(Hello all! A little backstory: I have written a few web novels under different pen names, however, its always been half baked and i rarely finished any. This story, is one that I felt truly had some potential and has motivated me to give it my all. I wanted to share with as many people as I possibly could. Right now i’m still in the development process of it however i want to make a spin on how web novels are made. I want to post Chapters as I write them. Not like traditional ones that release volumes at a time with multiple chapters. I still don’t have a tittle for the Web novel however I am very open for suggestions. Right now I have the Prologue and It is what I am going to be sharing here. I really hope you enjoy my small world i’m creating. )
Everything changed after the great hero died. He didn’t die from battle, he survived and lived a long life. While the hero was alive, life was good, the battle was won, our country received winners benefits for years to come and crime in the city was non existent. Petty thieves here and there but no real crime at least. The king was benevolent and gave all of the citizens their fair share of the spoils of war, took in refugees from the other countries, treated them how he treats his citizens with kindness and sympathy. A great king with the wisdom that could surpass the gods and the leadership that could unite all of the world one day.
“…Acceptable..take..a .. seat…”
The voice came from the magical circle next to the black board on the wall. I sat back down after answering the guidance question. We were 20 in the room plus ten guards. The walls were all grey with nothing to adorn them. All of the studentswere sat down neatly organized in four lines, everyone was sitting the same way. Back straight, head held high, legs closed and both arms resting on the desk, everyone’s expressions were blank whenever we came into this room. Our arm position was important today, in the top right corner of the black board were the words “Blunt” above a sketch of the human anatomy with a circle on the right forearm.
One more hour until we can leave this room.
I always kept the track of how long we’ve been in the room, there are no clocks to tell the time but with practice you can tell how long it has been. Just as I was finishing my guess the door opened. The guards shifted slightly to let whoever opened the door in. If this creature were to show its face to the general public it would cause mass panic and create unrest within the people. This creature was reptilian, its hind legs were slightly larger than his arms however you couldn’t tell because its muscles were very defined. While it walked on four legs its stature was that of a 3 foot child. The reptile was wearing a black shirt and a jacket without sleeves that had frills on the collars. At the front of the students, there was a large desk, nothing was adorning this desk however, the top had many scratches, dents and dried blood.
Once the reptile arrived in front of the desk the guards closed the door. Everyone’s expression was still blank and our gazes were looking forward at all times. The reptile stood up, its head was almost reaching the ceiling. The reptiles eyes shifted from left to right scanning all of the students. The reptile had a piercing gaze that would nearly petrify even the most veteran of warriors in the kingdom.
“Ahem, the next question is for Sato Ryoga.”
Thank the gods its not me.
The boy that stood up had short spiked blonde hair, he looks are average and his body looks very frail like a porcelain doll. I’ve known him for a few weeks, he used to talk a lot about his pet he had before becoming an orphan. Now a days he doesn’t talk much.
“ What state of a battle is more dangerous for the morale of its troops?
“ The death of its front lines!”
Completely wrong you Idiot.
The reptile squinted its eyes as it stared at Sato. The answer was so wrong that you could feel the murderous intent of the mammoth of a reptile that stood in front of us. The reptile stood still as the blue magic circle glowed. It was as if the reptile was waiting for the circle to speak before he took any action or moved on to another question.
“Un..Acceptable… take.. a…seat..”
Sato’s expression was still blank, however we could feel an aura of fear and panic. The reptile looked at one of the guards and gave him a quick nod. We all were still staring forward but we knew that the guard was smiling from ear to ear. He took a few steps forward and made his way to Sato’s seat. He stopped to Sato’s right side and took his baton out, normal batons were preferable, this baton looked twice as girthy and significantly more durable.
The sound the baton made when it struck Sato’s right forearm was deafening, you could tell he didn’t hold back, they never do. Sato’s scream followed shortly. His forearm was crushed with the massive force that the guard swung at this young child’s arm. His fingers curled up the bone was clearly broken, his radial bone was sticking out slightly his deathly thin arms left nothing up for the imagination of what happened inside of his body.
The pain must have been too great for him.
The guard was smiling so much he started foaming at the mouth slightly, if you listened close enough you could probably hear him chuckling as he towered over what he had just done. Our expressions were still blank staring forward trying our best to ignore the shriek of pain that Sato was expressing. Luckly, my seat was two seats diagonally in front of him so I couldn’t see what happened to his forearm first hand.
The reptile was still staring at Sato as he was writhing in pain in his seat. “SILENCE”. Sato immediately suppressed his screaming however, his heavy breathing was still very audiable.
“Although the answer may have been correct under certain circumstances, there are more dangerous states on which a battle can affect the morale of its troops. Shizume! What is the answer?”
She stood up, her hair was beautifully black, her eyes were a gorgeous emerald color giving contrast to her face. I have known her for a few months, she was one of the few remaining survivors from the batch that arrived with her.
It’s like she was pulled off from the greatest piece of art in the world.
Everytime I had the chance to steal a glance at her I would. Without delay she answered, I was deathly afraid of her answer. I bet that we all felt the same way.
“ Although, there are many factors that affect the battlefield. The most dangerous stage for troops morale is nearing the final stage of a deciding battle when the commander’s life is in danger.”
We all felt like holding our breath for the mysterious voice to acknowledge her answer. The reptile’s eyes did not show any signs of her answer being wrong in its eyes. However, you could never know if the circle would accept it. There’s been many instances where his expressions did not match whether the answer was right or wrong. A few minutes went by, not a single sound was made the whole time. The loudest sound could be made if you drop a pin needle at the ground. The circle suddenly lit up, glowing as it always has before it gave a verdict.
“Acceptable..take..a…seat…”
Shizume bowed her head and sat back down. A barely audible tsk! Could have been heard coming from the direction of the rear guards. Relief would be the correct term that we students were thinking at the time. This feeling was fleeting as the reptile scanned us again. His tail fiercely struck the ground. We never could figure out what that meant, maybe he also felt relief, maybe he was also annoyed like the guard that the circle approved of her answer.
“ Next question, hmm.. Hime, At what point would a person or animal be considered dead?”
That’s a trick question.
Specimens as they call us, don’t get to kill until after the second week after we survive the constant testing and deprogram our personalities, the kill is what solidifies the deprograming on how we value life. The unfortunate souls that get murdered by children like us are usually criminals on death row, low lives or as rarely as I can count on my own two hands bystanders that got kidnapped. Our first kills are usually in a safe space where the victims are chained to the wall hands held high above their heads and blindfolded. The room was eerily white for the amount of killing that it has seen, my first time was one of the few that bystanders were used. She was a middle aged woman, you could tell she lived a fulfilling life and had wisdom by the way she spoke. Once I stepped into the room she guessed how many people were in the room by the sound of our steps. The guards stood by the door as I approached her. She was obviously scared given that her feet were shaking but her voice never waivered. She must have thought that I was a high ranking official when she asked for her daughter.
There was a table a few feet away from the woman, there were carefully sculpted details on the legs of the table, although I couldn’t make out what they were exactly. Anyone could tell that whoever made this was very experienced in his craft. On top of the table there were different objects. A sword, a mace, a knife, a wooden stick, a piece of wire, a wood cutting axe and a short bow with a single arrow on top. All of the weapons were in pristine conditions, not a single notch or thread out of place. The other thing that stuck out to me was the fact that none of the weapons had any distinguishing features that stood out.
I chose the knife, in my mind I wanted to make this as quick and painless as I possibly could. I had no choice, the guidance states “Once you enter the room the specimen must kill the insect that is chained on the wall, failure to do so will result in both participants to perish”.
I wish I could talk to this person
As I approached the woman with knife in hand, she seemingly turned to me.
“ Would you mind speaking to me? I heard you pick up something, it’s not hard to tell when you move stuff around since the other two haven’t moved a single muscle.”
I was surprised. The fact that she could tell all of this and remain calm and composed.
“I’m not quite sure what’s going on. Why am I being tied up? Who are you? What’s going to happen? Where is my daughter? Is she alright?”
My hands moved on their own, I grabbed her blindfold and ripped it off of her face. The sheer terror that she expressed gave me goosebumps. In front of this woman was a child no older than eight years old, deathly thin, hollowed blue eyes, cuts and bruises throughout his body, holding a knife while two guards were standing by the door. At that point in time she realized that was the end of her life. Again, my hands moved before my brain could react and her throat split in two.
“The moment that a person or animal could be considered dead is the moment their bodies stop moving”
She gave her answer as quick as my own flashback came to my mind. Hime’s looks could be condensed to one word, Tomboy. Her hair was cut short and flipped to the sides a little, her eyes are usually always playful when we’re outside of this room.
The reptile looked at the rear guard and gave him the nod before the circle gave its verdict. We all knew what was going to happen but still we waited. A few minutes went by what seemed like hours. The circle lit up, we all knew what was going to happen from here on.
“Un…acceptable.. take..a..seat”
The guard that stepped next to Hime was fairly tall and bulky. His face was grinning from ear to ear. The guard didn’t pull out a baton, the guard raised his fist and slammed it down on her right forearm.
Her screams filled the room with the same violence that Sato’s was. The guard used a brass knuckle. The reptiles tail slammed on the ground again “SILENCE”. Although it gave a command Hime was still writhing in pain yelping here and there. Anger filled the reptile that a specimen was not immediately following commands.
The reptile looked at the guard again and nodded. The same guard walked back to the side of her. The same grin was on his face as the last time he stood by her side.
And with another punch she was knocked out cold. Both blows were fierce and relentless in strength. We all sat quietly as the room became silent once more.
The guard placed his fingers on her neck.
A magic circle appeared right on top of Hime it glowed a faint green color.
The guard walked back to his position still smiling from ear to ear. Hime’s body slumped over the desk, her arms dangled at her side, the guard struck her hard enough to leave his brass knuckles imprinted on her face and forearm. The reptile slammed his tail against the floor again. His eyes were scanning for his next specimen.
As I stood up, I could feel everyone’s hopes of me getting this answer correctly. I’ve answered all of the questions today correctly and this week I have been on a hot streak avoiding getting beaten. I also felt the anger of all the guards, how they wish I get this question wrong so they could obliterate my forearm.
“ The death of a being could be surmised to the body seizing all movements. However, on certifying a death heart pulse must be zero and brain activity must cease. Furthermore, the victims eyes become glossy and… misty would be the best I could describe it”
The reptiles eyes were bloodshot, it was wearing its rage on its sleeves. It was unhappy at my answer. A few minutes went by and the circle glowed. I was holding my breath once it lit up.
“Acceptable..take..a…seat”
Relief. It’s tail slammed the ground again, slightly stronger this time. I think the reptile wanted me to get hurt, since I haven’t had anything happen to me in a week. As I sat back down the murderous intent of the guards grew. The most noticeable one was the one guard that always struck me in class. His rage was like the reptile’s, he was wearing it on his sleeve. Normally, before you get released into this phase the guards had the option to strike the specimens whenever they pleased due to deprogramming. However, once the specimen passes, they no longer can strike without just cause.
As the reptile opened its mouth to speak the circle lit up again.
“Today’s class phase is over, specimens that have damage report to the medical ward for healing. Specimens not harmed may leave for the recreation area. Specimens that are unable to move due to injury or special instructions may stay seated until agents arrive”
We all got up and bowed to the reptile as it made its exit. The guards shifted slightly to let its massive body pass through the door. The first guard to leave was the one that emitted the most rage when I answered correctly, he must have had something special in mind today. The guards remaining stood still watching over us as we got up to leave. More than half of the specimens had their forearms broken and needed to be taken to the healing ward. The rest of us were guided over to the recreation area where we were instructed to study for the classes next day.
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