For the second time in a short time span, Charon found himself waking up in a new environment.
'Third if I count the trial itself.'
Smirking from his joke, he leaned up and looked around.
Fluorescent hospital lights greeted him, alongside the sterile smell of antisceptics and latex. The buzz of machinery filled the small room, and hurried voices came from an open doorway.
He was sitting in a raised hospital bed, supported by a thin mattress. A few computers monitored his vitals through a few cords connected to his body.
Suddenly, he sensed someone approach his room.
'So my ability isn't gone. Thank the gods, I still have a chance at making something of myself!'
After being unable to sense the knight, he was worried that he had lost his only magic power, only having it for the trial.
Learning he had kept it was no small comfort.
A woman wearing teal scrubs peeked into the room, looking down at a handheld computer before smiling and entering.
"Good afternoon, Mr…"
She took another glance down before continuing.
"Mr. Charon. I have notified your guardian, and he should be along shortly. How are you feeling?"
Brushing dark hair out of his face, he was momentarily startled to see the tattoo of a staff inlaid into a ring, before remembering the artifact.
'More proof it wasn't a dream.'
"I'm feeling okay. A little exhausted, maybe."
Knitting his eyebrows, he remembered what she had said.
"Guardian? I have a guardian coming to see me?"
The nurse smiled and nodded, sending her blonde ponytail swaying. The sight of it captivated Charon for a second until he snapped out of it.
'That thing is super distracting.'
"Yes, Mr. Charon. The man who checked you into this ward requested to be notified the moment you had awakened. It is standard procedure for those who undergo trials, I assure you."
Charon's eyes widened as words spilled out.
"What do you mean for those who undergo trials? There were others?"
The woman's smile faltered, before she once again looked at her computer, reading a couple lines before understanding dawned on her face.
"Oh, my apologies. I was unaware you were belonging to an orphanage. It is common knowledge for those who undergo standardized education to learn the possibilities associated with gaining an element. Would you like me to help explain what happened?"
Her smile returned, but felt more forced than before, causing Charon to scoff.
'Typical. The moment she learns I'm an orphan, she wants to get out of here. She must think I'm not worth her time.'
Doing his best to hide his emotions, he responded, hoping to learn some more.
"Yes please, I didn't know it was a thing until I received my element at the ceremony."
The nurse's smile slipped before she responded, revealing the annoyance she felt underneath.
"When someone receives their element at the ceremony, there is a small chance that they are selected for a trial by a god or one of their highest followers. They are then sent to experience events we believe happened during the past on any of the current human worlds, and even some non-human ones."
She gestured to the room with her free hand, the action somewhat flippant.
"This room is part of a ward dedicated to housing the bodies of those undergoing trials. The soul leaves them behind to compete, and although they do not deteriorate, it is inconvenient to leave them lying around."
Charon listened to every word with rapt attention as he learned more.
'So I'm not the only one who went through one? Why isn't this more common knowledge?'
Remembering what she had said, he frowned, realizing his mistake.
'It is common knowledge, I just didn't have a common education.'
Hoping to press her for more information, she smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, exploiting his youth to try and appear innocent.
"Why do the trials happen though?"
His placation seemed to work, the nurse sighing heavily before answering, this time with more energy.
"The gods watch us at all times, but it is not always to their liking. If they want to see how someone will act in a certain environment, they place them there rather than wait for circumstances to allow it. Afterward, they judge whether or not to reward them."
She lifted her computer, aiming it at Charon before pressing a button. A beam of light shot from the camera lens, scanning his body up and down as he rushed to cover himself.
Looking at the data she gathered, he tilted her head before looking back at him.
"Impressive, a rare-rank ability on your first trial is difficult to manage. You must have done well in the eyes of whichever god tested you."
He picked up on what she said quickly.
'She could see my abilities rank, but not which element it came from. Interesting.'
He wasn't sure how useful that knowledge was, but it was better than nothing.
Charon also couldn't help but catch another inference.
"Why did you refer to it as my first trial?"
The smile was wiped off the nurse's face as she turned away from him.
"Ah, that's the bad news. Those who have trials, usually have multiple. The gods will test them in new, often more challenging, ways over time. Especially if they think you are neglecting your own training or advancement."
Charon's jaw dropped.
'I'll have to do that again!?'
It dropped further as more of what she said registered, his eyes going as wide as dinner plates.
'Multiple times. I'll have to do it multiple times! Like I'm a puppet dancing for the god's entertainment!'
He clutched his head as he remembered the brutal fighting, death, and pain he felt, all within two days of his first trial.
The nurse gave him a sympathetic look.
"I see your first trial must have been difficult. I apologize if this news is unwelcome. If it is any consolation, trials often provide the best opportunities to earn new elements and take back riches."
Seeing how little effect her words had, she continued with a different approach.
"There is also the benefit of being unable to die in a trial, so many view it as an occasional special training mission. It may help to share that view."
His eyes snapped up to hers.
"You can't die in a trial?"
The woman smiled, this time far more genuinely.
"No, of course not. It is a test, not a massacre. Most die in their first few trials, it's seen as a rite of passage even. The only downsides with trial death is often little to no rewards, and the soul trauma afterward."
She shuddered.
"I will assume you are unfamiliar with soul trauma so I will explain. When you die in a trial, your body is unharmed, but it shocks your soul, causing it to be damaged. It heals, but during that time your body enters a coma, often lasting days to weeks, sometimes longer. It also hurts quite a lot."
Charon's eyes lowered to his bed, looking at his sheets.
'I can't die in the trial. All that fear, that terror… was for nothing.'
He frowned.
'No, not nothing. I still felt the pain, and I still earned rewards by persevering.'
As the nurse had said, Charon did indeed feel a bit better knowing he couldn't die in the trials.
'It means I don't have to worry about that hell as much. Sure, it can still hurt me, but nothing can be worse than those rotting mists. And I can earn powers to boot!'
The nurse noticed his changing mood and pressed her advantage, offering some more benefits.
"As a Trial-Born, you will have far more opportunities to earn rewards than a normal mage. Most, if not all, of the strongest mages are Trial-Born. They gain more abilities, relics, and treasure than anyone else. Even ability evolutions in trials are more extreme."
Every word she said made him feel better about his current situation, offering him an escape from his fears.
'If what she is saying is true, I can use the trials to grow stronger than anyone else, able to provide for myself. Isn't that the dream? The ideal lifestyle?'
Appreciating her efforts, he looked her in the eye and said two words he very rarely used.
"Thank you."
Sensing his sincerity, she smiled in return.
"Of course, Mr. Charon. Your guardian will be in shortly. Would you like some water or other refreshments? I'm sure you are hungry."
His stomach rumbled at her words, causing her to chuckle.
"I will take that as a yes. I will return shortly, please rest in the meantime."
She left the room, taking her computer with her, Charon sensing her every step, enjoying the return of his ability.
Laying his head back onto the pillow, he inhaled and exhaled, enjoying the clean air.
'I guess without a battlefield full of raging fires and dying soldiers, air is a lot cleaner.'
He took another look around the room, feeling safe in its modern amenities, before closing his eyes and allowing himself to relax.