CHAPTER 9 ‒ It Begins

They were all carried to our dormitory by the soldiers. Only I could walk on my own. No one questioned it anymore. Chiyo had forbidden us to talk about it.

Upon arriving in the dormitory, I saw the results of the forced magic awakening. Everyone lay unconscious or writhed in pain in their beds. Many of the beds were empty.

I sat on my bed. The voices in my head were gone. I didn't know whose they were or why they had been there. It confused me. I could no longer hear them. But that didn't last forever...

~~~~~✦✦✦✦✦✦✦~~~~~

Two months had passed since the incident in Chiyo's lab. The shock still ran deep within our group. More had died since that day.

When Kang saw us the next day, something stirred within him. I couldn’t say what it was. It seemed like disappointment, but why should he feel that way? Did he want us to survive? Absurd! He had regularly pushed us to the brink of death himself.

Fewer and fewer of us returned. The dream of the 100 heroes who were once supposed to save the world gradually faded, and the people in the castle grew more and more nervous. We still didn’t know what we were actually fighting against. Our only goal was to survive here, and only a few of us managed that.

The training with Kang and the other instructors grew tougher. Chiyo kept coming up with new mixtures she wanted to try on us. But just like last time, nothing happened to me. And every time, she seemed confused, as if she couldn’t understand why that was. Still, I grew stronger. My reflexes improved, and my movements became smoother. It was as if my body was rapidly adapting to combat. I was faster and stronger than at the beginning. The sword soon felt like a familiar companion, as though I had already gained much experience with it.

Kyodai and Akai had both survived ‒ so far. Yogore had made it too. The three of them could already activate their magic on command and use it with precision. It was fascinating to watch them fight.

Akai was fast and wild. Soon, she could match Kang and land a few hits. Her veins appeared on command, granting her inhuman strength. Sometimes, when watching her, it seemed as though she was burning from the inside.

At first, Kyodai fought normally, waiting until he had enough wounds on his body. Then he unleashed his magic, and dark armor plates appeared at the wounded spots. By now, he could control them, and he was no longer immobile. Strikes simply bounced off.

Yogore, whose magic had manifested during Chiyo's experiment, was something different. It wasn’t primarily intended for combat, like Akai’s and Kyodai’s abilities. His body became soft and transformed into a sort of mud. This not only allowed him to move fluidly but also made him nearly invulnerable to blades.

Since the day Chiyo had nearly wiped out half of our group, none of them were the same. They seemed serious. But behind that serious mask, there was a grimace filled with fear and sorrow. Their eyes couldn't hide their true emotions.

There were no more survivors from our group. The others, even those with awakened magic, had lost their lives. Each day grew worse and worse, as if we no longer had any time left.

And then there was me, the one who hadn’t awakened his magic. I was still the only one. In the other groups, there were almost no survivors left, but those who remained had awakened their magic. Only I stood there, without... I still didn’t understand why.

Like the others, I gave everything during training to make it out of here alive. I was regularly beaten bloody by Kang, and although Chiyo's experiments didn’t work, she found other ways to torment me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to awaken it at last... to stand on the same level as the others. My name... Slowly, I began to doubt whether I had even received magic during the ritual. But even without magic, I had survived this far, and I had no intention of giving up.

I didn’t know why Chiyo’s experiments hadn’t worked, nor did it matter. I could hold my own against Kang in combat, but that wasn’t important either. What mattered was getting out of here alive ‒ with the others, not alone. I wanted to at least live up to my name for the remaining survivors...

The two months passed quickly, and only 20 of the 100 heroes remained. Those who had survived ‒ this hellish training. Those who hadn't died from pain, torture, the experiments, or their own minds. Those who had been given the chance to leave the castle for the very first time.

~~~~~✦✦✦✦✦✦✦~~~~~

On the first day of the third month, there was no training. No experiments from Chiyo. We were picked up by the soldiers in the morning and taken to the dilapidated barn where we always had our meals. We exchanged looks, but no one knew anything. When we arrived, the other survivors were already there. Our gazes met as well, but all that showed in their eyes was confusion and tension.

Over the past two months, we had had time to get to know each other better. When our own group was completely wiped out, we started sitting together during meals and talking ‒ about the losses, about the magic, about this world.

As we sat down, Kurul suddenly appeared in the entrance of the barn. His gaze was dark, and disdain was written all over his face. We hadn't seen him once in the past two months, and now, suddenly, he was standing before us again.

"Greetings, you heroes..." His gaze swept over the crowd and lingered on our small group.

"Where is the rest? I ordered all the surviving heroes to be brought here." His words came quickly and coldly. The servants' gazes shifted away. Chiyo took a step toward Kurul.

"These are the survivors. The only ones."

His gaze shifted back to us. There was a fundamental disappointment in his eyes. He didn't care how many survived, but in them also gleamed fear ‒ not of us, but of something greater.

He raised his hand and placed it to his forehead. "Not good... Not good at all. The king will not be pleased. How is it possible that so many are already dead?" He seemed clearly upset. Had he expected something different?

"The training was harsh, and the experiments ruthless. Just as you commanded. We were supposed to push them to the brink of death to awaken their magic, but many couldn't make it. And even if they did... it was too much for them, or they remained weak." Chiyo tried to stay serious, but her eyes trembled.

Kurul looked angry. "Are you saying that it's my fault?" He stepped closer to her. She didn't step back.

"I follow the king's direct orders. Are you saying that His Majesty is to blame?" It was clear he was venting his frustration on her.

"No! Of course not! If that was the order, it must have had a deeper meaning." Chiyo gave a slight bow to Kurul. That seemed to calm him down.

Kurul sighed heavily and stepped forward again ‒toward us, the survivors. The disappointment.

"You remaining heroes. It seems that you were the strongest among all 100 heroes. Allow me to express my condolences for the loss of the others." It was nothing but theater, nothing more, nothing less.

"You had enough time to awaken your magic and strengthen your bodies. The world has been calm so far, but now it seems as though evil is about to make its move." A murmur spread through the crowd.

Kang stood off to the side, next to one of the instructors. Both of them looked at the ground, trying to hide their growing fear.

"It is coming, and you must protect us. And that is exactly why the king has called for you. He has sent me to bring you to him. After all this time, you finally deserve an explanation. You will finally learn what threatens the world and why you were created."

It grew silent.

Gazes shot through our group: Astonishment. Confusion. Fear. Curiosity...