Overseer Thorne stood before the huddled candidates, his crimson uniform emblazoned with the Seven Luminaries' crest glowing faintly under the aurora's light. His voice boomed through a throat-mounted sonic amplifier, cutting through the hum of the mountain's energy generators:
"Listen closely. Follow the path through the bio-bamboo grove ahead—it leads to the Conglomerate's Gene Tempering Spire. The trial has three stages: first, the Bio-Bamboo Corridor, then the Crystalite Escarpment, and finally the Apex Ascent. Only those who reach the spire's peak by midday will qualify as core operative candidates. For those who fall short but demonstrate exceptional grit—you will be offered positions as peripheral candidates. Now move out!"
Kael Voss frowned slightly, unfamiliar with the term "peripheral candidate," but the core message was clear: climb, and climb fast. He glanced up at the slope ahead. Instead of ordinary bamboo, towering stalks of bio-bamboo rose from the rock—their trunks pulsing with a soft blue energy, leaves sharp as synthetic blades. The incline didn't look overly steep, but he'd learned never to underestimate the Conglomerate's trials.
Glancing at the other candidates, Kael saw tension ripple through the group. Jaxen Solaris, the broad-shouldered youth with augmented pupils, cracked his knuckles with a smirk, already sizing up the competition. The other privileged children clustered around him, while the handful of frontier kids like Kael hung back, eyes wide with a mix of determination and unease. Kael's jaw tightened—he'd never been one to lose to peers, no matter their advantages.
Overseer Thorne checked his wrist-mounted chronometer, its display synced to the planet's twin suns. "Time's up. Proceed. Do not fear—Cadet Mentors will trail behind to ensure no fatal harm. But pain? That's part of the tempering."
Kael glanced over his shoulder at the line of silent figures in cyan uniforms—Cadet Mentors, he realized. Their postures were rigid, faces impassive, and each bore subtle cybernetic enhancements: glowing neural implants, reinforced knuckles, or augmented lungs that hummed softly as they breathed. A flicker of envy passed through him—one day, he'd wear a uniform like that, free from the scarcity of his village.
Before he could dwell on it, a chorus of shuffling feet and excited shouts erupted. The other candidates had surged into the bio-bamboo grove, Jaxen leading the pack. Kael cursed under his breath and darted after them.
The Bio-Bamboo Corridor was far larger than it appeared. Thirty-odd children scattered immediately, the dense stalks swallowing them up. A lean Cadet Mentor with a shaved head and a scar across his cheek fell into step behind Kael, his movements silent as a shadow. Kael felt the man's cold gaze on the back of his neck and dared not speak, keeping his head down and his pace steady as he navigated the sloping terrain.
At first, the climb seemed manageable. But as minutes stretched into an hour, the bio-bamboo's energy field began to take its toll. The air hummed with low-frequency vibrations that seeped into Kael's muscles, making his legs feel heavier with each step. Sweat poured down his dark skin, mixing with dust and the faint, metallic scent of the bamboo's energy. Eventually, he was forced to grip the stalks for support, his calloused hands scraping against their rough, pulsing surfaces.
Finally, his strength gave out. Kael collapsed onto a patch of dry, cracked soil, gasping for breath. He glanced back at the Cadet Mentor, who stood motionless on the slope below—feet planted firmly, not a single bead of sweat on his forehead, his uniform spotless. He looked as unyielding as the bio-bamboo itself, his eyes fixed on Kael with unblinking intensity.
The cold stare sent a shiver down Kael's spine. He quickly looked away, only to hear ragged breathing from ahead—other candidates, equally exhausted, had stopped to rest. Gritting his teeth, Kael pushed himself up after a minute's respite. He wasn't done yet.
The slope grew steeper as he progressed, the bio-bamboo thinning out. Soon, Kael was forced to drop to all fours, his knees and elbows scraping against the rocky soil. His bio-synthetic tunic—donated by Uncle Gideon—held up, but he could feel the rough terrain grinding against his skin beneath the fabric.
By the time he emerged from the grove, his limbs were trembling. The Bio-Bamboo Corridor gave way to the Crystalite Escarpment—a massive wall of layered, weathered crystalite, its surface pitted and sharp. Several small figures were already climbing ahead, their Cadet Mentors trailing behind. Kael didn't hesitate, scrambling toward the wall.
The crystalite was treacherous. Years of cosmic radiation and energy erosion had left it brittle in places—some chunks crumbled to dust at his touch—while other shards jutted out like knives. Within minutes, Kael's hands were covered in cuts, his tunic torn at the elbows and knees. Tiny micro-energy shards from the crystalite embedded themselves in his wounds, sending jolts of burning pain up his arms and legs. He bit back a cry—complaining would get him nowhere.
Jaxen was far ahead, his augmented strength making the climb look effortless. Kael thought of his family: his parents struggling to keep the hut's life support running, Lila craving more gene-enhanced berries, Elias working tirelessly as an apprentice. He'd promised to earn credits, to save them. That resolve fueled him, pushing him to claw higher, even as his muscles screamed in protest.
As the twin suns climbed toward the sky's zenith, Kael finally reached the top of the Crystalite Escarpment—only to face the final trial: the Apex Ascent. Thirty meters above, the spire's peak loomed, and from it hung a dozen thick quantum cords, their surfaces etched with energy-conducting runes and dotted with fist-sized nodes for grip. Jaxen was already halfway up, his movements smooth and powerful.
Kael's heart sank. The sun was nearly at midday—he had less than an hour. Catching Jaxen was impossible, but he refused to stop. He reached for an unoccupied quantum cord, his bleeding hands slipping against its smooth surface.
Just then, Jaxen hauled himself over the peak. He paused, glancing down, and spotted Kael. A cruel grin spread across his face. He activated a small holographic projector on his wrist, projecting a glowing red thumb-down symbol toward Kael, then laughed loudly before disappearing over the edge.
Rage flared in Kael's chest. He tightened his grip on the quantum cord and began to climb, his muscles screaming with every pull. But his strength was gone—his hands shook uncontrollably, unable to hold the nodes firmly. He managed to haul himself up to the first node, collapsing onto it with a gasp. His body felt like lead; he couldn't move a finger.
Glancing down, Kael saw several other frontier children sitting on the Crystalite Escarpment, gasping for breath. They looked as defeated as he felt. But then he met the Cadet Mentor's gaze—cold, but not unimpressed. Something in that look sparked a final burst of resolve. Midday or not, he wouldn't give up here.
Kael flexed his stiff fingers, summoning the last of his energy. He reached for the next node—only for his hand to slip, scraping against the quantum cord. He tried again, and again, but his muscles refused to obey. The sun inched closer to midday, its radiation beating down on his back.
Exhausted, bleeding, and defeated, Kael hung there, clinging to the node. He'd failed to reach the peak—but he'd survived. And in the Conglomerate's trials, survival was sometimes enough.