"What?"
"This is crazy!!"
"I knew we would have to go through some tough tests, but I never expected that the first one would ask us to take each other out."
The youths began to murmur and everyone began putting distance among themselves. The tension in the air began to rise, everyone eyed the other cautiously. Even those that had been friends now glared at eachother like predators.
It had officially begun. No, it began the moment we stepped foot on this train. They are beginning to panic. I must find a way to control them.
Zandov looked beside him at Lassen, the latter seemed totally unfazed which wasn't surprising to Zandov.
With all the rumours I've heard about him, I'll be shocked if he reacts to this at all. He's probably used to fighting to survive.
"Are you with me?" Zandov asked straightforwardly. He knew that with people like Lassen, it was better to make your intentions known.
Lassen gave a simple nod, that was all Zandov needed.
"Calm down!" He yelled and all eyes fell on him. A few of the youths flinched at the sound of his voice and some when they felt their hearts leave their chest. They suddenly began to realise that even after all they've faced, they were still scared when a situation like this arose. It made some of them feel ashamed.
Zandov caught onto the change in their emotions like a chameleon hunting for insects. His eyes glanced around, examining each of the youths around him.
"It's normal for you to feel this way, after all, you know you are not the only skilled ones here. Only a fool will feel no fear."
Zandov's eyes twitched as he tried hard to ignore Lassen's stare. He cleared his throat and continued,
"I can't promise that all of you will pass, but I can promise that you will at least have a chance."
Zandov stared at the youths, he could as a glimmer of hope surfaced on their fear clouded eyes. He took a deep breath,
"Luckily for us, we already have the perfect opponents."
As Zandov spoke, he looked towards the second cargo. Those there were still a bit disorganised but the other dark skinned youth seemed to be rallying them up.
"That's right!"
"Y..yeah. since they don't want to work with us, we just have to fight them and see who's more superior."
"It's the rule of the jungle. That way, we don't have to be conflicted about fighting each other."
"Don't be naive." Zandov spoke, interrupting the murmurs of the youths.
"This is just the second stage of the first phase. You might end up having to fight the very person standing beside you."
The atmosphere immediately became tense once more as the hidden fear began to resurface. At that point, a lot of their eyes seem to land on Lassen. A few youths got so pale, they looked dead.
Lassen looked at Zandov with a complicated look. He couldn't seem to understand why he would destroy the hope he had given them.
"Get your acts together! You all came by your own merits! Act like it. You've heard of the military and how brutal it is. So why are you shocked?"
"You've had many chances to quit! You could have not bothered stepping on the train at all but instead, you found a way to board a moving train. Each of you are famous for your achievements in your individual areas, achievements that some adults can never hope to accomplish!"
Zandov took a step forward in the direction of the door, his gait was steady and at that moment, he seemed taller than he actually was.
"This despair and fear, it's proof of your existence. Proof of the fact that even though you've achieved a lot, you still have fear in you for greater things. It's a symbol of your intelligence."
On the second cargo, the youths have already rallied themselves. They began approaching, a few of them breaking the wooden chairs and tables on the train used as makeshift weapons. Their eyes burned with their fervent will to fight.
"Take that fear and soak yourself on it. It will be your anchor when you rage like a beast and trample your enemies. A predator that doesn't know fear is no predator, it's just prey."
The first youth from the second cargo stepped into the third cargo, brandishing a table leg. He raised it to swing but before he could, Zandov moved. His right leg raised and whipped out, slamming the youths head against the door. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Zandov looked over his shoulder, his dark hair falling over his face as he spoke,
"Fight not because you don't know fear but because you fear what would happen if you don't."
Those at the other end paused, halting their entrance into the third cargo. They all looked at the dark skinned youth that had instigated them, waiting for his reaction. The youth narrowed his eyes.
"If you don't take the first step, your enemies will take it for you."
***
Meanwhile, within the first cargo.
The already tense atmosphere had reached a boiling point. The mysterious youth continued cleaning his coat, his hat still on his head. The purple eyes Percy ignored the others, his attention focused on the mysterious youth.
The brown haired lady seemed to switch between absent-minded and conscious states of thinking. Only the redhead lady seemed to be acting normally.
She placed down the book she had been reading and looked around. She paused for a moment before speaking, her voice soft and pleasant.
"You know… we don't have to fight. We can just wait and let the others outside reduce the number. After all, we are very few."
There was silence, awkward to the redhead lady but terrifying to those around then. The redhead lady seemed to not be bothered so she continued,
"We are VIPs for a reason. There's no need for unreasonable fights."
Suddenly, the mysterious youth stood up. Without his coat, what remained was a white shirt and a black vest. He hung his coat gently on the sofa and looked towards the redhead lady.
She tensed up under his gaze. Percy also seemed to be watching him like a hawk.
"Miss, what's your name?"
"Marceline,"
"Miss Marceline, I agree with what you just said."
Marceline smiled at the mysterious youths' words, her shoulders relaxed and her head raised a bit to reveal her bright blue eyes.
"But there's a fault in it, isn't there?"
"What?"
"Well, the purpose of this test is to prove our skill. Everyone in this room, well, the four of us, no doubt have skills. But what about them?" The youth pointed to the lackeys.
"Where are you going with this?" The absentminded lady finally spoke. Her calculating brown eyes took in the mysterious youth's every movement and words.
"Simple. Kick them out and let them fend for themselves."
"No!" Percy stood up, his gaze intent.
"Percy,... He is right. If they are skilled enough, they should be able to get back here after this stage is over."
Marceline wanted to avoid a fight as much as possible but Percy wasn't having it. He ignored her, his eyes gleamed as he looked at the mysterious youth.
"Why?"
"They are my lackeys, I control them, not you and most definitely not him." Percy smiled at the mysterious youth, a sly smirk on his face,
"If you want to kick them out, you'll have to beat me first."
"Fine."