by James Huff
With that the cannon sounded and the six of us activated our avatars simultaneously. The Mercury girl I was facing had a rather unique avatar. It still had the appearance of being human but the skin of the female avatar she had was a deep blue color, like the ocean. And she was not wearing typical battle gear. Instead she was wearing an intricately designed flowing silky white dress with light red highlights to signify her Caste. The patterns on the dress were very geometrical and seemed to change and shift as she moved. She moved with such grace that it was nearly impossible to predict her maneuvers. It was like she was beginning this dance in the moments before we drew in together in battle. Her weapons were two medium length swords with blades so narrow that they almost had the appearance of needles.
I decided to make the first move and drew in closer to her. She did not stop her dance. As I approached her I had my spear held straight out with my left hand and my sword held up to protect my face and to parry if necessary. I went in for a lunge with my spear and her dance-like grace dodged my thrust and threw me off balance. I fell towards her as she spun around and began to slash me with one of her swords. I was able to spin around quickly and parry with my own blade. Then I got up immediately and ran around the her left side, slashing in her direction with my sword. It was blocked and I stepped back just a little as she began to edge in close and dance around with both her swords striking at varying intervals. It took everything I could muster to dodge the attacks, but one finally hit home, slashing me across the chest. Blood began to leak out of my avatar as I fell over and winced with pain.
Rather than go in for the kill, she withdrew and started to sway around, her long dress flowing with each move. I took advantage of this and got up quickly, thrusting her with my spear which met her chest. But it did not penetrate her avatar very deeply so she withdrew and began to take the defensive, drawing her swords up into an “X” to protect her body. Growing impatient, I swung my swords around maniacally like an animal, trying to break through her defenses. Finally I had the opportunity I needed. I took advantage of her dance like patterns of motion and waited until she moved to sway away from me, knowing that she would do so if I lunged at her with my spear. I pretended to lunge forward, but rather than allowing myself to lose my balance, I quickly side-stepped to her right side. In leui of my spear I slashed her hard on the side with my blade, the wound being inflicted deeply and blood pouring from her avatar. I could hear the crowd chanting “Finish her! Silver Falcon!” I arose with pride and thrust my spear into her face, ripping it out violenetly in a rush of adrenaline. A fountain of holographic blood gushed from the fatal wound.
I saw her body go limp and without hesitation went over and revived her. We hugged out of respect and then the high priest took our hands and lifted mine up, announcing the victor. The other two matches ended momentarily, Copper defeating Tin and Lead defeating Iron. We were then escorted back to the locker rooms to decide on the next round and prepare for the next round.
After the matches were concluded we made our way to the locker rooms. Mr. Merck escorted me there. “You fought bravely today John. I am very proud of you. You are undefeated. Not many students that come into Institution can say as much,” Mr. Merck informed me, smiling with his own sense of pride. “I know it went a little differently than I expected,” I started. He cut me off, but not out of disrespect. “But you adapted to the situation. That may be one of your greatest strengths. The ability to adapt to each opponent, to see a pattern in their moves and instantly strategize against it; to use their own strategy against them.” I smiled. “That is quite insightful of you Mr. Merck, but honestly I can’t really think too much when I am out there in that arc. Most of the time I just have to react on pure instinct.” He gave me a quizzical look. “But that instinct is driven by insight is it not?” I nodded in agreement and sat down on a bench in the locker room, needing to rest and recooperate for a moment.
It was then that the boy from the Lead Caste approached me. He sat down right next to me and just glared at me. After a few moments I looked back into his eyes, my pride obviously showing as well as his. It was like even though we were serious rivals, we mirrored each other in that moment. It was like we saw a bit of ourselves in one another. Such a strange paradox. “I am not like the other boys you dealt with from our Caste. I do respect my opponents. But when we enter the arc, and you know we will, there is no respect, no mercy, and no love. It will be war. And I will not hold back. But know this…I am well informed of your involvement with the BMF like everyone here. You may be the victor today in the end, but I will tell you this. You act out one time and you will find that the consequences of that action will be paid with in blood. And I don’t mean your avatar and I don’t mean your rival Caste. Your own will turn against you. You think they love you now. Just wait until you screw up again and they make you their enemy. Then you will have nowhere to turn.”
I heard what he was saying but I tried not to register it. Apparently he could see that I was not going to respond, so he simply got up and walked off toward the cleansing chambers. I knew I had to do the same and as I headed for that general direction the ten minute warning bell had already tolled, preparing us for the next round of this first morning session of the tourment finals.
The high priest came to us in the locker rooms to announce the next round. “There will be only two matches in this round, both occurring simultaneously. The Mercury finalist has been selected to fight against the Tin combatant and the Copper finalist has been selected to fight against the Iron candidate. The rest of you are asked to watch the matches and to respect your rivals at all times. Even though you are of different castes, you are all here as children of the living god, the Alphae. And so, in that way, you are all brothers and sisters. I wish each of you the best of luck. Now go, and remember, that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
We were then escorted to the box to watch the two ensuing matches. The four combatants made their way to the two center arcs and the Alphae arose to give his speech before the match began. He spoke again of respect for our opponents and tied it in with the initiation ritual which would was scheduled for the following day. I watched the match with anticipation. I could not wait for my chance to finally face the Lead opponent. The Mercury girl really impressed me with our fight and so I paid more attention to her than the other match. She came very close to being defeated but in the end the Tin competitor was not able to predict her dance-like motions and she was able to use that against him. He ended up losing his balance and then she went in for the kill, decapitating the head of his avatar in one clean swipe of her needle-like swords. The Copper combatant ended up defeating Iron, but that match seemed to be more of a brawl than anything really strategic. After the matches ended we were all escorted back to the locker rooms, where it was decided that I would be facing Copper. I was very glad to be fighting again.
I was prepared for the ensuing match with a little speech from both Mr. Merck and the high priest. The other fight was between Mercury and Lead but it was decided that there would only be these two matches first and then one semi-final match between Mercuy and Iron. I entered the arc with excitement as the Alphae silenced the crowd and began his speech. After he was finished I faced my opponent and we both activated our avatars. My copper opponent was tall and moderately built with shoulder length dark brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was of an olive complexion. His avatar wielded an ax and a round, broad shield with an emblem of the sun exuding golden rays. He had a very burly appearance with a long, braided beard and long, flowing red hair. He wore copper breastplates to signify his caste and some kind of kilt almost like a warrior of a time long forgotten.
I decided to start off on the offensive and approached my opponent with speed and stealth, stabbing at varying intervals with my spear. None of my thrusts came through for me and he was able to use his shield quite efficiently to block my attacks. Finally I decided to back off and take more of a defensive stance while he took swings at me
with his axe. I was able to dodge his first stream of attacks but his final blow ended up hitting my spear, which then broke in half and disappated. I hated it when that happened. I parried as best as I could with my sword with each ensuing swing of his axe. But one blow hit home, slicing a rather large chunk out of the leg of my avatar. I collapsed, doubling over with pain and praying that it was not my end. He came in for the killing stroke, making an attempt to sever the head of my avatar. But he was careless in his approach and I was able to swing around, quickly dodging his attack and making a slash at his arm, cutting it completely off. He screamed in agony as he fell to his knees and I proceeded to push my sword through his neck. The crowd roared with excitement and I saw his avatar disappate as my actual opponent fell to the floor unconscious. Without hesitation I went up to him and revived him, lifting him to his feet and shaking his hand.
The high priest lifted my hand up, announcing the winner of this match and shortly thereafter my notorious Lead rival was able to achieve victory over the Mercury girl. There was no break after these two matches and so I simply went to the box to watch the final match of this session between the Mercury and Iron finalists. The Mercury caste was able to redeem itself in a rather heroic match. The Iron opponent greatly wounded her but in the end, as before, the Mercury combatant threw her opponent off balance with her strategic dancing and delivered a killing blow with her sword through her heart.
We were escorted back to the locker rooms after this last match and the high priest informed us of the eliminations. “It was a minimal requirement for everyone who fought today to achieve at least one victory. The Silver, Mercury, Copper, and Lead finalists were all able to achieve two victories, however, since neither the Tin nor Iron combatants were able to win any of their matches, I regret to say that both of you will be eliminated from the tournament finals. Congratulations for making it this far in the tournament. It is still a great honor. You will both be able to sit in the box with the remaining finalists in order to support your brothers and sisters of the Alphae. Congratulations on the wins today for the remaining finalists. I wish you all the best of luck and remember that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
We were released shortly thereafter to the common area by the gardens for social hour. I didn’t get the chance to speak with Mr. Merck again and so I casually headed toward the waterfalls hoping to run into Amy, or perhaps one of my other friends. I was disappointed to approach the waterfall and see no one there, so I decided to go and see if I could find a drink. I approached the bar to order a drink and was happy to be given a light snack with it. It was simply some kind of yellow cake. I figured I deserved at least that much after the long hard fight. As I took my seat at one of the tables, a familiar face showed up and sat down across from me. It was Mr. Ivaness.
“Well hello John. I must say that was quite an impressive display today.” I smiled through a mouthful of food. “Yeah, I know. It felt so good,” I recanted as I chewed my cake. I washed it down with my acai juice and looked into Mr. Ivaness’ eyes. “What is it John? You look slightly troubled.” I was a little disturbed by what Amy and the Lead finalist had said. But it wasn’t really affecting me on an emotional level. I suppose I didn’t want to believe what was said. But I trusted Mr. Ivaness, at least far more than I did in the beginning. “It’s just some things my friend said, and my rival of the Lead Caste. They seem to think that I am being tested. At least that is what I deduced from what they told me. I guess I would just like to believe that I am doing well and that my involvement with the BMF is no longer relevant. I suppose I would like to feel like there is no reason for me to be concerned anymore…about getting into trouble again, I mean.”
Mr. Ivaness gazed deep into my eyes for a few moments before responding. It made me a little nervous. “The best advice that I can give you John is to just keep doing what you are doing. Always remember that anything can happen at anytime. Be mindful of your feelings. They will betray you if you are not careful. Pride can be good, but humility must be balanced with that pride. Allow it to give you self confidence and assurance of victory while within the arcs. But be humble enough to remember that all you are you owe to the Alphae. It is to him and him alone that you are to show your gratitude. As long as that reverence remains, you have nothing to fear.” He smiled and then turned around and walked away. As he was going he glanced back toward me and winked.
I rested my head in my hands and stared down at the floor. I thought of Grandfather. I tried to think of what he would have said in that moment. Should I have really just let the Alphae into my heart? Should I have finally relented and just surrendered to his will? Should I have just let it all go? How could I? No matter what good had come into my life since I discovered my talents in Victeous, I still remained on the outside looking in. How could it be any other way? I remembered that first night I was taken by the BMF. I thought of the betrayal of my family. And the anger began to arise in me. Maybe I could have summoned the anger and the rage in my next match. My thoughts were interrupted as Amy sat down next to me. I felt a gentle arm around my shoulders.
“John…are you okay?” I lifted up my head and looked into her eyes. Again I could see her concern. “I’m fine Amy; I guess I am just nervous.” She seemed to be studying me as she looked into my eyes. Her gaze was averted downwards and I could tell she was upset about something herself. “You have looked troubled for awhile Amy. Ever since the night at the Temple of Immolation it seems like something heavy has been weighing on you.” She hesitated before answering. “John, there is something I need to tell you. It’s this dream I keep having. It started the night before that ceremony. And I have had it almost every night since then. And we both know there was something going on with those machines we slept with in our dormitories. But those machines are not hooked up here. Call me crazy, but I feel like something or someone is trying to reach out to me.” I looked away for a moment. I felt myself falling into a reverie, if only briefly. “I don’t think you are crazy. I haven’t really remembered any of my dreams since we have been on this retreat, which is unusual for me. If you want to share it with me, you can.” She took my hand and gazed back into my eyes. “It’s about you, John.”
“Every night it’s the same. You and I are walking hand in hand through a meadow. There are two large, snow capped mountains surrounding us. It is very similar to one of the Alphae’s kingdoms. Suddenly you rise up above me. You float high into the air. Then you begin to fall. At first it is almost like the rules of gravity do not apply here. You fall gently, slower than normal. Then you begin to fall faster and faster. Right before you hit the ground, the Alphae catches you. But you curse him. You tell him that you want to die; that you want to be reunited with your grandfather. Then he turns against you. He strikes you violently with his scepter. Then you begin to melt. It is like you are wandering through the wastelands. Suddenly all else disappears and you are floating in the abyss. You disintegrate before my eyes, turning to ashes. But then I see something else. I see a single flame come out from your ashes. And I see you reborn into an infant child. You are holding a white rose and there is a smile upon your face. Then I wake up, filled with joy but also a sense of sadness that I have yet been able to shake. I have no idea what this means. I don’t think it is all bad. But it has me worried about you John.”
The white rose seemed significant. I felt like Grandfather would be able to advise me on its symbolism. “It seems like a mystery. We may not be able to solve it right away Amy. I just want you to know that I will be okay, no matter what. I also have a bad feeling. I feel like it is only a matter of time before I get in trouble again. It has been too long since the BMF have had to intervene on my behalf. They probably are testing me. I am sure they have been this entire time. Maybe I will pass their test and maybe I won’t. But for now all I know is that it is my duty to bring victory to our Caste in this tournament. No matter what happens after that, I am firm in my resolve to be the victor, to gain for us the Caste cup. I wa
nt to be able to finally do something right for once. And as long as there is a breath in my body I will do so.” She embraced me in a hug and I could feel a tear fall down her cheek and touch my neck. She kissed me on the cheek and then got up, turned around and walked off. I figured she needed to spend some time alone so I sat there for a moment gathering my thoughts.
It wasn’t long before the bell tolled once more, announcing the second session of the tournament finals. I lazily made my way toward the stadium. I forced my mind to focus on the task at hand, on victory. I pushed aside all my worries, doubt, and confusion. I was determined to fight with my greatest strength and to prove my worth to the Silver Caste. I walked through the doors of the stadium with steely pride and made my way to the locker rooms. As we all settled inside, Mr. Merck made an announcement in lieu of the high priest. “Welcome back tournament finalists. The fights in the first round of this session are as follows: Silver will be fighting Lead and Mercury will be fighting Copper. One of you four is almost certain to be eliminated during one of the three rounds of this second session of the tournament. My advice to you is to be steadfast in your focus and intent. The mind must be sharp. And remember always to respect your opponent and honor the Alphae in all thoughts, word, and deed.”
I could already hear the crowd beginning to cheer as we were ushered out of the locker rooms and onto the stadium floor. The Alphae hushed the crowd with a silent wave of his scepter and I finally took my place in the arc across from the Lead combatant. I knew it was my moment to shine. And I knew that I could show him no mercy, as I would receive none myself. My opponent looked very focused yet he was calm. He did not look angry or anxious at all. That in and of itself made me more nervous than if hatred was painted all over his face. I glanced over at the Mercury girl and her Copper opponent. She was such a graceful mystery and her opponent seemed more like a predictable brawler in comparison.
