The sixteen Beyonders moved slowly and steadily through the field. No one tried rushing. This was a trial; they couldn't be too careful.
Without realizing it, they'd sorted themselves into smaller clusters: twos and threes, mostly.
Julius walked ahead of the group alone. Close behind him, Sarah and Jesse kept pace, engaged in a conversation.
"Are you sure there isn't a way to bring it out faster?" Jesse's excitement was obvious. Seeing Cait must've sparked something within him.
Sarah shook her head. "Everyone's soul is different. The conditions for awakening vary. But I've never heard of someone doing it by just wanting to. It should come naturally."
"I hope it's something cool." He slid his hands into his pockets and let his imagination do the rest.
The other pairs or trios had formed mostly along gender lines. Cait walked with the woman in office clothes and another lady who hadn't said much of anything except scream.
The husky-voiced man, the man in the bathrobe, and one other middle-aged man moved closely together.
Excluding Julius, only two people walked alone. The first was the religious man who, up until now, appeared to still be praying. And the second was, of course, Alden himself.
He walked just ahead of Elina and her friend. Alden labeled the man as such since he concluded that they'd known each other before coming here. They could also be family; he didn't know for sure, but he doubted this as they looked nothing alike.
The girl had a pretty face and a decent build, while the man... He looked alright.
Alden was the kind of person to judge based on appearance. He wasn't so good-looking himself. Black eyes. Dull, brittle black hair. Skin that ran sallow and dry. Not much to work with.
Even with all this, he could pass as good-looking by the standards of where he'd spent the past several years.
Illness was common in the eastern slums, and he'd been fortunate enough, through genes alone, to mostly escape it. This was one of the few things he could still be grateful to his parents for.
He'd spent enough of his life watching people fall sick to have developed something close to an instinct for it. Reading posture, movement, small accumulating details. And right now, those instincts were telling him something clearly.
'They're not going to last long.'
By 'they,' he was referring to half of the group.
This held most particularly true for the girl behind him.
He failed to figure out what was wrong with her, especially since he couldn't keep glancing at them. But he was sure that her body wasn't handling all this well. She and her companion were probably lagging behind the group for this reason.
Alden didn't have the energy to exhaust himself thinking about others, so he left things at that and focused on himself.
"Haaa!! This is exhausting. How much further? It looked a lot closer from back there." The man in the bathrobe complained with ragged breath and slowing steps.
He wasn't alone in his suffering.
They'd been walking for what felt like an hour. Most of the group wore exhaustion openly by now. But three people showed almost none of it: Cait, the man with Elina, and Alden.
Alden didn't know what kept the other two going. As for himself, this kind of walk was ordinary. His job had required long stretches on foot, so he naturally got used to it. He could go another two hours before genuinely tiring. The only problem was how sore his feet were from walking on the rough ground and grass.
"I guess I'm fired," he muttered dryly. "I worked so hard to get the job too."
More minutes of walking passed. Then, finally, the robed man gave out entirely.
"Time out! What's wrong with you all? We'll die before we get there. We need to rest. I can see it in all your faces. You're tired. Same as me!"
Everyone stopped and turned to him. No one spoke.
He clicked his tongue. 'Of course, nobody cares about an old fat man.' His eyes swept the group before landing on the pair trailing at the back, specifically at the girl.
"Look at her! She could faint at any moment."
Elina became the center of the group's attention again — this time for very different reasons. The calm, composed sight from moments ago no longer held up well, disrupted by fatigue. Yet, the gaze in her eyes remained unchanged.
There was a shift in the group's expression upon seeing her.
"You don't have to worry about her." Elina's companion's voice remained indifferent. "She's my responsibility. I suggest we keep moving."
The robed man clicked his tongue once more. But this time, Julius interrupted before he could speak.
"Please understand. I said we'd all make it — and I meant it. But if one person's limitations are going to fatally cost the group, then cutting them off becomes the most appropriate option. I don't find it pleasing. It is, however, practical. So please, try to keep up. I can already see our destination. We're close."
The robed man's face darkened. 'Cutting me off. Me. It's in our nature to get tired — how dare he blame me for that? Who does he think he is? A mere academy teacher would never have spoken to me like this back home.'
His thoughts kept going, and so did his rising anger.
'I blame this place. Why was I forced here? I had everything. The best wines. Yes, wine. When was the last night I went without a bottle? If I just had wine, any of this would be bearable.'
'This is necessary.' Alden completely agreed with Julius's reasoning. He turned to keep walking but froze in his tracks. Something just changed, something he recently felt for the first time.
Alden looked back and there it was.
The robed man's eyes had gone wide. His expression was the same one Cait had worn just hours ago.
Glass shards materialized around him — different shapes, different sizes, hovering without touching the ground.
"Woah!" Jesse's mouth fell open.
After a few seconds, the man raised his head with a grin stretched across his face. "Excellent. What is this? I feel as fresh."
No — Even better. This feeling. This is exactly what I needed."
Julius's voice cut across the group, steady as always. "Congratulations. It's great to see another awakened Beyonder. Please, lend the group your strength."
The man turned to him. "You little bitch. Weren't you just thinking of cutting me off?"
Julius took a calm breath.
"I was talking to everyone, not just you. That was me being practical. I've only said what's best in the interest of everyone."
"Mister perfect teacher. It must feel good to lead. You have a good head on your shoulders, but do you think that's enough?"
Julius remained silent, already aware of where this was heading. And without fail, the robed man met his expectations.
"The weak shouldn't hold back the strong. That's your stance, right? That makes sense. But I also believe they aren't fit to lead. For that, I'm taking over. Don't worry, I am a practical man as well."
The group watched quietly, unsure what to say.
Alden didn't have to think; he had no intention of saying anything in the first place — not until he could properly defend himself. For now, he was only a spectator.
There was a popular saying back in their world:
'Even ten men aren't enough to defeat a newly awakened Beyonder.'
Alden was definitely not ten men.
Julius knew this well. He could barely hide his worry, knowing he could do nothing against the challenger before him.
'Should I ask Cait for help?' He quickly weighed his options.
'Men are physically stronger than women. While this becomes insignificant as Beyonders progress, it still holds true at this level of strength. If they go against each other, then the man would probably win. It could be different if we assist her. But would they be willing?'
"Stop. What are you doing? We shouldn't be fighting against each other. We don't know what might be in the forest region. Let's save our strength until then. We can sort this out later."
The woman in office clothes stepped forward. With her job as an arbitrator before coming here, she found it within her abilities to settle this. What she didn't expect was a shard of glass flying and slicing her across the cheek.
"Arrghh!" She grabbed her face, stumbling a few steps back. When her hand came down, blood was already trickling down her cheek, leaving her fingers stained. Her eyes immediately grew teary.
"T–That's enough," Cait exploded. Quite literally than the word implied, as her hair went up in flames.
"Are you sure about this? You don't look like someone who's been in a proper fight before. The world is ruled by those in power. Right now, we're the only ones in that position."
Cait's fingers shook nervously, but she didn't back down.
"Stop this madness. We can settle this when we're safe. This isn't necessary."
The robed man's eyes traced the looks on their faces. He was already surrounded. His eyes settled on Julius for a moment, then dropped.
'I went too far. I'll back down for now.' He looked at Cait.
"Fine, I'll listen to you then."
Then he turned to the woman he had just injured. "You shouldn't talk when—"
His voice trailed, leaving his mouth wide open.
Blood had stopped trickling.
It was dripping now.
Fast and heavy, it dropped below. The grass beneath her feet had risen. The blades, standing upright, stiff as needles, pierced through her legs and torso in over a dozen places at once.