St Chaos Healer

Ch 58 - Setting the Stage

The atmosphere was electric as the audience waited with bated breath for the ascension ceremony to commence. The arena seating area was arranged with nine stands, each adorned with marble benches and lavish marble stone chairs fit for grandmasters. The audience was a diverse bunch, each one of them had a sense of nobility and a powerful aura around them. They also seem to be a lot more respectful to their respective grandmasters.

Among the attendees were prominent figures, renowned for their influential leadership roles. Their retainers mirrored the same dignified aura as their masters, adding to the overall grandeur of the event.

All eyes were on Sigurd, who stood in the center of the arena stage. The arena appeared to be complete but it was not-

Without warning, Sigurd looked up towards his floating doll fortress, which began to vibrate and glow with an eerie light. In a sudden burst of energy, three orbs of light emerged from the fortress and scattered in different directions, landing on the arena with a resounding thud.

We watched in awe as the orbs grew larger, transforming into three distinct objects.

The first orb shifted into two massive slabs of a wall, positioned at a right angle. It was adorned with intricate designs, inscribed with glowing runes and sparkling gemstones. The wall slab looked like an ancient relic, imbued with a mystical power reaching a height of about 5 meters high.

The second orb transformed into a dead tree made of metal with no leaves. Its branches stretched out in different directions, and its roots were uprooted and visible to everyone. However, the metal tree had a big hole in its trunk, which made it look ominous and foreboding.

The third and final orb metamorphosed into the eeriest and most unsettling object of them all. It transformed into a human exoskeleton, which appeared to be in a mummified state. Unlike a typical skeleton, this one had a reddish hue and more bones than an average human. The exoskeleton was seated in a meditative pose, with glowing gemstones embedded inside its ribcage, barely visible.

The candidates were a bit unsettled with what they were seeing.

Trisha broke the silence and said,

"These are the final trials that will determine which noble academy you get into. It's essential that you behave in an appropriate manner unless you want to upset a grandmaster and lose the chance to get invited."

Trisha started to fix her white uniform and hair by combing it with her fingers. Soon after, the other candidates began to follow suit. Hendrickson licked his hand and started fixing his hair, while Jason was busy wiping Marcia's eyes and cleaning her nose.

Fortunately, I had a small comb in my pocket that my mother had bought for me.
I started to fix my hair by neatly combing it.

Suddenly, a boy next to me asked, "Hey, can you pass that comb of yours?"

I looked at the boy, an innocent smiling brat who stretched his hand towards me. He had a very goodie smile and seemed to be very friendly in nature. He was short in size and reached just almost to my shoulder length.

Suddenly, the nerves on my forehead throbbed. This boy was the eight-arm freak who had picked a fight with me not long ago, the same big-headed twerp who was about to attack me with his newfound abilities. And now, he was trying to borrow my comb as if nothing had ever happened.

"Sure, I'll lend you my comb, but only if you get on your knees and apologize for your arrogant behavior earlier," I replied.

"You... Why would I get on my knees for some comb?" he asked, his innocent smile turning into an ugly scowl.