Dax rose from his seat, his short, black, lustrous hair trembling as though stirred by an invisible breeze of nerves. Every strand seemed to waggle with its own apprehension as he walked toward Honcho Morock, bracing himself the way a condemned soldier braces for the blade.
Morock stood like an executioner behind the ritual table, broad shoulders hunched, lips curling upward. That evil smile unfurled across his face like a dark flower opening under moonlight. Without a word he seized Dax's thumb, and with the precision of a butcher pierced it from top to base, the pin rupturing under the nail with a muted, sickening pop.
"OUCH!" Dax yelled, the cry tearing from his throat before he could cage it. Inside, though, he fought the urge to wince; he hated appearing different from the others, hated showing weakness.
Yet the sting burrowed deeper than he had anticipated, sharp as a scorpion's kiss, burning like liquid fire beneath his skin.
Blood trickled down his hand, crimson rivulets marking his palm as though sketching a sigil. Slowly, he walked up towards the raised cylindrical podium. Tension written all over him. If there was something he hated the most it was standing in front a large crowd like he was doing now.
He drew in a tremulous breath, then, with ritual gravity, extended his blood-stained hand toward the slim, cylindrical podium.
Beside him the other two chosen (the Transcended girl and the Veilbound girl) stepped forward as well. Their faces were pale masks of composure; their eyes betrayed flickers of the same tension pulsing through Dax.
At Madame Liliana's cool command they pressed their wounded thumbs to the recessed slots, surrendering their essence to the mechanism.
The podium accepted the offering with a faint hiss, and a glassy orb, red as a darkened sun, rose before them. A thin beam spilled from it, scanning them from head to toe, a crimson ray sliding over their bodies like a cold touch.
Then...
Ding.
The sound rang through the hall like a bell of prophecy. Naya, seated among the mentors, leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. She wanted to know whose name would flare first across the crystalline screen. Was it her trainee, Dax?
Well, It was not.
The screen blossomed instead with the Transcended girl's image, her features luminous against the glowing board. Elegant white text scribbled itself across the surface like self-writing fire:
[name: Darling Lenerd]
[triarch facet: Transcended]
[rank: Kindled]
[rank aspect: Ascendant Halo
A thick wave of cheers erupted; half triumph, half shame. Confusion and astonishment tangled in the air like clashing scents. A novice Transcended bearing the highest rank aspect? Higher even than some of the seasoned elite who had not yet reached Auroral? The crowd murmured like a disturbed hive.
Many now believed fully that nothing could allow the Beyonder boy Dax to surpass her.
But the stats rolled on:
[will: Weak-Willed]
A chilling calm swept the chamber. Faces turned, eyes widened. Weak-willed? It had never been recorded before. Never... that someone so "frail" of will could pass the Harness, let alone achieve a rank aspect this high.
They were the ones supposed to be protected, not wielding power like this.
Dax swallowed, surprised. Another weak-willed… at least his rival matched him. He exhaled slowly, trying to anchor himself.
Perhaps, he thought, if the Devil had chosen him for a gift, Elivar had done the same for her. Maybe the twin powers were testing humanity with these fragile vessels, a first trial to see if the weak could defend Earth.
Two cosmic opposites testing weak-willed vessels. 'Maybe', he whispered inwardly, though doubt still coiled in his gut.
On the dais the leaders of the Trinity remained statuesque, their faces unreadable, as though they had foreseen this moment and rehearsed their indifference.
The board glided on:
[essence gained: Echo Essence]
[echoes: 2/50 | (Parallax Server destroyed <+1 Rank B beasts>)]
...
Rank D and C beasts gave one essence; Rank B gave two; Rank A gave four.
Therefore, She had slain a Rank B beast and earned her pair of Echoes.
...
[bio-line: Incarnate of Helionth]
Gasps crashed like waves on stone. Helionth; the greatest Transcended in history, linked to a weak-willed?
"She's a cheat!" someone from the Transcended ranks shouted.
"Lies!" another barked.
The Beyonders only booed, jeering in delight. Feeding on the chaos.
When her stats ended, a hesitant clap swelled among the Transcended; weak-willed or not, her rank aspect towered above all records so far. And they were definitely sure that the beyonders wouldn't see her ass, let alone match or compete her stats.
Ding.
Another screen ignited, this one with Dax's face; handsome smile, oval features, black hair, azure eyes staring back at himself and the hall. Naya braced, silently praying he would not disappoint her.
The AI voice unfurled the data like a verdict etched in ice:
[name: Daxon Smith]
[triarch facet: Beyonder]
[rank: Stirred]
[will: Weak-Willed]
The hall fell utterly still. Confusion flickered like candlelight on every face. Two weak-willed among the Trinity? And the leaders, still unmoved, as if expecting it.
The next line appeared:
[rank aspect: Abyssal Halo
The Beyonders erupted, their roar rising like a storm tearing shingles from a roof. Dax blinked at the screen, and breathed down; his rank aspect equalled Darling's.
Across the hall, Beyonder hearts hammered, the girl had outstripped most high-ranked Transcended, yet Dax now matched her. Only essence gained would decide their duel.
The transcended was shocked, so shocked that the boos from them was so weak and it felt as though they were no longer winning.
Naya's lips curved in a smile. Shocked but proud, she felt the weight of becoming a Maltheron to a weak-willed; arduous, yes, but exhilarating with such potential.
Training a weak-willed was no easy path, but training one crowned with the highest rank aspect among all initiates, that was a challenge worthy of her. Pride blossomed in her chest.
[essence gained: Mask Essence]
At this, the whole Beyonder contingent choked collectively, waiting for the mask count like pilgrims waiting for an oracle's pronouncement. Their hope of surviving the night seemed bound to that number.
It came:
[masks: 3/50 | (Parallax Server destroyed <+1 Rank D beasts {+1 mask} || +1 Rank B beast {+2 masks}>)]
As if the first revelation wasn't enough, the Beyonders' voices tore through the hall again, a thunderous roar like a stadium quake. Even Honcho Morock's stern mask cracked into pride, though he could not ignore that their faction still lagged behind in points.
Dax, however... a weak-willed who had slain two beasts, was a marvel. the highest essence owner, and yet a weak willed.
Then the final revelation scrolled:
[bio-line: Daxon is appraised for unleashing a new bio-line > Thus he is the INCARNATE OF THE DEVIL]
Silence thundered louder than noise. The words sank into the crowd like molten iron into water. Faces stiffened, jaws slackened, eyes widened.
One solitary clap rang from the back row. Another joined. Then Naya's hands struck together, firm and proud.
And suddenly the hall detonated with applause, a frenzy of joy surging from the Beyonders like a tidal wave of sound. Even the monk-like Veilbounds trembled, smiles flickering at their lips as if carved by invisible hands.
Never before had such a proclamation been made. Beyonders surged forward, hoisting Dax onto their shoulders, carrying him back to his seat like a champion returning from war.
His heart pounded as he looked over the sea of faces; disbelief, awe, something close to reverence. First time since birth he seemed to have been noticed.
He had outdone himself, perhaps even become their last, improbable hope against the Transcended this season.
Indeed, he was the Devil's Incarnate.