Charon felt like he was drowning.
An inky void spread out around him in all directions, no light daring to exist in this sacred space.
His body twisted and convulsed as it tried desperately to reclaim the substance it had lost, to become physical once more, yet nothing he did made the feeling go away.
Then, after an indeterminate amount of time, he felt something else.
It started as a pinprick in his brain, a small mote of pain, before ballooning into a cacophony of feelings.
Dread, fear, loneliness, acceptance, loss, eternity, oblivion.
These emotions and concepts surged up into his mind, claiming a space he never knew existed before.
As quickly as they came, they left, leaving Charon emptier than he had ever known.
Before he knew it, he felt himself lurching awake in a cramped steel tube with a glass front. Metal restraints held his arms and legs tightly, allowing him no room to move.
Whipping his head back and forth violently, Charon began to hyperventilate as he struggled to figure out whether he was dead, captured, or simply dreaming.
'What happened? Where am I? Am I dead? Did the Elves capture me?'
His thoughts came one after the other, filling his head with worries on top of worries.
Slowly calming himself down, he leaned his head back on the cold metal, using the chill to temper his tumultuous mind.
'This must be part of the mage's plans, otherwise he wouldn't have sent me here. I just need to trust that he had a reason.'
He figured if the plan was to kill him, he would have done it back in the village.
Thinking of the village brought a frown to his face.
'I wasn't able to check on my friends or the Mistress. I hope they are okay.'
Trying to distract himself, he tried to look out the glass, but it was too glazed over for him to identify anything through it.
All he could see was his own reflection.
Wavy black hair slicked down with sweat and dark green eyes looked back at him. His pasty white skin held a healthy red hue from the physical exertion. A small scar ran from his left cheek to his left ear, a mark he never knew the source of.
Although he was tall, being almost six feet, the tube held him with room to spare. Doing his best to lean back to peer upwards, he realized it could hold someone almost twice his size.
'What kind of giant was this thing built for?'
Just as he had those thoughts, his tube began to hiss. The glass slowly pulled away, a white mist spilling out from the sides as it raised up to reveal a man standing on the other side.
He looked to be almost forty, with thinning hair and a raggedy beard. His dark robes looked expensive but were wrinkled and unkempt. He held a square plate in his hand that projected a transparent blue screen with a series of text above it, an item Charon recognized as a holo-pad.
The man sighed deeply, rubbing his temple with his free hand as he glanced up at Charon with tired eyes.
"So, you're the low-born we got sent? What did you do to get yourself noticed by a priest?"
Without waiting for him to respond, the man just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Don't answer that, you're wasting enough of my time as it is."
Charon watched wide eyes as the man pushed a button on his holo-pad. Immediately, the metal restraints pulled away, releasing his limbs and causing him to fall forward. His knees hit the metal floor first, sending a shockwave of pain up his nervous system.
He gritted his teeth as he struggled not to yell, expecting more pain to follow from his previous injuries.
Surprisingly, nothing else came.
Looking down, he noticed that his arms were free from any of the cuts and bruises he had experienced in the battle. Focusing on the pain, he realized that it only came from his knees, nowhere else that had been injured.
'I'm healed? But how?'
Before he could consider it any further, the priest stuck the holo-pad in his face. A bright flash came from a small hole in the side, blinding Charon temporarily.
Reaching out to cover his eyes, he leaned back on his ankles and turned away. The man just muttered to himself, clicking a few more buttons on the holo-pad.
Once his sight returned, Charon turned back to see the man pocketing the holo-pad.
"Get up, Charon. I want to debrief you as soon as possible so I can get back to doing things that matter."
Without waiting to see if he would follow, he turned and began walking away.
Charon finally glanced around, seeing that his tube was just one in a room full of rows and rows of similar capsules. Deciding he didn't want to be left alone in this strange place, he scrambled to his feet and raced to catch up, asking a question the moment he got close.
"How do you know who I am?"
The man snarled as if the question was an insult, barking a response with barely contained derision.
"How bad do you think our records are? You think you're the first nobody from the outskirts we've gotten here? From the moment you were born, we knew everything about you, so why don't you shut up and let me do my job before you embarrass yourself any further."
Charon recoiled at how brusque the man was, taking insult to what he considered a very simple question.
Opening his mouth to speak again, he closed it when he saw the withering glare the man was giving him.
'Who the hell does this guy think he is?'
Passing through a doorway that opened with a chime, Charon found himself in a small office room. Only a single desk and two chairs filled the space, a small stack of papers and a series of electronic devices covering the surface.
Without stopping, the robed man walked around the desk and sat down, knocking over some of the papers. Cursing loudly, the man picked them up and slammed them back down on the stack.
Charon moved slowly to sit in the chair opposite, hoping that he would avoid being the target of the next outburst.
The moment he sat, the man leaned back in his chair and spoke, the words coming out so fast Charon struggled to keep up.
"Welcome to the Noctis Vrex. Given that you were sent from an outskirt planet, I will assume you have no knowledge of the Death Trials. This ship is commanded by the High Priest of Death and serves as both a school and training ground for those chosen by priests who seem worthy to serve as warriors of the God of Death, whether that be as magi or priests."
Pausing to sigh as if he was sick of his speech, the man waved his hand dismissively and continued.
"You will stay here for six months, where you will study and train, both in simulations and real-life events. Given the ongoing war between the Elves and the Human Empire, you will be expected to occasionally test your skills in open combat. This will be done under the watchful eye of your superiors, but injuries and even death do happen. Your parents will have-"
The man stopped mid-sentence, his face twisting into a frown as if he was disgusted to be forced to repeat himself.
"Considering you have no parents, your being here is seen as acceptance of all risks. Tomorrow, you will be tested for your aspects, which will determine what schools of magic you will study while here. For now, you will be assigned a room, where you will meet your roommates and begin preparing for your first trial in a month."
Tilting his head to the side, the man raised an eyebrow and curled his lips in what looked like a snake's attempt at smiling.
"Any questions?"
Taking a moment to try and let the information set in, Charon didn't answer immediately, a sign the man took as him having no questions.
"Perfect! Now take this and leave!"
With impressive speed, the man grabbed a holo-pad off the desk and shoved it into Charon's hands, the force pushing his chair back a few inches.
Finally snapping out of his stupor, Charon quickly tried to ask questions.
"Wait, what do you mean Death Trials? What is all this?"
The man just stood up and walked around the desk, hoisting Charon up with barely any effort and roughly dragged him towards the door.
"Too late, if you really cared you would have learned who we were before coming here. If you have any questions, figure it out on your own time."
The moment they reached the door, the man yanked Charon out, causing him to almost lose his balance and fall.
"This is a place of learning and growth. Do me a favor and learn and grow before you ask anyone else those stupid questions."
Without another word, the man turned around, the door closing behind him with a chime. Charon stood just outside, clutching the holo-pad like his life depended on it, his jaw dropping in abject confusion.