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52/Conclusion of the test
🕑 Added 2022-11-08 05:39:10 +0000 UTC"In the backyard of the castle, Maïli was vomiting painfully, remembering the memory of her sword plunging into that child. The memory of pain, tears and life slowly leaving her face. Zem, standing a few feet away from her with a look as sad as it was serious. In one of the brief moments when she stopped vomiting compulsively she addressed him:
"How did you get used to this stuff?" (Maïli)
"You never get used to it." (Zem)
"When you told me that I was going to be made to do horrible things, I thought I was ready that I could handle it. But this goes far beyond anything I could have imagined and I will be led to do other actions like this or worse?" (Maïli)
"Yes, it will have to be." (Zem)
"Zem I just killed a kid, a kid! What could be worse? And they from the top of their bleachers were laughing as if this show was funny, I'm going to reduce their castle to dust!" She said, a violent torrent of mana starting to escape from her body.
Denial and sadness now giving way to a very human feeling: hate. The mana around her still increasing in intensity in a dark green aura. This hatred mixing with her sadness, preventing her from thinking properly her teeth grinding.
"You'll be dead before you lift a finger!" Said Zem releasing a mana light years away from Maïli.
Her mana, was crushed in a few tenths of a second by Zem's, like a child being scolded by his parents. When Maïli's mana was completely crushed, which only took a fraction of a second. He took a deep breath, he knew that Maïli who had just arrived was full of naivety and that the rules of this world were far too twisted fo her. But he knew that she had a strong mind so he spoke to her in an even more honest way than he had done before.
"You asked what could be worse than killing one little girl, well, killing hundreds of little girls. (Zem)
Maïli opened her eyes wide, she had read it through books, but the real experience was light years away from the written word. While Zem continued without flinching to tell her what he had insisted on without detours.
"Seeing whole villages burned, the rape of little girls and women, babies with their throats slit in their cradles. The torture of children or men in sordid experiments all forming piles of rotting corpses."
The descriptions and words filled Maïli's already stunned face with terror and when he finished saying all this. Her heart was even heavier than before thinking of the macabre future that was undoubtedly awaiting her. Zem breathed once again and approached her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"I was like you at the beginning, full of idealism, full of desire to change the world to do the right thing."
"And you are not that man anymore?" (Maïli)
"I still am, but I have come to realize that my power is only a drop in an ocean. And today, I only do the things I am able to do with my power."
"You a drop in the ocean?" (Maïli)
"Maïli believe me there are much stronger than me and some of these people are terrifying."
Maïli burst into tears if even Zem couldn't do anything that could, she was desperate. Zem hugged her to comfort her from the distress overwhelming her.
"I threw up, I cried like you but you know despite the horrible things I was forced to do, I was able to save lives. Letting children inadvertently escape, warning villages of an attack. There are many other things we can do or try to do."
"I don't want to settle for that." She replied sobbing.
"In that case you have to become stronger than you are now and that, I am convinced, you are capable of. No, you can even become much stronger than me in the future." (Zem)
"You will support me." (Maïli)
"Always, you and your friends I will take you under my wing." (Zem)
"In that case I will get stronger, I will definitely do it!" She said as she clasped her hands over her clothes.
Sensing her determination and frustration Zem gave a determined look as she spoke in her head:
"I'm definitely going to protect these kids until they are strong enough." (Zem)
In the castle many had shut themselves away in their rooms as the events were too much to bear at the moment. Some had also vomited and burst into tears, their bodies still shaking. Others felt satisfied with the result, thinking that they could not have dreamed of a better ordeal.
"Damn if you could have seen the look on Maïli's face man that was hilarious!" Laughed Méverick as he spoke to his group.
"Not only her, but her whole group, thanks to this test I was able to pass in front of Eléonore and become a hero in her place." Said all joyful Maël.
"I see that everyone is happy." Intervened Jay quietly sitting.
"Not you Jay we will be rich we will have the good life and all that goes with it." (Méverick)
"I still killed a child, so I'm not going to celebrate." (Jay)
"A child is a big word, it wasn't a human, it's not so different from a dog that would be run over by a car." (Maël)
"If you say so, otherwise where is Emma?" (Jay)
"She's gone to throw up in her corner like a little sissy." (Maël)
"But you guys seem to forget that Maili will also be part of the group?" (Méverick)
Shawn's face twisted slightly at his words.
"Is that true, why was she still chosen, she didn't kill anyone on her own will?" Maël grumbled.
"They couldn't do without her, they had to select her, that's all. Jay replied.
"I don't see why not?" (Méverick)
Jay glanced briefly at Shawn before replying:
"It's simple, she's still in every way the strongest here so they can't do without her." (Jay)
"But how can her class be stronger than Shawn's who is a hero it doesn't make sense." Maël complained again.
"It's kind of the same thing with you and Eleanor isn't it?" Jay pointed out.
"Shut up it's just that I'm inexperienced and have more to Elements deal with." (Maël)
"Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that we'll have to deal with her in the group." (Jay)
"That's true but anyway she's bound hand and foot she can't leave or oppose us head on." Says Shawn satisfied.
"What about the others who failed?" (Jay)
"That is in no way our problem." (Shawn)
A few hours later in the royal room of the castle, the beautiful world was gathered to make the point on the continuation.
"It was a very beautiful spectacle that you offered us Moise" said very satisfied Raphaël.
"Thank you my Prince." (Moïse)
"Well the selection of the heroes is thus officially finished, I want to thank all our dear instructors who answered our call." (King)
"It was a pleasure to answer your request your majesty." Replied Peney with full courtesy.
The others also performing a bow to show their respect before leaving the room except for Zem being part of the royal knights.
"Well the new heroes will soon be inducted to the people in a big ceremony. Once this is done they will go on quests to gain power and experience before starting their first dungeons." (Moïse)
"As for those who have failed now my king, some of them still have some talent. So I would think it a shame to get rid of them completely."
The king took a moment to think as he stroked his bard, but Zem intervened.
"Why don't we get some of them into our order of knights?" (Zem)
"Um, who do you have in mind?" Asked the king.
"I'm thinking of Karine, Eva and Éléonore, I'll vouch for them." (Zem)
"Um, I don't see anything wrong with that my king." Moise added.
"Very well, and for the rest?" (King)
"Even if some of them turn out to be without talents, some of them have received good professions. It would be a pity that in the future if by chance they became strong that they would turn against us. I would therefore be in favor of eliminating these unimportant wastes for good." Moïse announced in a cold tone
"That's fine with me." The king agreed.
"No, wait!" Zem exclaimed.
"Do you have anything to say about it, Zem?" asked Moïse.
"Why eliminate them? I don't see any point in it, besides you did let one of them go." He remarked.
"Simply because this rude trash had no chance of causing us any problems. Killing him from the start would have been counterproductive for our image and would have sent the wrong message to others." (Moïse)
"But as you said, they have no talent and they will never reach our level, how could they harm us? (Zem)
"What if they join an organization that goes against us or a neighboring country like Ria?" (Moïse)
"He's right." The king agreed.
Zem was trying to save the remaining ones from an inevitable death, the king and Moïse fearing that they would turn against them in the future. The situation was delicate, his mind wondering how he could convince them. Then he had an idea, even if it displeased him.
"My king why don't they keep them too." (Zem)
"No way, they are far too weak." Opposed Moïse.
"Let me explain myself, we still have a problem, Maïli will be a hard element for us to deal with and you saw it for yourself. She puts justice above all else and was even going to hurt Shawn badly. So why not keep her comrades as leverage over her?" (Zem)
"What you say is true Zem however, Moïse has already informed me of the methods we could use." (King)
"Indeed, we don't need this garbage, we can use what you just selected as a knight for example if needed. Then, if it really becomes too much of a problem, we will use more effective and simple options for us. All we will need to do is put a slave seal on her or completely brainwash her with certain methods." Moïse announced with a slight smile.
Shivers ran through Zem's body imagining the horrible things they could do to him. Added to that, now the others were sentenced to death. There was now only one way to save them, he immediately dropped to one knee and looked the king in the eye.
"My king, please they are still only young teenagers, I beg for your mercy. It would not be worthy of you to take from them a life that has already been stolen by invoking them here. Let them live their lives here on earth as they wish. And if by misfortune, they should one day turn against us, we will only have to crush them like the insects they are." (Zem)
The king put his hand to his bard slowly stroking it as he looked Zem straight in the eyes.
"Very well, you're right it wouldn't be worthy of me to take their lives when we've already taken them by bringing them here. Besides it's true even if one day they turned against us, we will kill them. And above all, this is a request from the chief and most faithful knight of my army. So nothing will be done to these young teenagers, I will even offer them some gold for their departure." (King)
Zem bowed his head and put both his knees on the ground as a sign of respect and submission.
"Thank you my King, I will never forget your kindness." (Zem)
Thus, the meeting ended with the fate of those who were to be sentenced to death now barely saved.
The next morning, however, yesterday's actions had left traces that were far too heavy and unforgettable. Around breakfast time, Béa had not answered the call, so one would have thought that she still wanted to be alone. However, no one had seen her all afternoon so around 4pm Maïli's group went to her room.
"Béa, are you okay you weren't there for breakfast or lunch?" (Beth)
With no answer, they continued to call her, but without success, sensing something strange, they decided to force their way in. As the door opened, they were overcome with dread when they saw Bea.
"No, it's...."
"..."
She swayed thanks to the wind coming through the open windows hanging from the ceiling with her blanket. The tone pale and purple due to the asphyxiation caused by the strangulation. She had given herself death not having been able to support what had happened leaving a very macabre gift to her comrades.
