Second Genesis

The situation outside of the trial world could only be described as odd. There was a bishop, an envoy, a couple of Vanguard Holy Knights, and a group of what were ultimately children lying nearby.

No one spoke a word, and even if they had wanted to speak, none of them knew what they should say.

The momentum of the envoy had been completely stifled by the arrival of Calixan. Sir Trolley didn’t know what to do with the panic in his heart. Sir Ovaal didn’t know whether he should confirm Calixan’s speculations that Grey was a member of the Dark Kin and expose himself to the fact he had hidden it or not. All while Calixan stood there, light smile on his face, hands clasped behind his back as though he hadn’t just sentenced a budding young star to death.

The youths to the side were a mere afterthought at this point. Many of them hadn’t quite recovered after what the envoy had done to them. To say they had been on the brink of death was an understatement, but they didn’t really know how to feel about the sudden claim that Grey was a villain they should all be rooting for the death of right now.

Well, not all of them, anyway. There were some who took it at face value, and others who felt that they had just been granted the duty of slaying the beast before them... though they should have well known that anyone who could kill Terran was well beyond their means to deal with.

Amongst the latter number was a few that Grey found familiar. The one who he had named "Forearms of Destruction" in his mind was constantly squeezing and releasing his grip on the sword to his side, staring at the gate intently as though he would be the first to burst forward when the time came.

It was in this odd free-flowing tension that the gate did pulse.

He unsheathed his sword halfway only to stop. The one who stumbled out of the gate arch wasn’t Grey. Instead, it was Chogh.

Chogh stumbled forward several steps before he collapsed to the ground, gripping a bloody wound at his side.

"Hm..." Calixan mumbled a word as though he was also disappointed that it wasn’t Grey. But with that slight sound came a shift in the air and a golden light that enveloped Chogh.

The youth’s pale face warmed a bit, and then reddened. Finally, the blood seeping out of his side cooled and then stopped dripping at all.

Squirt ran over to help Chogh stand up.

"How was it? Did you pass? Did you pass?"

Maybe only the youth were ignorant enough to still be so cheery and excited at a moment like this. Squirt was the youngest of them all and he still showed some of that naivety.

Chogh coughed and then sighed. "I only got two Low Tier Abilities. Where’s Blain?"

"He’s not out yet."

There was a downcast look that flickered through Chogh’s gaze. Though the time you took to come out didn’t necessarily mean that you had performed better, there was still a slight correlation.

It was technically possible for you to perform especially poorly against the first few enemies and only come out an Unranked Holy Knight despite taking a substantial amount of time.

But Chogh knew Blain’s strength, and the Unranked challenges were relatively easy. Blain probably cleared them even faster than he had. If he was still in there, it probably meant he was working on his third, maybe even his fourth Low Tier Ability.

Unless Chogh could reach the Vanguard one day and have another chance to enter, the gap between them would forever be an unapproachable chasm.

He looked down to the ground, he just wanted to go and rest at this point, but when he looked up and saw the line up, he froze.

Luckily for Chogh, not long later, the gate buzzed again and Blain stumbled out, pale-faced and looking like death. There was still a blade sticking out of his belly, and it was a good thing too. Otherwise, he may have very well already bled out.

Blain grunted, falling to a knee.

Another mumble left Calixan’s lips and healing descended onto Blain as well, the sword being magically pushed out of his stomach before it clattered to the ground.

Blain huffed out heaving breaths, a cold sweat matting his entire body. Beads of it were literally falling from his brow and dripping to the ground.

That had been close. He had gotten a little over-ambitious there.

You could choose when to give up the trial whenever you wanted, and you only had to do so with a thought and a push of your intention. It was basically instantaneous.

But because of that, a lot of squires really pushed the boundaries and a few had walked that fine edge of death before. Ironically, the easier it was to cut your losses, the more risks you took. Many squires had died just like that.

"Thank you—." Blain looked up expecting to find a normal priest, or maybe a nun, but his expression froze. "Ah," he stumbled over his words, hurrying to his feet, "thank you, Bishop Calixan, for your great benefactor—."

Blain wanted to slap himself on the forehead. That was definitely not how you used that word. Now the Bishop would go around thinking he was an idiot.

Calixan only smiled. "A light matter."

Then he turned his attention back to the gate.

Blain looked toward Chogh who only wanted to ask how far he had gotten. But the atmosphere made them feel like they shouldn’t be speaking at all.

Only Squirt didn’t seem to get the memo.

"How far did you get?" he asked, eagerly rubbing his little hands together.

"I..."

"Can you shut up." The envoy growled.

Calixan frowned, but Squirt’s body had already been sent flying back.

The gate pulsed a third time at that moment and a hand reached out and caught Squirt’s body before he fell into the quagmire of chaotic space.

"What the hell?" Grey’s voice echoed out.