The Silent Master

25 The Tes

Time: 2 months after the Forest incident

Location: Unknown Island in The Void

Around a gigantic round table with delicately embroidered sheets covering it sat men and women of all ages, the table was set in such a way that there was no 'head' of the table but equal positions that showed the equality of the people. If just anyone walked into the room; in not even three seconds their souls would be destroyed beyond repair and they would become walking tusks, with nothing inside them but guts and mush

All the people gathered in the room were beings only talked about in legends and stories told to scare children into eating their food, or going to bed at their bedtime.

No one knew if they were real or not except a selected few who were considered in a position of power in this world, except that was just an illusion, these people gathered here in this room were the true rulers, they are the exact meaning of the word power, and the man in the box knew it.

For all his life he had always looked out for himself, that was what his father told him to do since young, and that was what he did after his father died of an illness when he was 10 years old. With no mother or relatives willing to look after him, he became independent, and that was how he met Fin Havelt.

He had hoped by holding on to his thigh and sacrificing his dignity he would be able to live an easy life, with money and women and be able to show off in front of those weaker than him. Trips life had been going according to plan until they went onto that forest; until they met that freakin' elf and that abnormal fox.

A few months ago is when it all started. It was the start of his misery after Fin was defeated; he tried to escape back to the Master but before he could get far enough he was intercepted by strange men with black clothing and brought into an unknown place. He's been held here since then and only allowed to move if he wanted to take a piss or to eat, any other movement resulted in an unseemly long beating that left him immobile for days.

But today, something was different, when I woke up I wasn't in the mucky cell full of mud; instead, I was in some kind transparent box, like a piece of art, put on display for all to criticize. Positioned around me were dark figures covered by shadows, it was almost impossible to make out their features but the feeling they gave out wasn't one a human would, it was more... raw, dangerous.

As Trip was preoccupied trying to hold on to all the sanity he had left, beside him a thin and short old man. He volunteered to be here after knowing that those legendary people were going to gather for the first time in thousands of years, he had thought with his cultivation that he would be able to handle it but for the first time in what seems like forever, this old man felt small

Smaller than the ants he sees out on his yard, Smaller than the bugs his children stomp as a source of entertainment. With a strained smile and awkward facial expression, he tried to make himself seem more relaxed as he turned towards the shaking human in the barrier

"Tell us everything you know about what happened in that forest Human, for what you say will determine whether your worth keeping alive"

_______

Far far away from that foggy world, in a distant human city that was known throughout Xodale were thousands of children ranging in the ages 5 to 18 gathered in the city square. This city was known as the Capital of Xodale, where many people travel to pursue their dreams, thus it was dubbed The City of Dreams. It was built in a location where mother nature favoured; a truly leading- edge view that left people breathless especially the people gathered here today, who were mostly children from towns far far away.

The graceful green and variously coloured trees gave the city a backdrop that was almost magical, and even more stunning was the mighty castle perched on the highest hill a little way's from the lively city. It's almost crystal-like shine gave it the same feeling as the bright sun shining high above it, coupled along with the clear blue sky; the city of dreams was truly a sight to behold.

But in the city square, where a large fountain made of white rock and a might statue of a man dressed in armour was were the children who were taking the test stood. All around you could see various emotion's pass on the children's faces; anxiety, fear, confidence, only a certain few people stood out from the rest; a certain girl sitting at the edge of the fountain could be seen

With her carefree smile, she hummed along to a persistent song wouldn't let its clutches go. Her legs which were covered in lace stockings could barely touch the stone floor that the fountain stood on as she stung them back and forth along to the rhythm of the song, the Victorian style coral coloured dress she wore matched the lace on her stockings which added a certain feeling to her appearance.

As you looked up platinum hair that looked almost white was arranged majestically and exuded a graceful and elegant aura. But what was more shocking than her attire was the little girls face; when one looked upon it was like flowers grew out of no wear and became a backdrop to show her almost angelic beauty; with this appearance, you could understand why the usually chaotic town square was usually quiet.

But the little girl wasn't the only one getting the peoples attention, all around were children all different ages and social status's that stood out from the crowd, and the little girl knew that there was bound to be a couple humans like them after all this was the Test.

The Test to decide which human's would be lucky enough to be admitted to the Academy.