To get chosen to Arkhane is easy, you don't need to meet any requirements but being 20 years old by July 1st, while getting picked for the test in Von Damme requires intelligence and prior studies, there's a reason why the Arks are known to be ruffians and muscle-heads who only known how to fight, 98% of them have no academical preparation.
They say the tears of Belaxarim pick those who profoundly desire to be part of Arkhane to either provide for their family, to achieve greatness in war, to get a chance to ride a dragon, or to be on the top of the chain under the Emperor.
I call that bullshit.
To me, that old dragon bitch may pick 90% of them randomly, but the other 10% are very deliberately, definitely according to what her bloody bond, the Supreme Commander, would want. Whoever believes in otherwise, is extremely wrong and knows nothing.
That's the only reason why that motherfucking dragon could have picked me of all the thousands of 20-year-olds in this damned Empire to attend to Arkhane, when all I've ever wanted after they took everything from me, was to attend Von Damme College and be a scholar, to get into the vault library only accessed from the inside of the College, so I could get the answers I seek.
I don't want to be here.
I don't want to fight.
I don't want to ride a dragon.
I don't want to be an Imperial warrior.
I don't want to be even more surrounded by death.
I don't want this little dirty monetary "help".
Fuck, I'm terrified of heights, how am I supposed to survive well in here just to get a fucking dragon? I don't want to fucking fly.
I don't want to be a bloody rider.
I certainly do not want to possibly get a dragon and be tied for a short life with whoever is bonded to my possible dragon's mate.
Damn it, I don't want to have short lifespan, this isn't fucking fair, I shouldn't be here, I should be on my safe way to the Von Damme Citadel, to get through the test I've been preparing for. I just know I would pass, I can feel it in my fucking bones, I've always relied on my brain. The only time I didn't, I fucked everything and my life was destroyed together with my family, all because of those fucking riders that I hate more than any-fucking-thing in the world.
How did the Emperor even agree with me taking part in this bloody fucked up shit? Isn't he scared that I'll pass, get a fucking dragon, and kill them all for what they've done to me and my family? Or did he agree with this because he believes I'm weak, that I'll die before I even make through this damned test, so I wouldn't pass into Von Damme and learn what I want to learn, and that he definitely doesn't want me to?
Un-fucking-fortunately, it's impossible to refuse the "calling of the tears", which means, I can't fucking forfeit this, I'm forced to take part in the entrance test of Arkhane. What makes me hate all this even more and want to cry, is that I lost my grand opportunity at Von Damme, since they don't take anyone past 20 years old, neither those who were chosen for Arkhane. Especially because the tests happen at the same time in both Colleges, which is a nightmare.
You know what else is a nightmare?
To get to the top of Draki Mountain, a mountain made of cliffs in all its edges, I have to walk up the steps of the stair that was carved into the dragon stone the mountain is made of, which are 80 centimeters large and with quite a bit of steps missing that if you don't pay attention, could get you killed, since there are nothing by to fall into but an endless pit that takes to where young and volatile dragons go for lunchtime. In theory, it should be a total of 90 thousand steps, but with all the ones that are missing, which is definitely on purpose to make the climbing harder and more fucking dangerous so it will kill many of us, there are 88888 firm steps.
When we get to the top of Draki Mountain, we'll have to cross a 88.8 kilometers long hanging, a bridge far from stable or safe, right above the endless pit that the young dragons use for playground, one that is 20 centimeters large and with nothing to hold onto, to get to Arkhane Cliff, where the supervisors of this year's test will be waiting for us. Crossing the bridge is the test.
88.8 kilometers equals 88 thousand and 800 meters, that's how fucking long the bridge is, a bridge old enough that many of the ties are also fucking missing. To make it worth, the ties being 20 centimeters large means you can barely fit both feet in them.
All while hanging 8 thousand miles above ground.
Eight. Thousand. Miles.
With young dragons flying under and above us.
Did I say I'm terrified of heights?
"Climb, Disgrace!" Sage Vadryon hissed right behind me, as the piece of shit is number 889, also the son of Commander Kylius Vadryon, the responsible for leading the riders in the Empire, a legacy. I hate him, he hates me, we're even.
"Are you bothered?" I hissed mockingly, clinging to the dragon stone wall and making way for him to climb in front of me, "Ladies first!"
"Hah, she won't even get through the climb," he mocked and ran up twenty steps above me, trying to put distance between us, probably scared I'll throw him off the stairs, since I do have reason enough to fucking do that.
Taking a sip of my water, I put it back on my backpack that contains the only things I still have from my family, my father's dagger, my mother's journal, the last book my baby siblings got for me before everything was destroyed, the soft blanket that my maternal grandmother sew for me, and the magical fountain pen grandpa last gave me. Nothing that weights much, not to bring me down, given how my body hasn't undergone physical training in years, I'm not very prepared for this.
If my calculations are right, through the 88888 steps, I'll be able to make about 200 stops to have a sip of water from every 444 steps, it's not an exact number but it'll work. My bottle of water will be worthy 208 sips, I took one before starting to climb after Number 887 had started his climb, since I was picked by the 888th tear of that bitch, making me Number 888, the 888th to start the climb, meaning there should be 887 people in front of me and 10223 behind me, though that could not be the case if some already died. So, I still have 206 water sips to take, to keep me hydrated until the end of this madness.
"Come on girls," I told my legs. "It's not our first time, we're just not used to this no more," whispering under my breath, I inhaled deeply, held onto my backpack and got back to climbing. "I'll survive this, I have to!"
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