《All There Ever Was》


 The Trials - Vondy

    Is arson illegal if it¡¯s an accident? Because if it was, I might be headed to jail in the middle of my magic trial. I look to my right. One of the judges, a woman with long green hair, four arms, blue skin, and six wings, was looking angrily at me. But I couldn¡¯t blame her. Throwing alchemist¡¯s fire and almost hitting someone has that kind of effect on people. Luckily, I had been able to hit on of the zendroya¡¯a (and the building it was standing on), and it was shriveling into a black ball no bigger than my head. I was surprised; the monster had been the size of a kitchen table, big and orange with long tusks. Now it looked like an overcooked turkey fresh from the oven.


    The last zendroya¡¯a leapt at me, it¡¯s hulking frame shooting down to the grey stone bricks that covered the enchanted combat courtyard. My tantalizing tangerine target lunged at me, and I barely got my barrier up before it was crashing into me. I braced myself against my summoned savior and, with concentration, I add sharp spikes to the other side of my spell. The spikes pierce into the garishly gargantuan gorilla, hitting it¡¯s liver and heart, among other organs.


    The beast drops against the bricks, and a pool of viscous violet blood washes over the bricks at my feet signals my first win. 1/3. I can get the other trials done, no problem. A voice echoes through the yard I¡¯m in.


    ¡°You have passed your trial of Magic, Vondryan Marie. Your next trial shall be a trial of strength. You must lift the corpse of the zendroya¡¯a that you have killed onto the roof where the corpse of the other one you have killed lies. You may use all tools at your disposal except your magic,¡± the voice proclaims. I grit my teeth. The other corpse is about 20 yards away, so not impossible, but¡­


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    Then, something catches my eye; a metallic cord is laying in a spool near the judges. I run towards it, a plan forming in my head. I¡¯ll tie the cord to the corpse and use the beams across the yard like a pulley to bring the body to the roof. I grab the spool and roll it over to the zendroya¡¯a. I proceed to wrap the cord around its feet, then realize that I cannot lift 400 pounds of hulking orange muscle. I toss the long cord over a beam over the beam that spans the court.


    I miss.


    It takes me 8 tries to get the cord over the beam, and 17 full minutes for me to get the zendroya¡¯a¡¯s huge frame onto the roof. I drag the hulking beast along the shingled roof, sweat slipping along my forehead and beading at my brow. As I drag the corpse along the breaking shingled roof i feel a bump at my foot. The corpse that was all shriveled up is lying beneath the heel of my foot. As the two corpses touch, a golden light flashes where the bodies meet. They then disappear in a puff of shinning powder, and a small scrap of parchment lies on the ground with a small, one-word scribbling of ink along it¡¯s surface.


    ¡°Survive.¡±


    As I read the text, a rumbling sound breaks out above me, and I turn my head to see large metallic spikes falling from the sky, piercing the through the air and ground in a beautifully shimmering storm of doom. I stop in my tracks, staring at the raining death above me, taking in the glimmering death that will (let¡¯s be honest) most likely be my doom. Then, I remember my situation, and bolt down the slanted tiles.


    I sprint along the roofs of the buildings surrounding the shattering courtyard, dodging the falling steel spears, trying to get through this final trial. If I can just survive a bit longer, just a bit, I will get in. I was so, so close!


    And then, just as soon as the death rain started, it stops.


    I made it.


    I¡¯ve made it into Coron¡¯E¡¯Al.

 Welcome to the Fortress - Vondy

    As I bask in my accomplishment, a regal voice rings out across the court.


    "You have passed, Mr. Kenalofv," the Cronen from earlier called out. "You may walk through the Gates. Once through them, take the bridge across Le Grimgreda to the Terrace where the other initiates until the Dean comes out onto the stage.


    "Thank you," I say to the Cronen. I stride to the large obsidian doors with symbols embossed in bronze that tower above me by at least 5 feet. Though it looks heavy, as soon as I touch the tall doors, they swing into the inner deck. The inner deck is a large wooden platform that connects to the bridge that crosses Le Grimgreda, a large moat around the inner walls that surround the Terrace and the rest of the Coron''E''Al Fortress that all classes are held. As I close the doors, I hear a scream from the contestant that is doing their trials after me. I didn''t even hear the second Trials announcement, so they must have died to the zendroya''a. I''m personally not surprised.


    As I walk across the arching bridge, my heeled boots clacking on the wood, I hear a familiar voice call my name.


    "Vondy! Over hear!" a tall Zeneth yells. As he runs closer, I see his face.


    "Keller! How are you?" I ask my old friend. We had been friends since we were small children living in Berdonia, the Vontracean capital city. My dad was a military blacksmith, and is was a General for the Vontracean Armada, so we met eventually. We had been best friends best friends ever since then. I had also had a thing for him since I had saw him. If you looked at him, you would understand. Dark hair, a chiseled face, and the standard pale golden eyes of a Zeneth that had a perfect contrast with his dark skin had every girl ever hitting on him 24/7.


    "Not Bad! How about you? I barely finished my dexterity trial, but hey, I survived," he said in a soft voice.


    "Ugh, It was terrible. I had to lift a zendroya''a onto the roof for my strength trial! When did you get here? I need to get a new shirt on. It has blood on it, and I don''t want my shirt getting stained because I was in the splash zone."


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    Keller''s face suddenly changes, and he says, "I got here yesterday, so I have my own dorm and some spare shirts. Follow me." Keller grasps my hand and pulls me into one of the doors that line the inner terrace. As we walk down the winding corridors, I notice a hint of gold ink from under his sleeve. I lift his sleeve up his arm and see what I had hoped not to ; two circles intersecting with an eye above them. I drop the sleeve cuff.


    "Keller, you joined Le Gaeluata d''Angeloro?! You''ve been here for one day. One goddamn day without me, and you''ve already joined the most lethal Zeneth Gaeluata in Coron''E''Al history?!?!" I scold. "This will get you killed!" He almost looks ... sheepish? Did I go too far? I almost apologize, but he begins to speak before I can.


    "I''m so sorry! But I needed to join. My dad said so, and he just..." he trails off, but I understand. His father, Ygnassio Paota, was possibly the biggest control freak when it came to his son ever. I wouldn''t put it past him to force Keller to follow in his own footsteps and join l''Angeloro. Then Keller turns towards a random door and turns the knob. As we walk in, I realize just how small the rooms are. A twin bed sits snugly in a corner, with a small bookcase, dresser, and desk, all in about 16 square feet polished wood. Keller pulls out a black leather athletic shirt to hand to me. As I strip off my bloodstained shirt and begin to change, a horn blasts through the endless stone halls, signaling that the Student Orientation will start in 5 minutes.


    I hastily put on the leather shirt and rush with Keller out, down the hallways, and out onto the grassy Terrace just moments before the Dean walks onto the makeshift stone stage.


    The Dean begins to speak. "Welcome to Coron''E''Al Academy of Mystical Warfare, students! If you are here, that means that you have survived and completed your Trials. Zeneths, Daemons, Cronens, and Humans alike, welcome to your new life. You must survive through your next six years of residence here. A few rules ; No murdering people with Gurunis, No arson, and if anyone is caught committing assault or similar crimes, they will be fed to a Guruni like ground beef. Is that understood?" A resounding chant of "Yes, sir," rises from the crowd of 21-year-old initiates.


    The Dean continues to talk. "You will each have your own dorm room that you will have for the rest of your time here. This is the beginning of your life at the Fortress," the Dean begins to walk out but then seems to remember something. "By the way," he says, "any Gaeluata wars will respond in expulsion for all members involved. Thank you."