After her conversation with Morpheus, he vanished back into the At'ama as Sable prepared for the next trials. Leaving her dorm, she walked up to the deck, and to her surprise, there were still a bunch of people left.
The deck was crowded with the remaining candidates; some were leaning against the ship's railings, others sitting in small groups or alone, their expressions ranging from drained to quietly proud. But all eyes turned toward her as she emerged.
She was the last one to wake.
Sable tried not to meet anyone's gaze, shoving her hands into her coat pockets, and kept walking forward until she found an open spot.
Heaving a nervous sigh, she could see four Supervisors standing together at the prow of the ship, facing the candidates like some silent tribunal.
Rolkav, dressed in a suit and tie, stood in the center. His arms were folded behind his back as his steel-gray hair was pulled into a sharp tail. His stare could've flayed a weaker person.
To his right was Vordera. Her presence was quiet but intense, like a blade just shy of touching skin.
Avleen stood to Rolkav's left, wearing the same suit and tie with a skirt, similar to Vordera. Her demeanor was the calmest, but her gaze was the kind that saw through people.
And finally, Sametara; she was slender, red-eyed, and wore the same outfit. A slight smirk rested on her lips like she was constantly in on a joke no one else got.
Of the four, she looked the least formal, but the most dangerous.
Sable leaned up against a railing, glancing at all the tired faces around her before Rolkav's voice cut through the wind like a spell.
"Candidate Number 22. Sable Blackheart. You were the last to awaken."
Sable met his gaze.
"Yeah. Guess I'm not an early riser."
Sametara snorted with amusement.
Vordera, however, lifted her hand, saying, "Projection!" A magic circle was erected above her palm, giving a view of that same creature Sable dealt with.
The Nightgaunt.
Gasps and muttering followed.
"Is that a Nightgaunt? Why are they showing us that?" One candidate said.
"We seriously aren't about to fight one, are we?" Asked another.
Several candidates stiffened, one even dropped a scroll they'd been holding.
Sable watched without flinching as Avleen stepped forward next.
"Of all recorded encounters with the entity labeled as 'Nightgaunt' during the Sorcerer Exams, yours is the only documented survival." Her tone was deep before she smiled. "You encountered it in its matured, dominion-bound form. The fact you returned alive is… unprecedented."
"O-Oh!" Sable widened her eyes. "Are you talking to me?" She asked, pointing to herself.
"Yes." Said Avleen, nodding her head. "You were the unlucky one chosen to fight this creature in your nightmare."
Conversations immediately dropped off as Sable heard her name in whispers.
"Someone survived the Nightgaunt?"
"Is that even possible? Those creatures claimed dozens throughout the Sorcerer Exams. Who is this Sable chick?"
"No one was supposed to make it out of that."
"Look at her… like it didn't even phase her…"
Sable stood up straight and cleared her throat.
"W-Well, yes! I was the one who killed the… uhh… Nightgaunt!"
Her words earned a long pause. Even Sametara raised her brow before Rolkav stepped closer.
"Explain how."
"Uhhh… I don't know? I just didn't let it win." Sable said, a bit embarrassed by all the stares. "It tried to use my own fear against me, and tried to impersonate me. It was attempting to break me down from the inside. So I broke it down instead. With a wrench."
Everyone stared at her with clueless eyes, some even wanting to disbelieve her.
Then Sametara laughed aloud.
"With a wrench?! You've got style, kid!"
Avleen looked less amused.
"You destroyed a creature born from conceptual fear with a dream object. That shouldn't have been possible. They're invulnerable to such things."
Vordera narrowed her eyes.
"Unless her willpower is abnormal."
Rolkav said nothing and only stared before finally nodding.
"Then I suppose we can proceed to the next phase."
Sable raised an eyebrow.
"What's next? Something worse than that?"
Inside Vordera's projection spell, the Nightgaunt vanished and was replaced by a massive, magical gate, surrounded by glyphs and magic, located on an island.
"The Gate of Arcseal." Said Vordera. "Each candidate will go through the gate and either work as a team or by themselves. This will be a trial where you must face each other, and steal one another's bracelets located on your wrists."
Everyone widened their eyes before staring at the bracelets on them.
"Think of it like a free-for-all." Sametara said grinning. "Except you can join teams, and the winning team, or a single person, with at least 3 bracelets can advance to the next trial."
"Survive." Avleen said. "And you may advance."
"Fail." Rolkav added. "And you are dismissed from the Sorcerer Path. Permanently."
A heavy silence followed as a dozen eyes turned to the gate's hologram.
"We arrive in one hour." Rolkav said. "Prepare yourselves."
As the projection faded, the Supervisors turned away one by one.
The pressure of their presence lifted like a storm before they walked away.
Sable exhaled through her nose and leaned against the rail, staring out toward the shrouded island in the distance.
She was visibly nervous; she swore she could feel her stomach sink.
A battle royale? Already?
Some of the candidates were whispering again, but this time, their tones had definitely changed without a doubt.
People were sizing each other up, even her included.
"Three bracelets…" Sable muttered, glancing at her own wrist. It was the same bracelet she received when she first got on the ship, and it seemed to fuse seamlessly to her skin. "So they want us to go full survival mode, huh?"
One of the taller candidates across the deck cracked his knuckles.
Another, a thin girl with bright red eyes, had already taken a few steps back from the group, scanning everyone.
The test hadn't even started, and trust had already begun to erode.
Sable exhaled slowly, leaning her head off the railing to look into the sky.
"Ughhh… this is going to suck so much ass."
"Hey, you, Nightgaunt Killer!!" All of a sudden a voice called out to her, catching Sable off guard.
Widening her eyes, she turned to face its direction, immediately noticing someone approaching her.
She appeared dark-skinned with a large curly Afro, a blue blossom shirt, jeans and dress shoes. Not to mention, she was incredibly beautiful… it definitely caught Sable's attention.
"Huh? Oh… err… what's up?!"
She leaned off the railing and crossed her arms.
Walking beside this chick was another person; wearing a sailor uniform and a beret hat. She had noticeably droopy eyes.
"Yo, do you have a team by chance?" She asked, smiling.
"A team? Naaah, I came solo." Said Sable, eyeing both of them.
"Seriously? Sweet! You wanna join our team then?"
"Wha?" Sable lifted her brows, staring them both in the face, specifically Adelheid, who seemed to be wearing a mischievous smirk on her face.
It gave Sable the Heebie-Jeebies.
"What's your guys' names?"
"My name is Margaret Ashborn, and this is Adelheid Schäfer." She said, pointing at the sly candidate. "I'm looking for people who are strong, and after hearing you kill a Nightgaunt, I decided why not? So, you wanna team up? I'm a good team player."
Sable huffed an unnoticeable sigh, trying to think of the best course of action here.
"Margaret… and Adelheid, huh?" She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes in thought.
"If you wish to remain by yourself, then that is fine by all means." Adelheid took a step closer, her thoughts unreadable by that mischievous smile. "But don't expect me to show you mercy on the island if we happen to cross each other's paths."
Sable widened her eyes, glaring at Adelheid in the face.
"What was that?" Taking a step forward, the Hasteheart furrowed her brows. "You got something you wanna say to me?"
Adelheid chuckled before taking a step back, shaking her head.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm only testing you." She said, snickering. "You have quite the temper to be trying the Sorcerer Exams."
Margaret gave Adelheid a side-eye before sighing.
"This whole team thing may not work out after all…"
Sable snickered.
"No no, it's fine, I really do need to watch my temper, sorry!" She cleared her throat. "I'll join you guys! If we're going to be fighting against everyone on an island that we have no idea about, then it's only logical to build a team."
"Oh… well, you see, Adelheid here knows a lot about the island. This is actually her second time taking the Sorcerer Exams, so she's a veteran."
Sable lifted her brows, staring at the sly candidate. "Huh, seriously?" A smile suddenly crossed her face. What a relief. "Then hell yeah, count me in! If we have a veteran, then this should be a walk in the park!"
Sable pumped out her fist.
"How about a fist bump, to our newly created team!"
Margaret matched Sable's energy, slamming her fist with hers.
"Alright! A team it is, Sable!"
Adelheid's smile faded as she watched the two of them match each other's energy, though she complied nonetheless.
"I hope none of you disappoint me."
Adelheid also gave the same fist bump as Margaret nudged her shoulder.
"I guess we are all set!"