How far would you go to NEVER fail again?
This question will push Noche L. Grim to the test as she attempts to join the Cross Military. With their resources she intends to find DeathTech and recover her memories.
However, when she lives on a conti...
The Grave brothers echoed in this hollow world. Noche stood mouth agape and eyes wide. The classroom exploded into sand; the walls crumbled away. She stood in the middle of that desert as it shook. A giant anglerfish antenna burst from the ground. All along its tendril like form was various snarling mouths full of razor fangs, while the light came from a glowing fish hook.
Noche took a step back from the deadly whip but something from behind launched her forward. Fire spread from her chest as blood covered both hands. A second antenna writhed in the middle of her torso, with her organs wrapped around it like tinsel on a tree. The antenna's various mouths gnawed away at her mangled intestines as the tendril tore her insides out.
Blood cascaded from her mouth as cold wrapped her like a blanket. The first antenna wrapped her legs like a un-coiled wire; thousands of mouth bite her flesh. The two tendrils then pulled in opposite directions, like a child with a cicada's legs. Skin ripped on Noche's stomach, muscles snapped like thread, POP! Her spinal column slid out like lobster tail, as Noche was ripped in two.
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That desert drank her blood dry, as Noche's crumpled body laid in the sand. Her eyes rolled up to a massive black wall.
"If only you didn't fail."
Sunlight vanished behind the ebony infinity.
"Do you know what would change if you died?"
Tears streamed down Noche's eyes.
"Nothing. After you drown, the ocean will stay calm... Just as it was before."
"Shut up..." Noche weakly muttered.
"Your struggle will be forgotten. You will be forgotten."
"Shut up!"
"Why bother to follow their morals, when all they do is restrict you?"
Noche opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.
"Morality will restrain you... Just... Like... Your anchor."
Noche grit her teeth as blood poured between the cracks.
"All I wanted to do was move forward." She muttered, "Why do I have to carry this weight? Its too heavy! I can't move."
"If its too heavy, why don't you let it drown you?"
Noche tried to resist, to raise her head, but it fell back onto the sands.
"Remember. You have that anchor because you failed to get a perfect score."
"You wouldn't have this weight if you didn't fail."
"If only you didn't fail."
"You failed."
"Failed."
From the tar wall came a malformed being, it stood over Noche like some sort of harpy doppelgänger. It kneeled down, and lightly glided its hand over her face. Noche's head started to inflate like a balloon, becoming grotesquely malformed. Exploding into giblets and gore, caking the tar-harpy in blood and brain.
Noche's eyes shot open, she was lying on the floor; her right leg dangling on the edge of the bed.
"The tournament." Noche whispered.
Noche created an air cushion to throw herself to her feet. She yanked her jacket off the bed and threw it on.
"I have to pass the exam. I have to win the tournament to pass the exam." Noche said, "this is my last chance."
Noche's left hand hesitated above her dented door knob, her arm shaking.
"It was just a nightmare. I can win this."
Noche gripped her left forearm with her right hand. Tightening her grip she forced her shaking to stop. She threw the door open and marched to the gymnasium. Despite it being a quarter of an hour early, all of her classmates were already there. The Grave brothers put down their clipboard and stood up.
"Well since everyone's here early, let's not waste daylight." Red said, "Welcome to the last portion of the exam! THE TOURNAMENT!"
The Grave brothers approached the lined-up students.
"To pass you must win two out of three matches," Red said. "Only the winner of the tournament will get a perfect score."
"With us having six participants, the bracket will look a little strange," Blue said.
"The losers of round one will get a second chance in round two."
"But if you're aiming to win the tournament, don't expect an easy pass. Anyone we deem as trying to lose, to save energy for that second round, will be disqualified."
"Only the winner of round two will move onto round three."
"Round three is a free for all brawl."
"Last one standing wins the tournament." They said in synch, "You will fail if you touch any floor outside the ring, surrender, or are knocked out. The fight is to stay non-lethal."
Red and Blue turned to each other and grinned.
"But we'll make sure no one dies, so feel free to go all out." Blue said.
"Let the final portion of the Cross entrance exam, BEGIN!"
