, I’d reach B-rank. But there was a built in secondary requirement in the competition that was only now becoming noticeable. You had to keep up.

Which was why I had arrived early for my meeting with the Lady of Lamentations representative. This trial would suck. I knew that. Ray, Desria, Cavallo, Archie, Vesper, and Tanner were here too, all taking the second trial as theirs had yet to come up. I fully expected them to regret that decision, knowing what was to come, but it was nice not to be in this alone. Chester had left after the investigation concluded, deciding life with me was too weird, and I’d made Bella stay home for this.

I stepped into the empty tavern we’d been asked to meet at (the Lady apparently believed in manners) and scanned around for our contact.

What I found was…not what I’d been expecting. I’d thought we were going to be meeting some doom and gloom edgelord, maybe with fangs, or whips, or some kind of chains hanging off them. Instead I found a peaceful, cheerful looking girl a bit older than I was. She had a round face and a wide smile and eyes covered with a grey cloth, over which say a nun’s habit.

“Good evening.” She said as I approached. “I bid you welcome to my table.”

“Um, thanks.” I said after a minute. “Are you my contact? For the task of Felicity, Lady of Lamentations?” I mostly called her the lady in my head, since I had a cousin with the same name, but formality seemed like a decent idea here. “I expected someone more…malevolent.”

“Please, sit.” She said with a kind smile. “I am Sister Bernadette. It is lovely to meet you. I understand your confusion, but if you might wait until the others arrive, all will be revealed.”

Shrugging, I sat down, and since the staff was here this time, I ordered a milkshake and a steak with a baked potato. After a few minutes, everyone else showed up, and they seemed much more confused than I was, which was saying something.

Once our final member arrived, Sister Bernadette pushed back her chair, standing to bow. “Peace, my friends. And be welcome at my table. I am Bernadette, a sister in the order of mercy in the service of our Lady Felicity, the Lady of Lamentations.” Her smile was bright and welcoming, and my confusion did not abate.

Ray, of course, raised a hand. “Um. No offense but…what the actual fuck?” Desria elbowed him in the ribs and he yelped. “Ok, OW. But seriously. Your goddess is a dark torture god. Why are you…” he waved at her appearance. “This.”

“Our Lady is NOT a goddess of torture. She is a goddess of torment. Of suffering.” She corrected.

“Not traditionally cuddly things.” Ray said. “I don’t see the difference.”

She smiled sadly. “There are many who do not. And once, long ago, they swarmed in droves to kneel at the feet of my mistress. They did not understand her gifts, the lessons and the wisdom she had to bestow. They saw only the chance to harm, and through that harm enrich themselves in material wealth.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Ok.” I said slowly. “So why don’t you tell us what her true message is. Tell us about her gifts.” Everyone else had ordered, with Bernadette assuring us she would pay for everything, which seemed nice. The food arrived and she finally decided it was story time.

Nodding, she sat back down, taking a deep breath. “When man is born, he is a blank slate.” She began. “He is empty, a vessel to be filled. We fill this vessel with family, with life, and love, and joy. But as with all drinks, to sip only of joy deadens the palate. For what is joy without sorrow?

“And so comes pain.” Her voice was a whisper. “And pain gives shade to the light, gives the eyes respite, and teaches us the contrast between suffering and delight.” That part was said like it was a rote prayer she said all the time, and the rhyming made me believe that might be the case.

She bowed her head three times to touch her interlaced fingers after she said it, and only when she finished the motion did she continue. “Many people despise pain. Suffering. Torment. Whatever name you call it by, pain is the enemy of man in their own minds. But that is not so.

“When a person is born, they are empty, and through their years, pain fills their cup. Tears and sorrow mold them, not just in contrast to the joys of life, but in contrast to others. Pain unites us, teaches us, it shows us how we are alike.” Despite the dour topic, she had a soft smile on her face. “Without pain we could have no empathy, no understanding. Pain is the commonality between all people. The single universal constant. Pain is life. Life is joy. Joy is pain.”

That was…interesting. I couldn’t necessarily argue those points. I wasn’t entirely eager to volunteer to be tortured to…what? Season myself? Though I guess that’s exactly what I was doing. “Look, this is fascinating.” Said Vesper politely. “But what exactly IS the trial? Because if we have to go out and torture some random person to “enlighten them”, I’m going to pass on this one.”

“Such suspicion.” Murmured Bernadette. “Such cynicism and doubt. My heart breaks for you, young one. For you have clearly been hurt by the cruelty of others, but gained through that pain no understanding. Pain without clarity, without understanding, is waste.

“And so I bring to you a gift.” She beamed. “A chance to gain knowledge, to sharpen your understanding of the human condition. Experience pain with me, children, and through that gain enlightenment. Suffer and learn to grasp the suffering of others, and you will never truly be alone.”

Ray cocked his head. “Sorry. I missed that.”

“She’s saying WE’RE going to be tortured.” Archie said gruffly. “The trial is an endurance test. At least the first one. But what do you mean we? Are you going to take it with us?”

Nodding happily, she chirped. “That is my honor. The Order of Mercy are the teachers and students of human understanding. We experience pain, and through our suffering feel the truth of all living things. Tonight, you will take my journey with me, and you will gain the wisdom to understand all who may be at odds with you in the future.”

“Ok, but HOW?” I asked in exasperation. “How are we going to experience the pain. I guess we have to give consent to take the trial?”

Laughing, she shook her head. “Oh no, your continued presence is considered consent by my mistress. You’ve already agreed to take the trial.” Her tone was pleasant and upbeat, but I was annoyed.

“Ok, fine!” I said unhappily. “But when does it START?”

“Any second now, I would imagine.” She chirped. “It takes a minute for the poison to kick in.” We all froze, then looked down at our plates…and then the screaming started.

I keeled over. I’d been through some serious shit in my life. Mindmelting agony, bonecracking pain, I got eviscerated once which is objectively not great. But literally NONE of it felt as bad as this.

The pain wasn’t constant, it strobed through me like a second heartbeat. Bursts of agonizing torment melted my fucking stomach (except they didn’t unfortunately) and I just laid there and screamed.

“Don’t worry!” Called Bernadette cheerfully through gritted teeth. “It won’t kill you. Simply allow the wisdom to wash over you. It’s so much less unpleasant when you let the pain into your heart. Oh, but not literally, because that would probably actually kill you. So if it goes near your heart you should take this antidote. If you do so, you will of course forfeit, but worry not about the missed chance for enlightenment. I know the pain of losing this opportunity will be integral to your spiritual growth.”

There was a clink and we all jerked up to stare at a bottle on the table. It was tall and sturdy, made of dark blue glass and full of a thick liquid.

We all glared at her, but we didn’t have the strength to yell or protest. I just held on suffering. I considered using Mornax, but I didn’t think it would DO anything. All I could do was wait it out, screaming and twitching as the agony ripped through me. Oh gods, I could TASTE it. Wait, no, that was just vomit.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity but based on my scan ring was an hour. it subsided. I lay on the floor, shaking and sweating, lying in a pool of my own vomit and having spent at least twenty of those sixty minutes just dry heaving. I groaned, climbing back up into my chair to glare at Bernadette, who was sipping a cup of tea, the rest of the food having been cleared.

Tanner was gone. As was Archie. Vesper, Desria, Cavallo, and Ray were the only ones left, and they all still had to shake off their poison. They’d eaten a bit after I had. I glared at her. “You proud of yourself for that shit?” I rasped.

“Very much so.” She said excitedly. “We’ve taken such a marvelous journey together. Do you not feel closer to your fellow trial takers? Do you not understand their struggles?”

“Yes!” I snapped in outrage. “Because they’re MY struggles too! I just went through them!”

She clapped in delight. “Precisely! Oh, I do hope you continue on your path, new brother. I feel so close to you now that we’ve shared this suffering. I believe in time we will become great friends!”

“You POISONED ME!” I shouted, throwing my hands up. “I’m extremely upset at you.”

She nodded in satisfaction. “Yes.” She said in a glowing tone. “I know. I understand you completely.”

“That…IS A VERY FRUSTRATING ATTITUDE!” I screamed at her, even as the others climbed up onto their chairs groggily. She just hummed happily and drank her tea, and I had to bodily restrain myself from diving across the table and attacking her.

As I watched Bernadette ‘enlighten’ the others, I felt a strong pang of loss. Why couldn’t I have gotten edgelord Echelon for my emissary. He’d been a dick, but he was better than THIS. I had a feeling this frustration would get worse before it got better. Fucking Black Sorrow. This was all her fault.