Kaeleen walked in silence, still processing what he had just experienced in the showers. The foul smell of the black fluids that had covered his body had disappeared after bathing, but the feeling of being dirty, somehow, still clung to his skin. As they walked through a dark hallway and stepped outside, the fresh air hit his face, but what he saw chilled him to the bone.
A cart full of corpses passed in front of them, pulled by a guard. Among the pile of lifeless bodies, Kaeleen recognized one that left him in shock.
"It's him… the man who complained about the guard…" he thought, astonished. The same man who had shouted during the king's speech, the one who had chosen not to undergo the core creation process, now lay dead, piled among other bodies. His face was deformed by
Kaeleen, unable to contain himself, mentioned this to the man still accompanying him. The man looked at him seriously for a moment, then pointed to something even more chilling with a quick nod.
"Look closely, boy," he said, gesturing swiftly. "There are hundreds of carts like that."
Kaeleen looked around and saw, to his horror, that the man was right. Along the road, several carts carried more bodies, all covered by sheets or carelessly piled up. These were the remains of those who had failed the core creation trial, or those who had chosen not to participate. A shiver ran down his spine.
"This is how they see us…" Kaeleen thought, finally accepting the truth he had tried to deny. "We're nothing but cattle to them."
The man noticed Kaeleen's somber silence and, with a forced smile, patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get through this." He tried to sound optimistic, though a shadow of doubt lingered in his voice.
"What's your name?" he asked, trying to distract the young man.
"Kaeleen," he replied, barely able to say his name because of the lump in his throat. "And you?"
"Borik," said the man, showing a broad smile that tried to lighten the situation. "Nice to meet you, kid."
Kaeleen nodded slowly, unsure of what else to say. Just as they were about to continue their conversation, a guard interrupted them, leading the group toward an open field where the trials were taking place.
The field was a wide, open area filled with knights who watched them with interest. A tall, stern-looking guard, with a scar running across his face, stood in front of them and began issuing orders, signaling for the summoned to line up.
"First, the physical trials," the guard announced loudly. "We want to see if any of you are useful for something more than cannon fodder. So, get ready."
Kaeleen swallowed hard. He knew he wouldn't stand out here. His body, though tall and slim, lacked the strength he saw in other summoned people, like Borik, who seemed made of stone.
The trials began one by one, each more humiliating for Kaeleen than the last.
1. Strength: The first challenge was to lift enormous stone weights. The summoned had to lift as much weight as possible in a single attempt. Kaeleen struggled to lift even the lightest load, while others, including Borik, hoisted the weights with ease. Some even managed to lift more than double what Kaeleen could.
2. Endurance: They were forced to run a circuit at high speed, surrounded by knights who watched them closely. Kaeleen was gasping for air before reaching the halfway point, while Borik surged ahead, overtaking almost everyone else with a defiant grin on his face.
3. Agility: Then, they were made to jump and climb over a series of ropes and walls, seemingly designed to humiliate the weaker ones. Kaeleen barely managed to climb one of the walls before falling heavily to the ground, while others, like Borik, moved through the course effortlessly.
4. Pain Tolerance: In this trial, they had to endure blows to the stomach with a stick. Kaeleen doubled over after the first hit, while Borik stood firm, taking each blow with a satisfied smile.
5. Precision: The summoned were then forced to throw daggers at distant targets. Kaeleen's aim was terrible, missing every shot, while Borik hit nearly the center of the targets.
When the final scores were tallied, Kaeleen was near the bottom, while Borik ranked in the top five, surpassed only by two arrogant young men who seemed to enjoy every minute of the competition.
Kaeleen, crushed by his failure, felt the weight of disappointment fall on him. "I'm useless…" he thought, lowering his head in shame, just as Sir Aldric and Selene arrived at the field to observe the trials.
Kaeleen looked up for a second and saw Sir Aldric approaching with firm steps. The knight looked imposing, his armor gleaming in the sunlight, and a confident smile adorned his face.
"My congratulations," said Sir Aldric, his voice clear and strong. "Those who excelled in these physical trials have a bright future ahead of them." He looked at the top five, including Borik, and smiled.
Sir Aldric walked toward Borik, extending his hand to congratulate him personally. However, as he approached, he accidentally bumped into Kaeleen, who was standing right in front of Borik.
Kaeleen fell to the ground, surprised by the impact. Sir Aldric didn't even flinch. He walked past without saying a word, continuing toward Borik with his hand still outstretched.
Borik, instead of shaking Aldric's hand, immediately bent down to help Kaeleen up. "Are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
Kaeleen nodded, trying to ignore the pain in his body and his wounded pride.
Sir Aldric watched the scene with a mocking smile. He touched Borik's shoulder, in a gesture meant to be friendly, but there was an edge to his tone. "Think carefully about what you're doing," he said quietly. "Don't think that excelling in this children's play gives you any real value. You're still cattle, and there's much more ahead."
With a cold smile, Sir Aldric walked away, while the two arrogant young men who had outperformed Borik laughed openly at the scene. Sir Aldric returned their smiles, giving them a light pat on the shoulder before moving on.
The lead guard, in charge of the trials, spoke loudly. "Those who excelled physically will be trained directly by Sir Aldric. Those who show promise in mana control will be trained by Princess Selene."
Kaeleen, still trying to recover from the humiliation, raised his head at the sound of this. "Trained by the princess…" The thought alone made his heart race. "I have to stand out in the magic trials."
The next test involved controlling mana. The summoned formed a line, and the guard explained what they had to do.
"It's simple," said the guard, lifting a crystal sphere. "First, you have to make mana flow through your body. Then, you must infuse that mana into this sphere to determine your affinity with a type of mana."
The guard began to explain the types of mana:
• Arcane Mana (white): The most common, used for basic elemental magic and conventional spells.
• Vital Mana (orange): Used for healing and enhancing vitality. It controls wound regeneration.
• Elemental Mana: Divided into: Fire (red), Water (dark blue), Earth (green), Air (light blue), and Lightning (yellow). This type of mana allows for the manipulation of natural elements with great skill.
• Dark Mana and Divine Mana: Extremely rare, and typically tied to specific races. Affinity with them was almost nonexistent in humans.
"The brighter the color, the stronger your affinity with that type of mana," the guard explained. "If your color is dull… well, let's just say you shouldn't expect much in this world."
One by one, the summoned began to pass. Some managed to make their mana flow easily, generating a strong, bright color. Others barely managed to light the sphere before failing, while the most unfortunate ones couldn't do anything and left with their heads hung low.
When it was Borik's turn, he stepped forward confidently. He touched the crystal sphere, and it began to glow with three colors: white, red, and green. Borik had an affinity for Arcane Mana and the elements of fire and earth.
Princess Selene smiled, clearly impressed. "Three affinities… impressive."
Borik smiled and, after thanking her, walked to where the others who had already been evaluated were gathering. Before leaving, he smiled at Kaeleen, who was right behind him in line.
Kaeleen felt doubts creeping in. "What if I have no affinity for anything…?" His body trembled as he walked toward the crystal sphere, knowing that all eyes were on him.
He was on the verge of tears, but at that moment, he made eye contact with Princess Selene. Her gaze was soft, encouraging. "You can do this," it seemed to say.
Kaeleen swallowed hard and approached the crystal sphere, his heart pounding in his chest.
Finally, he lifted his trembling hand and placed it on the sphere…