Divine System: Land of the Abominations

Chapter 503: Trials.

The Templars showed no reaction.

They dragged the creature to the center and forced it down.

One held it in place. The other drew his weapon.

The sword was massive, its edge wickedly clean and sharp, its purpose unmistakable.

The blade came down in a single, precise motion.

The creature’s head separated from its body instantly.

And yet, no blood fell. It squirted out of the struggling body, creating vibrant red strands that floated, suspended in the air without anything to tether it.

It was an unnatural sight. A disturbing one too.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then the blood began to move.

It lifted from the severed neck, rising upward as though drawn by an unseen force. The flow of each strand of blood curved through the air toward the Red Mother.

A golden goblet had appeared in her hands.

The blood filled it without spilling a single drop.

The chanting deepened.

When the goblet was full, the Red Mother raised it to her veiled face.

Her hands trembled slightly as she drank.

No part of the liquid was visible once it passed beneath the crimson veil.

When she finished, she let the goblet fall.

It struck the ground with a sharp, hollow clang.

Then she raised her stave to the black sky.

"It has begun." She declared.

The rumbling stopped. freēwēbnovel.com

Silence became once more.

Then Commander Strut stepped forward, his presence cutting cleanly through the rising unease.

His presence was like cool water on beaten metal. He did not need to raise his voice when he spoke and yet, it carried forth with a steadiness that left no room for doubt.

"You are now within a constructed domain designed for the first stage of the Trials. What you see around you is not an illusion, neither is it not a physical space in the conventional sense. It is a controlled environment shaped for the purpose of judgment."

A faint ripple moved through the crowd, quickly suppressed.

"You will remain where you are as movement is unnecessary and will not alter the outcome of what is about to occur."

His gaze passed over them. A trace of something dark flickered in his eyes, but it was quick to disappear.

"The first stage is the Soul Examination. It is not conducted through questions, nor through demonstration. You will not be asked to prove anything. You will be seen."

Nero felt those words rattle him more than anything he had seen or heard the whole day.

Seen. Something will be seeing them. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

What?

What would see them? What will it be looking for? Those were a lot of questions, but they were important ones.

"The process will pass through the entire formation in a continuous sequence. It does not pause, and it does not repeat. When it reaches you, your condition will be determined immediately."

Strut’s tone remained even, as he declared,

"If you are deemed unfit for candidacy, you will be removed from this domain and returned outside the cathedral. This is not a failure condition that results in death."

There was a small shift in the tension within this strange space. A brief, subtle fragility.

The greatest uncertainty for most that had been gathered here, was if they were even fit to partake in the trials.

To most, becoming a Templar could be see as one of the highest honors. It was also an equal opportunity presented to all once they turned nineteen.

But in the past, the chances for the child of a commoner successfully becoming a Templar was rather low.

In fact, it was very, very low. Almost abysmal.

This year, things had changed. The conditions were much looser and far less strict. This was mostly because the Templar Orders needed men.

They needed bodies to throw at the corruption to stave its spread.

The ripple in the crowd didn’t last long as Commander Strut opened his mouth again,

"If your soul is found to carry heretical deviation, corruption, or instability beyond acceptable limits, you will be purged right where you stand, your body and soul turning into ash such that there will be nothing, even to bury into the ground."

"The method of purging will be immediate and final. It will be fire. And there will be no intervention."

The greatest disturbance the entire day cut through the enormous crowd of two hundred thousand.

Mumbled, yells, cries, confusion.

A lot of those gathered didn’t quite understand what had been said. Of those that did, most had turned as white as ghosts, while the other few had fallen to their knees and had begun muttering their prayers, perhaps as a show of reverence so that they may not be burned.

Nero swallowed hard.

’Here it comes.’

This was, perhaps one of his biggest hurdles in the entire trial.

After all, the very nature of him was Heretical. If g

Heretics were to be discovered and burned, he would be the very first to turn to ash.

A line of sweat appeared on his face.

’Oracle...’

"The judgment does not consider your background, your status, or your preparation. It evaluates only what is present within you at this moment."

The sweat rolled his face as he called out mentally again.

’Oracle, shat should I do?!’

A seed of panic appeared in his chest and quickly spread through the rest of his body like a cold breeze.

"The sequence has already begun."

Nero’s face paled as well.

’Crap.’

He didn’t even know what to expect. Nero wiped the sweat off his face and swallowed hard.

Then he closed his eyes.

’Remain calm. Panic will solve nothing. Clear your mind and your heart.’

He had not known this would be a part of the trials as such details were not disclosed. No one had spoke of, or mentioned something like this happening.

’Perhaps, a case of mass amnesia?’

The Commander took a step back.

Nero gritted his teeth. He could feel another shift. Perhaps the last one he would ever feel in his lifetime.

A Soul Examination meant they would be searching the depths of his soul. In other words, he could hide nothing.

It would be looking beyond his surface thoughts, beyond and deception and trickery...

To stare right into his soul.

The danger couldn’t possibly be greater.