CHAPTER FOUR: GUILT ON TRIAL

“3”

“4”

The gold of bright energy slowly revolving around Eshya contradicted the deep etch between her eyebrows in mood symbolism. She could feel them; her protective blessings dissipating one after the other. Admittedly, it was one of her weakest blessings; it was all she could grant without crossing the line. It should have been enough to withstand the Zeal-leachers' lenient attacks and yet, she didn't expect something would trigger these creatures' ferocious side.

“7”

“10”

The priestess’ heart lurched at the increasing death counts; that was half of the finalists. The severity of the situation shocked her and she automatically began to take her steps forward when an intense flail of crimson energy spread out just beyond the barrier. It swiftly tightened around her neck and torso, trapping her arms in the process.

Eshya stared at the center of the energy in slight confusion. "Show yourself!"

“I was just about to, child.”

An inundation of cries and laughter accompanied the booming and harsh voice that stormed her ears. A mixed sense of fear and reverence coursed through her as a feminine physique of crimson light emerged from the center; the crimson energy appeared like endless strands of hair around her, dancing to her will. “What is the Watcher’s priestess about to do? I would expect she has not forgotten the pact between the valley and the Wisdom temple.”

Eshya could feel herself trembling in the slightest before the 10’0” ft form of the celestial. This was the first time in her years as a priestess she was finding herself in the presence of a god other than the God of Scriptures. The aura radiating from this goddess was nothing like the warm and gentle presence of the supreme watcher; hers carried an overwhelming presence. Taking it in felt like she would suffocate to death and she was simply too petrified to give a reply.

Then the sight of a fading speck of her golden energy caught the periphery of her vision, jolting her off her state of mind.

"By the kiss of the supreme watcher upon my head, I am the Eshya Luan. You will not treat the priestess of the temple of Wisdom without regard!" The dim specks of light burst back in a blinding revitalization and the temperature around her rose to an intense degree, swiftly peeling away layers of crimson tentacles trapping her. With the grip lessened, she forced her way out and took ten airy steps backward.

A minute of silence passed between both sides as they measured up the other and an expression of amusement dawned on the lighter outline of the red feminine figure's face. “You’re quite smart for a nestling.”

Eshya composed herself before giving a slight bow. “Forgive my unresponsiveness, Goddess; I did not expect an interaction with your presence.”

The outlined eyes of the goddess gleamed with an eerie calmness. “Going past the valley’s barrier goes against our pact, Priestess. The Accordance Trial is yet to be over.”

Against her disquietude, Eshya maintained direct eye contact with the celestial. “I am aware, but such large amounts are dead. I don’t wish to lose anymore.”

"That is not your decision to make, neither is it mine. The Zeal-leachers have been aggravated past what was acceptable and now they are acting accordingly.” The crimson figure glanced back at her valley. "Though there is a current disturbance neither of us is responsible for, we still can't interfere." She turned back to the young lady with an outstretched hand. “What I can allow is you watching how destiny enacts herself on your people.”

Eshya stared at the inviting hand with stiff shoulders. “I’m good, Goddess.” She couldn’t bear the thought of watching deaths in ways she had never seen before, and she guessed the goddess was also aware of her emotional state by her expression.

“Truly a wide-eyed nestling.” The goddess simply retracted her hand with a deep chuckle and her head rose with an air of superiority before she deformed and slowly receded into the center of the flailing energy that then dissipated, carrying away with it the sense of suffocation.

With a slightly trembling hand on her chest, Eshya released a long tensed breath and she quickly headed over to settle on the nearest rock. She struggled against staying too deep in the grief that washed through her. “By the light, Thirteen.” A death rate this high during an Accordance Trial hasn't occurred since the time of the 15th Holy Star Symbol. She balled her fists against the transparent material of her outfit, scanning her surroundings to ensure no one saw her in this state of fragility. This priestess cannot afford to be weak in the public eye.

           ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“What are you doing with your life exactly?”

“You seem hell-bent on being the disgrace that will stain our family’s reputation.”

“Are you really going through with this?”

“Gods! We have given you fifteen years to live that foolish lifestyle; how much of this do we have to keep on bearing?!”

Chad could only stare in gut-dropping guilt at the shadowed faces around his home’s dining table, glaring at him in spite. He was sure he would burn beneath the hate flame seeping through those orifices. “Guys, I told you; this is where I belong. I promise I’m gonna make it. I just ne….”

“What? Need us to believe in you?" The stony face of a middle-aged man appeared at the table head, sending a tight squeeze between Chad's ribcage. "Ma, this is why I told you this boy can't amount to anything. I refuse to have a black sheep for a son. I'd rather he die an honorable death than have him tarnish my family's reputation; the sooner, the better."

A muffled cry to his immediate left has Chad turning to find a teary-eyed old woman, sending him into a state of urgency. “Gammie, not you too, please!”

Wrinkled hands on her mouth as she looked up at him in disbelief. "I was wrong about you. You don't deserve to be a part of this family. Just the sight of you in this house brings me nothing but pain. You must really want this useless old woman in her grave as soon as possible. You are no grandson of mine"

The stony-faced man banged on the table. "That's it! You've managed to make your grandmother sick at the sight of you." He then pointed to a younger woman with her head turned away from the table. "Not even your mother wants to see your face. Take him away."

Two similarly muscular men leave their seats and begin heading towards him.

“Billy, Chrou, please don’t take me away. Dad, I’ll repent. I swear by the stars, I’ll..” Chad suddenly noticed the hands he had up now had small fingers protruding from chubby palms and he realized with great horror, that he was somehow back in his childhood body. Fear gripped tighter than those of the muscular men on his arms as he was hauled away from the table, trashing in tears while screaming apologies.

Billy looked down at the small boy with contempt. “Shut up, meatless pig, or I’ll make you.”

Chrou gripped his hair in frustration. “Gods, he even screeches like one. Good thing the pig sty isn’t far away.”

Chad’s brain soon picked up on the familiar direction his older brothers were taking him. “Please, not the basement chest.” His fear only rose to an unbearable level the closer they reached their destination. The space beneath the house remained as dark and musty as ever.

The hands dropped him and three harsh slaps to the cheek had him falling to the ground, stunned.

“In this family, boys who cry become society’s trash to do away with.” Billy pointed a warning finger at him and he signaled to Chrou who proceeded to open the chest.

"No, please no." Chad could only whine softly as Chrou lifted him by his clothes and dropped him inside the small wooden container.

He was about to sit up when Billy smacked the chest lid over his head, locking him in. “This is where you deserve to live out the rest of your life.”

Little Chad could hear the receding footsteps and he wrapped desperate arms around himself which gave him little to no consolation as he lay there; his cheek against the chest floor in no awareness of the sting from the slap. "I'm worthless. I'm a disgrace. I don't deserve to be loved. Billy and Chrou must despise my existence. Mother and Father must hate that I'm their child." Then the thought of his most important person struck him. "Gammie, please don't hate me too much." He gripped the skin at his torso, wishing he could simply rip out his chest along with this feeling of hopelessness he found himself sinking into.

“Do you love Gammie?”

“Yes.”

"Good. Even if you didn't, Gammie will make sure you're suffocated with her love until you do."

“Why?”

“Because you deserve love, every single drop you can get. I’ll be your gushing river whenever you’re parched.”

Gold eyes shot open to that priceless moment and his grip loosened. Gammie had made her unconditional love for him clear ever since his parents made their conditioned love known.

"You don't deserve to be a part of this family."

This Gammie….whatever she was, was not the one he grew up with. The only one who never missed any of the one-visit-per-month quota the temple’s military school gave out to their trainees’ families.

"Let me out. This is not real."Chad sent a solid kick to the chest lid, causing the entire thing to rumble. "This is not real!" He delivered another kick, its strength matching his growing confidence as his body seemed to have returned to his teenage years. "I don't belong here!" Another kick is delivered and a splinter begins to spread from the lid to each side of the wooden chest; his vision, though dark, begins to warp. "I am proud to be Chad Bravo!" He's about to deliver another kick when the chest bursts apart. He shielded his eyes on reflex, opening them to find there were no traces he was still in his family house.

 Stars, countless clusters of them, spread out far beyond his sight range around him. The background of darkness laid out in infinite depths did well to accentuate the breathtaking web of diverse light these clusters displayed. With the vast yet still growing knowledge of science, he could tell this was a space that carried grandiosity that would never be felt through a technological screen. He felt he was either floating in it or moving somewhere, he wasn't sure. Though, for some reason, he could tell his presence here was with purpose.

“Where am I?” Hearing his own deep voice once again, he looked down at himself to find he was once again an adult and he proceeded to give his biceps solid kisses.

He couldn't help but wonder what he was doing here. Had he passed the trial? His body felt a sudden heaviness and a force pulled him towards a particular cluster straight in his direction, its size stretching in exponentials past his vision range as he got closer. Once in, it felt like he was traveling at light speed. Solar balls of varying sizes flashed by him before his body could even pick up on their heat.

He was getting dizzy at the speed his body was being pulled, forcing him to shut his eyes when a sudden stillness washed over him. He carefully opened his eyes to a whirling pool of white clouds. What raised him in awe was the pleasant warmth that attacked him at what he could only guess was his soul. Whatever was going on, he felt welcomed, treasured, and at peace here. It took him a moment of focus to realize the cloud was seeping in through his skin which created an immensely thrilling experience. A brightening reflection on his skin had him looking around to find tens of stars closing into an orb formation around him. A joyous smile spread over his face at the clear implication that started to dawn on him.

“I passed. Haha! I passed!”

“Chad?!”

The distance voice that reached his ears was way too discernible. “Sandra! Heavens, you’re also here!” His eyes searched around as he maneuvered himself in the gravity-lacking space, but he couldn’t catch a glimpse of her. “I can’t see you.”

“Me neither. Where the heck are you? I seem to be in an orb of yellow and white stars.”

Chad began looking about for a comprehendible description of his surroundings when he noticed the stars around him changing to a mixed shade of green and brown. "Well, the one I'm surrounded by just turned green-brown, so."

"Well, mine is red and orange!"

Chad raised his eyebrows at the foreign voice. “Who is that?!”

“Uhm…The name’s Garu Chanti. I’m a finalist from trainee unit WP-4.”

Chad could detect the presence of vibrancy in this male’s voice.

“I’m Cassandra Rayer; Finalist from trainee unit WP-3.”

“Chad Bravo; WP-1.”

There was a brief silence before a nervous cough reached his ears.

“Uh, hi! I….I’m Bava Edward; Finalist from trainee unit WP-7.”

Chad was sure he sounded familiar. “Alright, is there anyone else in this weird space with us?”

They waited in silence for almost a minute and that was all they got, silence. Chad was shocked. How could there be just four Holy Warriors this time around? Throughout recorded history, the least number a Holy Star Symbol had ever had was seven, with the highest number being thirty-five; until now. He struggled to see the clear implication this would show to the temple and the impression it would create on the public. So he attempted to reach out to the only person he knows can give the most accurate answer; except nothing came out of his mouth. He tried again but to no avail. His body suddenly felt sluggish as a gentle voice graced his ears.

“Welcome, my child.”

The green of the stars began glowing brighter and brighter until he was bathed in a blinding light.

                ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 Eshya remained staring at the star-filled night sky with weary eyes. The Accordance Trial was still on, even with the thirteenth confirmed dead. The blessing she placed on the remaining seven had dissipated, worn out by the time limit, so she had no idea what had become of them.

“Supreme Watcher, I ask for your aid. I would accept even if it means no warriors come out of this.”

She was well aware how having this many dead finalists would be pitted against her by the temple Pillars that have unsettled differences with her, yet their backhanded confrontation is the least of her worries. The families of the dead trainees might choose to drag their loss in the public eye – where she hadn't given much of a positive impression, or much impression in general.

A large middle-aged man in a black suit walked over to drape a thick cloth around her.  "Priestess Eshya, I think we should escort you back to the temple. Your father and some of the other pillars are worried about your safety. Leave the finalists' arrangements to me. Just say the word and I'll have more of my men here to receive them once they're out.

Eshya could only send him a weak smile as she shook her head. “Thank you, Johnson, but I’m where I need to be right now. What kind of a Star Symbol leaves their Warriors while they’re putting their lives on the line just to serve? It’s extremely sad merely waiting is all I can currently do for them.”

Johnson nodded his head with a sigh. "Then I'll head back to keep the perimeter on the lookout." He was five feet away when a gasp from the priestess had him turning back to find her staring at the sky in a cheery daze.

The entire city was also witnessing the phenomenon of good news.

The hundreds of stars in the sky seemed to awaken in brightness and began dancing across the night sky before merging into what later became distinct as five literal megastars pulsing in flares of gold.

Eshya slowly stood up, the cover around her shoulders falling as she stared with great intent and she adorned a smile of satisfaction. “The Scripture God has blessed us with five New-born Holy Warriors.”