The Blood Trial

“I can’t give up. Not now. Not after all I’ve been through,” I whispered to myself.

Damian was approaching me from a distance, extending his sharp blade directly at me. The blade was covered in red with blood dripping from the edge. It seemed apparent that I was his next target.

“I’m going to enjoy every moment of this,” Damian announced.

His usual four companions stood guard behind him, each with their own bloody blades, as they all slowly proceeded towards me. I lay there on the ground, cornered within the forest as its foliage wrapped around me. There was a deep cut across my leg caused moments ago by a challenge that I had barely survived. My body felt restless as my back remained attached to the trunk of the thick tree for support. Somehow, I had to stand and fight, despite that my body was not listening to my mind’s commands.

This forest had proven to be a much bigger obstacle than I had previously expected. The thick flora and the absolute darkness weren’t even the biggest concern compared to the gloomy fog that enveloped the woodland. No moon had risen tonight either to reflect its light from across the horizon, so it felt like walking through the shadows of the abyss itself. Add that to the fact that I was trapped in a forest with a hundred other contestants, each looking to kill the other; the chances of survival felt improbable.

13 CONTESTANTS REMAINING

The voice echoed through the forest. The coordinator announced the remaining number of people who were still alive.

“Looks like you’re up next, Nexen,” Damian stated as he continued to slowly approach me.

“You don’t deserve the throne, Damian,” I uttered in anger.

“Ironic coming from you, isn’t it?” He snickered. “I know all about the little tricks you’ve pulled tonight to cheat your way through the trial. But that won’t save you from me.”

His remark had caught me off guard. Nobody was supposed to know I had set certain traps within the forest to gain an advantage.

“Then why keep it a secret?” I questioned. “I would’ve been eliminated from the beginning if the council found out.”

“Because then I wouldn’t have been able to painfully kill you,” He responded with a hint of lust for causing pain in his voice.

I did indeed have a few tricks prepared before the contest commenced. These tricks gave me an unfair advantage, which could lead to my expulsion from the academy. But to me, it was revenge for all the iniquity I had faced so far at the institution.

I was an outcast from the first day of the academy. People stared at me with a cruel glance. They spoke behind my back vulgarly. Even the professors took part in differentiating. Why, you may ask?

Maybe it was because I didn’t belong to a prestigious family, nor did I have any wealth or connections like my peers. Unlike the other students, I didn't represent an elite family that gifted them a privileged life since birth. Some people detested me because I worshipped a different god and prayed in a different language. They’d curse me for my speech and my ideals because they didn’t align with their teachings. Most people, however, despised me because of my darker skin. To them I was nothing but scum because I looked different, and they made sure I understood that with their remarks.

Nobody with such credentials had ever been accepted to the academy before. I suffered each day with belittlement and oppression by my peers and my professors. Even my family was faced with discrimination in our village. They were hoping to coerce me into returning. But I didn't waver, as my ultimate goal lay ahead.

The purpose of the academy was to train youngsters who showed potential and were truly gifted. The fundamental purpose was to craft the perfect individual who would then become the apprentice to the Ruler. The Ruler would mentor the apprentice under him, and upon his eventual death, the apprentice will be the next to take the throne.

The Ruler is the most powerful man in the world, as he rules all the land that belongs to the living. I want nothing more than to gain that power and become the Ruler so that I can show the world my worth. To finally earn the respect I deserve and be viewed as an equal. Who I am just presents me, but what I do defines me.

I got accepted into the academy through exploiting the process. I had applied anonymously with a curated profile, and once accepted, I could only be expelled if I committed a crime. I just had to make sure I never got caught. As time passed, most students stopped caring about bothering me, but they continued to ignore me and maintain a permanent distance from me. Others, like Damian, continued to remain a pain in my arse.

Lost in isolation, I had felt as if the entire world was fighting against me and had deserted me in a place filled with enemies. Only one individual stood by me and supported me through it all—Nora. Nora had approached me during my third year in the academy, as she had seemed to develop a liking for me. Although we had to maintain our relationship secretly, we became quite close, and eventually she became my eyes and ears within the academy. Nora’s greatest strength was her incomparable swordsmanship and her skills on the battlefront. With my academic prowess and her athletic capabilities, it was as if we had filled each other’s weaknesses and formed one complete bond.

Due to Nora’s help, I was able to stay focused on my studies: medicine, public affairs, metalworks, literature, civics, monsters, history, and weapons & combat. Due to my brilliance, I had excelled in all my classes and became one of the top-ranked students within the academy. My ranking had gone under everybody’s noses while they were too busy persecuting me instead.

The Blood Trial was announced a quarter of a month ago, when the now previous ruler had passed away and a new apprentice was due. The Trial was a contest involving the top students of the academy. These students were placed against each other in a fight for survival. With nothing but swords and armor, each individual had to defend themselves within the boundaries of the academy's forest. The sole survivor would be declared the next apprentice. You had the option to forfeit, of course, and many did before the Trial even commenced. Some participated with the intention to aid their close peers in battle to defeat the other contestants. A participant could surrender at any point of the Trial. Many such bootlickers rallied behind Damian to get on his good side, as he was most likely to be the next apprentice, considering his older brother was now the Ruler. Nobody dared to challenge Damian for the throne except me. I was completely committed to doing everything necessary to win.

So against all odds, I had set countless traps the night before the Trials began. For instance, I had avoided the northern section of the forest entirely, as I had contaminated the air in that zone with a poisonous gas. It was a little skill I had picked up from Medicine class, where we were taught to brew remedies. I had surpassed the curriculum and taught myself additional methods with which I curated the gas. Too much exposure to this gas would congest an individual's bodily pathways until they won't be able to breathe at all.

In the Western zones, I had let loose some wild wolves to hunt the contestants, or at worst, injure them. Monsters class was all about hunting, but I had learned to form a sort of bond with the wolves. While it was difficult training them, I was at least able to manage to convey that I meant no harm to them, and they seemed to respond similarly. Who knew that wolves could become such loyal creatures if trained correctly?

Lastly, I had invented a metallic glove with my experience in Metalworks class. A small vial that held some fuel was attached to the glove. With a quick spark, I was able to ignite a blaze that would wrap my gloves in flames. I knew I was often outmatched in combat, so I had crafted these gloves as additional weaponry.

I adjusted my right arm to hide it behind my back. Damian was getting closer by the second, reducing the distance between us. I was waiting for the perfect opening when I could startle him and attack him with a burning flame through my metallic glove. I'd have to release all the fuel I had left to catch both Damian and his companions behind him in the attack. I also had to act quickly before he could manage to swing his blade at me. It was difficult to see through the mist, but I had to make sure I got the perfect timing.

He was just a couple feet away from me as I prepared to unleash my hand. I could now see his dark, fiery eyes within sight that were filled with a wicked lust for destruction. To him I was just prey all this time, but now it was my moment to fight back. My heart started beating faster as I took in a big breath of air before preparing to attack. Suddenly, I felt a swish of air as the leaves rustled powerfully, and I saw something drop from the tree above me.

Slash.

It sounded like a cut was ripped through the wind, piercing it in half. Chills ran through my skin as I was completely lost in shock. Damian’s body had instantly dropped on the floor as a figure stood above him with a blade in its hand. Moments later I heard the screams of the companions as they charged toward the figure with rage. The new figure danced around the fog, fighting the four companions all alone, as I heard several more slashes of the blades. Despite the fog, I recognized these precise movements in combat. Luckily, Nora had found me at the right time and had leaped into combat when she found an opening. She managed to kill Damian in one blow and was now fighting in a duel where she was heavily outnumbered.

I internally screamed at my body to get up because I needed to help her. She was my only hope of survival. My brain fuzzed and my eyesight weakened as I forced myself up. I was still losing blood from the wound on my leg, but I fought the pain and charged towards the brawl.

“NORA, WATCH OUT!” I yelled as I aimed my glove at the brawl.

Nora understood and evaded out of range as our enemies were caught by surprise by the fire. Their screams grew louder as the burns etched into their skins. I emptied all the fuel I had in my vial. The bodies were engulfed in flames as Nora dove in to land final blows on all four of them.

Nora and I had accidentally strayed away from each other a few hours after the Trial had begun. Luckily, she had managed to swoop in at the most crucial time.

6 CONTESTANTS REMAINING

“Nexen, are you alright?” She ran towards me, looking at my bruised leg.

“Yes, I just need to wrap my wound, and it should be better. I can walk, but I doubt I can be of any use in any more duels,” I responded.

“Leave the fighting to me. But we need to get away from here as soon as possible. It seems like the wolves have been separated from their pack and have gone rogue.” She pointed in the direction behind me. “There's a hill up east from here, and we should be better situated over there with the high ground.”

I sat down on the ground and extended my leg as Nora tore a piece of cloth from her sleeve to wrap it around my wound. Nora had supported me throughout all the toughest times of my life. She wholly believed that nobody would be able to defeat the two of us together. According to our plan, she would forfeit if we were the last two survivors, which would instate me as the winner. Nora was the only person I had feelings for within me, and that made her my biggest weakness. It would be a shame that I had planned to eventually kill her.

- - -

We had finally managed to make it up to the hill with a little struggle. My wound was now completely covered, but walking still felt like a major burden and radiated the strain throughout my entire body. We had heard screams and growls behind us as we had made our way up here.

We had a clear view from this hill as the entire forest lay beneath us. The wind was much crisper, and the fog had already settled at this altitude. The sun had started to appear from across the horizon. Light peeked from between the clouds as dawn was taking control over the night. That was when I heard the announcer’s voice echoing all the way up here.

2 CONTESTANTS REMAINING

This was it. I had won. Finally, I had accomplished all that I had ever wanted. All the struggles I went through had been worth it.

“Nora…” I muttered right before I felt a gush of pressure around my back.

I lost my control and fell to the ground. Pain ran rampant throughout my body as I tried gasping for breath. Nora had stabbed me in the back with her blade.

“N…Nora. Why?” I struggled to murmur in confusion.

“Everything I’ve ever done is for this moment,” Nora responded as she stared at the sunrise. “I sacrificed my life of wealth and luxury, fought against my family, stood against society, and even manipulated you so that I could get here. I am the best duelist across all lands, but nobody ever notices that. Because I was just a lady. According to society, my purpose was just to find a man and take care of him. But that's not the path I'm going to choose. I wanted to be seen by the world and earn their respect. And now I’ll finally have it.”

My body was losing energy, and I could feel my pulse starting to quiet down. I had taken too many injuries, and my body couldn’t fight anymore. I shut my eyes, feeling the warm wind around me as I took my last breath.

1 CONTESTANT REMAINS