Alongside Kenric, the three other people weren't allowed healing as they kept moving down the deep and narrow corridor. The uneven stone steps helped nothing as they continued to stumble in the shadow covered ground, which was on broken by the sparsely place torches on the walls. He was very lucky his legs weren't hurt, unlike them, but he was still looking haggard as they descended deeper into the unknown.
Eventually, after minutes of gritted teeth and silent groans of pain, they reached a giant room, much more refined than the original cavern. It was made from the same white marble as the coliseum, with carvings and statues of manticores, eagles, dragons, and many other magical beings spread on the walls, floors and ceiling high above. The air felt refreshing and lighter than what they normally breathed, but not uncomfortably so. It was almost comforting, somehow.
In the middle of the circular column was a giant silver brazier sitting perfectly in the center. Each leg was a different magic beast, carved to be perfectly lifelike in appearance. It was as if they were waiting to pounce when someone stepped to close, silently waiting for their prey. Father Argus and the other priests walked around it, and stopped on the other side, unaffected by how each one of the statues seemed to follow them with their eyes. The old man then raised his staff, pointing it at the brazier as he whispered to himself and looked towards the ceiling.
"-we beseech you... blessings upon... Mother of Heaven... Amen." Is all the others heard him say, before the brazier suddenly lit with a deep red fire. This did nothing to help their unease as they were beckoned for ward by the Head Priest to come closer to the flames. Kenric was the first to step forward, followed by a demi-woman with doe ears, after which the other two men came forth. The closer they stepped, they felt the pain of their wounds lessen, and eventually disappear entirely. Looking down at their bodies, they realized that they had somehow completely healed, aside from the tears their clothing suffered.
"This will be your final trial." The old man's voice broke them out of their stupors, forcing their attention onto them. "The same rules as before apply here. No death or injury will be permanent, and you will be allowed to take the normal awakening. You will still not be allowed the memory of having come here. The rules are simple. You will place one arm into the fire, and keep it there. Do not move it at all, no matter the cost. In the end, it's not you who will choose your affinity. It will be the gods.
By placing your hand into these holy flames, you are putting yourself officially before divinity, and praying to be seen. They will see you, scrutinize your everything, and deem whether or not you are worthy of their power. If they decide you are unworthy, you will be turned to ash by the fire, and will be sent back according to the penalties of the dungeon. Again, you are allowed to quit here, and will be sent back as I have already described. You may step forward at any time, though I suggest doing this as soon as possible." Father Argus stated, a bland expression on his face the entire time he was talking. The same could be said for the priest and priestess behind him, who had their eyes closed and chins resting on the top of their staffs.
This was when one of the two men beside Kenric, made his way forward to the brazier. He stepped up with complete confidence, as if knowing he would be chosen by one of the gods. As if he was destined to become one of the strongest mortals on Ancora.
****
Meanwhile, in the coliseum...
Harrow had a smug expression stretched across his face. He had finally past his trial for awakening, and was close to the front of the line, when he had realized that his little brother was nowhere to be seen. His arrogance deepened as he began to believe that Kenric had failed, and imagined how he would be able to laugh in his face when they saw each other again. Harrow's supposed "revenge" on someone he hated was going to be oh so sweet on his tongue.
Ahead of Harrow were several bright magic crystals, each radiating with a different color or hue. These were what was called, Stones of Awakening. Each one was chosen by any person who passed the trial in the coliseum, and only one could be taken at a time, with more charges for each crystal that an individual wanted. Each also had to be carefully picked according to the affinity of the one who intended to get them, otherwise they would be completely useless. Both Harrow and Kenric were only allowed two Stones at most by their father and mother, as neither wanted them to be raised arrogant to others, and believing that they were special compared to the people of the kingdom. Too bad this was a mindset that the First Prince of Anthropos so obviously lacked.
Eventually, the line dwindled enough that Harrow reached the front within a few minutes. In front of him was a wizened, somewhat withered old lady, who was there to check affinities as well as sign for the people that successfully beat the Soul World Dungeon. To see this hag in front of him was nothing more than an eyesore, as this was also the same woman that allowed his "leech" of a brother into this world!
The old woman looked at Harrow with tired eyes, already wishing she could slap the arrogant brat that the King and Queen raised. She didn't show it openly, in case the royal pain in the a** in front of her cried to mommy and daddy about his mistreatment. Instead she wrote down his name and held out her hand, asking to hold his so she could check his affinities. The self-entitled prince reached his hand out, scoffing as he he rolled his eyes in her direction, as though she had just asked for something made of gold, and he was generously giving it to her.
"You have only two affinities. The first is wood, and the other is over storms. Look for a light brown crystal toward the back left section for the wood element, and a dark gray crystal toward the front right for storm." She said, quickly taking her hand away and getting back to writing down what his affinities were beside his name.
Harrow snorted loudly and raised his chin before walking away to the crystals. 'Lucky for her, I'm in a good mood. I think I'll let her slide just this once for not praising my greatness, and bowing at my feet.' He thought to himself as he gathered his Stones of Awakening, before leaving some coin on the table for the second Stone. Harrow had expected at least four affinities for his supreme awesomeness, but having more than one was still really good overall. Plus, he had an affinity for storms, which encompassed his favorite power, lightning.
Today was going beautifully for him. In his eyes, nothing could ruin his great mood. The only thing that could make it even better was when he could destroy his "worthless" brother's confidence. To see Kenric's smile fade from his face in defeat was something that Harrow could imagine, and he couldn't wait to savor it. His smile deepened as he headed toward the royal box, where King Arlo and Queen Maria waited for their sons to return, as the ones who passed the trial gathered back onto the coliseum ground floor.
****
Back to Kenric in the dungeon...
The man stood in front of the brazier, smiling as he stuck his arm into it's center. He raised his eyes to the ceiling, as if he was looking past it and into the heaven's above. After a few seconds, the smile left his face as he quickly looked at his body in confusion. A scream rippled through the room as his body quickly caught ablaze, blackening under the intense heat that attacked him inside and out. His yells of pain were cut short as his vocal cords melted, before he turned into bright orange dust that faded into nothingness across the ground. Within the few seconds that this happened, nothing changed in the priests' expressions, while Kenric, and the other two stood rooted to the spot.
The only thing that woke Kenric from his shock was when the doe woman reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly with fear evident in her eyes. Kenric smiled and gave her a quick squeeze back, making her look in his direction, reddening in the face out of embarrassment once she realized what she did. Before she could open her mouth to apologize, Kenric raised a finger to his lips as he shook his head. All she could do was give a nervous smile, still embarrassed, but reassured by how confident and charming he looked. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, thanking the stranger next to her in her heart for being so king and caring.
This was when the other man cried out, finally breaking from his stupor before attempting to run away, begging to be let go from this. That was when the fire from the brazier reached out to one of the statues at its base, changing into the shape of a hand that entered one of the eyes, which began turn burn with life. The carved manticore reared up on its hind legs before chasing him down, passing the two people closest to it. Neither turned around, but the sound of bone snapping and tearing flesh were enough to know what happened well enough.
The blood-stained statue walked proudly back to the brazier, before being washed clean by the divine flames as it turned back into the lifeless marble it had been not too long ago. With this, the entire room became silent again, as Kenric and the doe-woman stood side by side. Deciding to break the depressing air of the room, the old priest spoke up after a few seconds of allowing them to process what had happened.
"Who will be next to be tested?" He said, a lack of care heavily evident in his voice. "If you've both decided to give up, just let us know. I don't exactly have time to be waiting here all day."
Kenric and the woman looked at each other, before their minds were made up. Having seen the sheer terror in her eyes, Kenric decided he would go first, taking the initiative to step ever closer to what could possibly cause him immense pain. A few feet before he got to the brazier, he felt someone grab his hand, pulling him to a stop. He turned to see what the girl wanted, only for her to purse her lips and shake her head. She then walked as fast as she could towards the fire and shoved her arm inside it before he could understand what she did. What surprised him the most though, was that her actions hadn't been accompanied by screams. Instead, the fire turned a bright green, travelling in a line up her arm and down her throat, lighting her from the inside.
Slightly mortified, Kenric just stood in place and watched it happen, knowing he was powerless to help her in any meaningful way. But as it turned out, he wasn't needed at all. The green light completely enveloped her, making her shine like an aurora had exploded from her flesh. And then it was gone, disappearing like it had never been there. The only sign that something had happened was the change in her irises as she looked back at him and smiled. Where there had been a solid coffee brown ring around her pupils, now laid flecks of grass green and golden yellow among it, with the main color of the iris remaining the same. She seemed to smile at Kenric before disappearing in a flash of light, nowhere to be found in the dungeon anymore.