95 The Trial [Chapter 95]

Mother grips my hand tightly and smiles.

"This is the Trial of Adolescence, if you pass you'll be free to go wherever you want! You can forge your own path, make your own choices! You'll also finally! Finally, be given a name."

I feel knowledge rush into my mind, almost as though I do remember everything she's saying. One distinct memory lingers.

"But. But, I still haven't awakened my gift?"

The man with black hair walks away, almost angry with me. The guy with blue hair smiles and pats my shoulder.

"Don't worry, I believe you'll awaken your gift when it truly matters."

He pats my back and nods towards the forest.

"Come on, let's make our fate."

I nod, following behind him. I look back, seeing mother happily waving at us. We all walk to the edge of the forest, looking to each other and nodding. Simultaneously, we step forward, down a path we can't turn back from.

Carefully, I walk through the forest, my mind flooding with information gathered throughout the years. I see a tree twitch slightly beside me, and without hesitation I kick towards it, watching it crack. I hop back as the guy with black hair extends his hand.

"Something there?"

Purple flames rip from his hands, instantly disintegrating the tree. He starts walking once more as I nod and follow behind him. Every few steps one of us seemingly sees something, but more often than not it's just paranoia. The man with black hair does all the work while we just follow behind him.

We enter a small clearing and all see a massive tree, the same tree I was sleeping under. Now, I notice hundreds of glowing carvings stretching hundreds of feet up the tree. Everyone else continues on, but I stop, almost in a trance by the tree. For minutes, I stare at it, the faint black glow rolling down and onto my skin. The black glow absorbs into me and I snap out of it.

I look around and notice that there's no one still next to me.

"They left without me!?"

I quickly run in the direction we were traveling. After several minutes, several claws rip towards me from my right side. I narrowly duck down as a six legged beast flips over me and cuts my back several times. I grit my teeth and grunt in pain, feeling warm blood roll down my back. The beast lands and slides across the loose dirt.

I take off running, as fast as I can. I hear its footsteps behind me, softly following me. I manage to peek back and see it just barely out of reach. I feel my heart pounding while I run away.

Why am I so scared? Why can't I fight back? Just because I don't have any gifts? Why was I born so useless!?

I think while running away. I feel hundreds of years of pointless memories flood my mind, every day training my body but never being able to keep up with the others with gifts. I feel my eyes start stinging while running as fast as I can. Ahead of me, I see the woman running back towards me with a large limb in her hands.

"Duck!"

I jump to the side, the large limb flying passed me and slamming against the beasts head. The beast falls back, but quickly stands back up. I roll to my feet and breathe deeply. The girl runs up to me and and grabs my shoulder.

"I came back as soon as I saw you weren't with the group anymore."

I stare at the beast as it hisses and growls then lunges at us again. I step to the left as she steps to the right, and simultaneously we kick it in the face. It gets launched back against a tree and shakes its body. It once again lunges towards us, this time baring its claws as well.

I stumble back, but the girl jumps up and kicks off of a tree, managing to get above it mid leap. I take the opportunity to kick upwards into its chin, but it manages to dig its claws into my leg from my inner thigh to my knee. It gets knocked up into her punch, which tears through the back of its neck and out the front.

She quickly moves to me and looks at my profusely bleeding leg. Sharp shooting pain rips through my leg and I lean back against a tree.

"Damnit."

I grit my teeth and attempt to hold my hand over the three deep cuts. The woman looks at my injury, then starts to speak up. She's interrupted by the snap of multiple twigs. We both look back, seeing another seven of those beasts slowly walking towards us. The woman acts fast, quickly pulling off two large sticks and some sticky grass.

She wraps my leg tightly and quickly slaps the ends of the sticks against a tree, kind of sharpening them. She hands me the sharpened sticks and helps me up.

"Go, you have to get out of here!"

I stare at her, a loss of words. I start to speak up, but she covers my mouth and smiles.

"Go."

I stare at her, completely confused by why she would do this. As I step back, memories flood my head, a deep voice seemingly sighing.

How did I forget?

I see hundreds of years of spending day after day with her, training and eating together. Good times and bad times, her being there for every scrape and injury I endured. Sharing anything and everything we learned. I feel a deep respect and compassion for her suddenly explode out. She pushes me back as the beasts lunge towards her, and a blue sword suddenly flies passed me and kills one of the beasts.

I look back quickly and see the guy with blue hair running towards us, two blue swords in his hands, his eyes glowing deep blue. I fall back as he lunges forward towards the beast.

In the back of my head I hear the deep voice sigh again.

If they are my friends, then why do I barely remember this? Why is everything hazy?

I see the fight unfold, but the beasts easily start taking control as more and more appear. I feel my heart sink as the beasts overtake the man and lunge towards the woman. I slam my hands against the ground, digging my fingers into the dirt.

With one powerful motion, I fling myself forward. Skin ripping, bone snapping, muscle tearing, I use all the strength my body could every hope to muster, and then more. I throw myself between the woman and the beast and manage to punch it with everything I have.

Its neck snaps and twists, but every bone up my arm shatters and fragments out. The remaining beasts lunge onto me and instantly go for the throat, killing me with minimal difficulty. Once again the voice speaks up.

I remember now, this is where it happened. This is where I awakened my gift.

Black flames envelop my body as I stand up and exhale deeply.