"What?" They all chorused at the same time, aside Cade who was now laid on an examining table, his wound being cleaned by one of the women walking around, dressed in white like actual nurses.
What's this place? A hospital?
"The awakens test. Let's go." The man added.
Hayden shook his head firmly.
"You're not taking us anywhere for some kind of test until you tell us what's going on first." He believed since Cade wasn't here, someone had to take charge.
They all made amused sounds.
"Then we'll just throw you out." The bearded man spoke firmly.
Hayden blanched. He didn't expect that.
"But…"
He was cut off fast. "You're in no place to make negotiations or rules. You're presently standing in a hundred billion dollar worth ark, and everyone in here right now paid hefty sums of money to be here right now, got it?"
Hayden's eyes widened even more in confusion.
He didn't get it at all.
"Sorry, dude, but we're kinda lost. Maybe start from the beginning?" James demanded, his arms folded.
The man neared James but James refused to look away.
"You kids are lucky I'm the one here right now and not my partner; you'd have all been thrown out." The man pointed out as he looked over at them.
"Because everyone else paid heavily to be here, you all would have to join the already gathered team to help restore the earth back to its original state, or be thrown out." The man barked. "Do you understand now?"
Hayden still felt lost.
The bearded man looked them over one after the other. "Now, which would it be? Will you willingly get tested? And don't worry, it's not gonna hurt too much."
That all exchanged glances. Alice looked terrified as she locked eyes with Hayden.
Do they even have a choice right now? If they refuse whatever that test meant, they'll get thrown out.
Out there with the monsters.
They all reluctantly nodded, and the man clapped. "That's more like it."
They were all standing in front of a glass door, tense and hella confused. The bearded man explained that they'd be injected with something, then they'd stand underneath the circle in the room they were standing in front of, while holding their hand out.
"What's this awakening thing? We still don't understand." Hayden asked tentatively, saying everyone's mind.
"Yeah, and what are we gonna be awakening?"
"And what if the test fails?" Alice's voice shook a little.
"You'll all be awakening spirit marks. It's a mark that would first determine if your soul would be granted access into Xolaris or not. the mark would also reveal the kind of ability you'd have and be able to wield once you enter Xolaris."
Hayden frowned.
"What's Xolaris?" Finn asked.
"That's the dimension where those monsters poured into earth from."
"Now, let's get this over with." The bearded man spoke and pressed a button that made the door slide open. As they all tentatively walked into the room, Hayden wasn't allowed in.
"Not you. You can't go in." The bearded man told him.
Hayden frowned. "Why?"
"Cause you're crippled. You certainly won't be able to awaken anything so I won't bother wasting my time."
Hayden stiffened.
"What's gonna happen to me then?" He asked, his heart pounding so hard, he heard it in his ears.
"We'll throw you out."
Alice gasped.
Hayden's ears rang as those words sank in.
"What?" He cried out. "You can't do that! I want to take the test, please sir."
He couldn't believe he was begging to take a test he still didn't even understand.
"I'll awaken something, I promise. I might be crippled but I'm not so weak!" He was desperate and was just saying anything but he didn't care. He didn't want to be thrown out.
The men gathered around all dissolved in laughter.
"Even if you do awaken something, you're crippled. How will you fight monsters in such a state? Whatever you awaken will end up being useless so don't bother. You can't survive." The bearded man insisted.
But Hayden shook his head, hands clasped before him.
"Please, sir."
Alice was begging now as she tried to push past the guards now blocking the doorway. "Please don't throw him out, sir. Please."
She was ignored.
The bearded man looked between them for a moment. "Is she your little girlfriend?"
Hayden and Alice shook their heads fast.
The bearded man hummed before shaking his head.
"You know what? Come take the test, kid. You won't awaken anything anyway."
The heave of relief got stuck in Hayden's throat as he was finally let through the glass door, cause now he doubted a weakling like him would awaken anything.
And if he ends up awakening nothing… he'll be kicked out.
He was tense as hell as he watched James step forward first. After getting injected, he went to stand in the circle, where he was asked to hold his hand out to do some sort of scan high on the roof.
Nothing happened at first, then slowly, a glow began around his palm, a bright gold. It engulfed him and when it disappeared, the man standing behind a large screen nodded.
"Awakened. Talent: mage. Class: fire wielding element."
James heaved in relief as he stepped away, and Hayden grew more nervous, starting to sweat.
James awakened fire? That means he'd be able to control fire in Xolaria?
How cool. That's so him.
"Are you okay?" Alice quietly asked him. He was too nervous to speak, so he nodded.
Katie was next. She was standing in the circle with her hand out. She looked a little nervous but still relaxed, like she trusted herself.
A glow erupted from her palm, swirling around her before disappearing.
It was… magical.
"Awakened. Talent: stealer. Class: mind possession."
Katie grinned as she stepped away, then Alice was next.
She was visibly nervous as she got injected and Hayden kept hoping she'd awaken something.
Almost immediately she held her hand out, it began to glow so brightly, everyone had to look away.
The man behind the screen stuttered. "A- awakened. Talent: blood weaver. Class: limitless form. Truly magnificent and rare."
Hayden felt so relieved. He knew she'd awaken something, and to awaken something that sounds this powerful? Damn.
But that made him more worried for himself. What if he doesn't awaken anything?
Finn was next, and after standing in the circle for over a minute and nothing happened, he was declared deficit and ordered to be thrown out.
He struggled as he was bundled up, kicking, screaming and even pleading, promising that he'll awaken something, but he was told everyone only got one chance, and failure to awaken anything means the person is useless and of no use.
Hayden sat frozen as Finn got taken away, which made him almost faint from fright on getting confirmation that these people haven't been joking around when they told him they'd throw him out.
If he fails to awaken anything, he'll follow Finn's fate instantly.
"Crippled kid, you're next." The bearded man called out and Hayden's heart almost gave out as he wheeled himself forward where he slowly got injected. As promised, it barely hurt.
Once he was in the middle of the circle, his stomach was in knots and he knew this test would determine if he'd die tonight or not. His hand shook as he held it out, while holding it out.
Slowly, a minute passed.
Nothing happened.
Hayden's heart crashed to the ground just as the bearded man chuckled. "Didn't I say you weren't gonna awaken any—" he trailed off when he noticed something.
A glow, not bright like the usual ones. This one was dark. Inky black. Swirling around the kid's palm like smoke.
Hayden was yet to notice it either, his eyes tightly shut in despair. He was imagining being eaten by one of those monsters tonight after being thrown out.
The bearded man was confused. He's never seen anyone awaken with a black, gloomy color before.
He rushed towards the other man standing behind the screen.
"What did the kid awaken?"
The man controlling the screen stuttered, clicking frantically. "Uh… it's unclear."
"What?"
"It says class is… unidentifiable."
Hayden felt something ice cold start to build up in his chest, before his eyes flew open on a gasp.
His eyes almost fell out on sighting the swirling dark smoke around his palm.
What the fuck…?
Within his mind, a beeping sound went off. He didn't understand what that was until something flashed before his eyes, like a transparent light grey screen.
[Host has successfully activated the system.]
[Congratulations, host.]
[Host has successfully awakened talent: nightwalker.]
[skills: necromancer, summoner and talent stealer.]