Unity of the Divided

The Choice is Yours

Today we find out the details of the four deciders. A single day separates us from the first challenge and my stomach is in knots. I stand with the five other representatives in a line at the top of the marble stairs to Caedaw, the council split into two sets of three either side of us.

The sun shines down on us which isn't helping the nervous sweats I'm already trying to hide. Constantly I'm reminding myself not to wring my hands, and I put my white hair up to prevent fiddling with it. It's the first time I'm going to raise my right hand for each decider, signifying my want to participate, and most likely shocking the socks off everyone in attendance.

At the bottom of the steps masses of unifier civilians have gathered for the announcement, a lot of them like to place bets on who'll win what, and they need to know what each decider is based on to do so. I'm grateful my backs to them as their reactions to what I'm about to do isn't a memory I wish for.

The four deciders are sustenance, wealth, knowledge, and personal desire. Each has its own challenge based on either physicality, intelligence, socialization, or ability. Each turn the base for the challenge is paired with a different decider. Representatives have the choice to opt in for whichever they choose and with that freedom I've competed in the knowledge decider only since turn two.

A tactical move I think, as I've never had a need for the other three. On Cretixs we can make food, recipes, the equipment for this, so sustenance is a waste of my time. It's similar with wealth, jewels and gold appear at the flick of a wrist and the idea of slapping people around for a higher status makes me want to roll my eyes. I created the world we live on, set the rules that govern daily life, have more experience and higher intellect than anyone in existence other than Des. As for personal desire, in honesty there's not much I wish for. Anything physical is mine in an instant and my ability is unmatched. Anything else has me excited by the challenge of working for it on my own.

But knowledge, that delights me. By winning most turns I've been granted the teaching on how to manipulate my creations, so rather than just creating a sword and having to hold it, I can create it and watch it kill from many feet away. Progression of this allowed for application to multiple objects, bigger sizes, longer times. My people reap the benefits too as I teach them these ways, now Creallian kind is unstoppable.

The council turns as one and steps towards the crowd, Farlin addresses them, thanking them for their attendance today. Their excitement is strong, and their chatter takes a couple beats to silence, now everyone's listening, and anticipation is so prevalent it could make up a solid being.

The other representatives appear confident, the choices they're about to make are predictable, so they have nothing to stress about. It's alright for some.

"Sustenance will be our first decider," Dimitry's voice is level, deep, strong, sweeping across the crowed, "the reward is to be divided by performance in physicality," everyone clings to his every word, "representatives will use hand-to-hand combat and swords in a single fight of all representatives against one another."

No sound is made but the change in the energy in the air says it all. Pure excitement at the promise of a bloodbath between us powerful. I want to turn and sneer at the glee they supress, the smiles hidden behind tightly pressed lips, to rip the arms off every betting man who nudges a friend and raises their brows.

"Representatives," he addresses us now and I hold my breath, "the choice is yours."

That's our sign, left hand for no, right for yes, the same 1:5 ratio every turn. I raise my right, surprise.

Estelle is stood to my right, and I see her tense, she's fighting the urge to turn to me as her side-eye darts between my raised arm and my face. But I wear no expression, emitting nothing but confidence. The shock from the civilians is no doubt alerting the other representatives, so it won't be long before they know of my decision, I told no one but my trainers of this choice as I wanted this to be secret for as long as possible.

"Wealth will be our second decider," Kallan speaks now, her platinum blonde hair is like a river flowing to her waist and her voice is crystal clear like the waters of Watille, "the reward is to be divided by performance in socialization," her blue eyes are pale in the sunlight as they stare unmoving at something in the distance, "representatives will each be given a name of a fellow competitor, you are to reveal their most preciously kept secret seven sunsets from name receival," she takes a breath and I'm listening intently, "as a bonus, those who figure which name belongs to each individual guarantees themselves double the gemstones of where they rank."

"Representatives, the choice is yours."

Again, I raise my right arm. Estelle looks like she'll pass out any moment, and Kallan's eyes fix onto me. Gasps come from behind. Aren't I quite the centre of attention, I'd laugh if my reasoning for this decision wasn't so depressing. Des leans forward from his position at the other end of the line and looks across to me, seemingly impatient with not knowing what the commotion is about.

His head tilts slightly as he takes in my unwavering hand and his brows crease slightly. He casts his gaze down in thought and a dark lock of hair falls into his eyes. Then he's returned to his upright position in line as if he never left, this series of events spanning two seconds. I wonder what he's thinking.

But my head is swimming with ideas for this trial, so I don't acknowledge his curiosity. The fake interest I'll show for other representatives when I'll ask pointless questions, routines I'll adopt so I can stalk and be a shadow in the corner of their eyes, plant suspicions in their paranoid heads. But that's all for the bonus, prying into the depths of another's mind to draw out words better left unspoken will be tricky. Certainly, I'll be researching the connections to my name, the weight of a secret can be a ticket to isolation or a harmonious unifier. The latter would be ideal.

"Knowledge will be our third decider," Cancia now, "the reward is to be divided by performance in intelligence."

This is a common pairing, but regardless of the base for the decider I've always won.

"Representatives will embark on a quest spanning four sunrises where their decisions will be the difference between success and failure, healing and wounding."

I nearly scrunch my face at that, the lack of details invites in uncertainty. This'll be the first one I discuss with my trainers.

"Representatives, the choice is yours."

All right hands raise, and I think everyone watching is grateful that I've stayed familiar in this way. Finally, Mara makes her move to speak, everyone tenses in reaction to the  Desllian. Instead of standing in place she begins weaving between us competitors as she makes her announcement.

"Personal desire will be our fourth and final decider," at her closeness the others become rigid, occasionally she trails a claw across a shoulder, down an arm, "the reward is to be divided by performance in ability."

If people had been excited before, that was nothing compared to now. The idea of seeing the powerful display their abilities will send a chill down any spine, including mine. Asides from unremarkable acts, like me creating a meal, a Marlis using enhanced hearing to eavesdrop, an Earills skimming a pebble perfectly, etc, our abilities go unused. It's an unspoken understanding all those present on unifier have, a way we keep the peace.

"Representatives will use the full strength of their ability against one other decided on the day, you either succeed or fail."

The idea repulses me, and I feel trapped knowing there's no way to avoid it. Succeeding in this decider is infinitely more important than the others, and the council know if one is using anything but full strength, they quite literally feel it, and that's grounds for removal from the trial.

Mara stands before me now and trails a black pointed claw down my cheek. I stare down into her blood red eyes, familiar with there being no pupil from my time spent with Des.

"Representatives, the choice is yours."

She doesn't break eye contact as she says it and it feels like the question was only meant for me. A lot weighs on this decision, breaths are held, the people know me well enough that to take part in a challenge like that would go against the promise I made after the war, one written in history books, after the days where the ability of creation knew no bounds and neither did the damage.

I raise my right hand.