On top of the stage Garvin stood, his eyes scanning the six unlucky survivors. He spoke, his tone grim. "Time for your third trial."
He turned around walking. "Follow me."
Only six out of twenty candidates had progressed onto the third and final trial: Calistis Zyros, Talen, Lillian Poul, Henry Adam, Valen Dain, and Kestis Sol.
Garvin walked to the opposite end of the hall and stood before another gate. It was similar to the one Talen had seen leading into the dorms. The six candidates stood silently not far behind him in a straight line, all hands behind their backs.
Garvin turned around, evaluating them further. "As you all know, your third trial is survival." He said, his tone flat but the revelation grim, at least to Talen, as it seemed he was the only one unaware.
Garvin continued. "You will be traveling in a space plane to planet Roku, where you survive for a week."
Garvin brought out the same remote, clicking it he continued. "You will be provided with a weapon of choice, your only provision."
The hologram flickered to life, displaying a planet.
The planet was relatively small at 310 million km². From space its atmosphere looked like a swirling mist of green and brown. Garvin zoomed in.
The planet was a dense forest filled with trees reaching heights of hundreds and thousands of feet.
"Chaos monsters on planet Roku are of level 3: Tempest, and below." Garvin said, clicking the remote again.
The hologram twitched displaying a gigantic bird with a long slender neck and an equally large beak overflowing with razor-sharp teeth. The bird was covered in obsidian black feathers, contrasting its sky blue eyes.
"This is the Bird of Plague, its Tempest element: wind." Garvin recited.
Henry flinched, his hands trembling. 'I-it really is on Roku.' He thought, gulping as he remembered all the horrifying tales of the Tempest.
Garvin turned back looking at the six candidates, noticing the worry on Henry's face he reassured them. "Do not worry. There are no evolved Tempests on Roku." Garvin assured, his tone softer.
Garvin turned his head back to the hologram. Clicking the remote the display changed.
It now displayed a range of abominations, each more grotesque than the last. "Of course there are monsters of level 1: Wretches and level 2: Behemoths. Many of them in fact." The hologram zoomed back out showing the dense forest of Roku
"The trial has three simple rules. First: survive for a week; you can kill chaos monsters or hide. Second: You are not allowed to kill other candidates; do so and you will become a convicted criminal. Third: once it commences, leaving is not an option." Garvin paused giving them a chance. However, no one moved a muscle.
Smiling with satisfaction, Garvin continued. "Very well. If you wish to change weapons speak now." Again, there was silence.
Garvin clicked the remote again, and as he did all the candidates were presented with their weapons of choice.
Watching the rising platform, Talen extended his right hand, picking up the jian. He clutched it in his hand.
The jian's cold grip in his palm, jerked the memories of his mother's charred corpse from deep within. Her eyeless sockets staring at him in a silent scream.
Reminiscing through the pain, Talen sighed smiling.
There once was a time when such memories forced a reaction out of Talen. He would either vomit out what little dinner he had eaten, bawl his eyes out, dwell in his hatred towards Chaos Monsters, or his powerlessness.
But now Talen felt nothing, and he detested that the most, or at least he thought so.
Gently wrapping his mother's scarf around his wrist, Talen thought. 'Maybe, just maybe, one day I can miss you, Mother.' Her face flashed in his eyes.
Opposite Talen, Calistis picked up her knight sword.
Blood trickled down the sword's handle onto the blade as she clenched it. With determined eyes, she thought. 'I will not let the pride of Zyros be sullied again, that will make father accept me, I am sure.' The anger in her eyes evolving into hope.
Next to her, Valen picked up his Viking war hammer, resting it on his arm. He thought. 'This is only the start. I will continue to grow stronger, strong enough to protect everyone, being their hope when there is none, being the light that shines. A Hero.' Valen thought, his mentor's face flashing in his eyes.
Across from Valen, Kestis picked up his whip-like sword, curling it around his arm. He glanced at Valen, Talen, Henry, and Lillian. A sadistic smile on his face. 'The best all you trash can achieve in your pathetic lives is being my playthings. So do it well.' The smile on his face grew more predatory.
Then he glanced at Calistis. The predatory smile on his face softened to one of reverence. 'But you, my lady of the greatest house and race in the physical realm, I will gladly be your toy. I and they, are all beneath your greatness.' He thought, staring at Calistis as if she were a goddess.
Next to him Henry clutched his katana, hands trembling as he saw the look on Kestis's face.
Lillian next to him picked up her dual knives, spinning them around with practiced ease, though the pool of sweat on her face betrayed her forced calm. Discreetly she tried to wipe it away. However, it did not escape Talen and Calistis's notice.
In front of them, Garvin stood observing as they picked their weapons. He turned around clicking the remote.
Noticing how much the remote could do, Talen couldn't help but wonder. 'Is it like a master key for the whole of Hexagon or something.'
After Garvin clicked the remote, the gate opened from the middle of the emblem. Compressed air escaping with a whistle as it opened slowly and smoothly.
When the gate opened, Talen peered beyond it.
What he saw was simply astonishing. It was a gigantic hall made of black metal with tiny blue lights shining between the cracks. Inside and around the hall were large compartments bigger than the training hall.
Inside the compartments were spacecraft, ships, and motherboards large and small being repaired by a mix of androids and other races of sentient beings. The whir of machines and clicking of cogs filled the hall.
At the end of the hall, however, was not a wall or another gate. Rather, there was an invisible forcefield that shone green at the edges. That was the wall.
Beyond it was the space of the physical realm.
It was a vast empty canvas painted with stars shining like diamonds, cosmic gases of all colors floating about, and planets of all sizes scattered. It was truly a sight to behold.
A sight Talen had not seen in an exceptionally long time. Clenching his mother's scarf, he remembered the endless nights they would spend staring at the same sky.
Garvin turned back around. "This is the ensign base's hangar. Those of you who survive will be well acquainted with it until you join or make a squad."
Suddenly a moderately large space plane began entering into the space hangar. It went through the forcefield. The plane was completely silent entering and so was the forcefield.
The plane had a long, wide body with no windows visible. The body was made of grey metal. At the end of the body lay four huge, long jet engines, two on each side. In the middle was a ramp door.
The plane had two wings that extended from it. The whole plane was built smoothly with blue lights dimly shining at its edges. The plane floated into the hangar. From one of the compartments a latch rolled out connected to the floor. The latch approached the plane as it locked on to the plane.
Garvin turned his head, glancing at the space plane. "Right on time." He turned back around. "Our ride is here."
He walked closer to the hangar. By now the plane was completely latched to the hangar close to them, its ramp door open, waiting for its passengers.
Garvin turned back around to face them. The look in his eyes was no longer evaluating. His jaw clenched before he spoke, as if weighing their fates. "Joining Hexagon is a dangerous affair, we protect not just the physical realm but other worlds."
Garvin paused, sighing. "Many of us die daily, so make sure joining Hexagon is what you truly want." His gaze lingered on each of them a bit longer than usual. "Come." He said, his tone flat again.
The six of them walked to Garvin, next to him he tapped his foot on the floor. From below the hangar a wide open elevator rose, the sound of all its mechanisms moving as it grew louder as it grew closer. Once it was level with the training hall's floor, Garvin stepped onto it and so did the seven.
Once they were on its hard metal floor, the elevator moved forward, bringing them to their plane.
Talen observed the hangar more from the elevator. It was much bigger than he had previously thought. The scale of it all took him a couple minutes to comprehend. As the elevator grew closer to the plane, its size also became more apparent. It was huge, only considered small when compared to the hangar itself.
The elevator came to a smooth stop, its mechanisms whirring down. Garvin took the first step onto the plane, followed by Calistis, Valen, Kestis, Talen, Henry, and then Lillian.
Once they were inside the plane, Talen looked around it amazed.
The inside of the plane was like a small hall with 10 seats on the side. The whole interior was white every inch and corner. Beyond the hall was the door leading to the cockpit.
Garvin walked to the cockpit. As he did, he said. "Sit wherever you want. We will be at Roku in an hour." He turned around, looking at them all. "You will all be dropped in relatively the same area at different spots." With that he walked into the cockpit. Leaving them alone.
Silence hung in the air.
Talen looked around. He could see Valen, Henry, and Lillian shift uncomfortably. 'Shy social birds. 'Comical.' he thought. He kept looking around. He saw Calistis take a seat already buckling up. Kestis right next to her looked at her like a devoted servant. Calistis completely ignored him.
"What do you all say to an alliance." Valen spoke, his voice nervous.
It was his attempt at breaking the silence.
Hearing his words, Kestis jumped to his feet, declaring. "How dare scum like you suggest working together?" He looked at Calistis, his eyes salivating with reverence. "Of course, if the lady wishes, you can be our servants."
Hearing him, Calistis lifted her gaze, her tone even. "I prefer taking the trials solo." Her gaze returned to the floor, shutting out the rest of them. Kestis flinched at her words. His smile wavered.
Valen turned his head. His eyes locked onto Kestis's. He walked slowly and deliberately towards him, his once kind and gentle eyes now cold. "You. I saw what you did to Laura."
Valen now towered above Kestis, his figure imposing. Seeing him, Kestis did not even flinch. "People like you that break others, claiming to be better than them. You all know deep down that you are the pathetic ones."
He turned around, heading for the farthest seat from Kestis. He turned his head, glancing at him. "As you put it, you are the real trash." Hearing his words, Kestis clenched his fist hard.
Valen sat in his seat that barely contained him. He could not buckle up.
The silence in the room now turned into thick tension. Henry and Lillian squirmed in their seats.
"long ride." Talen sighed.