Time means nothing to the challengers, days morphing into weeks as they travel up the mountain.
None of them were aware of the exact details of Deadly Journey but were prepared for everything to the best of their abilities.
Every trial is different each year, sometimes merged as one or separated into different fractions depending on the danger level.
Kallias's body strains, fingers cramping as he exploits the sunlight into a platform. He jogs across the narrow surface, lava bubbling around him with loud popping sounds echoing.
Sweat damps his clothing, emanating a thick scent of musk.
His movements are swift and steady, appearing like a blare of light. His purple crystalline eyes filled with exhaustion are locked on the flying girl. She isn't as fast as he deems himself to be, yet she's moving up the mountain more effortlessly than him.
'That has to be cheating,' a voice in his head says.
'No, Empty, it's not,' Kallias thinks back, tearing his eyes away from Catalina Melpomene.
'And it's not like I can judge. All holy bloods, minor or pure, can be described as cheat codes to normality.'
Upon spotting her in the pit, he instantly felt despair and figured he wouldn't get first or even second with her here. He knows of her as one would a historical figure.
She is the definition of a ghost in life form, distinguished for compelling strength and a terrifying lack of passion for anything.
All the Four Holy Clans children are aware of each other thanks to their family's history and daily events held.
Kallias Polymina, third son of Arian Polymina, Pillar of the South, turned fifteen last month, the age at which people can start registering at Lightless Institute.
The Polymina's are the founding family of the Star Clan.
For generations an heir is chosen through a brawl with the pillar's children on the day the clan was founded, August 19.
In seven years, the battle of succession will go down, leaving Kallias, Calix, Lycidas, and Kavish, not much time to catch up to their eldest brothers.
Until then, it is a strict rule for any of them to not kill each other with their own hands.
The one with the most favor carries Star Inheritance, an ancient heirloom seen as a throne to the pillar position and gives the one holding it the right to be known as heir until a true one is chosen.
As of now, the Four Holy Clan known heirs to the public are Catalina from Winter Clan, Akira Misul from Moon Clan, Ishaan Iniko from Sun Clan, and Rune Polymina from Star Clan.
The Star Clan guardians are angels, granting them the traits of enhanced memory, speed, angelic wings, and light control.
Overusing speed causes an ache to burn his nervous system and internal organs. He staggers forward thrice before finally taking a break. He falls asleep behind bushes surrounding an oak tree that's on the brick of collapse from the strange climate.
A startling shriek turned into a sobbing howler jolts him awake. He leaps up to his feet, eyes wide in horror before he calms down upon realizing it's just death, not a monster.
Lowering his head, he lets out a self-deprecating laugh.
'What happens to them is none of my concern,' he thinks.
'Everyone has hypocrisy in their blood. I am among those that conceal their world to a bare minimum of tolerance. Not everything in this world is worth noting; you're either helpless, empathetic, arrogant or full of a sense of justice or injustice.
They are the ones who underestimated the danger of Lightless. People walk into hell willingly, especially when they know what they gain after all the trials. You can't be angry at greed when it is fought for so savagely. But I am. I wish the first heaven never fell.'
He bites his lip, tasting blood on his tongue.
It is hard to be kind in a world so cruel, to be generous as people thrive in the pursuit of certain death, strolling onto the doorstep to hell. It is too heavy and helpless to think of.
Everything is wrong with nothing right.
Out of four thousand and twenty youths, half are regular citizens, too foolish and ignorant of the truth of godhood.
He spits a chunk of blood out, then proceeds upward, leaving the safety of the bushes, running past a group of boys fighting off a snow beast.
Sunlight rays' permeate through the branches, illuminating the soil cracked ground. A sulfur odor smearing the atmosphere, gray smoke forming clouds in the red sky.
Up ahead, challengers advance past icy and lava roads; they approach a large pond with no bridge or outer land. Its glistening surface gleams with a crystal glow, the water freezing to the point some froze to death upon entry.
Kallias is the only Polymina with no wings, a shame his brothers never fail to taunt him with.
Nerves dance across his pale skin, coldness numbing him from head to toe as he leaps in, using speed to swim fast to the other side.
Three minutes pass, and he crawls out the water; his body trembles, and muscles tighten, pain surging in his limbs like a flow of blood.
He spasms on the ground, eyelashes quivering as he glances down, hands purple and red, cold breaths escaping him and forming visible puffs in the air.
'I….. should hurry up.'
Remaining flat on his back for a while, he rests an arm on his forehead, mind fading into darkness, coming back to his senses when someone begins to move him.
His eyes snap open, spotting a silvery white-haired girl. Her slender fingers are wrapped firmly around his left ankle, dragging him up warm grass.
Shock floods his features.
"What are you doing?" he asks, voice raw.
"My brother has a crush on you," she says flatly, keeping her eyes upfront. "You would hurt his feelings if your face got fucked up."
"Pardon?" His straight brows raise to his hairline. "What about my feelings? It's my damn face!"
She ignores him.
'What type of reasoning is this? No, what the hell type of situation is this?!' Kallias's sighs.
"You know who I am?" he asks, then cringes at his own question, yet reminding himself he hardly knows her as much as he knows of the others.
She is different from a ghost like rumored, more like a dead person to society despite being full of life. She does not interact with the outside world, though to be fair; most northerners don't.
"Kallias Polymina."
"Yeah, so uh, we're not friends, you don't have to help me."
"We're not enemies."
"I'm not weak. I can walk on my own."
"Then why aren't you?"
He goes silent and then clicks his tongue. "You can at least carry me. You have a flying trait, right? Does it only work on yourself?"
Once again, Catalina ignores him.
"You're very rude," he remarks gruffly.
"Believe it or not, this is the kindest thing I've done in years to an outsider." Her words carry a hint of amusement.
"Considering how the deed is being carried out, or should I say dragged out, I'll say I'm a believer."
"You're funny."
"You're not laughing."
"Too much energy."
Kallias's chest rumbles with a silent chuckle, finding it too painful to laugh. He brings his arms behind his head as it bounces off a bumpy bark and peers around.
Giant green trees adorned with red apples and oranges surrounded them. Furry purple birds perch on the branches, while light brown squirrels hang upside down and swing around.
Compared to the feeble trees at the beginning of the mountain, these ones appear to have been planted a few decades ago.
"Hey, pretty boy, you're on your own now," Catalina states, letting go of his ankle and walking away.
Kallias leaps to his feet and follows her. "You think I'm pretty?"
He attempts not to stumble, his steps slow and unsteady. "I won't deny that fact. After all, look at me and you'll be blessed for your entire lifetime. Hell, your children's lifetimes."
"Don't flirt with me, we both know I am not your type."
Kallias's entire being freezes, panic creeping in, blended in everlasting fear. In his mind, a pink room appears in the forefront and chills erupt down his forearms.
'You are not gay,' Empty says. 'You are sick.'
His head whirls around to make sure no one heard her, and then he grasps her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Shhh. Can you like not?"
She blinks. "Why?"
'Because… because…. because it isn't muscular, ' my father screams to me.' He drops his head, inhaling deeply, causing his short purple hair to frame his clouded eyes.
"You don't understand. My father… he'll take away my chance of inheritance if the word gets out. Please forget what you think you know of me. They are some things we don't share with the world because of how the ones we love will view us after."
Catalina regards him with no particular expression on her face. Her ice blue eyes turn deep as an ocean.
"Is it love if you fear their judgment more than their acceptance?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing," she says, wincing. "Sorry, I understand. We're good. Okay!" She makes an 'ok' sign with her hands, then waves it awkwardly.
She brushes him off and continues calmly down the rocky path.
'I don't see what the big deal is. Love is genderless. Then again, people are judgmental creatures. There is no truthful truth than one you refuse to believe; my grandma taught me that. And for some reason, out of all the harmful problems in the world, love has laws to people.'
'Just like that? She's not going to ask for something in return or mock me?'
Kallias experiences a gleam of surprise and wave of gratitude. He doesn't know how she knew of his secret. It takes him a good moment to figure it out. 'She said her brother liked me… her brother. I don't think I kissed many brothers. I am not Rune. Oh!'
At that second, he recalls his first kiss was with a mischievous boy from Winter Clan.
"My sister could say harsh things but that's just her honesty, so when she says kind things, you immediately feel warmth because it's genuine. Her soul is pure, non-judgmental, but this world disdains those types," Casimir said. "Ziven says the world hates many things, but never the right ones in the correct era, therefore, to be yourself is to exist oddly."
"Catalina!"
A shout pulls him out of his thoughts; his vision clarifies a familiar short girl. Rhea Misul.
She optimistically hooks an arm around Catalina and grins. "Where did you go?"
Catalina spares her a brief look.
"Anyways, you're doing perfectly so far—not that I'm surprised. If anyone asks, I predicted your greatness!"
'I am not the only one she ignores.' Kallias isn't sure why he feels comforted by that.
Maybe because some part of him feared she might be treating him with such disinterest because of his secret, but then again, she helped him because of her brother's crush on him.
'A weird reason to aid someone. The siblings must be close. Wait, how did Rhea even get here? Her traits have no way of aiding through most of the dangers.'
He opens and closes his mouth, then refrains from asking. He flashes over to them, expression easy going, narrowing his eyes across the layers of games scattered into different fields.
"Why don't we all work together?" he suggests, walking to the right of Catalina. "I don't like to brag, but I have an excellent memory."
"Good idea!" Rhea acknowledges him with a bright smile. "It's been a while, Lia. How have you've been?"
Kallias grimaces before kissing her cheek tenderly in greeting. "I've been alright, Rhea."
The holy clans host special events annually, some for everyone on the continents and others just for themselves.
In those times, Moon Clan and Star Clan families are the closest, visiting each other even when events aren't held, while Winter Clan keeps to themselves, and the Sun Clan Pillar ban unnecessary gatherings.
"You're not a toddler anymore, please call me by my given name," Kallias insists firmly.
Rhea smiles. "Whatever, Lia."
Dissociating from their conversation, Catalina pulls herself free from Rhea's grip and makes her way over to the first field, a station of wooden aisles. She halts before a rusted stand pushed back against a small tree, reading the bold words spelling out a question.
In the fallen world, many gods fell, along with their churches, name two who still have a temple in this era.
Below are indented boxes for answers.
'Damn. A hard question right away. If I didn't study the small pieces of Greek from the book in dad's office, then I would have no clue. I guess by history they mean every fragment of the cosmos, olden, forgotten, and new. I pity those without traits that aid the brain.'
She glances down at the letters stored in the orb container in front of the stand, seemingly untouched, and she guesses it's because she's first or others started in different areas.
Picking up the letters to form two names, her pulse spiking with a hint of impulsive nervousness.
Hades. Persephone.
She is confident in her answer thanks to her spatial memory, yet doubt is a leech no human nor monster can avoid.
When the wooden stand shatters into a spark of starlight, sending a resounding ding echoing through the mountain, the dusty starlight flies into her chest. She restrains from touching her chest, spinning on her heel and heading over to the second station.
In her peripheral vision, she sees the first station rebuild itself, appearing slightly older than before, with a new question forming on the surface.
Which divine being fell from heaven and became human?
'Zeus,' she thinks. 'He's the reason heaven fell in the first place, leading divine forces to attack earth for the domain of their world.'
Looking away before she blurts the answer to Rhea, burying the desire to help her more than she already has, she quickly reads her own question.
True or false. If a dead person knows who kills them then the victim gains a blessing from the lost god, Hades from beyond his imprisonment.
She rests her hand on the bold lettering 'False', watching it lit up with the same starlight hue and crumble into particles of it.