Zachary calmed his mind and took a deep breath before answering. "It's open."
He could hear the door being unlocked, giving way to a veiled woman. Because of the veil, Zachary wasn't able to confirm if she was the same one who had escorted him the past night.
'God, why would I say "It's open"? I should have remembered that last night it was locked.' He was lampooning himself as he watched the veiled woman standing by the door.
"You're being summoned, Witness Candidate. Please follow me."
Without waiting for an answer, the veiled woman turned around and began walking.
'Damn, they did say we would begin early, but I didn't think "This early." I need to quickly go over everything I heard yesterday. Firstly, it seems I find myself in the body of the so-called "Witness Candidate." I don't know what I am even supposed to witness, but it seems pretty important considering I'm not allowed to experience anything else.'
Zachary reviewed everything as he walked behind the woman through the same corridor from last night.
'Secondly, it seems that the stern man from yesterday is the one conducting my instruction... And by the state my body was in at the end of it, it seems to hurt pretty badly. Now that I remember, he said that they could find a replacement, so maybe being a Candidate is not so unique of a thing.'
It appeared they were reaching their destination. Steeling his mind, Zachary finished his thoughts.
'And lastly, it seems whatever is going on will end in two days... But something is telling me that I shouldn't meet the deadline.'
With those words, the door at the end of the corridor opened, giving way to the same chamber. The only difference was that this time, the open ceiling gave way to the morning sky.
In front of him stood the man, but this time he could see his face clearly.
He had bronze skin, as if he had lived his whole life under the sun. His square jaw was darkened by a beard that appeared to be only a couple of days old, and his wavy hair was black, almost blue, and tied in a messy bun.
His eyes... His eyes gave Zachary chills. They were a deep and calm blue, like the ocean. But he could feel it—just like the ocean, they hid something dangerous in their depths.
"You're late." The man said, giving Zachary a distasteful look. "Let's begin."
The door closed behind Zachary when he heard the man speak again.
"You should know by now what you're supposed to witness, don't you?" The man said, with a deeper frown than Zachary thought possible for his already stern face.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, what do I do? I was going to use this opportunity to gather clues from this man. I can feel that if I give a different answer than the one this man wants, I'm done.'
The man's frown deepened further at Zachary's silence. Zachary knew that it was do or die, so gathering all his experience talking himself out of situations with his professors, he said:
"All I know is that I know nothing." The air froze between them, and a terrifying pressure emanated from the man. So Zachary hurriedly added:
"How could I claim such knowledge when I'm but a mere Candidate? You should know that it's wiser to be the man who admits his shortcomings than the one who is blind to them. For I think that one should remain a novice, for it's the beginner whose path remains open for further growth, contrary to the expert whose road is already at its end."
The tense silence returned. Zachary tried to hide his nervousness... He wasn't that successful. The man observed Zachary with an expressionless face. He had retracted the pressure, but the tension remained.
Finally, after what felt like hours to Zachary, the man opened his mouth and sighed.
"I didn't know you had such bullshit within you." The man said, shaking his head, and then he carefully examined Zachary.
"You have changed. Your eyes look different."
"Thanks, sir." Zachary lowered his head, thanking God the man accepted such nonsense.
"It wasn't a compliment. Such a change this close to the ceremony might not be good. But it appears my past words weren't received by deaf ears."
The man turned around and walked to the center of the chamber.
"As you already know, for the past years, you have been witnessing the power of our Guardian Goddess, the Lady of the Black Skies."
'So he is talking about the Storm God, huh? It kind of makes sense considering we're close to the ocean, but how would I witness his power?'
Zachary suddenly had a bad feeling. He went through every little detail that surrounded him: the broken chamber, witnessing the power, and most importantly, the pain his body had felt at the beginning. His thoughts were interrupted by the following words.
"Today will not be different. You will witness her authority with your whole being." As he said those words, white lightning began to surround his body. "You should be grateful."
Zachary wanted nothing more than to reproach him for asking how he could be thankful, but he wasn't given a chance as a fist arrived at his side. He could only twist awkwardly, trying to avoid the fist, but he wasn't graceful enough. So the fist landed on his shoulder, and he was launched to the side of the chamber.
Pain.
So much pain. Zachary's mind was clouded. How could it be any different? The worst pain he encountered in his past life was at most a burn he received while cooking, and it was easily resolved by a well-placed band-aid. Damn, he hadn't even been in a fight before, so he didn't know how to take a hit. He remembered how he tried to practice boxing once in high school, but he dropped it soon after.
But worse than the pain in his shoulder was the blinding pain of the electricity coursing through his body.
Zachary couldn't claim to be very knowledgeable when it came to pain, but he could say with absolute confidence that being electrocuted was something he had never experienced before. It hurt, but in a different way. His muscles felt as if they were no longer his, but the pain they received felt more personal than ever. He had trouble taking air inside his lungs, and a feeling as if countless insects were fighting against each other inside his flesh took hold in his body.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck, I didn't sign up for any of this, I didn't sign at all! Send me back, I don't want this!'
Zachary landed on his knees. It had been only a second since the blow landed. And sadly, the second one was already coming. He could see with teary vision how a leg was approaching the side of his head. So Zachary did the only thing he was able to do and raised his already battered arm to save his face.
The kick landed, and unfortunately, his arm wasn't enough to stop the force of it. He was sent rolling across the ground, his head shaking.
That's when the pain hit. A numbing pain was coming from his arm. He looked down only to see how his arm curved in a direction it shouldn't curve. It shouldn't curve at all to begin with. He could see how his radius was making its way out of his arm as if saying hi. Meeting its owner for the first time.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! I shouldn't meet my bones in any situation. They are better remaining inside of me!' His lampooning was interrupted by the voice of the man.
"Your eyes have changed, but it seems you're the same fool," the man said, looking down at him. "Clench your teeth."
Zachary paled. He wanted to do nothing more than lie down and wriggle in pain. The broken bone was one thing, but the electricity flowing through his body was far, far worse. But he knew that the moment he stopped, he would stop forever.
'I didn't go through all that self-realization shit only to throw in the towel here.'
Zachary said to himself as he ducked beneath a punch only to receive a knee in his stomach.
But it wasn't easy. Sure, Zachary had the resolve to resist the onslaught, but for someone who hasn't met hardship even once, this turned into a hellish endeavor.
Zachary continued to roll pathetically across the chamber. He felt like crying, but every tear that flowed from his eyes was quickly evaporated by the electricity. His mind was clouded. He thought there would come a time when the pain he felt would reach a threshold, that he wouldn't be able to feel more pain.
But he was proven wrong. The pain continued to rise as his injuries increased. He wanted to do nothing more than run away, but he instinctively knew that if he were to run away, something worse would happen.
'How could I even go against my nature? Freud said that it was in human nature to seek pleasure and avoid pain, but if I were to avoid pain, more pain will come!'
Zachary thought as he felt how his ribs cracked, bringing him back from his thoughts.
Every breath he took felt as if countless miniature knives were stabbed into his lungs. He could bet this hell of his had gone on for a few hours already, but in reality, it had only been a couple of minutes.
Zachary wanted to cry, scream. Hell, he even wanted to puke and shit, but these desires of his were interrupted by more blinding pain. Zachary finally came to terms with it.
He wouldn't return from this nightmare.
'It kind of makes sense, you know? The young people born into the world of Shadow Slaves have been trained since they were kids to resist such situations. Me, in comparison? I've never struggled before.'
He was tired, but he felt relieved that this was ending. He was sad, though. He wanted to keep his word with the Original One, prove the Spell wrong about his empty promises. But he wouldn't be able to.
That's when he felt it: a warm radiance coming from the cracked ground began to envelop his tattered body.
Zachary's mind went blank, not knowing what to do in his situation. Being subjected to intense pain, only for it to disappear, was a heavenly experience.
That's when everything clicked. How, last night, his pain had been relieved as the same light enveloped him. And how it wouldn't even make sense to prepare a Candidate only for this Candidate to die pathetically, receiving said preparation.
Zachary felt relieved, but then his expression twisted as a deep feeling of shame surged within him.
'Fuck! What the hell is wrong with me!? I gave the Original One such a big talk, only for me to not only fail, but give up voluntarily. I'm such a pathetic fool! How could I even say such words, only to go back on them at the smallest challenge?'
With self-hatred and a newfound burning resolve, Zachary's soul blazed again.