CHAPTER 42: THE BIGGER WORLD
Lord Roan sat at the head of the table, silver hair catching the candlelight. His pupilless eyes swept over the instructors standing before him.
He wore his trademark immaculate white-and-silver regalia.
A man who tolerated no imperfections.
"As you all know, after a millennium, the Godfall Realm will open again soon."
He pressed his fingertips together.
"To avoid the massacre that occurred last time, the Eternals will be the ones overseeing it."
He paused.
"This is everything we have been preparing for. The realm only allows those below sixteen years of age to enter—though no one knows why. But the real problem? The Eternals have capped the quota at one thousand."
The words stunned everyone.
For reference, the smallest continent alone held over thirteen billion people. Add the other two, and the number was staggering—not to mention all the different realms beyond. To allow only one thousand entrants was... absurd.
But Lord Roan didn't let them ponder for long.
"But they have the power. And no one can say anything—even if they wanted to."
He stood.
"Now, the time to take our investment has come. The Covenant has been given thirty spots. But those spots are allocated collectively. Which means a fight between the branches is inevitable."
His pupilless eyes swept the room.
"A tournament has been organized."
"Every squad in this branch has trained under different instructors. Each of you believes your squad is the best. But only one squad can represent us in the Covenant tournament."
The seated instructors waited with bated breath. Most of them didn't even supervise anyone anymore—their squads had died years ago. But they still wanted to see.
They weren't the only ones.
Rauk stood near the back, arms crossed, his giant frame towering over all those present. Varric leaned against the wall, arms folded, his mechanical eye gleaming. Damen sat in the corner, his face unreadable.
The ones who had trained all the squads.
"The training. The resources. The years of preparation—all of it was to determine who among you has forged the strongest weapons." Roan's glowing gaze swept over them. "And the data is clear."
A holographic display flickered to life.
A name was displayed at the top: Ashen Blade Squad.
Bill's jaw tightened. His teeth ground together so hard they nearly cracked.
Nothing slipped under Lord Roan's gaze. He turned toward Bill. "Anything you would like to share with us?"
Bill met his eyes. "The truth is… I can't deny that the Ashen Blade Squad has the best scores. But..."
Roan smiled. "But?"
Bill's voice hardened. "They're not cut out for this. They are too soft. Too naïve. My squad? They're what the covenant needs. Cold. Merciless. They are True killers." He paused. "And I say they deserve the spots. Results be damned."
Roan stroked his chin. "Hmm. Interesting point. I've noticed it myself—ONE's squad…they've got a softness to them. But it's a tricky one. On one hand, they're geniuses. Unparalleled, really. On the other..."
He trailed off. Instead, he turned his head to the main instructors—Rauk, Varric, Damen, and the rest.
"What do you all think?"
Damen leaned back in his chair, a lazy smile playing on his lips. "Finally. A question that doesn't require me to break a sweat."
He stretched.
"Now, I might be a little biased here—little prodigy Thalia is in that squad after all. But the rest aren't far off when it comes to brains. Well… except for a few blockheads."
He shrugged.
"The other squads aren't bad. But you know me." He tapped his temple. "I'll always choose the better one. Every time."
Rauk's voice reverberated across the room. "Well, this might be the only time I'm agreeing with this scrawny matchstick. But yes, he's right. I don't know about the intelligence thing, but they've got grit and discipline. And that's something I can respect."
Damen's eye twitched at the slight jab thrown at him, but he let it slide. After all, childish insults like that were just a waste of time.
Lord Roan turned toward Varric. "Anything you want to add?"
Varric, as always, said little if the subject wasn't about weapons. "They're good fighters."
Roan turned to Bill, his smile gone. "Well, there you have it. Since the main instructors don't disagree, I don't see any problem. As for the issue you mentioned..." He paused. "I don't think it'll last long."
He turned to ONE.
"Now, just make sure they succeed, because failure has consequences. Dismissed."
***
Meanwhile, John was still basking in the euphoria of breaking through to the second stage.
But that also meant sleep wouldn't come easily.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, when a whisper cut through the dark.
"Hey."
John turned his head. Nico was propped up on one elbow, facing him.
"Can't sleep?" John asked.
Nico didn't answer at first. Then: "Did you just break through?"
John hesitated. "...Yeah."
Nico let out a long breath. "Ridiculous."
John sat up. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Nico's voice was quiet. Flat. "Forget it. So how does it feel?"
John thought about it. His body still hummed. His mind still buzzed. But if he had to put words to it...
"Like I got injected with a happy serum."
Nico's eyebrow shot up. "Wow." A pause. "Must feel pretty amazing for you to say something like that."
John didn't respond. The silence stretched between them.
Then John asked, "Why aren't you asleep?"
Nico's expression flickered. "What are you, my mom? Why do you care?"
"Just asking.
"I don't know. Just... not comfortable." Nico looked away.
John studied him. "Really? 'Cause I've seen you sleep through pretty much everything. But ever since the survival trials, you haven't had one good night. So sorry if I don't buy it."
He paused. "What's going on?"
Nico was quiet for a long moment. Then he let out a breath.
"Back in the survival trial... I killed two kids."
He brought his hands to his hair and started massaging his temples.
"I know I had no choice, but... it doesn't make it easier. I still see their faces every time I close my eyes." His voice dropped. "It's just hard."
John shifted on his mattress. "Hey."
Nico looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing. Just..." John paused. "You're not alone in this. That's all."
Nico blinked. Then he let out a short laugh. "Wow. That's the best you've got?"
John shrugged. "You know I'm bad at this stuff."
They both sat in silence for a moment.
Then Nico lay back down. "Goodnight, idiot."
"Goodnight."
snore
snore
snore
And that was Thomas.
John and Nico both smiled.