"Cough… cough… cough…"
Walking in a freezing world.
Behemoth beings tug enormous chains connected to countless others.
People are being dragged, forced to walk through this frozen wasteland.
One could say this is the end of the world.
Zephyr is one of them...dragged and forced to walk across the frozen land.
His body is covered in wounds, blood, and frost.
Suffering, bloodied, and exhausted.
"Ahhhh!!! I can't take this anymore, please let me go… I am begging!!" someone yelled. The desperation in his voice was something anyone could feel—but no one heard or answered his plea.
Countless pleas and desperate cries echoed, yet everyone had grown tired of listening.
After a moment of silence, a massive pillar made of black obsidian, radiating a chilling aura, emerged above the begging man.
Blood splattered everywhere as it crushed him, killing him instantly.
Some screamed, yet most remained silent. They were facing the inevitable—showing emotion would only make their suffering worse.
At first, Zephyr tried helping someone, yet they met the same fate. They died while begging for their lives.
This is the Trial also known as Ascent. Every being is forced to undergo it—those deemed worthy live, while those who succumb are killed. Most beings who are selected can either be lucky or not. For humans it is death, certain death. No more words are needed to describe it.
Zephyr struggled to recall what had happened.
He became an orphan at a young age, his family mutilated and murdered before his eyes by some fallens.
His younger brother was taken by unknown beings.
Forced to live in the outskirts, he crawled and begged just to survive.
Zephyr never understood why his life was so miserable. He questioned the gods—why him, of all people? Yet he knew it was nothing more than wishful thinking.
The only hope he had was finding his younger brother.
A raging, burning desire consumed him—to tear apart those who killed his parents.
That desire was the silver lining that kept his sanity from collapsing into corruption.
Zephyr remained silent. He knew that if he tried anything, he would die. He pushed his mind and body to their limits just to stay alive. Being human while also an outskirt rat like him without any proper background is destined, with with some great treasure and some mysterious power but a certain death.
They had been walking for three straight days.
This was one of the insidious trials—it was called the Death Parade, the path to death and obscured uncertainty.
Hundreds of thousands walked. Thousands had already died from exhaustion, severe wounds, mental breakdowns, and the freezing cold—yet the parade continued. Most of beings started losing hope. What is hope in the face of absolute power? Nothing!!! Whats the purpose of plea and begging. They will just die, anytime. No one and nothing escape can escape this endless loop of Ascent.
*****
The behemoths stopped
"HUNGGGGGG!!"One of the Behemoths blew a massive horn, signaling the end of the parade.
The Behemoths, tugging the enormous chains, stopped—standing still like immovable fortresses.
Massive pillars of black obsidian descended from the sky, obliterating everything in their path, creating a mesmerizing yet dreadful scene.
"THE TRIAL BEGINS!
These words were carved into the pillars.
The massive chains held by the Behemoths were dropped. Countless chains rattled. The chains binding every being loosened, freeing them from the looming uncertainty of death.
Yet that was only the prologue to the real trial.
'The real trial will begin…' Zephyr thought, while struggling to get up. He is at his weakest.
He was already at his limit, yet the Death Parade was only the beginning.
The parade tested the tenacity, grit, and willpower of every being.
Every trial is different, but one thing is certain—at the beginning of each trial, beings are tested at the core of their will: the will to live, to survive, and most importantly, the will to Ascend.
"SURVIVE."
A single word was etched into the pillar.
"HUNGGGGGG!!!!"
The Behemoths blew their horns once more, signaling the start of the trial.
The survivors of the Death Parade—including Zephyr—were teleported to random locations.
No warnings were needed. Everyone understood—they must survive until the end. Surviving means achieving the trials. It means they will survived and gain power. Power they wanted to get.
Every trial is a mystery no one fully comprehends. Surviving proves one's strength, intelligence, and luck.
"Thud." Zephyr collapsed to his knees, his body unable to endure any longer.
The endless march, the lurking dangers, and the freezing environment had pushed him beyond his limits. For someone like him, survival was never meant to be easy.
"Huff… huff… huff… I just need to rest for a bit…" Zephyr muttered, breathing heavily.
He knew the environment wasn't the only threat.
The real danger… was people.
They were free to do anything to survive. Killing others was not just possible—it was inevitable.
Zephyr had been an orphan since childhood. He understood how the world truly worked because he had lived through it.
Growing up in such a cruel world was
unbearable.
Food was scarce. Human territories were limited.
Every day was a struggle just to find something to eat.
The Council provided food—but never enough to truly survive. Just scraps… enough to keep people alive. Rats like him are one who suffered the most. They can't voice out their dissatisfaction because they don't have what it takes to speak to begin with.
This was how human territories operated.
Whispers and the fortunate lived lavish lives, while people like Zephyr lived in misery.
The Council maintained control by offering just enough aid, hoping to discover a Wisp bearer—someone they could exploit to monopolize power.
That's their way of ganing more power, control and to voice out their own self interest. No one is safe, if you want to survive, exploit, kill and deceive. That's the rule of the new World.
Weakness is a Sin, every beings know that but life is not fair for everyone. Either you kill or be killed.