《Shattered Chains》


 The Trial

    Caeus moved through the hustle and bustle of the Undercity, flicking out his bronze pocket watch with the large arrow pointing to the XII as if reminding him of his tardiness. Late, he was going to be late for his first day as auditor of the sacred texts! He ducked into the crowd, blinking away the smog and dust that seemed to permanently settle on the entire Undercity draped in every shade of gray imaginable. Tall rising factories and metal shops that dripped fumes, leaving an acrid smell in the air and on the tip of Caeus¡¯ tongue. Mounds of rock separated them from the world above, and all the dangers that came with it.


    His mother would be ashamed, ashamed that he was going to be late! Today of all days, the first day to the start of his new apprenticeship, and a prestigious one at that. He would get to handle the sacred texts, passed down from generations of curators that told the tale of the Two Sisters, of the founding of the two cities, Erebus where he lived. And the Cradle of the Gods, the massive city rising on top of the great mountain that was said to peak into the heavens themselves, inhabited by those who had been chosen for greatness. They were called Blessed, given wings and powers mortals could only dream of after they went through a trail that was said to shatter anyone unworthy.


    Caeus checked his pocket watch again, absentmindedly flicking a piece of loose string off his fraying gray coat. He slipped the pocket watch back in. If he hurried, he might be able to make it¡­ He picked up the pace, slipping past a group of women wearing long black skirts and a group of sweating men smoking outside their metal shop, their arms already slick from the sweat and heat of the forge.


    The neutral city Concordia, situated just above the Undercity as well as the Cradle of the Gods itself depended on that metal, on these factories for everything. For their entire way of life. Weapons ¨C longswords, the new pistols they¡¯d been trying out against the Thiria. Even the gold and white armor that adorned the Blessed was made here.


    Nearly everyone worked the factories. And he¡¯d been given an opportunity to work somewhere else, to get away from the dredges of that life that smothered so many like his mother and father, and he was risking throwing it all away by being late on his first day... Something caught his eye, a large hulking shape moving through the crowd, adorned with gold and white armor, almost like¡­


    A Blessed. He¡¯d never seen one of the Blessed before, never been lucky enough. Gold and white armor, his head was adorned with a metal helmet of the same material that protected everything except his eyes just peeking through the helm. The crowd gave the Blessed a wide berth, some physically almost leaping out of the way ¨C afraid to anger the Blessed. Whatever one was doing here, it couldn¡¯t be good. They didn¡¯t often deign to visit this city of ash and smoke without a very important reason, which often meant someone had done something bad enough to anger the Blessed themselves.


    He was following a shorter form who was wearing a white and gold robe that clearly resembled the armor, if much different in form. A woman, he thought ¨C although he could not see her face at this distance. Who could be important enough that it would warrant an Blessed escort? Caeus trailed them from a distance, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized they were heading in the same direction as him. Anyone who knew what was good for them would stay as far away from Blessed as possible.


    He passed a metal factory, the clanging ringing out in his ears ¨C he barely heard it ¨C all his attention on the figures in front of him. No, it couldn¡¯t be. They were going to the Great Library, yes ¨C he was sure of it. Perhaps there was some book they needed, but what did they have that could rival what they had in the Cradle of the Gods? Surely their library was even greater, even more splendid that this?


    Caeus glanced at the library spires, reaching high towards the cavernous ceiling above. Wrought black metal adorned the arching windows that lined every couple feet, looking out into the city. Not everyone was allowed in, but they walked past the guards at the gate who didn¡¯t even look at them twice. Caeus wasn¡¯t sure if that meant they had an invitation, or if it meant they were just too afraid to stop them.


    Caeus walked past the two sharply dressed guards, in matching coats of black, brandishing pistols at their hips and short swords that would have done nothing against the giant that just marched past their gates. Caeus opened the library door mere moments after they had entered, heading straight for the head curator¡¯s office.


    He ran past the rows and rows of books lining the main entryway, pushing back towards the office tucked away in the very back of the library, his boots clapping on the stone floor. Caeus paused as he reached the curators door, swung slightly ajar. He put his hand on the wooden door, getting ready to open it when he heard voices. A deep, demanding voice spoke first. That had to be the angel. No one else would dare talk to the curator like that.


    Caeus¡¯ mouth went dry. What would they want with the head curator? It seemed too coincidental that they would appear on his first day starting as apprentice. Had he done something wrong, something big enough to warrant them coming down? He tried to press his ear to the door so he could actually hear what they were saying, but the door creaked when he put pressure on it, swinging open.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The young woman started to turn, her golden hood turning. He stumbled back, eager to not have someone from that place turn their eyes onto him ever, if he knew what good for him. But her gaze locked onto him before he could remove himself from the open door. She had clear green eyes, blonde hair that curled under the edge of her hood and that bronzed skin those from the up above were known for. Quite unlike his pale skin which had never seen the sun. Despite her garment, she didn¡¯t have the famous armor of the Blessed. That meant she had to be young, as young as him or younger. Too young to have gone through the trial to get her armor and gain access to the godly powers those living in the Cradle of the Gods possessed.


    He noticed something else with shock as he saw her, on the side of one of her eyes there was a tattoo of half of a golden sun, curving into her eyes. The sign of a seer. A seer? That made this day even weirder, what was she doing here?


    ¡°Hello Caeus.¡± The seers voice was just as lovely as the rest of her, she sounded amused ¨C probably at the stupid expression he knew must be plastered over his face. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Looking for me?¡± He asked, stuttering slightly on the last word. Stupid, he sounded so stupid! He noticed the head curators old pinched face glaring at him over the glasses perched over his nose, obviously displeased at whatever his brand new apprentice had done to warrant this attention. He had a sinking feeling he was going to set a record for the shortest curator apprenticeship in its long, storied history.


    The Blessed shifted, causing Caeus to glance at him briefly. He looked remarkably ordinary, a gaunt face with bronzed almost reddish skin and simple brown eyes similar to Caeus¡¯ own. If it weren¡¯t for his large size and well ¨C the armor, he could pass for a someone from the down below. Caeus took a step back unconsciously, wiping his palms on his pants and feeling the head curators office, stuffed to the brim with books and old ancient scrolls suddenly feeling extremely hot and cramped with not only an Blessed but a seer stuffed inside.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The seer said, glancing at the angel beside her. ¡°As you know every year there are thirteen contestants chosen for the trial, the test that all Blessed must go through before gaining access to their power, before having the right to gain access to their angelic power.¡± The seer grabbed a lock of her blonde hair, twirling it slightly ¨C a nervous gesture that seemed almost at odds with her confident voice.


    ¡°What you may not know, is that the senate chooses 7 of those contestants. And the seer chooses the other six.¡± She glanced at Caeus, surely she couldn¡¯t mean¡­  The head curator suddenly got down on one knee, as if just realizing what those marks meant.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize we would be graced by your presence¡­ Uhh..¡± The head curator started, as if unsure what to call her. The seer smiled.


    ¡°Please, just call me Mereum.¡± She turned back to Caeus. ¡°Anyways, as I was saying ¨C I am choosing you as one of the contestants.¡± Caeus¡¯ heart jumped. No, it couldn¡¯t be.


    ¡°This must be some kind of mistake.¡± He blurted. No one from the Undercity had been chosen to be part of the trials, not ever ¨C something about their ¡®tainted blood¡¯ made them unworthy to be chosen, or not capable of accessing the angelic power passed down from the goddess who had founded the Cradle of the Gods, the younger sister.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a mistake. I¡¯ve seen something in you Caeus, you have the potential for greatness, if you pass the trial.¡± Something told Caeus she wasn¡¯t talking about literally seeing him, she must mean her visions ¨C possibilities of the future that Seers could see. But what exactly did he see in his future that made her shuck centuries of tradition? When he didn¡¯t respond, she sighed. ¡°Caeus, most of the contestants chosen by myself and the senate are from the Cradle of the Gods, children of Blessed. But trust me when I say that I don¡¯t make mistakes, the visions do not lie.¡±


    ¡°And you chose me, of all people?¡±


    ¡°Among five others, yes.¡± She answered calmly, sounding almost bored. As if she hadn¡¯t just told him he was going to be the first underworlder ever to be chosen for such an honor. ¡°We will be joining the other contestants in Concordia.¡± The seer ¨C Mereum crossed her arms.


    Concordia was the neutral city, situated above ground directly above the lower city. It was one of only three bastions the humans had left. The rest of the world outside those safe walls was overtaken by monster Caeus could only dream of. Sphinxes, harpy¡¯s, chimera¡¯s, even cyclops¡¯s.


    Caeus shuddered, the full weight of what he was going to have to do hitting him. Not only was he going to have to go through this trial, whatever exactly that entailed ¨C but to get to the Cradle of the Gods he was going to have to go out of the bounds of the Erebus, out of the bounds of Concordia. The Cradle of the Gods was at least a week¡¯s walk away ¨C and who knows what kind of monsters he would encounter between here and there. Caeus wondered if that was considered the first part of the trial, weeding out those who weren¡¯t worthy to even reach the exulted city.


    ¡°It¡¯s past time we leave this dreadful place.¡± Mereum said, more to the Blessed than to anyone else. Caeus winced. He didn¡¯t like the way she said, this place. He imagined it must feel ugly, to someone like her who had grown up in splendor, but there could be a beauty to the city too, and the library itself was one place he could have seen himself actually being proud to work in, to be in. What kind of splendor had she grown up in that this was nothing to her?


    Mereum turned to him. ¡°We¡¯ll give you an hour to say goodbye to your family and to get your affairs in order.¡± She said it so simply, like it was nothing ¨C to leave everything he had ever known and come with them. Caeus opened his mouth, getting ready to ask if there was any way out of this, if he had any say in this. But one glance at the grim winged Blessed gave him his answer. He was coming with them to the neutral city, one way or another ¨C his life was about to change.

 Goodbye鈥檚

    Caeus stood over his mothers bedside, holding her pale sickly hand slick with sweat. He stared into her eyes. Into that thin, withdrawn face ¨C her eyes struggling to focus back on his. Why was she always so sick?


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Caeus asked, after explaining about the trial. His mother gripped his hand in response. Caeus shook his head, looking at her pale form. ¡°I can¡¯t leave you, not like this, not now.¡±


    ¡°Leave Caeus, and don¡¯t ever come back here.¡± His mother¡¯s voice was surprisingly clear. Caeus looked at her in shock.


    ¡°What do you mean? Even if I complete the trial, of course I would come back.¡± His mother shook her head slowly, and Caeus felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away. Caeus let his father, who had been silent up to this point, pull him away into the other room ¨C the tiny room that doubled as a kitchen. Caeus tried to ignore the fact that he could see the seer and the Blessed standing outside of his room like guards, in case he tried to run presumably.


    ¡°Your mother is right.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Caeus asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to never come back Caeus. Complete the trial, complete it and you can get our family out of this place. There is no way they would let the parents of an Blessed live like this.¡± When he said it, it sounded ridiculous even to my ears. Someone from Erebus becoming a Blessed, it was unheard of¡­ I couldn¡¯t shake a sinking feeling that there was something more to me being suddenly chosen to compete. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯d be invited to Concordia, or maybe even to the Cradle of the Gods itself.¡± I tried to keep the doubt from my face, not wanting to tell my own father that I didn¡¯t think I had a chance of passing the trial, or even making it to the Cradle of the Gods alive.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.            ¡°But mother-¡°


    ¡°If you complete the trial you could get her an angelic healer, none of the doctors down here know what to do with her. Your mother will never get better unless she gets out of this place. It¡¯s the air, boy. The ash and smoke¡­¡± He took a deep breath as if to emphasis the thick air, his dark beard shifting as he did. Nothing you can do down here will ever help her. If you really want to help her, get out and win.¡± Caeus just nodded halfheartedly in response, not wanting to tell his father what he really thought. What chance did someone like him have of winning the trial, when the son¡¯s and daughter of Blessed would be among the other contestants?


    Caeus said his final goodbye¡¯s, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach that told him he really wouldn¡¯t be coming back, one way or the other. He stepped outside the house, not speaking as Mereum glanced over at him. He was once again struck by the golden pallor of her skin, looking down at his own sickly pale color of his thin hands which he knew was only highlighted by his dark hair. He wondered if everyone on the surface looked like that. She was beautiful, he realized. Beautiful in a way that frightened him, so unlike the sad, dejected faces of those from Erebus.


    He turned, taking one last glance at his house, little more than a boarded down and decaying building thrust between two others so tight it looked like it needed to lean on the others for support. But it was the only home he had ever known. The seer took out a small device from her pocket, a pocket watch; gold of course.


    ¡°Ready?¡± She asked. When Caeus didn¡¯t respond she snapped the pocket watch shut and started to walk towards the exit ¨C a large elevator that he¡¯d never had the privilege to take ¨C separating him and the rest of the world between a metric ton of rock.


    ¡°Time to meet the other contestants, Caeus.¡±

 Sunlight

    They stood in the small mine shaft elevator that led up to the neutral city. Like a small metal coffin separating them from the outside world. Caeus shuddered when the metal grate in front of him was locked shut. He could only dimly make out the shape of Mereum and the Blessed standing behind her like some sort of bodyguard, and the elevator operator who he¡¯d barely gotten a look at before they were swathed in darkness.


    A large whirring noise started from behind him, and Caues lost his balance, stumbling into Mereum who smirked at him; raising her arm to help him catch his balance.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Caeus mumbled, his voice echoing strangely in the box. He wanted to ask her what the outside world was like, what the land beyond the middle city ¨C with all of its strange and wonderous creatures, or even what the sun was like. But he didn¡¯t want to sound more like an Erebus peasant than he already did. Besides, he didn¡¯t want to see the satisfaction on her face when he admitted to her that he¡¯d never even been to the surface. But still¡­ He wondered and worried what it would be like to experience the open sky, a vast expanse of nothing in the sky instead of the solid assuring expanse of rock surrounding him.


    The elevator continued to whir upwards, occasionally jolting and giving his stomach a brief lurch before it righted itself. The metal box gave one final lurch and then the gears whirred to a stop. Light pierced through the cracks in the gate on the front, brighter than any lamplight he¡¯d ever seen. The elevator operator opened the door.


    Caeus immediately shuddered his eyes, shying away from the strange, unnatural light. ¡°Gods.¡± He breathed. No one had ever told him how piercing the sun was, how it went through all the cracks in his hands and seeped into every part of the now exposed elevator, stinging his eyes. It took him a moment to adjust but when he did he looked up to see Mereum standing right outside, wearing that same smirk again. He stepped outside without another word, not about to give her any more satisfaction.


    They appeared to be in some sort of enclosed building, but with large glass panes leading to the walkway outside. ¡°Where are we heading?¡± Caeus asked, realizing he¡¯d just been going along with them like some lost dog. He knew they were meeting the other contestants, but where exactly? Did they all live in Concordia, or were some from the Cradle of the Gods like Mereum?


    ¡°We¡¯re meeting them at an inn.¡± The Blessed said. Caeus opened his mouth to ask for more specifics, but they were already heading for the door that opened up to the city proper. Caeus grabbed his pocket watch, squeezing it as he hurried after them, thinking of his mother. He would do this for her, deal with whatever annoyance, whatever high class fools he had to no matter what. And considering he was going to be in the trial, dealing with a seer and a blessed were soon going to be the least of his worries. Cyclops, harpies, all the creatures that were in the world outside of the cities¡­ He would be facing them soon.


    Caeus stepped into the city after them, and the weight, the size of it hit him like a wave when he stepped outside. Concordia was altogether much grander and louder than he had previously imagined. Large white stone buildings similar to the ones in the down below. Only all these buildings were covered in different shades, red, blue, even the occasional purple roof jutting out from the rooftops spanning all the way to the massive wall surrounding the entire city that protected them for all the creatures out there.


    Caeus shuddered, once again reminded he would be leaving this place soon. Did they have a safe way to travel to the Cradle of the Gods, or was that part of the trial too? He didn¡¯t know the specifics, no one from the Undercity did ¨C only that it was dangerous beyond measure, only the strongest candidates ever survived. And that at the end of it, you became a blessed, gifted with powers that were individual to each person. It probably wouldn¡¯t be much difficulty for an Blessed to get there, but for a regular human venturing outside of the walls meant death.


    A large man bumped into Caeus in the bustle, rudely shoving him aside and scowling down at him. Caeus glared right back, but quickly extracted himself as the Blessed continued to make a swath through the crowd wherever he went. Even here, people were afraid of him. Caeus couldn¡¯t help but noticed how dark everyone¡¯s skin was in comparison to him, bronzed by the sun. Almost everyone up here wore new, fine clothes. And just like the rooftops their dresses and suits were in every color imaginable. There were shops and stalls that showed various weapons, pistols, rifles, knives, and even the occasional enchanted sword. Caeus glanced at a shop bearing a large ring as its insignia, peeking inside to the jewels that decorated the store. Jade, gold, silver, the wealth just in that one store boggled his mind.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Most people living in Concordia were jewelers and other sorts of craftsmen, working on the finer products their wealthy citizens and the Blessed used. Unlike the Undercity which focused mostly on basic metalwork. Caeus glanced outside at those walls, noticing a strange shimmering light that seemed to surround the entire city.


    What is that light?¡± Caeus asked, above the clamor of the crowded trade district.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that the light comes from the heart of the city, from an object of pure power that is only speculated about. The object keeps the worst, the most powerful of the beasts out. And the rest are cut down or shot by the warriors that man the walls or that go out in raiding parties to cull anything that gets to close to the walls.¡± It was the first time, the Blessed, and not Mereum talked to him directly, and he didn¡¯t take off his eyes off the crowd the whole time. It struck Caeus how he always seemed to be searching for some threat, for something wrong. He supposed that years spent fighting the beasts outside the wall would do that to anyone.


    The Blessed, despite their gifts were in charge of protecting the cities, especially from the larger monsters that could sometimes get through the shields surrounding the last bastions of humanity. And from what he¡¯d heard, they often went looking for threats, not sitting outside the cities like guard dogs.


    They walked for what seemed like only minutes, but which was probably much longer ¨C Caeus was struck not only by the size of the city, but how well these people lived. A group of children passed him, waving sticks at each other in a mockery of swords. They seemed so alive, so¡­ Happy. Nothing like the dour, broken-down people he was used to. It made him angry, he realized ¨C to see them enjoying life like this. Like there weren¡¯t people living underneath the dirt, toiling away so they could live like this.


    ¡°I¡¯m Caeus,¡± Caeus said, walking up to the Blessed who continued to make an easy path through the crowd, glancing slightly up at him. Despite his annoyance to this people, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious. After all, a real life Blessed was here.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Alnor.¡± He responded.


    ¡°Are you part of the trial too?¡± Caeus asked.


    Alnor laughed. ¡°Me?¡± He snorted. ¡°Hardly, I¡¯m just a bodyguard for the seer, I¡¯m here to ensure that she makes it to the city safely.¡± Something about the way he said it made it sound like he resented being her bodyguard. Maybe he did, maybe he would rather be out there ¨C fighting with the others. Caeus glanced at Mereum, but she still walked slightly behind them, her head dipped as if she was deep in her thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about Seers, but is everything they say true?¡±


    ¡°I doubt everything they say about any of us is true. But if you¡¯re asking if she see¡¯s visions, then the answer is yes. If you want to know more, you will have to ask her yourself.¡± Caeus nodded, and the Blessed suddenly stopped, glancing up at a sign as if to double check they were going the right way, and then headed into a nondescript bar.


    Caeus glanced at the sign, a depiction of the two famous sisters clashing swords, the sisters who had descended from the original deity ¨C Kalista and Eirene. Caeus headed in after the Blessed. The bar was clean, almost spotless with two long wooden tables dominating the space rather than the series of smaller ones the lower city preferred. The man behind the counter looked up as they walked in, not seeming at all surprised that an Blessed had just walked into the bar.


    ¡°Welcome.¡± He said, a great booming voice. The other people in the bar immediately got up from their chairs, turning back and bowing slightly. Caeus noticed they were bowing at Mereum, and not the Blessed. Did they revere the seer that much? Just how important was she, this person who had decided he was someone worth testing? Mereum just nodded back in response, and the rest of the people in the bar stood waiting. This wasn¡¯t just some random bar; they all must know Mereum.


    ¡°Is the Senator here yet?¡± Mereum asked. The senators were comprised of twelve  prestigious Blessed who ruled all three cities and the army. As if in response, a man opened the door and walked in behind them. Caeus turned. The man had a symbol of wings stitched into his clothing, and wore white and golden leather cloth rather than the armor of the other Blessed.


    ¡°Just in time.¡± Mereum said, eying the Senator as he walked in. The Senator dipped his head slightly. ¡°Mereum.

 The Test

    ¡°Glad we are all here. So, should we get this over with?¡± The Senator scanned the crowd, and everyone stepped out from beside the benches and lined up beside Caeus. These must be the contestants, he realized ¨C glancing at them for the first time. They must all be his age; they held the contestant every year for promising prospects, hitting the age of 18. Eleven of them, he saw ¨C both men and women. So twelve contestants, including him? Caeus thought every year they choose thirteen. There were thirteen original gods who¡¯d sealed away the titans, thirteen who¡¯d been strong enough to stand against them. One was chosen for each of the twelve senate members, and one was chosen by the Seer each year.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Mereum said, sweeping her hands out. ¡°This is Agathon, leader of the pantheon of the spears and also a sitting member of the senate.¡± The pantheon of the spears were the main army of the Blessed, in charge of protecting all the cities, even the lower ones. Although from what Caeus heard, the bulk of the army protected the Cradle of the Gods, and only a small force was ever kept here in Concordia at any time. Mereum glanced around at all the people assembled in a line by Caeus. She frowned.


    ¡°I thought you said everyone was here, senator.¡±


    He smiled back at her, but there was no warmth behind it. ¡°Everyone is here Mereum.¡±


    Mereum glanced at the room around her, at the contestants lined up. ¡°I¡¯ve chosen mine, where is the last one of yours? I¡¯m counting twelve?¡±


    ¡°Thirteen,¡± the counselor said. ¡°The last contestant the senate chose was you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Mereum said in shock, her face going white. She brought her hand up to her head, bowing slightly as if under a great pressure. ¡°Never has a seer been asked to partake in the trials, whose idea was this?¡± Seers, Caeus understood were some of the few non Blessed allowed to live in the Cradle of the Gods, and if rumor was to be believed they were almost revered there, thought to be as close to a living god as one could get, closer to the source and to all magic than any others. To put her life in danger, seemed reckless.


    ¡°At least tell me who it was that suggested this.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t disclose that,¡± the senator said, sighing. ¡°You know as well as I that what the senate discusses is for our ears alone, we cannot be seen to give favoritism to anyone in this way, even to you.¡±


    ¡°So you want me out of the way then, is that it?¡± Mereum almost shouted. ¡°Is the truth too much for you old bats to handle?¡± The truth, what truth? The senators face darkened.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like you, Mereum. I thought you would be an example to the others in this trial, not act like a spoiled brat everyone always thought you were. Or are you only okay offering up other¡¯s lives for the trial and not your own?¡± The senator said. Mereum dug her nails into the palm of her hands, her face now going a fiery red.


    ¡°Fine. If that is the senate¡¯s decision, I will of course agree.¡± The senator nodded, his face going back into that serene expression as if he was talking to a petulant child. Caeus found himself hating the man already. Was this what all the Blessed were like? Did he really want to join a whole city of them? He glanced over at the Alnor standing by the door, it wasn¡¯t like he had much choice. Just like Mereum, he was stuck here for better or for worse.


    ¡°Now, onto the test.¡± The senator brought out a small gemstone that glowed with an inner white light. It hurt to look at it directly, like the sun itself was trapped inside.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Caeus asked, knowing it was probably a stupid question in front of all the rest ¨C but needing to ask anyways.


    ¡°It will tell us if you are worthy of taking the trial. If you have any latent magical ability at all, the stone will react.¡±


    ¡°What kind of reaction?¡± Caeus asked.


    ¡°The reaction is different for everyone. For some¡­¡± The senator held it out to Mereum. She rolled her eyes. ¡°Really senator?¡±


    ¡°I must test you the same as everyone else, there will be no hand holding, in this or any other challenge.¡± The senator said. Mereum sighed, putting her hand on the stone. The light grew brighter, like the sun outside ¨C flashing bright and brilliant. Caeus closed his eyes, wincing against the light. When he opened them again he blinked back stars. The senator was similarly blinking, his jaw slightly ajar.


    ¡°Well, some of us when we touch the stone it lights up. For others, it will look as if something is moving inside of it like a cloud, or lightning even.¡± The senator held out the stone to the first person in the line, all the way on the other side of Caeus. The moment the stone touched his hand a strange kind of smoke started swirling inside of it. The senator nodded slightly and moved down to the next person in the line. Caeus noticed the senator had on leather gauntlets. Perhaps that protected the stone from activating if it didn¡¯t touch the bare skin.                            Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Caeus watched as the senator gave it to each person down the line, with him at the end. Most of them looked similar to Mereum, wearing regal white, gold, or red robes with that bronzed skin. A few of them looked like they might have come from Concordia, wearing styles more suited to the people he saw just outside. But none of them had as pale of skin as him or wore such gray, weathered clothing.


    Most of them when they touched the stone had either the smoke or a slight dim light that filled it, nothing like what had happened when Mereum touched it. The last girl in the line until Caeus who had striking hair so blonde it was almost white, and pale grey eyes reached out to touch the stone. She was almost as tall as Caeus, and she looked strong ¨C along with a couple of the others it looked like they spent their days fighting.


    Unlike many of the rest wearing leather pants and tailored shirts, she wore leather and metal armor, form fitted to her body like the Blessed in interlapping rows of gold and white. She had a headband pulling her hair back, with the insignia of a golden eagle with a lightning bolt striking through it in a crisscross like dual swords. Probably some sort of house insignia from one of the ruling houses.


    When she touched the stone, lightning crackled within it, crashing as if it wanted to get out. The lightning cracked from within the stone, small lines appearing on the side of it. The senator quickly pulled it back, at first wincing as if some of the tiny lightning had shocked him, but then forcing a smile onto his face. It looked unnatural on his skin, like a vulture trying to smile. The senator nodded at the girl, acknowledging her as he hadn¡¯t the others. The smile disappeared when he saw Caeus, perhaps noticing the state of his clothes and the way he didn¡¯t look like the others for the first time.


    ¡°Now, what is this?¡± The senator asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to be tested.¡± Caeus said, with as much courage as he could measure. The senator laughed.


    ¡°Mereum, you think this boy has what it takes to pass the trials? You know none of his kind has ever made it through.¡± Caeus swallowed when he spoke, he knew people from the Erebus weren¡¯t thought to have magic. Something about a curse from when one of the original two famous sisters had won the battle and sealed away the titans, and the resounding clash that followed. Supposedly, they fought with magic that created new mountain rages and rivers, re drawing map lines until one of them finally won, throwing the other down into the dark down below. It was why he hadn¡¯t ever dreamed he could be part of the trial, ever dreamed for more, because he was supposedly descended from the one who¡¯d lost.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s because none of his kind have ever been given the chance.¡± Mereum responded.


    ¡°This is foolish, Mereum. You know as well as I do that they have less of the gods blood.¡± That was another prejudice they had, supposedly the gods had once walked among mortals, and had kids with them ¨C including the two powerful sisters. The more powerful bloodline you had, the more likely you were to be Blessed. However, from what he¡¯d heard ¨C those bloodlines were getting more and more diluted as time went on, the last gods having died in the battle against the titans over a thousand years ago. ¡°The more they have, the higher chance they will pass all the trials. There¡¯s a reason we choose people from the historic families they-¡°


    ¡°I have a right to choose my contestant, as you have a right to choose yours. Or are you questioning the seer¡¯s decision?¡± Mereum interrupted.


    ¡°Fine, but if the stone shows he has no latent magical ability¡­¡±


    ¡°He will pass.¡± Mereum said, sounding way less worried than Caeus felt. They all stared at him when the senator held out the stone to him and he hesitated. Was this it? Had he come all this way to simply fail at the first test ¨C sent back to the Undercity emptyhanded? His hand reached out, briefly touching the stone. It shattered, the senator jumping back as if he was struck. Hundreds of shards fell to the ground, and the senator¡¯s jaw dropped.


    It didn¡¯t look at all like it had with the others, he¡¯d seen no smoke, no light, no lightning even. A couple of the contestants gasped as if something big had just happened. The girl with the eagle headband was eying him curiously. The senators face grew red and splotchy, looking at the shards on the ground in shock.


    ¡°Something like this hasn¡¯t ever happened, he didn¡¯t pass the test!¡± He said finally.


    ¡°What do you mean he didn¡¯t pass?¡± The test only dictates that there is some reaction, it doesn¡¯t dictate what the reaction is.¡± Mereum sounded smug. Somehow, he didn¡¯t mind that smirk so much when it was in defense of him and not mocking him.


    The senator sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t know what this means, but I suppose you are right. He must have some magic, or the stone would not have reacted as it did.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you acknowledge him as a contestant?¡± Mereum asked.


    ¡°I must,¡± he said begrudgingly. ¡°I will take my leave.¡± He said finally. ¡°There are matters I wish to discuss with the senators.¡± From the way he looked at Caeus, it seemed he was one of the matters he wanted to discuss. He left the room in a hurry, not bothering to pick up the shattered stone. They all turned to Alnor. Mereum glanced at Caeus, and he suddenly found himself hoping very much that she made it through the trial as well. Despite her arrogance, she was willing to go against a senator for him. That was more than anyone in Cerebus, besides his own parents ever did for him.


    ¡°Your first task will be to make it to the Cradle of the Gods on your own, as a unit.¡± Alnor said without preamble. Caeus¡¯ stomach sank. To make it all the way there, a journey of hundreds of miles through gods knew what ¨C without any Blessed? He¡¯d assumed they would help them a bit at least, that they would get protection on the way there, that they would get training before being tested.


    Well, we have until tomorrow to get you ready for your first task. How many of you know about the latent powers stones possessed?¡± Everyone nodded except Caeus. Alnor sighed. ¡°This is going to take a lot longer than normal to get you ready, we better get started.¡±

 Stones of Power

    Over the next day, Alnor drilled all of them ¨C but mostly Caeus about how the stones inserted into the weapons worked. They were all given a sword imbued with a smaller version of the stone that they used to pass the test. Supposedly, if you channeled your energy into the stone while holding the sword ¨C you could direct the energy outwards. Caeus had never heard of channeling your energy and didn¡¯t have the faintest idea how to even begin to do this. The idea that he had powers all this time seemed ludicrous to him.


    Alnor showed them a small demonstration just outside the city walls. The nearly opaque shield still hovered for about another half kilometer beyond the walls, so there wasn¡¯t any danger of any monsters breaking through to where they were at. Still, it was the first time Caues had ever been outside the city and so those first couple steps out filled him with a nameless fear. He was awed at the size of the open world around them. Dried, cake earth with strange yellowed grass that crunched under his feet at they trained.


    Rocky looking slopes lead to mountains in the distance that must house the Cradle of the Gods, he knew the city was at the top of one of those famed mountains. The snow capped peaks looked almost comforting to Caeus after all his time seeing rock walls around him. It was the sky that bothered him the most, the way it seemed like he could just fall into the never-ending light blue, like there was nothing holding him down. And he was constantly reminded of the sun beating down on his back and slicking his arms with sweat.


    Alnor¡¯s voice reached him, and he realized he¡¯d completely missed what he said ¨C so absorbed he was in the strange blue sky hovering above him. Alnor raised his sword. A large beam of white-hot fire shot out from it and burned straight through a narrow tree some ways into the distance. Smoke blew out from the hole in the tree, and he could smell the smoke and the strange woodsy smell of trees ¨C unfamiliar to him from all his time underground.


    ¡°It will be stronger, when you have passed the trial. But the stone should bring out your powers.¡± Alnor said. ¡°If you will demonstrate, Reya?¡± Alnor asked the girl with the lightning headband. Reya, so that was her name. She simply picked up one of the swords, pointed it at the same tree impossibly far off that Alnor had struck.


    Lightning exploded outwards from the sword, crackling so loud Caeus ducked, covering his ears as the lightning shattered the tree. He glanced to the others, embarrassed by his reaction. But their faces were pale and pinched as his must be, except Mereum who appeared almost bored and one short boy who was just frowning at the display.


    Alnor merely nodded and Reya handed the sword back to him, stepping back with the others. Alnor had all of them test their swords, but Caeus and Mereum were the only ones who couldn¡¯t get theirs to work. Mereum insisted nothing would happen with hers, that seers were not gifted with offensive powers like the others. The way she said it made it seem like she was hiding something. After all, her stone had glowed the brightest of anyone ¨C that had to mean she had some potential, right?This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Go ahead boy.¡± Alnor¡¯s gruff voice came from behind him, as he lightly nudged him to the swords. Caeus grabbed one of the swords, staring at the stone inside and wondering what, if any reaction he would get from it. He aimed it sword at the tree, trying to focus his energy as they said and¡­ Nothing. He heard a snicker from behind him, Caeus¡¯ face turned bright red in anger and he turned back. Alnor grabbed him, pushing the pommel down. The short boy was laughing at him, and he bunched his fists. Mereum looked almost disinterested when he stared at him and Reya¡­ Reya looked at him with an intensity that had him almost stepping back.


    ¡°That¡¯s just your first attempt.¡± Alnor said. ¡°You have the day to figure it out.¡±


    Not all of them had powers like Reya¡¯s or Alnor¡¯s, that physical attacked at a distance. The short boy, when he grabbed his ¨C his body seemed to shift, becoming taller and more muscular, his teeth lengthening and he moved with a quickness that was more than human. One of the girls went invisible when she grabbed hers, and for one ¨C the earth shifted slightly beneath them when they grabbed it as if from a deep rumble.


    But for Caeus¡­ None of them knew, Caeus least of all what kind of power he could potentially have. A sinking feeling in his gut rose that maybe his luck hadn¡¯t turned after all, that maybe fate had an even worse twist for him. Maybe he¡¯d be the first one to die, picked just to get slaughtered by some monster outside of the city on the first day.


    After a long day of fruitless trying, Alnor sighed as the sun set in the distance. A truly beautiful sight, to see the orange sunlight glowing in the distance as it collapsed over the distant mountain peaks. Strangely beautiful when compared to his dour mood. Caeus wondered suddenly how many suns he would get to see, if he had no power to protect him all the way to the Cradle of the Gods.


    ¡°That is all the time we have.¡± Alnor told Caeus. He motioned to the others. ¡°Most of them have trained for months, for years to start to harness their powers. Many don¡¯t figure them out until they have to, until they are under extreme stress. It is likely your powers just need time to attune to the stone, or that it will happen only when you truly need it.¡± Alnor¡¯s assurance that it would come when he ¡®really needed it¡¯ did little to assure Caeus that he would survive in the deadlands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Mereum said from behind him, grabbing his shoulder. ¡°I picked you for a reason, Caeus. Your powers will come in time.¡± Caeus nodded, doing his best to not look like he was about to crumble down in fear that they were going well outside the city walls, with nothing but these swords to protect them.


    Mereum let his arm go and Caeus stood for a moment longer looking at the setting orange sun. He turned back, suddenly wondering if Mereum could be at all more specific as to what kind of powers he had. If she¡¯d seen anything, but she was already heading back with the others.


    Alnor stood watching him, seeming to read the expression on his face. ¡°You want my advice, stick close to Reya and run fast.¡± Alnor said. Caeus could have laughed if he didn¡¯t look so serious. What was out there that could make even a Blessed look that serious? He¡¯d heard stories of harpies, hydra¡¯s, of three headed dogs. But they¡¯d always seemed so distant, so far away from his own world that they might as well have been myths. He had a sinking feeling he was going to know them very well soon enough.