Alistair looked on as the other competitors ran after the boy. He was fast so the others could not get him. He was almost to the platform before he tripped and fell.
The others saw this as a chance. They all jumped on him pressing him on the fllo. One of the larger teens pulled him up by force almost breaking his hand and took the metallic ball. The other contestants was left there bloodied but with little proof.
He limped back to the water with the others.
Alistair watched with amusement as this scenario happened over and over . Some of them were able to reach the podium, others barely made if far before they were attacked, injured or outright killed. He looked at the clock, five minutes before time.
" You have five minutes remaining," one of the men maybe a guard shouted, scaring the remaining teens even more.
Alistair looked on as they started to search frantically some crying while searching, their hands bleeding. They moved. He saw he boy find it and started walking slowly toward the podium.
Another boy who looked more older with a full head of red hair looked at him maliciously.
He stalked behind the boy , he other boy didn't notice as he picked up a stone and directly hit him. The other boy went down silent. He bent down and took the metallic ball and ran straight to the podium. The moment he gave them the ball, the alarm rang .
There was a small whoosh sound before small metallic needles appeared piercing into the heads of the contestants who had not gotten a ball. They were roughly two hundred teens who had been killed. Only three hundred remained from the initial five hundred.
Alistair looked on as the small luminous light started to come out of their bodies. The knew they were all souls he didn't move towards them since it required physical touch inorder to absorb the light.
He looked at the status window Infront of him, Wondering how he should distribute his attributes to help him during the next test.
He only had only ten unattributed points and he had to increase it. He allocated half of the attributes to strength since he knew all of them had not awakened and could not cultivate.
He added two points to intelligence, two points to agility and the last one on vitality. His soul power increased naturally with every absorption.
SOUL DEVOURING SYSTEM
Name: Alistair Damon
Age: 17
Cultivation: mortal ( non existent)
Strength:15
Intelligence:19
Soul power:21
Agility:14
Vitality:11
Sense:10
Total points:89
Remaining points:0
He looked at the his soul power that had only increased by one. So a mortal soul was still weak. He anticipated how a real cultivators soul will taste like.
He looked at the glowing lights that seemed to start disappearing but still didn't move to them. He did not want to bring suspicion to himself this early.
" You have five minutes to rest before we start the next trial," the man in red said. The dim environment they were in lit up revealing a large hall Blood had spluttered every where. They could see the bodies of the other contestants still lying there frozen in time. Some of the people gasped while others muffled chocked sobs.
Cleaners in dark clothing came in and removed the bodies. Dumping them over each other. Most likely to be thrown into a shallow mass Graves or fed to the sects spiritual beasts.
The cleaning was finished in a blink of an eye. The once blood spluttered room was back to a sparkling white. This fast contrast was eerie.
...
" Times up," a different man came in, he walked as though he was floating. All the teens looked up at him.
He conjured a dark large door ominous door and stood next to it.
" You will be entering here, the first one hundred and fifty out will be the ones proceeding but those that have remained will remain there forever." He said looking at them cold.
The door opened, but the other side was pitch black no one could see anything but blackness. A red haired boy stepped forward with a proud smile," I'll go," he said as he disappeared into the door. This caused a domino effect.
The other teens all walked into the portal as one, a though a crowd could save them from what horrors awaited them inside. Alistair walked in the back and disappeared into the portal.
He appeared alone in a black stone chamber. This caused him to smile. So this was an individual test.
Ding
He heard the system
Quest activated
( Clear the false tribunal reward Ability to absorb souls from ten meter radius of you. Failure you will loose ten attributes points on all attributes.)
This was practically crippling him entirely as even a child would not be that weak. He could not afford to lose.
That was a death sentence from both sides.
The room was designed like a court, he felt his body being pulled on to the highest set in the middle. He looked at the plaque Infront of him.
The seat of judgement.
It was facing three other seats equally imposing with three hooded figures quietly looking at him. He could feel their invasive stares. He was in bothered by it. He had gotten used to those stares.
At that moment the ground below opened and a kneeling shadow appeared bound by large golden chains . He could feel it's fear as it trembled infont of them.
The the booming sound of one of the judges said:
" The accused has slaughtered his entire village, he is begging for mercy. You are to judge him."
As he tried to open his mouth, images of his own little village emerged. The picture of the shadow going around killing them all .
He saw him approach his mother and chop her head . He had tried to move but nothing he had to watch as she her body fell following her head .
He could hear the whimpers and screams of children, mother's and father's crying out for justice in his head.
The dead bodies Infront on him stood up blood dripping every where as they moved towards him. Their bodies producing different sounds even with out their mouths.
The Jury then presented three choices to him:
Spare him, and take his sins.
Condemn him to death.
Offer his soul to the abyss.
The judges watched in silence .
The did not offer any suggestions or guidance .
They can only judge him, his actions, but not his words. Even a shred of pity could doom him to failure . Alistair was still consciousness despite all that went down. He knew this was a test were the judges were for him.
He knew the choices he made could make or brake the illusion he was not planning to be trapped there for life. He looked down at the prisoner.
The prisoner lifted his head and looked at him, his hair matted with blood swaying with non existent wind. Alistair felt that was the man was looking right into his soul. His eyes pleading.
" Please," he said," if you kill me…. You'll kill what's left of yourself."
Alistair could here the pleading his voice.
The judges voice came behind him
" There is no mercy in truth "
The prisoners hair moved from his face, Alistair looked on as the prisoners face started to change into his, his mother's and that of the girl he had killed during the first test.
The face then settled on his own and never changed again. Looking at his own face like a mirror Alistair was surprised.
That was when he realized the truth, there was never anyone in the room with him, he was his own judge . The crime was one of his deepest desires when he got bouts of depression during the war.
Those who scream, cry or deny themselves are cast out. Denial would destroy their souls feeding it into the abyss. But Alistair had accepted this part of himself with out hesitation.
He walked to the prisoner who now looked at him with venom. He plunged his fingers into the prisoners eyes, his eyes, and popped the. The prisoner screamed. Seeing his own face in agony did not arouse any sympathy from him.
He was only destroying his weakness. Weakness were a fatal flow in this cruel world he was in. Even in previous life weakness had killed him.
He plunged the knife into his reflections heart.
There was no scream only heavy silence. Then it faded into the darkness. Only Alistair remained there standing quietly.
The judges drifted closer. Different voice in one said
" you have killed your self," they revolved around his still figure," And what remains is the absolute truth."
He looked up and smiled. For others destroying a part of themselves would be hard but for Alistair. Any way of getting power was the most correct.
The world around him shattered and the illusion faded. He found himself back in the white room.