He didn't know how much time had passed nor did it matter to him. His entire body felt sore as he lay there. He knew if he tried sitting up, he would end up making everything worse. Aramis didn't know if he could either get up again and he could hear Kali's voice in the distance even though she was right beside him the entire time. His vision was blurry and he could barely muster the strength to keep conscious. He'd spoken too soon. He had opened his big mouth and look where it got him. There was a chance he would not be able to recover from this and he was too scared to see if that possibility were true. Aramis realized he didn't want to move for fear of experiencing even greater pain.
Kali stopped floating and knelt beside him in the ground. "Your pride is a great thing, Aramis. Do not be ashamed of it. Get up, Aramis. I know you can." Her voice was the thing that anchored him back to reality. It was a bit embarrassing but when a cute girl says she believes in you, you start to believe in yourself a bit. He gritted his teeth and sat up. He stared at Kali for a second before planting a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks."
She smiled and rose back into the air but there was still a trace of worry in her eyes. Aramis hadn't had the time to comprehend the entire situation but Kali had been forced to watch her friend being controlled against her will. He didn't put up any barriers this time, wanting to her to listen to his thoughts. He meant everything he said. He would beat Roland in the Trials and he would save her friend. He'd keep his word.
"No...thank you, Aramis. We will find a way to get your magic back." Again, the topic of his magic filled him with uncertainty and he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. They could worry about that later. "Do you have any idea on what to do now?"
"There's only one person who can get me into the Trials. And he's also going to be the only person who can help me beat Roland. Right now, I don't think I can." He'd seen how outmatched he'd been. It was different fighting against a Beast of Teras. They were animals, not like human opponents. Reading their movements and trying to fight them, it was something he'd never experienced before. But he did know someone who had probably had more experience fighting them than any other person in the Lost. That person was Savah, the man who protected the Lost from all Beasts who dared cross the Borders. He was the man who was going to teach him how to take down a king of the skies.
It wasn't hard to find the man even at such an ungodly hour. Sometimes, he wondered if he was really telling the truth about being married. Whenever he needed to find Savah, he could find him training endlessly in the snowy fields near the school. He wondered when he ever saw his wife, what with him being gone for months on end protecting the Border and his training that seemed to never cease. Being considered the Strongest did not mean he stopped pushing himself. In fact, Aramis believed that it was because of obsessive drive that Savah was able to claim the title of the Strongest.
He must have looked pretty fucked up because Savah immediately stopped swinging his blade the moment he spotted Aramis. There were long deep gashes in the snow that stretched for miles on end, probably caused by each swing that his sword made.
"What the fuck happened to you?"
"I want in. I want to join the Trials. I know I can win, I have what it takes Savah. Is the offer still up for grabs?"
A tentative smile broke across Savah's face. "You're a bit late but I'll see what I can do. There's a bit of a problem though, you're going to have to go through an interview process."
Aramis frowned, did he think he couldn't pass an interview? He wasn't bad at talking and he could certainly be charming when he wanted to, an interview should be the least of his problems.
"The interview is carried out by the Head of our Management team. Every applicant has to go through this process before they can join the Trials."
The boy's face paled.
"Our head of management is your older sister. Cory Morricone."
"Oh fuck." Savah was right. There was a chance he may not make it into the Trials at all.
Aramis sat in one of those empty conference rooms within the Rider's headquarters. He was nervous, of course he was. He had not seen her in a while because of the upcoming Trials and the responsibilities it burdened her with.
"Relax. Your sister cares a lot about you. I'm going to be right here." Despite his intent to reassure, there was a twinkle of amusement in Savah's eyes as he watched Aramis squirm in the chair. "Just answer how you normally would. You'll do just fine."
"He's right you know, Cory seems like a great sister. She loves you very much Aramis. I don't understand why you're afraid of her. Relax!" Kali commented.
The boy nodded but said nothing in response to either of them. He hadn't told Cory anything about this and he could not predict how she would react to seeing him. Finally the doors swung open and she stepped into the room. She was dressed very professionally with her hair tied up in a tight sleek bun, a case grasped tightly in one hand and the other hand was pointing straight at Savah.
"Get out. You've destroyed enough of my property, those repairs are going to take weeks to get done." She was of course mentioning what had occurred when Savah had saved Aramis from falling to his death. The two shared a knowing look and the Captain stood.
"What can I say, I like to make a dramatic entrance. Don't be too harsh on him. Can't be biased just because he's your brother. You know we can use him in the Rider's ranks."
"I can be biased because he is my brother, Savah. Now leave."
"I can see why you were so nervous. Maybe you are pretty fucked, Aramis." Even in his head, Kali felt intimidated by Aramis' older sister. Cory had that effect on a lot of people.
With a weak shrug, he left the room after giving Aramis a wink. So much for being there for him.
An air of awkward tension filled the room and Cory set the heavy case she'd been carrying down on the table. She unclasped the latches keeping it closed and pulled out a device Aramis had seen before. Like all magic technology, it used crystalline vessels more commonly known as Magic Crystals. He tried his best to avert his gaze, keeping them on the device she'd placed on the table. Why did she need this to carry out the interview?
"Do I have your permission to continue with the interview? This will require your consent in using this device which is why I need your verbal approval before we can begin." Her voice remained cool, but he could tell she was seething.
"What does it do though?" He felt an unpalpable sense of unease.
"It tells me whether you're answering the question truthfully or not."
"Then I guess, yeah sure. Go ahead."
In an instant, Cory had grabbed onto his arm and yanked him forward. Aramis stumbled but before he could react, she stabbed a sharp needle into his wrist. He yelped as two metal plates curved to wrap around the joint. Kali yelped in alarm, she hadn't even been fast enough to see her movements.
"Hey what the fu-""What is your name candidate?" She asked, and he watched as the large crystal in the middle of the machine rose. It glowed bright blue, floating as it did so.
"What the fuck is this shit in my arm!?"
"Please answer the question candidate." He could hear the growing annoyance in her voice as she squeezed his wrist harder.
"Aramis! Aramis Morricone." He squeaked out. To think that the boy who could destroy mountains in a single punch would be reduced to such a blubbering state in front of his sister.
The crystal turned bright green as a response before turning back to blue. Aramis was starting to understand now.
"How old are you this year Aramis Morricone?" Cory asked, now beginning to write using the clipboard she had brought.
"...Ten years old."
The crystal turned bright red as a response.
"Candidate, I will ask you again, how old are you this year?" He had confirmed his hypothesis. Green meant he was telling the truth and red meant he was lying. This interview wasn't to make sure of a Prospect's qualifications or of how well he talked or presented himself. It was to see what their intentions were for joining the Riders.
"Fifteen. I'm fifteen years of age." The crystal turned green.
"Good. We will now begin this interview, candidate. Please answer as truthfully as you possibly can. If not, there will be appropriate consequences Aramis Morricone."
"Have you been well? I've heard your training with Savah has been going well." Cory asked, and Aramis had to smile.
Even if she was angry at him, it seemed that she still worried for him. She wanted to know whether he was safe or not above all else. That did not mean he would escape her wrath that easily though.
"Yeah. I'm alright Cory. Got a few bruises here and there...but I'm doing great. I really am." The crystal turned green.
He swore he saw a glimpse of a smile flash across her face before it disappeared.
"You are aware that compared to other applicants you are at a much disadvantage? Especially the talents other Captains have been nurturing. People train for this their whole lives in the Lost, this isn't some game. This is serious." She looked up from the clipboard, giving him a pointed stare.
"How so? I don't think I'll have any problem keeping up. I don't plan on losing." Aramis replied swiftly. The crystal turned green.
"Very well. From what I remember, I don't recall you have any interest in joining the Riders. Nor have you expressed this sudden interest in reaching out to me or any of the Rider's administration for that matter. Why does it matter that much to you? Whether or not you make it into the Trials. I'd say you have more than enough on your plate, with your new part time job, studies and your training with Savah. Why this? Why now?"
Aramis stopped, and he knew he'd gotten caught off guard. If he couldn't pledge his loyalty to the Riders, then he'd never be able to get in. He needed to join the Riders if he was ever going to be able to reach the Border.
"I..." He couldn't respond. If he did, then the crystal would turn red and it would be over.
"So you can't answer that question? Alright then I'll move on. You do realise becoming a Rider means you'll have to give up your education? You won't be able to leave the Lost, you will remain here if this is the path you have chosen. Becoming a Rider means pledging yourself to a life of forever protecting the Lost till you die. After knowing this, do you still choose to continue?"
"I don't know." The crystal turned bright green once more.
"Are you even willing to commit wholeheartedly to this cause?"
"I don't know. If I were to be honest, I don't know if I'm ready to give my life to the 'cause'." The crystal turned green once again. "But you asked me, if I really want to join the Riders, I do." He reached forward, now holding Cory's hand in his.
"You ask me why I want to join the Riders and honestly, it's because I want to change. I'm sorry but hitting the books, spending the rest of my life trying to become a scholar...it's not something I want to do. It's not about going back to the Capital Cory. It's about the life I had before...before I got this Curse." Whatever Nyx was planning, he had to believe that he would get whatever it was that he wanted. Maybe it was his Magic, maybe it wasn't. That was the truth he had to swallow after his argument with Kali. He still had no idea what he truly desired. Right now, he knew he wanted to help his friend.
"This place isn't so bad is it? You love it here. I know I haven't exactly been the most open-minded, but I wanna see if...I can love it here too."
The crystal remained green.
"It's giving me a chance of being who I want to be. Giving me a chance to find out what I want to do with my life...because god Cory, my life is just a whole mess right now. But being here right now is what I do want. If it'll allow me to change, and if it will allow me to become who I want to be, I wanna take that chance. I wanna feel alive again. I do want to join the Riders, there isn't a single doubt I have about that decision. Right now, this is what I want to do."
They both watched as the crystal's glow remained bright green. Not faltering for a single second. Cory stayed quiet, watching her brother talk. Those eyes, ones which had long lost its fire, were now full of burning determination.
A long time passed before Cory spoke again.
"Very well." If this was what her brother wanted, then she would support them even though she didn't exactly agree with it. Seeing that pure exhilaration and meaning in Aramis' eyes...Cory couldn't argue with it.
"Very well then. Aramis Morricone, you have passed this interview and have become an official participant in the Trials. I wish you..all the best. Don't get hurt out there...and have fun." She stood, removing the needle and packing up.
"I will. And thank you Cory. Really...it means a lot to me. I love you."
"I love you too. You better not lose. Bring honor to our name, little brother."
Kali cheered with excitement, whooping noisily as Cory left.
Savah stood in the doorway, leaning against the side of the wall.
"Whether you brings honour to your family name will be decided from what you do here on out. It's going to be much harder than whatever training you've been through this week. It's going to be long and it's going to be painful. Your opponents have been training for years. We have a month. How much do you want this, Aramis?"
"Anything. I'll do anything to win."
"That's what I like to hear. First, you need to get some rest. Then tomorrow we meet before the sun rises. We have a lot of work to do."
And Aramis was looking forward to it.