About five hundred years ago which was around the year 2150, humanity was at the climax of it's technological ascent.
Each new dawn seem to unveil yet another marvel, another device meant to redefine life itself .
Yet all of these paled in comparison to The SARCOPHAGUS
Six peak scientist, hailed as minds that only appeared once in a millennial came together to build a never seen before machine and after working on it for over a decade, their collective work bore fruit and gave birth to the sarcophagus.
The world wasn't ready for the unveiling of the sarcophagus yet, and so after it was shown to the world and it's capabilities were made public, there was a loud uproar.
The sarcophagus was more of an heavenly machine rather than a product of technology, more like a gate disguised as technology.
It is a machine that transport human's consciousness into another world while tempering their bodies, making them something stronger and better than what a human was fundamentally.
People struggled to come to terms with the fact that such a magical thing exists not until the emergence of the first walkers.
The six who built the machine were also the ones who got to reap the fruit of their intellect first, birthing the first set of super humans into the world. Flames bent to will, steel crumbled with a thought,
The concept of humans weilding world defying abilities seemed absurd, something associated with fairytales and fantasy yet earthlings looked on as people began emerging with different mind boggling abilities.
As expected, the six controlled the use of their invention and only allowed access to those that had proven themselves. Only the most loyal of followers earned the privilege of using the sarcophagus. And so they built a large army of loyal superhumans, toppling the current world government and ushering in a new era, the era of walkers and the rulers of this era are the six clans that were born from the six scientist.
Time passed and with it came change. To ensure their continued hold on power, new walkers whose loyalty couldn't be compromised had to emerge and this led to the selection system.
In this new world built by the six, the privilege to use a sarcophagus could either be bought or earned.
The process of buying is a very straightforward one. Aspirants just have to pay the fee, sign a binding contract to ensure their loyalty, attend an academy to help them prepare before they're thrust into the cold world of walkers.
To earn it however was to go through the brutal selection trial of the clan which they find themselves under their jurisdiction.
It was a proper bloody affair, one wreathed in bloodshed and mayhem as the clan only welcomes the best among the best.
The risk of dying actually ran high and the only contract that was to be signed is a death warrant stating that the clan is absolved on any blame if the aspirant was to die during the trial.
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Zik stepped through the gates, his light steps betraying the heavy storm of emotions welling in his chest.
He knew what he was about to do, he knew the dangers attached to it, and he also knew he didn't have a choice.
Like a preconditioned machine, his body moved down one of the numerous pathways leading towards the myriad of doors in the humongous structure.
Stepping towards the door, he pulled the knob without knocking. There really wasn't a need to, he was sure the person behind the door was already aware of his presence within the building.
Tightening his resolve, he pulled the knob and pushed the door open.
The room wasn't really anything impressive.
The blinds were pulled so there was little sunlight filtering into the room.
The room was strangely black and devoid of any color and yet he could perfectly see everything within it.
Directly opposite him was another door that probably led to another room, not far from the door at a corner of the room was a desk.
Two people sat behind the desk.
A young man of medium build and a little over average height. A crown of dirty blonde hair adorned his head which was accentuated with a sharp jawline and a square face.
He was the perfect definition of a Hollywood movie star--if anyone still remembered what Hollywood was--.
Perched comfortably beside him was a lady with a very slim build. Her slick black hair was packed into a ponytail, her perfectly symmetrical face gave her an otherworldly feel, her bright smile seemed to contrast the darkness of the entire room.
Zik locked eyes with both of them. A shiver ran through his body as he struggled to keep his composure.
'Those eyes....' he thought
Staring into their eyes felt like staring at a being much greater than him, a being that had transcended the realm he was, a being that had achieved something that was greater than being human.
'These people....'
They weren't ordinary..
They were walkers
And although both of them were garbed in plain and ordinary clothing he didn't let that fool him as he knew any one of them could take his life with a snap of their finger.
He stood rooted to the spot doing nothing but look back at the two people in the room.
Only a few seconds had passed since he entered the room but he felt like he had been standing there for five minutes already.
The darkness felt oppressive, filling him with a sense of claustrophobia.
Every sense in his body screamed for him to lower his head.
He was about to give in to his body and keel over when the lady suddenly spoke
"That's enough mark" she chirped with fake annoyance
"..... you're bullying the kid" and almost immediately, the darkness covering every inch of the room vanished and colors returned.
The sudden brightness stunned Zik as he struggled to get accustomed to the brightness.
A light chuckle escaped the lips of the man
"Nice one, kid...." He said
"What's your name?"
"Zik..." He answered, his voice coming out more raspy than intended
"Zik Bladesworth..."
"Bladesworth.....hmm, curious name"
"You know why you're here?" He asked
"I do " Zik replied
"And you're sure you want to go through with it?"
"I do" he replied again, this time his voice fluctuating a little
Catching the hesitation, the man pressed further
"You might not survive. And even if you do would you be able to live with it?..."
".....This is your chance to turn back now kid. Are you sure you want to go through with it "
"I do" Zik replied yet again
The man gazed at him evenly for a moment, then he cleared his throat
"Very well then...."
"Identification" he rasped
Zik stepped forward and rolled up the sleeve of his T-shirt. Branded on his skin with perfect precision was the lifelike image of a coiled snake.
Known as the sigil of the Von clan, it was a mark that was given to those who had affiliation to the clan.
Zik has gotten his a few weeks ago when he had signed up to take the selection trial of walkers.
He could've changed his mind and decided against going through with it but he didn't and here he was.
The man held onto his arm for a few moments seemingly studying it for any signs of it being counterfeit.
Not seeing any of the tell tale signs he rolled up his own sleeves and a bigger sigil came to sight. When both sigils came into the view of each other, they moved as if they were lost kins who couldn't wait to reunite with each other.
The man nodded with approval, then gestured to the door behind him
"Use this door, the person behind it will tell you what to do"
From the start of their exchange to this present moment the lady hadn't uttered a word after her initial reprimand, yet she kept her bright smile as Zik walked past her and into the door.
Sometime after Zik had left
The man looked towards her and asked
"What do you think about this one?"
She chuckled a bit, before replying
"He's unsure of himself....and it is people like him that tends to get devoured in the trial"
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Author note: hope you enjoyed the chapter, anyways see you in the next