The air in the chamber was heavier than before. Ravian could feel it pressing down on him as the nine of them were led silently into the dimly lit room. The flickering light from the strange white metal in the center cast eerie, shifting shadows across the walls. It was unlike any metal he had ever seen—alive, almost breathing. White, blue, red, green—all shifting and pulsing, its colors changing as if it were a living entity watching them, waiting for something.
The overseers stood back, their faces cold and unreadable as always. But this time, something felt different. Their eyes—usually empty—gleamed with a twisted joy, darker and more intense than before. They didn't need to speak. They never did. The tension in the air told Ravian everything. This wasn't about just another trial. This was going to hurt.
No instructions were given; there were no words exchanged. Ravian already knew what was expected. They all did. This had become their reality. He moved forward first, as always. His mind, once full of questions and fear, had long since become a place of cold calculation. He didn't feel hesitation anymore. There was no room for it. This was survival. The only question was how much his body could endure before it broke. Everything was measured in pain now.
His fingers closed around the metal.
The moment his skin touched the surface, chaos surged into him. The metal had been waiting for this—hungry for it. The energy flooded through his hand, racing up his arm like liquid fire, burning, tearing through his veins as if it wanted to rip them apart. His hand blackened almost immediately, skin blistering and cracking under the strain, but he held on.
His body convulsed violently under the onslaught, muscles locking in a spasm of pain, trembling uncontrollably as the chaotic energy tore through him. Ravian's expression didn't change. His mind stayed distant, focused, cold—watching, waiting. Calculating how long he could hold on before the pain consumed him completely.
Behind him, the overseers watched in silence, their twisted smiles only deepening as they observed. One of them, a tall man with a cold, sharp voice, muttered to the others, his words dripping with dark amusement. "It's worth it, putting this much effort into these bastards. Look at how much they can absorb. Beautiful, really."
Another overseer chuckled under his breath. "As abundant as this energy is here in Asraar, only these wretches can bear it. We need to keep looking into how to make use of it for the masses."
A third overseer, his voice bitter and dripping with frustration, added, "But that'll take time. The clan can't keep pushing gold into this research forever."
The metal pulsed in Ravian's hand, flickering from white to red to blue, each change tearing at him anew. His veins bulged, dark lines snaking up his arm as the energy twisted and writhed within him, but still, he didn't let go. His fingers dug into the metal, gripping harder, even as the heat seared his flesh. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, spasming from the overload of energy, but his body stayed upright.
Behind him, he could hear the others stepping forward, their silent movements filling the room with a tension that matched the flickering light. They, too, gripped the metal, enduring the same chaos that ravaged Ravian's body. No one screamed. They hadn't screamed in years. But the sound of labored breaths, the occasional sharp gasps, filled the room. One of the children, a boy with dark hair, stumbled back after only a few moments, collapsing to his knees. He didn't fall completely, but his body trembled with the effort of holding onto consciousness.
The overseers' eyes glinted with a cruel light as they watched the children struggle. One of them, his voice low and filled with contempt, spoke again. "At least these bastards are cheap to raise, unlike those young masters in the clan. Swimming in gold, pampered from birth. These tools... they cost us almost nothing."
Ravian's hand felt like it was about to split open, his bones threatening to crack under the sheer force of the energy inside him. The chaotic power was wild, thrashing, trying to tear him apart from the inside. His heart pounded erratically, the rhythm of his breath jagged and desperate. But still, he stayed standing. His legs locked, muscles trembling, but he didn't fall. He had to keep going. There was no other choice.
The metal flickered again, shifting to a deep green, and Ravian's body seized violently, convulsing as the energy hit him harder. But his mind remained cold, detached, registering the pain only as another obstacle to be endured. This wasn't about strength—it was about survival. How much could he take? How long could he hold on before his body broke?
Another child, a girl with pale skin and hollow eyes, released the metal, her hand shaking uncontrollably as she stumbled back. Her body convulsed, her fingers blackened and burnt, but she remained standing. The others were still gripping the metal, their bodies shaking, their faces pale, but none of them had fallen completely.
Ravian's vision blurred as the energy continued to flood his body, each pulse of the metal sending a fresh wave of agony through him. His veins pulsed violently, the chaotic energy tearing through them like a storm. His mind felt distant, removed, his body a mere vessel for the chaos that consumed him. The metal shifted again, flickering with an eerie purple light, its glow casting twisted shadows across his trembling fingers. His hand felt as though it might shatter under the strain, but still, he didn't release it.
Finally, Ravian's hand loosened, his charred fingers trembling as they pulled away from the metal. His veins throbbed with the chaotic energy still thrashing inside him, refusing to calm. His body, barely holding together, was wracked with pain, his skin blackened, muscles twitching violently. But he was still standing. He had survived.
One by one, the other children let go, each barely clinging to consciousness as they released the metal. Some stumbled, others collapsed to their knees, gasping for air, but none of them screamed. They had all survived, though it was clear how close they had come to the edge. Their bodies were burnt, veins bulging under the strain of the energy still churning within them.
Ravian's heart pounded erratically in his chest, his breath uneven and ragged. The chaotic energy refused to settle—it continued to tear through him, thrashing violently inside his veins like a storm barely contained. Each step felt like a battle, each breath a struggle. But his mind remained cold, detached, focused only on the fact that he had survived. The overseers' words meant nothing to him. Nothing else mattered but the simple fact that he was still alive.
As the overseers gestured for them to leave, Ravian took one final glance at the metal. Its light flickered one last time, as though it were watching them, waiting for its next chance to unleash chaos. He didn't look back at the others. There was no need. They had all survived—just barely—but that didn't matter. Only survival did.
The chaotic energy continued to surge within him, a storm that refused to settle, a constant reminder that he had been pushed to the very brink of death. It wasn't over. It never would be. The storm inside him still raged, waiting for its next chance to break free.
But for now, he had survived. And that was enough.