Just let me sleep!

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The word "Begin" echoed through the courtyard like a command. Well, it probably was a command anyway.

Without another word, the Judge turned around and walked back through the heavy door gate. He didn't wait to see if we obeyed. He didn't need to, nor did he want to. The guards left along with him.

Around me, the other children started to move.

Some scrambled to form groups. Others stayed frozen, unsure of what they were supposed to do, which was not surprising. I remained still, watching.

There were no instructions, no guards to guide us. Not even signs or maps.

Just the Sanctum of trials, no.. it was just us.

A quiet hum began to rise from the stone beneath our feet, it was faint, like an ancient machine or power awakening. The air thickened, charged with mana, and the sky above flickered for a brief second, as if reality itself had blinked.

"Is this a test already?" Someone whispered near me, a red-haired child.

I didn't answer. I had a feeling the test had started the moment we walked through the first gate.

Wait. Red-haired child?

[Loudspea.... Alex?]

A movement caught my eye. It was the silver-haired boy.

Him again.

He walked with absolute certainty, his steps echoing with unspoken authority, as if he owned the place. His robes flowed like water around him, untouched by the dust from the ground. A small group of children followed him. His eyes briefly flicked toward mine again, that same smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Tch... figures." I muttered under my breath.

"Don't like him either?" The voice came from my left. I turned to it.

A girl stood with her arms crossed, one brow raised. Her hair was black like a crow's feather, pulled up into a high ponytail. Her eyes were dark, so dark they almost glowed, like the night sky exploding into a single glare. She wasn't looking at me though.

She was watching him.

"Reminds me of a peacock." She spoke with a dry tone. "All feathers, no bite."

I blinked. Then nodded.

But she went on. "Most of them are nobles. Sent here by their families to get a badge and brag about it. Their names will carry them further than their skill ever could."

"And you?" I asked.

She turned her head just a little, enough for her to glance at me. "I'm here for me. No household, no crest, not even a coat of arms. Just a name."

"Aren't you nameless?"

She pondered for a moment.

"For now." A grin tugged at her lips, her gaze averting from mine to the Sanctum's main door. "But I'm not planning to stay nameless for long."

I looked toward the Sanctum's main door as well, it was closed. The humming from the ground grew louder.

Then, before I could even blink twice.

" Crack "

A sudden fracture split the stone under our feet. Glowing blue lines lined themselves into the floor, racing outward like veins of light, forming strange patterns children wouldn't understand. It was a magic circle infused with mana.