Oscar turned towards the next site with Frederick right beside him. After Robert made his announcement, the doors of the building behind him opened wide. Everyone could only see complete darkness within and hesitated.
But Oscar and Frederick were eager to begin, so they jumped ahead and sprinted straight towards the door.
"If I don't see you on the other end, Fred, I'll come to visit you in the Minor Hall."
"What kind of crap are you spewing? I'll treat you to a good meal later if you make it through."
"Deal!"
Oscar and Frederick had gotten very closer during their conversations and transparency. But they were also fueled by a competitive spirit to not lose to the other.
Seeing two of them run off without any fear, the rest of the students took hold of their bearings and rushed in.
Once everyone was inside, the doors shut tight. Robert floated off to the roof of the building, where the staff was observing the teenagers inside.
"They're ready to start." One of the staff said.
Robert nodded, "Let's begin."
~Inside the Trial of Heart~
It was completely dark. Oscar looked back to see the door had gone missing. Above and below were nothing but darkness stretching infinitely, making him dizzy. His shoulders shivered from the coldness he felt, not outside but within.
The strange aspect was that his body, hands, feet, and clothes were fully visible to him.
"Why does my chest feel so weak?" Oscar clutched his heart which was eerily chill and tight.
Unable to bear the tightness, Oscar fell to his knees. His ragged breathing did little to alleviate the discomfort. His fingers began to tremble as their tips numbed.
"Trial of Hearts, this attacks my heart. But how do I pass?"
Suddenly, Oscar's ears were attacked by whispers and murmurs.
'You are only Grade Four.'
'Isabella will abandon you'
'Just give up.'
Oscar coughed up a little bit of blood. He could not tell where these insidious words were coming from, but every word was like a dagger stabbing into him.
"Who is it?!" Oscar looked all around, hoping to catch the perpetrator but saw only the vast darkness.
'Poor Oscar, all alone. You will never be a great Exalt.'
Oscar tried to block his ears to drown out the voice, but it remained as clear and loud as before.
The voice was from inside his mind. The Trial of Hearts revealed all the worries and doubts he buried.
Although he had told himself many times that he could work harder than others to prove Grade Four Exolsia was fine.
Eyes appeared in the darkness, big and small, of all colors. They stared at Oscar disdainfully, pitifully, worryingly. Oscar felt as though he was naked before their sight, and there was nothing he could cover himself with.
'Kekekekekeke'
The jeers, the laughter, and the coldness all compounded onto him. He laid helplessly on the floor with tears flowing down to the side of his face.
Meanwhile, Frederick was also suffering under the effects of the darkness.
'You are a failure. Your aunt is Grade Seven, yet you are a lowly Grade Five.'
'Remember how your own parents looked at you when they expected a genius.'
The darkness assaulted the deep feelings of inferiority and bias he experienced from his family.
Frederick lashed out, "How was I supposed to change that? Just because Ivanka had Grade Seven doesn't mean I should be the same."
'The disappointment, they waved you off like a sack of meat.'
Frederick finally knelt on the floor with tears in his eyes. His handsome face twisted in despair.
'Poor Frederick, the family wishes they had Gilbert as their child instead. Even Teresa…'
"AHHHHH, STOP IT." Frederick roared.
But the voices did not stop. Each word was like daggers stabbing into his heart. Frederick felt weaker and weaker as it passed. He looked like a husk of his former self, swallowed in misery.
Unmoving, Frederick pondered on his family. He thought about how his family had low expectations for him as he left. Even a small baron family had the standards they wanted to climb higher.
"Teresa…" Frederick saw the blurred image of a girl, which made his heart hurt the most.
"If only I had a higher Grade." Frederick cried. His body was chilled to the bone, and he was on the verge of blacking out.
'I have Grade Four.'
Oscar's sentence resounded in Frederick's mind. He remembered. That commoner friend of his with Grade Four Exolsia.
"That crazy Os." Frederick first approached him because he wanted to get acquainted with a talented genius. He was dumbfounded at the truth.
Oscar was not a genius, nor was he a noble. He started in a worse position than Frederick, yet he had the guts to be so daring. What gave him that strength? What made him so unyielding?
Frederick slowly stood up. He enjoyed the conversations he had with Oscar before entering this dark place. He witnessed the Grade Four persist.
"How is he so persistent?" Frederick
"That guy was jealous of my Grade Five. I can't be the one to fall here." Frederick finally got up on his feet.
He saw nothing but darkness; however, staying here was disgusting to him.
"That's right; we promised to win this together. I can't break my promises."
Gritting his teeth, Frederick took a step forward. Although he could not tell if he was going forward or not in this darkness, he forced himself to keep going.
In his mind, the voices got louder and more desperate. They spoke even more harshly than before.
'Teresa left you.'
That stopped Frederick for a moment, but his eyes beamed with an unwavering glow.
"Failing here will be a cut deeper than that. I will move onward."
There was only the promise to win, to get into the Outer Hall. To show that his Grade Five Exolsia wasn't bad. Frederick, at this moment, did not care about his family, their expectations, Teresa, his aunt Ivanka, or Gilbert.
"I'll see you on the other side, Os." Frederick's smile recovered.
Suddenly, the room started shaking, and the darkness withdrew. Frederick saw himself in an empty hallway and a door in his path.
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Frederick sprinted to the door and grabbed the doorknob. The sunlight poured in as he slowly pushed the door open. His eyes squinted as its intensity was far more effective from being in the dark too long.
Through the opening, he saw Robert, who was waiting. Happily, he stepped out.
Before Frederick passed the Trial of Heart, Oscar was still lost on the floor in tears.
'Isabella deserves better friends than you.'
'What can you hope to achieve? You're just mediocre.'
"Stop…" Oscar's voice was listless and weak. His eyes had gone dim and hollow as though it was part of the darkness.
His body was completely cold as if he were covered in snow.
It reminded him about the time eight years ago. It was a harsh snowstorm. In a fit of excitement, he idiotically went outside to look around. Suddenly, a harsh wind blew his tiny body down the hill.
He tried to get up, but the snow kept piling, freezing his muscles. He remembered the coldness that permeated through his body as death approached.
But a hand reached and grabbed him, pulling him out. It was his father, Henry, with an agitated face. As fast as he pulled Oscar out, he covered him in fur and carried him back.
His mother was drowning in tears as she stoked the flames hotter and poured hot water on him.
'Oscar, don't worry us like that. You scared us to death.'
Oscar remembered why terrified his mother and father were.
"I can't go out like this. I can't let them worry more." The light returned to Oscar's obsidian eyes. They shone with newfound vigor.
"If I fail here, what can I do for them? After causing so much trouble."
Slowly, his body inched upward. His feet trembled to find their footing. The thoughts of his parents gave strength to his legs.
"I will be an Exalt. I will do everything I can for it!"
Finally, he got to a half-kneeling position. Still, his body wobbled as if it could fall back down at any minute.
'Let's become Exalts'
Fred's words came back to him. He promised to become an Exalt. To fall here would be shameful and a lie to his parents and friend.
"Like hell, I'll fall here. Just wait for me, Father, Mother, Fred, and Isabella."
With a roar, Oscar got up on his feet. He broke free from the numbing spell of darkness.
One step. His feet trembled.
Two steps. His feet were slightly shaken.
Three steps. Finally, the trembling stopped. It was replaced with firm, powerful, and unshaken resolve.
Oscar kept walking until finally, the darkness abated. The door was right before Oscar's sight. He pushed the door open and stepped outside, no longer wishing to stay in that horrible place.
Frederick and Oscar both came out at the same time. They saw each other step out. One had a happy look, while the other looked stern and driven.
"Os"
"Fred"
The two clapped hands with joyful expressions. Oscar's face devolved into a jubilant mess.
"I told you we would pass." Fred laughed.
"You look like you cried." Oscar teased.
"Same to you. Look at your cheek. What a crybaby."
"Hah?" Oscar and Frederick stared each other down before laughing again.
"Ahem." A third party grabbed their attention. It was the Trial Master, Robert Levitt.
"Trial Master!" Oscar and Frederick bowed before this elder.
Robert eyed the two boys. He observed them inside the Trial of Hearts. Although he could not hear or see what they were experiencing, he had a general idea. This made him happier that there were students with strong hearts.
"The two of you passed the Trial of Heart."
Oscar looked around to see no one else had come out.
"Where is everyone?"
"The ones that already went through the trial have departed for the Outer Hall. Others are still stuck inside. Regrettably, they may never recover from this."
The trials were so cruel that some students broke down and were sent back to live with their families. But to be an Exalt means dealing with heartwrenching obstacles one after another. If they could not exhibit the heart to overcome, there would be no chance for them.
Of course, some may not be as affected and bounce back from the pits of despair. That was why they were sent to the Minor Hall.
"Make your way to the building over there and receive your uniforms and identification."
Oscar had some more questions he wanted to ask but felt it was not wise to bother the Trial Master anymore.
After bowing his head, he turned to leave for the large palace Robert pointed out. Frederick followed suit.
Once the two were far away, Robert opened his eyes slightly. They were strikingly similar to jewels in how they glowed. One was blue while the other was red.
A smile crept up to the elder's face.
"Those two are good friends. Unlike most in this Pavilion, I hope they can stay that way." Robert sighed.
Many people from all walks of life came to the Blue Ocean Pavilion. But how many of them became friends? How many distanced themselves or became enemies due to disputes?
Robert had seen many Exalts abandon their families and friends for more power. He witnessed the Exalt Noble Families become colder and colder as the lust for power replaced the need for familial love.
Robert always believed that beyond power, beyond the best intelligence, and beyond talent was the heart. The heart that stood unwavering against whatever may come.
~Paved Path~
Oscar and Frederick finally made it to the main palace. It was a striking view. The palace walls were high, adorned with ivory towers and great statues of people. Some of them were clad in armor and others in clothing.
"It's the past Exalts of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. They had to be some incredible people to be memorialized here."
"You know this place?"
"Aunt mentioned it before. This is the Palace of the Receding Tide."