The scorpion venom poison, a potent draught of darkness, extracted from the rare millennium scorpion demon. A creature forged in the depths of an abyss, where shadows and darkness reign supreme. Brewed in the cauldron of a thousand midnights, and imbued with the ferocity of a thousand burning suns. Its touch ignites a fire of agony, a burn that shatters souls and spirits.
The venom has three stages before death. Stage one: The shadows embrace, which occurs on the first date. The victim feels a creeping sense of dread as if the shadows themselves are wrapping around their soul. The skin grows cold, and the heart beats with a slow, mournful cadence. The victim's vision begins to blur, and their thoughts grow cloudy and disjointed.
Stage two: The agony of a thousand suns. As the venom intensifies, the victim is consumed by a burning agony that feels like the fiery wrath of a thousand suns. The pain is so intense that it becomes almost unbearable living with. The skin blisters and the victim's screams are like the wail of the damned.
Stage three which is the final stage, the venom reaches its climax. The victim's soul is torn apart, plunging them into an eternal darkness beyond all comprehension. The body becomes a hollow shell, a mere puppet of the venom's malevolent will, and then the person dies.
Jasmine, who had studied some poisons in her free time was well aware of these symptoms and knew it was the scorpion's venom. But she was immune to poison, so why was she feeling this pain? The pain was at stage one and she could barely move. Despite her condition, she thought about the exam and managed to attend.
There she was walking into the crowded hall, everyone turned to her and saw a pale-looking Jasmine. She dragged her feet to the front, and the only word she could utter was "She's not".
The whole crowd grew silent as Jasmine assembled with her team.
"It's about time, sorry for the delay. As we prepare the facilities for the next exam, you all can camp here. Also, ruby, I need to have a word with you after the exam" Professor Flynn announced as the leaders dispersed and the crowd begun to move.
"Jasmine, are you okay?" Beatrix asked, worry etched on her face. Jasmine nodded, trying to balance herself on the high ground next to the hall. But Beatrice wasn't convinced. "Wait here, I'll get you some water" she insisted before walking away.
Jasmine, who now looked lifeless, leaned her head on the pillar beside her. Is this how she'll die without doing anything meaningful in life? she thought to herself. She was immune to poison, so why was she now affected by the scorpion's venom? She swore to herself that if she got through this for even a second day, she'd kill Ruby, Amanda, and Lydia without mercy.
"What's wrong?" a deep voice asked, and she lifted her gaze to meet the person's eyes - a towering figure standing before her. It was that man, the devil.
"What are you doing here?" she forced herself to speak, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Just checking on my teammate."
"You're not my teammate. Who are you?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing.
He just smiled and crouched down to her level but noticed something was wrong. "You're poisoned," he spoke in a low tone, as if he didn't want anyone to know.
Jasmine's eyes widened, "How did you know?" she asked her voice also low as she struggled to speak.
"I'm a demon, and we're familiar with this poison," he replied. "It's made from our kind - the scorpion venom. It's just the first hour of the first stage, so you're only experiencing it slightly, and your vision hasn't begun to blur yet…I can stop it for some time, but you'll still feel the effect a little" he continued. "I will go look for a cure."
He reached out his hands and placed them on her head. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into the warmth of his cold hands. The feeling of relief washed over her, but it was short-lived as he removed his hands.
He gave a weak smile before turning to leave. "Wait," Jasmine stopped him, holding onto his cloak. "What's your name?"
He tilted his head, "Damien, just call me Damien" He smirked then raised his brows at her hands on his cloak, signalling her to let go. She let out a small "oh," removing her hands from his cloak before watching him leave and then disappear into thin air.
Damien…, a devil? He doesn't act like one, Jasmine thought to herself. Is he just pretending to be nice? but she couldn't help but notice his cold yet endearing character and his chiselled facial features. Despite the lingering pain, Jasmine felt a little better after Damien's intervention. She owed him one, that was for sure.
Just then, Beatrix returned with a bottle of water and handed it to Jasmine. "Here, drink this," she said, her voice laced with worry.
The exam began shortly after, and they were all surprised to find themselves standing in front of a lake, with buckets and clothes scattered on the floor. They all looked dumfounded before professor Flynn spoke.
"Welcome, candidates. I hope you've rested well. In recap of the first exam, five groups were eliminated, so it remains fifteen groups. First, I would like to congratulate you all for being able to pass through the first exam."
Everyone applauded before he continued, "So, today's examination is unity by peace. In this exam, you all will be washing clothes. These are not just clothes, but magical clothes. This area has some bad energy. The demons, witches, and dragons have to use their powers to wash the clothes, while humans have to kill everything they get in their way."
The extra-natural beings burst into laughter. Washing clothes with their powers such a waste! Feeling at ease, they all went to take their respective wash buckets and began washing.