RAVE'S POINT OF VIEW.
-Is this how it's going to end for me?-
She taps my cheek with her free hand.
-I can't let myself lose-
I grab onto her hand like my life depends on it;
-Cause it does-
Her chuckle of amusement shatters into a pained shriek when I seize her fingers with my mouth.
I sink my teeth into her hand.
-Her blood tastes absolutely disgusting-
Her grip on my neck breaks, as she focuses on trying to pull her hand away from my mouth;
-I am obstinate as I refuse to let go-
If I have to devour this hand in order to survive, then;
-So be it-
I press my teeth harder on the flesh in a bid to yank it off completely.
She screams jerking, and digs her free fingers into my eyes.
-I refuse to let go-
I feel my teeth gradually penetrate past her brick-like flesh into her bones.
"STOP IT! STOP IT!" she squeals in agony as she drives her knees into me severely.
-No matter how agonising this pain is, I'm not going to let go-
I literally can't see a thing, because she's blinded me.
-If I'm dying then she's dying too-
I clench down harder.
She pummels her fists into me viciously.
I exert even more pressure on her now exposed bones.
-Just a little bit, I'm almost there;-
Suddenly, something mighty slams down on me,
I have been flattened to the floor.
I quickly try to lift myself up, but it's almost as if;
-All the bones in my body have been shattered-
Cutting off her hand will not guarantee my victory.
-Is this how it's going to end for me-
I crawl away blindly to give myself distance.
The ground is cold and rough like gravel;
-It tears at the skin of my bare knees and palms-
My breath is burdened as I blindly scramble around on the floor.
"YOU WIN..."
Her words slice into my frantic efforts.
I am still as I lift my face up, trying to force my barely working left eye open.
-Did she just say I win?-
I watch as she nuzzles her bleeding hand.
"But I'm only giving you this opportunity because you impressed me, and NOT because you beat me!" she barks.
-I don't think I've ever felt so fulfilled in my life before-
I raise myself up slowly and keep my eyes focused on her.
She sighs heavily as she tugs at her earlobe;
"All the while I was hitting you with magic, yet you didn't even budge"
-She was hitting me with Magic?-
"You only felt it when I hit you with a comet"
-A comet?-
She drags herself up to the throne; the Earth below her lifts up, automatically elevating her to her mountaneious throne;
I feel her gaze fixated on me; "Are you really human?"
So the bouts of agonising pain I felt were Magic attacks and not physical assault?
She exhales deeply;
"It's like for a moment, you were revived by that cursed fruit...no ordinary human's fragile teeth should be able to even graze my skin"
She holds out her injured hand, the area I bit appears to be sizzling up.
"This will take a while to heal" she undertones with a sigh.
-Okay now I'm perfectly confused-
I look up at her and she motions me to herself;
I drag my battered body to the foot of her throne.
"I'll let you live" she starts simply; "But I won't hesitate to take your body the next chance I get..."
-Why is she so fixated on my body?-
"Since we're making a deal, we obviously have to sign a contract..." She snaps her fingers and my working eye sizzles as an untraceable fire licks my eyeball and then engulfs it up
-I shriek in agony-
"Now get out of my space"; she snaps her fingers again, and my mind goes blank as I am transported somewhere.
RAVE'S POV END.
NETYISHA'S POINT OF VIEW.
The air in the large, echoing hall is heavy with anticipation.
We are all clustered around awaiting the arrival of the survivors;
-But this is the second day outside our normal scheduled time and the possibility that nobody subsisted becomes a concrete fear-
Tension and apprehension hangs in the air like some invisible cloak.
-Nobody apart from the Heads is seated, nobody is unapprehensive enough to do so-
Occasional accusing glances are passed across to Mage Gazo who is hunched in a corner, cowering in absolute trepidation.
The Head Upper Mage and the Most Reverred Hostess sit on the opposite sides of a grand, centred table.
-They both carefully avoid each other's gaze-
I see Mr Hood at a corner;
-He's reading even at a time like this?-
Memories of the Mayter incidence flood in, and I tense up.
Suddenly he turns to me, I quickly glance away, my fists clenched.
"So, there were no survivors Third Upper Mage?"
The Head Upper Mage finally cuts into the silence.
"N..no sir, I can still sense life in the realm-" "-I thought you were able to influence happenings in your realm, so how come you can't simply bring them back?!" The Head Upper Mage roars interrupting Gazo's stutter.
-Silence-
"It's quite unfortunate" Most Rev Yulia pipes in quietly.
"I did not imagine Gazo could be so irresponsible..." The Head Mage hisses while shaking his head.
"We gave you one duty and one duty alone and yet you would..." The Head Mage pauses; "I've held back from discrediting you all this while Gazo but this impudence is..." the Head Mage stops with a heavy sigh.
Gazo clenches up;
"Actually sir, the Upper Mage is also to be held accountable..."
All eyes turn to Mr Hood.
Mr Hood chuckles cheerily as he tucks his book into his pocket.
"That is correct, I am also to be held accountable..." Mr Hood affirms with a bob of his head.
-Silence-
"Care to explain yourself Upper Mage?" The Head Mage inquires in puzzlement as he strokes his beard meditatively.
Mr Hood titters slightly;
"Is that really necessary when the students are going to arrive soon?"
Everyone is stunned by his impudence, the atmosphere grows dense.
Abruptly, the air above us glimmers, not a soft falter but a incomprehensible contortion, as if the air has been ripped into.
A massive orb slowly emerges, it is the colour of night purple and is luminous with obscurity.
Everyone around gasps in surprise as the orb opens up.
It disgorges the unconscious, bloody bodies of the surviving applicants.
One by one they drop onto the ground, with heavy thuds.
Gazo particularly is absolutely flabbergasted;
-Why is he so surprised?; Is this not his doing?-
Someone comes up to me silently, I turn sharply to see;
-Mr Hood-
His gaze appears to be fixed on me,
-I can't really tell due to his hood-
My chest burns with fury as I recall his apparent betrayal.
Suddenly he flashes a bizarre thumbs up at me.
-Fury gives way to confusion-
Mage Gazo marches up to us;
"Truly you're a freak! Of all places to bring them you would..." He grumbles in a whisper.
Mr Hood laughs;
"No need to whisper Gazo, when you've already announced me having a hand in this to the whole world"
-I am so lost right now-
The orb shuts up with a horrible SLAM and vanishes.
-SILENCE-
"Well, at least there are survivors" Most Rev Yulia speaks up first.
NETYISHA'S POV END.
THE HOODED ONE'S POINT OF VIEW.
"Once they wake up, we can proceed to IMMERSE them, I think they are few enough..." The Most Reverred Hostess suggests.
"I agree... but would it be proper to skip the last stage?" The Head Mage
wonders.
Most Rev Yulia sighs heavily;
"Indeed skipping the last stage is... not according to normal protocol, however...in order to avoid risking more deaths... I believe that it's best we move forward" Most Rev Yulia asserts.
Deliberations are instantly passed round through noisy whispers.
I turn to regard Netyisha who carefully avoids my glance.
"Hey Mr Hood, what is immersion all about?" Rev Netyisha addresses me.
-So finally she wants to talk to me?-
"It's a sham tradition designed by the progenitors of the System to make ordinary people believe that nobody can manifest their abilities except if permitted by the System"
She turns to me quizically;
"You're saying that anyone with essence can manifest even without being a part of the System?" she asks quietly.
I smirk to myself;
"Essence is within you, and your essence determines your ability, it's like a candle... you won't know that a candle can give you light except you believe enough to light it... therefore you can't manifest except you channel energy and belief into your essence flow..."
She gazes at me without a word; then she looks away;
"I knew what Immersion is supposed to be for, but I just knew you would have something more to tell me about it..."
She does not appear surprised at the deep rooted lies that the System is buried in.
-Which means that she is developed enough to understand the ugly nature of the System-
She turns to me again;
"Mr Hood, I-" "-Netyisha, I was looking everywhere for you" her words are interrupted as a little person comes over to where we are.
I regard this person.
"Misty, what's the matter?" Netyisha asks this person gently and familiarly.
I muse to myself as I watch them speak dearly to each other.
-Until she drops familiarity with everything, she may not be properly developed just yet-
THE HOODED ONE'S POV END.