"Please take your seats, we'll begin orientation shortly."
Announced the invigilator standing at the forefront of the hall.
The visor of his black cap tucked his eyes out of sight.
His black cloak concealed the sheathed blade stuck to his hip.
The hall was vast.
Candidates occupied the rows of seats, descending row after row.
Leith chose a seat at the very back of the hall, sheltered from potentially grabbing any unwanted attention.
He studied the room quietly, his expression hollow, yet observant.
"Get on with it already!"
"I don't have all day, you bastards!"
Leith's gaze shifted to the very front of the room at the bottom row of seats.
The candidate impulsively yelled out in a frenzy brought about by his boiling impatience.
"Hey calm down Kiren, you don't wanna get us kicked out already, do you?"
Muttered the candidate next to him in a panic.
Kiren scoffed as he sat back down, crossing his arms.
Leith noted the short fuse on Kiren—his intention in doing so remained unclear.
"If you're done, then yes, we can now begin."
The examiner said, his voice nonchalant, but visibly annoyed.
"You are all here to undertake the recruitment assessment to become ASPs, as I'm sure you all already know."
He sighed.
"In this assessment, we'll provide you with all the essential information you need as an ASP, along with a plethora of examinations you will undergo to simulate the experience of fighting as one."
The air was tense with anticipation.
Some looked worried, others looked determined.
But above all, they looked to be fueled by a certain purpose.
"Of course, not all of you will be considered to walk away from this assessment—wearing the title of ASP."
He said with a harsher tone of voice, the look in his eye sharpened as he spoke again.
"That's right, only the candidates that manage to score in the top fifteen rankings, will pass this assessment—as for the rest of you, well, I'm sure it's quite obvious."
"If you have any questions or concerns, now is the time to voice them."
The room remained silent.
The air felt thicker, and thicker the longer the silence lingered.
"That's quite the large range for acceptance, Mr. Examiner."
Voiced a candidate from the back of the hall, tearing through the silence.
"I mean, considering there's only about twenty of us here, wouldn't you say that number is a teeny bit too generous?"
He said with a smirk, his legs resting on the top of the chair in front of him.
"Simple—the more, the merrier."
"Don't be like that, Mr. Examiner."
"I'm sure the rest of my fellow candidates aren't satisfied with that vague of an answer,"
The examiner remained silent.
He opened his mouth, seemingly to dismiss the question.
"Ah, let me guess."
"Your division has become exhausted of its number of soldiers, perhaps."
"So to compensate, you now accept practically anybody to act as GAPPs little meat-shiel-"
"If that's all, Drelan, then allow us to begin the assessment."
The examiner interrupted, his expression one of evident irritation.
A group of assistants marched through the back of the hall, walking up its steps—strange equipment on their person.
"To start, we'll be measuring your passive atheris output, so we can get a little idea of what we're working with."
"Please put this on, sir."
Said the assistant, handing Leith a black cuff—attached to it, a gauge, adjacent to a number of tubes and a pump.
"While we collect your readings, I'll properly educate you on the biology of atheris, as this is a fundamental of becoming an aspiring ASP."
"Atheris is an odd compound—one that doesn't exactly have a standard form or shape to it."
"It can sometimes come in the form of fire, lightning, water—I'm sure you get the jist of it."
"However under uncommon circumstances it can mutate to form something entirely different, whether it be simply a different color, or a different element altogether."
"This compound has come to organically fuse into the very DNA of human beings, resulting in exceptional changes in the body, as well as allowing the body to manipulate the atheris present in its bloodstream."
"When a human shows signs of the recessive atheris gene, their heart will begin pumping the compound out, almost like a second blood."
"In turn, giving the person—"
"Sir.."
"This candidate—doesn't have any atheris."
Declared the assistant responsible for Leith.
Shock arose as heads from all corners of the room turned to look at Leith.
He stood up, his eyes still shallow yet lit with determination.
"I would like to ask your permission to still take the assessment, sir."
He said firmly, meeting the examiner's gaze.
"You came to an ASP assessment—with no atheris?"
He chuckled.
"Are you out of your mind, kid!?"
"You don't even stand a chance at scoring anything higher than even the weakest, most incompetent candidate here!"
"That just means I have to try harder than everyone else, sir."
Leith replied.
The examiner couldn't hide his detested grin upon hearing those words.
"You know what?"
"Knock yourself out, I'd love to see what you'll do to 'try harder.'"
Leith sat back down.
Whispers flooded the hall despite the intensity of their volume.
The board behind the examiner flickered, before showing the list of the rankings for the first examination.
1.Drelan Draeven, 8%
2.Elian Thorne, 6%
3.Soren Malvek, 6%
Leith's gaze scanned the list, ignoring the top names but mysteriously aimed straight for the bottom.
Kiren Voss, 2% Malric Dast, 2% Ivan Sarric, 1% Nyel Arven, 1% Coren Vessan, 1% Leith Laziel, 0%
"This'll conclude your first assessment, please head to your assigned dorms."
The thunderous manifestation of scurrying resonated through the hall, soon retreating.
Kiren pushed his way through the crowd, grunting.
Leith sat there, his expression still blank.
"Wow, you're quite the fool aren't you, Laziel?"
Leith looked up.
"But I guess we aren't too far off in that regard."
"I'm Malric, Malric Dast."
He said, reaching his hand out.
Leith smiled—Malric's gesture requited.
"I'm sure you hadn't noticed, since you're sitting all the way back here brooding, but the examiner grouped us into four groups of five—completely based on our rankings."
"So let's help each other out, Laziel!"
Malric suggested, his face bright, and his smile conveying a sense of warmth.
"Sure, let's do our best."
Leith replied, standing up.
Behind Malric, stood the rest of the bottom 5 candidates.
They strolled out of the hall and into their dormitory—a cold cramped room with nothing illuminating it but a small lantern.
They sought refuge for the night under beds bunked on top of eachother, conversing.
"Say, Malric.."
"What did you mean by what you said earlier?"
Leith asked, lying on his bunk, gaze directed at the ceiling.
"When I said we aren't too far off in that regard?"
"Yeah.."
"...My atheris.."
"Is jokingly pathetic."
A swift breeze filled the silence outside the dorm"
Malric spoke again.
"I produce flames—that are too hot for me to maintain."
"In fact, I can't output my flames for any longer than a few seconds, without risking severely burning myself."
His voice shook with pain.
He tossed to the side, his palm extended out before him.
"I'm unique, but—ultimately useless."
He muttered.
"I think—that just means you have some amazing potential."
Leith spoke, breaking the silence.
"Imagine the heights you'll reach once you learn to control your flames."
"But that's easier said than done."
"True, but you've already passed the hardest part, Malric."
"Which is?"
"Accepting what you are—unique."
"Those blessed with such characteristics tend to harbour more thorns in their path than most, and that's just a mere consequence of what it means to be unique—to be different."
"And that's–"
"But, if said unique person were to bear the pain of those thorns burying into their skin for just a little while, you'll find out why they're said to be unique."
He said, not allowing Malric to give himself another excuse
"It's because they possess a power no one else in this world but them—could possibly dream to conquer—don't you think that's amazing, Malric?"
"That sounds nice…"
"Doesn't it?"
"But—I don't think I'm someone capable of pushing through those thorns, Leith."
"And you're willing to accept that from now?"
Malric remained silent.
"You'll never know until you touch those vines, and even then, you still won't know until you stick your entire arm into those vines."
"That is—unless you're willing to carry that burden for as long as you live—the burden of refusing change."
"Do you really think—it's possible for me to change?"
"Totally!"
Leith exclaimed.
He threw his head down his bunk to see Malric, only to be slightly stunned.
Malric has a soft stream of tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Uh.."
"Are you—okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just happy to hear someone finally say those words."
"What about you, Laziel?"
Asked Coren from another bunk.
"YOU WERE LISTENING—?"
Malric yelled out abruptly—embarrassed.
"How do you feel being in a place like this, surrounded by people like us—you know, with atheris."
Coren spoke again, ignoring Malric.
"It's less about how I feel, I've learnt to cast aside feelings like envy when I stepped foot into this place."
Leith replied, clenching his fist.
"Because I came here with a purpose undeserving of such meaningless distractions that are completely out of my control.."
"Why are you here, Leith?"
"I had to watch my whole world burn before me, as I sat there—stuck under a couple of stupid rocks."
"I–"
"I don't ever want to feel that weakness ever again, I—refuse to stay under that rubble for the rest of my life."
Leith's jaw clenched, a troubled look in his eye.
Clap, Clap, Clap
Confusion washed over Leith upon hearing the sudden clapping from the other bunk.
"I must say—I had the wrong idea about you, Laziel."
Ivan said, a friendly grin plastered on his face.
"I took you as a guy who came here because of some foolish sense of arrogance."
"But I'm glad you proved me wrong—you seem like a good guy after all."
"Will the four of you shut up already!"
"Whatever you say, Nyel."
Ivan remarked snarkly.
Coren and Malric chuckled loudly as Nyel's audible teeth clenching followed up Ivan's remark.
Leith remained silent, smiling quietly.
They fell silent.
A quiet breeze sounded in sequence with the sole lantern's flame burning out.
Morning struck.
A couple dozen knocks on their dormitory door, signaling them to wake up.
Leith stepped out, staring up at the dark morning sky.
The clouds seemed to have stood in the same place as last night.
Snowflakes trickled down onto his face.
His cheeks—a hue of crimson.
They soon arrived at their next location—haunted ruins of a devastated town surrounded them.
Gates, the size of behemoths stood before them, towering over them like mountains.
"Welcome to your second trial of the ASP recruitment assessment."
The examiner announced, his cloak moved along with a harsh breeze of frost.
"As you have noticed—this trial will be taking place outdoors, specifically.."
BANG, BANG, BANG
"Prime hunting grounds—for mutants."
He said coldly.
The gates shook violently, as if they would tear off their hinges.
However, despite the situation, most of the candidates' expressions remained steadfast—determined.
"You will be tasked with hunting down every mutant beyond this gate."
"You will receive scores for every one you, or your group, takes down successfully."
"And of course.."
"Individual take downs—will result in a higher score."
Their expressions only grew more deadset upon the revelation.
Leith noticed as Kiren clenched his fist—slowly backing away from his group.
"Any questions before we begin?"
"What happens in the case of a casualty?"
Asked a voice from a group—trembling.
"Then you die.."
Silence followed by the sound of a breeze manifested upon his answer.
"Casualties in this assessment—are overlooked during trials."
"So do your due diligence to stay alive, because no one is coming to rescue you."
The voice remained silent—unable to form a reply.
"If that'll be it, then I suggest you people get a move on."
Panic set quickly despite their recent resolve.
Groups scurried to move, some lacking coordination and separating, while others operated swiftly.
Leith's group moved together, traversing hollow ruins in search of a potential vantage point.
Promptly, an ear-piercing roar echoed through the cold air, sending shivers of terror down the spines of those unfortunate enough to hear it.
Carnivorous thuds vibrated throughout the ruins, as if the earth itself was being torn apart.
Time had run out before they had anticipated.
As they ran through the ruins, Leith caught sight of a mutant, rebounding off the roofs of destroyed buildings.
As he was about to open his mouth, he caught a glimpse of someone chasing after it—Kiren.
"We should split up!"
Leith yelled out to the rest of his group.
"Are you sure that's a bright idea, Laziel?"
"Aren't you guys trying to secure yourself as many points as possible?"
"We're at the bottom of the list, if we don't cover more ground—we'll never increase our chances of changing that!"
He replied, panting as they ran, his voice clashing with the wind.
"He's right, you know."
Nyel exclaimed, coming to a halt, as well as the rest of his group.
"If we don't resort to taking risks, then we won't get anywhere with this assessment."
He added.
Their group, now agreeing in unison, began to discuss plans.
"Malric.."
"You head down that path there, if you're lucky, you might be able to encounter a lone mutant in one of those alleyways down there."
"Why the alleyways?"
"Mutants don't necessarily hunt, at least not all of them."
"Some of them rather hide and wait for unsuspecting prey to approach instead of getting their hands dirty."
"You sure know alot about this stuff don't you?"
"I had to live through a purge, of course I would have some recollection of how mutants think."
"Purge?"
Nyel commented, a wary look on his face.
Leith met Nyel's gaze—his expression began to fade, his eyes becoming dull and hollow.
"There hasn't been one in the 10th Division's region for ages.."
"Leith.. Laziel…"
"Wait, are you–"
"Hey, we can't afford to keep wasting time like this!"
Malric shouted in desperation, clenching his fists.
"I'll go that way—like Leith said."
"Nyel, you and Coren branch off the north, while Leith and Ivan branch off–"
"South."
"I'm sure I heard some run off south."
Leith suggested, puffing from fatigue.
"If anything goes wrong, meet up back here—understand?"
The group took off as per Malric's commands.
Leith and Ivan took off through an expanse of alleyway, separating from the group.
They had encountered a major blockage of rubble.
Its positioning seemed just right for the purpose of keeping out any unwanted visitors.
"Hey Laziel, I don't see any way around this thing—do you think it might have been placed here on purpose?"
Ivan asked, tracing the formation of the skeletal remains of the buildings surrounding them.
"Don't be ridiculous, this entire place was submerged in a flood of havoc anyway, I'm sure this area just had it worse than the rest."
He replied, scaling over the barrier of rubble.
Leith offered his hand, helping Ivan up.
"Hey!"
"Watch your step, Ivan!"
THUMP!
Ivan lost his step, pulling both him and Leith down the other side of the barrier.
He spat out the dust in his mouth, chuckling.
"Instead of almost dying to overly sized zombies, we're over here almost dying to some dumb rock!"
They laid there, laughing.
"You really are amazing, Laziel."
"Why's that?"
"To put yourself through something like this—meant for people with special supernatural abilities, despite being completely normal yourself."
"To me, I'm just doing what I must—there's nothing special about that right?"
"Some, if not most wouldn't put themselves through a death trial like this, even if there were lives on the line—so in my eyes at least, you should pat yourself on the back, even if we don't make it out of here alive."
He chuckled, pulling himself to sit up right.
Sound became scarce in contrast to before they scaled the barrier.
Leith, still lying on the ground, turned his head to look at Ivan before opening his mouth.
"Say, Ivan.."
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
"Would you put your own life on the line if it meant in doing so, it would save others?"