Night passed by really quickly for Xerxes. He had a long and peaceful rest as his dreams were filled with vivid images of him fighting in battle with his new symbiote. He awoke the next morning feeling rather refreshed. He had passed out from exhaustion due to the previous day's intense exercise. Xerxes brushed his teeth, showered and went about his daily affairs as usual. As Xerxes approached his school's premises, he came upon his teacher Miss Janae.
The homeroom teacher of the young lad looked at Xerxes and smiled one of her usual encouraging smiles that always cheered him up whenever he felt down. Xerxes greeted her in the manner that was befitting of a teacher from a student;
"Good morning Miss Janae."
She smiled warmly when she saw that Xerxes wasn't as gloomy as he was yesterday. She returned his greeting in a similar vein;
"Top of the morning to you too Xerxes Vale."
She always greeted everyone by their full name at their first encounter of the day. It was one of her quirks that Xerxes hoped to imbibe later in life. In addition to that peculiar habit, one other thing she was known for was her love for coffee first thing in the morning. She was always seen with her flask of cream cappuccino that had become her thing. The proactive Miss Janae assumed Xerxes might have had a long night and probably hadn't caught much sleep because of his disappointment from the previous day's fusion exercise, so she offered him some of her coffee to help him get through the day;
"Would you like some coffee Xerxes? It's not black don't worry, it's got cream and sugar just the way I like it."
Xerxes Vale lifted up his hands defensively and politely declined his teacher's kind gesture.
"No thank you Miss Janae."
In order not to sound like a complete jerk, he quickly added;
"I am grateful for the offer ma'am, I truly am. But I am good thanks."
She smiled. She assumed that Xerxes was simply trying to play the tough guy card.
"Poor guy," She thought to herself; "Yesterday must have been a real disaster for him. His fusion probably failed or at the very least, he must have fused with a very weak symbiote."
She took a deep breath, and aloud, she reassured Xerxes encouragingly;
"It's okay Xerxes, you don't need to put up a front. I know yesterday was tough. Just don't push yourself too hard okay?"
Xerxes nodded.
"And remember, the next Rookie Race is coming up soon. I don't need to remind you that it has a five percent mortality rate. You can always drop out if you're not feeling up to it."
Even as she spoke, she knew that the last thing Xerxes was going to do was drop out. The young man had hopes and goals and it was evident in the burning flame he always carried in his eyes.
"I appreciate your concern Miss Janae, I will take into due consideration the part your advice that says I should take care of myself."
Then in a self-assured confident tone, Xerxes assured his teacher;
"But for me, quitting is simply not an option. I am confident that I will come out victorious."
Miss Janae stared at him as he declared his aspirations boldly. This was the Xerxes Vale she knew. Despite all adversities, she knew he would surely persevere. Xerxes thanked her once again for her kind gestures and wise counsel.
"I am grateful for your encouragement and kind words Miss Janae. But I have to go prepare now. Have a nice day ma'am."
Xerxes' super contagious enthusiastic optimism infected his homeroom teacher.
"Okay Xerxes Vale." She chirped; "Goodbye and good luck!"
Xerxes simply bowed and excused himself.
The rookie race came sooner than anyone of the trainees had expected. They both looked forward to it and dreaded it at the same time. But as about five hundred green freshmen huddled together in the Great hall, the feeling of dread weighed more on the scales of their hearts than anxiety. Every single one of them had that wild look in their eyes that resembled that of a cornered animal. They all knew what was at stake so it was almost impossible for the hormonal teenagers to sit still. It was as though a black cloud was stationed over their heads and they could do nothing about it but wait. For these young ones, waiting was the hardest part, it felt like torture.
Most of the younglings in the hall tried to put on brave faces, but just about every instructor present knew that they were not as composed as they appeared to be. They knew precisely because they had also been in their very shoes only a short while ago.
Boys and girls, rich and poor, skilled and unskilled, they were all gathered together for one definitive purpose only at this time and it was not to play. Whispers bounced back and forth as tongues wagged with rumors of what was to come. The atmosphere was electric, almost warlike. It was time.
The drums of War began to beat as a storm clouds enveloped the entire landscape. It was time for the main event of the hour. It was the moment where the chaff would be separated from the greatest. It was also a time when the greatest would also be tested. The atmosphere was intense, almost warlike. The air was charged with an inexplicable tension that rivaled even that of an actual battle.
There was no instructor to address them or give any pep talk about what to expect. No. Virtually every serious minded trainee knew the rules of engagement already having digested every piece of information they could get their hands on beforehand. They were as ready as could ever be, and at the same time, not nearly ready enough.
All of a sudden, a thick haze enveloped the great hall like a scourge. It seeped through like a cloud of smoke from a forest fire, and encompassed every single trainee in the room. What had only been real in their minds suddenly began to seem very real. Anxious cries began to erupt from the back of the crowd. But it was too late now, they were all teleported by the haze through a portal to the famous Forest of Death.
One of the most chilling facts about this particular exercise was the public knowledge that death was certain for those who weren't fit enough to run the gauntlet. It wasn't something to be joked around with. This knowledge (coupled with the fear of death it instigated) preserved the sanctity of this exercise in a halo of the forbidden. Of course it was preposterous to stipulate that plenty people would die. The death rate wasn't particularly high, but it did little or nothing to change the fact that the threat was very real. The trainees weren't left in the dark with regards to this knowledge. They all knew the severity of this screening process and thus had prepared themselves mentally and physically for it. This wasn't a win or lose situation, it was either succeed or die. The stakes were that high.