Chapter 13

The commotion was settled rather quickly. In the back, a few prisoners were in a pile, having received quite the beating. Casado wasn't present today, but his aide made sure to take his place. Mona mused to himself why do the staffers have to carve the bowls themselves, or make them from better material, like stone. Then he thought of the effort necessary for the entire operation, and was grateful the job wasn't his. He could see the aide still cursing up a storm under his breath, pouring and serving meals as he did. The scraps of wood and what was someone's half-eaten lunch was swept and mopped away by another guard, and everything resumed as normal.

Mona sat down with his plate of food, some sort of grainy substance interspersed with vegetables. It smelled fine, but could use more salt.

Were they running out of salt?

He chewed the last portion slowly, the rather blandness of these bites affecting his appetite. Mona had left the book to the side. While he was interested in reading it, the opportunity could wait until he was somewhere better. Today, he had something else occupying him.

"I knew we couldn't trust those bastards..."

"Can it."

"All I'm saying is they couldn't keep calm, and now..."

"Nothing's changed. The core is still fine. We can get rid of him..."

"Wait, a guard's approaching."

A guard walked across the mess hall, the voices becoming quiet once more. They seemed to give each other glances, before returning to their food.

Luckily, Mona was able to sit behind this group at another table. He was able to see a few faces, their weathered looks now memorized. He was waiting for a chase to hear this gang of captives resume their dialogue and find out who they were, but he had been either missing them or didn't manage to sit close to them the last several days. But now, he was able to recognize the moment and savored on all he heard.

Maybe they had a system for where they sat, however, he now knew what they looked like and could "find himself" sitting nearby. Mona was quite curious what the captives were doing, but didn't think he could yet connect with them. Even if he did, this group of misfits and plotters may not take him too kindly for getting close. Internally Mona was planning for a chance, any chance, to become acquainted. He guessed they were planning something big, and it would be helpful to know what it was, even if he was unsure if he could help. Knowledge is power after all.

His hand traced the feathers on the book he had received. Even though the book looked out of place in the hall, no one but him seemed to pay attention to it. In fact, very rarely would another prisoner come here with a book. Many it seems went to the arena; he guessed this based on the numerous cuts and bruises many around had. Nothing serious enough to warrant medical attention; likely only death would follow from that. No one knew where injured captives were taken.

Soon enough Mona was following Cross back to his cell. He approached the gated window, watching the clouds float by the mountain tops, small arcs drawn in them by the peaks. A slight chill filled the air, and Heron's light didn't do much to alleviate the cold. With his extra layers Mona felt fine. For now at least.

Amateurishly, Mona took off his clothes, trying to use them to plug up the window. He stuck his clothing and sparse bedsheet to reduce the slight wind, and began to take a shower. Or at least he tried to, then yanked his hand back.

Freezing!

Mona shook his head, then placed his palms in the water.

Flame Art: Heat Emission.

His Aura quickly acted, rising to the occasion and began to steadily heat the water. The freezing water became lukewarm to the touch, and the method was canceled right as water began to show signs of condensation.

"Ah. Perfect."

Mona smiled. He not only had a good attack method, but also guaranteed warm baths in the cold. The man took a quick shower, then used the cleansing bucket to take care of business. He let out a sigh of relief sitting on a bed clean once more.

The book "Flora and Fauna: A Simple Compendium" returned to his hands. The feathers felt weak at the edges but rigid as steel at the spine. The book had a certain heft to it, and Mona opened the book, eager to discover what was inside.

The text was a general overview of all the plants and life found on the Onas continent. Familiar shapes and plants stood out to him, their qualities, locations, and growth methods all detailed carefully. The illustrations looked clean and accurate enough, even the tiny claws on the Whetters. But he didn't find what he was actually looking for.

No mention of purple eyes. Not on a single page. Mona was perplexed. Why would the author add such a strange drawing to the front cover? He read the book, cover to cover, but couldn't find anything. Even the author's page simply described the man as a traveling botanist who liked collecting rare plants and lived in a forest.

And to be honest, the book was a bit antiquated. A few of the listed species had gone missing, other more familiar species weren't in the book although they cohabitated regions that contained listed fauna and flora, and plants that were never heard of were listed in the book as well. About half the book was worthwhile, but the rest was sketchy at best.

"What a dud! Ugh."

Mona lamented. He was curious about his rare pupils, and why a book would show them so openly too, but the lead was a dead end. It was probably to catch attention from potential readers, he thought. The same way his pupils got him the attention of that noble women.

His mood soured just thinking of her. He didn't know what she wanted with this "young merchant," but he wasn't interested in doing business with her. He could only pray to Alphi for aid in getting out of here.

The wind picked up outside, bringing a new level of chill to the stone prison quarters. He sat is a cross-legged position quickly, and began to cultivate Aura. Doing so helped reduce some of the coldness he felt, albeit minimally. But right now some was better than nothing.

One wisp. Two wisps. Mona wondered how cold would he have felt if he had Water Aura. With such an element, only a snowstorm could affect him, unlike now. His Aura was still colorless, and didn't show any signs of revealing their element anytime soon.

After dazing off one more time, Mona examined his Aura Heart. The wisps were beginning to fill up his Aura Heart now, with not much space left. While he was still in the late stages of an Aura Novice, he could feel the wall of the peak stage approaching. Mona disliked the constant dozing that affected him when he cultivated, but the benefits were there.

The Flame Art had long since stopped responding to him. He did try to merge it with the foundational fighting method the eagle heads had thrown his way, but the method only worked with his palms. Would it work with his feet or anywhere else? Only time would tell just how much utility he could get from this method. It did make staying warm fairly easy, but reduced some of his Aura whenever he did so. As for the mysteries behind it, the Art would stay hidden for some time.

Seeing the two moons in the distant sky, Mona ceased his cultivation, and decided to sleep. He hoped that perhaps the chill would be slightly alleviated tomorrow, if anything to make the room more bearable.

*****

The fake merchant woke up to the sound of his prison door being knocked upon. He knew it was Cross, but what greeted him first was not the guard's voice, but the chill in his room. It had gotten worse. The window even had a faint layer of frost on its sill. Winter high was really this close?

Before Mona stood before the door, he carefully placed the hidden chapter within the cleansing bucket. Then, he slid the water bucket right on top. He wasn't sure if he would be searched anytime soon, or his room, so he decided this would be the best way to hide the incantations. Mona didn't want to get into any trouble holding onto the ripped pages and encounter any unpleasantness.

Cross was displeased when he finally opened the door, seeing Mona still washing his face. Usually this captive was attentive and woke up early, but for whatever reason he was being late today.

"Hurry up. Today is the announcement of the Trials. Stop wasting time."

Cross was about to make his way into the room, but Mona was faster. He stood up promptly and headed for the door, passing Cross and waiting in the hall. The man took a glance at Mona, then turned back to lock the door, before leading him down the hall.

Mona could see reddish sigils strewn along the halls, dissipating small levels of heat. The runes gave out energy, but Mona felt that it didn't come nearly close to his Art. Somewhere inside himself, he felt a resonance with these runes. Odd. He didn't know why he would. His family had no history of rune mastery, or sigil crafting. But he didn't get the chance to stop and figure it out; his steps could only follow Cross's stride to the multipurpose main hall.

The arrival of the two brought a shuffling of movement, many making way for Mona to move towards the center. Whispers and looks followed him, mentioning his easy pass in the arena and his lack of participation thereafter. What bothered him wasn't this minor chatter, but the sudden interest in this lot for him to stand in front. He could only go along with Cross before being left next to many of the other victors in the arena, presumably those with the best showing.

"Pull out your Cards of Trials."

An middle-aged woman, someone Mona hadn't seen before, spoke up from a podium of sorts. Her appearance was mellow and she strangely had no disgust nor disdain in her voice as she spoke with these war captives. In her hand was a set of cards, one matching each of the evaluations from the Arena portion. The woman held the cards in the air, using Wind Aura, allowing all the captives to see and recognize the cards.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Mona pulled his card from the small pocket in his clothes. The yellow gold card gleamed in the light of Golron and Maget, shimmering with power. This card was inlaid with sigils, feeding the glimmer of Light pouring from the card. The silver and bronze cards lacked these sigils, and apparently the bronze were even made from common fiber or leather. The thing in his hands was a rather valuable item indeed.

The woman spoke up once more.

"Tomorrow begins the Trials. Challenges to change your fate and improve your future. You will all have a chance to improve your chances at rising to the top of your lot. Perhaps even earn citizenry if you win the Trial's favor. This Trial was crafted by the first Faulkner, glorious was he, long may be his legacy and forever shall it thrive. The first trial shall be a shared Trial for all. The second trial shall be an individual trial. And the last... is up to the Trials. No one knows what the last will ultimately be. It changes, as one fate does."

"Satisfactory progress will let you keep your card. Great progress will allow you to upgrade your card to the next level or more. If you succeed with the gold card on the final Trial, you may even attain minor citizenship and join our empire. What fortune that would be!"

The middle aged woman paused to take a breath. And at this moment, a captive clumsily spoke up.

"But what are the ca--"

"Did I ask you to speak?"

The room went silent as everyone, guards, captives, and staff turned to look at the lone man. Before he could have a chance to apologize, Wind wrapped around his limbs and flung him into the hallway.

"Go, and take care of him."

The middle aged woman returned to her mellow voice and pointed towards a few guards, before turning back to the audience. The guards hastily picked up the captive and took the flailing man away.

"...As I was speaking before, it would be to your great fortune to join the empire and be something greater. Pray for the chance!"

The woman nodded to the captives, convinced her statement was the final truth on the matter.

"Gold cards will yield you "3" lives. Silver will yield you "2." Bronze will yield you "1" naturally. In the Trials you will have lives. In reality, you will not die, but simply begin anew in the trials. The card is necessary for the Trials to understand your allotment. Do not lose your card. And if you're interested, try to trade away your Card. You're welcome to meet the General privately if you wish to do so."

"And I need not mention what will happen if you are unable to show a satisfactory performance...?"

The middle aged woman peered over the audience, as if she was genuinely willing to hear anyone foolish enough to ask.

"Good. I am glad all of you are able to learn from each other."

The woman hinted at the scene from earlier.

"Guards, please take all the participants back to their holding chambers."

"And anyone with a golden card, please stay back."

Mona and Cross, by instinct, were just ready to move, but hearing the middle-aged woman wanted Mona to stay back, they both ended up taking a step in place awkwardly. The other guards quickly ferried out the other captives, who looked back at the remaining bunch as they were guided out of the main hall. The door shut behind them, leaving a few guards, all the gold card holding captives, and the woman.

She seemed initially as if she was going to introduce herself, but then decided not to. Mona was used to this. He didn't even know Cross's actual name. But what the speaker said next bothered him by no small measures.

"Congratulations to all of you. You all hold gold cards. Given your potential, the nobles have all graciously decided on which of you they would like to take in. Be grateful if you weren't pre-selected before. All of you now have an opportunity to speak with your future masters and curry favor. Now come, let's go speak with them. A Seer Crystal has been specially prepared for this occasion."

The group was led by the guards to another hall adjacent to the main room. It was smaller, but had more than enough space for this smaller number of individuals. At the back of the room was the Seer Crystal, held in a gilded metal frame. It was wide enough for 4 people to wrap their arms around, and was already starting to morph with activity. On the other side of the Seer Crystal, faces were starting to form, clear and easy to distinguish.

Mona hesitated. Ever since finding out about how his fate was already decided upon, he wanted to avoid this noble woman as much as he could. He wasn't all that keen on being on good terms with her.

One captive after another began to stand before the glass window to another world. They seemed... excited. Excited? That didn't make sense. Many here were war captives, their families split and casted off to different sections of the empire. Why were these men, young and old, so excited to talk to these nobles. They were like puppies before a treat; absolutely sickening.

The first to go up seemed ready to offer a promise of servitude right there. The second was as well. So did many that followed. As each card holder was called upon, they were allowed to get close enough to the crystal and become visible. There was still some of a haze from a distance, and so none of those yet called could gaze at the pictures of nobles floating in the glass.

Sure enough, Mona heard his moniker called by Cross.

"Come along Purple Eyes. It's your turn."

Mona simply stood there, gazing at the vague outline of that Noble Herkruz his life was signed away to. Even in the blurriness, he could make out the wilting potted flowers, the aged furniture, and the crumbling background. A face with messy forest green hair was gazing at him expectantly, but it seemed she couldn't see him clearly. Herkruz seemed to have a middle-aged appearance, but what caught Mona was the sickness in his stomach.

She didn't seem... real. Even though that was a projection, something about her appearance seemed fake. Like a mask too thin to recognize was upon her face, and what he was looking at was a very carefully crafted puppet. He didn't know what it was, maybe her pupils or the way she blinked at him, but she looked artificial. Something told Mona to stay away, far away from this sickly woman.

"I refuse."

The words came out of Mona's mouth before he realized what he said. He had planned on feigning something else to get away, but was caught mortified by the noble woman's face earlier, and couldn't carry it out. What was done was done. The room took on a chill worse than his prisoner cell room.

"...What did you say?"

Who spoke up wasn't Cross, who had a rare bit of surprise in his eyes, but rather the middle-aged speaker from before.

Mona stayed silent, letting his lack of words do the talking.

"...Do you know who you are? Do you not see the opportunity gifted to you? Are you unwell? Why are you not coming at the beckon of your future master? Come here at once, you pathetic child, and start begging for her forgiveness! Come at once!"

The woman was in a hysterical rage of her own, the words heard in everyone's ears just fine. She made it so, using her Wind Aura to carry the words across the room. The guards were puzzled, surprised, and uneasy about this new development. The other captives were no different. A few of the other prisoners even looked enraged themselves, angry at Mona for not valuing this chance. If he was alone with them, he didn't know what they would do to him for offending his future owner. The sight only shocked Mona at realization, but he kept that thought to the back of his mind.

"I... would not like to meet her Ladyship right this moment."

Mona tried to change to a more respectful tone, but it wasn't doing him any good.

The other woman lost her mellowness long ago. Her face was red, her words shuddering from her throat. If Mona had killed her kith and kin, would she have gotten more angry, or die of shock? It could only be the latter. The second sick woman now stood in front of him, shouting at him over and over, a long string of phrases meant to reduce him to a groveling mess.

But Mona returned to silence, and nothing could budge him. Not now. He really was going to take this all the way, even if it could backfire later. Call it youthful naivety or arrogance, Mona couldn't see himself begging for favors before this anomaly disguising itself as a Faulkner noble. Yes, it must be a disguise. That's all it could be, to drive such a strong resistance in him all this time.

This moment lasted for a fair bit of time, until the Seer Crystal chimed. Talking was coming from the crystal, but no one was near to hear it. The speaker, hearing the sounds of the device, rushed back over, asking Herkruz for her forgiveness, and seemed to berate Mona to no end. He could hear this, as she spent no effort trying to hide her utter disdain for his behavior.

This went on for a while, the speaker admonishing him, and this noble lady listening from the other side.

As I thought. She didn't blink once or change her expression.

The appearance made him shudder again. Was this really a human being? What method could do something to a person? Or was this a sickness of some sort?

Soon the chatter from the speakers side was over, and the lady on the other end spoke a few words, before her appearance was slowly being replaced with the next noble on the crystal's face.

The speaker turned her face to Mona, her tone frosty.

"The lady has decided to overlook your transgression and allows you to leave. She wants you to remember your pupils are hers, and hers alone, and you will pay close attention to her for your actions here."

She glared at Mona, like her eyes could freeze his existence.

"Please give my gratitude to her Ladyship."

Mona offered a half-hearted thanks. It sounded respectful, but anyone in earshot could tell the hollowness in it. The speaker simply stared at him in a squint.

"Leave."

And as the words came from her lips, Mona left the seer hall, the other captives and guards looking on. Cross took a long look at Mona, then gave his farewell to the speaker, before catching back up to Mona.

The two didn't say a thing. They walked through the now empty main hall, pass the heavy doors, and into the halls. Mona sighed inwardly, wondering over and over why the other captives were so joyous at meeting their enslavers, flipping the card over in his hands as he did. The eyes of the Faulkner eagle on the card seemed to gleam at him, almost bragging about the loyalty its followers had for the Empire.

At about a few feet from the mess hall, Cross stopped his steps. Mona soon came to a stop as well, not expecting Cross to stop midway. The guard looked at him, an investigative look on his face. His beard was newly trimmed, his clothes well pressed, and the Eagle Insignia on his chest glowing in the light of Fire Sigils. It was obviously well maintained, and had no marks of damage.

"Are you aware of what you have set into motion?"

Cross waited for an answer.

"What did I set into motion?"

Mona asked back, unbothered.

The man looked at him, deeply. He didn't answer the question Mona replied with.

"Be careful of how you act."

"I will."

"...."

"...."

The two stood there for a moment in silence. Cross was waiting for something, and Mona was as well. For a moment they seemed to be frozen in time, until time resumed again.

"Go in and eat."

Cross stood to the side, gesturing for Mona to enter. Mona did so without issue, ignoring the stare he was getting from Cross as he did.

The mess hall was filled with all those earlier sent before the Seer Hall gathering, so many were already feasting on food and drink. Yes, drink. Another upgrade to the food had come. In small wooden cups, a syrupy orange drink was added. Mona thought it was syrupy because many of the men sat there, cup raised, waiting for the last drops of beverage to land on their outstretched tongues. It was an amusing and disgusting sight; amusing because they looked like children, disgusting because Mona became aware of their oral hygiene. Thankfully the drink was masking any smell those pitted jaws should be sending his way.

The line moved fairly slowly, with the aides in front doing their best to pour syrup into each of the cups. A long table of pre-arranged bowls was also arranged, a number of 6 dumplings in each. The slight steam gave a savory smell, and ignited his hunger no problem.

One last meal before the Trials.

In one hand, he held the drink, in the other the bowl of dumplings. He found an open seat, but today he didn't hear the chatter of men as usual. There were no fights either. The only sounds were the consumption of dumplings, light cheer over drinks, and the frustration of a few when their meals were done. For a moment, it could be forgotten what this place really was.

Some were stuffed with vegetables, the other some meat. The food was even cooked well, comparable to his time as a young noble. Mona threw another dumpling in his mouth, then washed it down with the mellow drink.

The Aurum Duchy...

Thoughts came to him of a time not that long ago. Do the Whetter birds still fly freely there?

Surely they did, he thought. Mona threw in his last dumpling, enjoying the last taste of meat he would have until after the Trials, and got up. Cross was there in a moment, taking the lost heir of a fallen dukedom to his holding cell. Tonight would be a long night.