Chapter 57: Sam's turn
Sky turned dark and night arrived. But at the testing grounds of the Falcon cliff city, neither spectators nor candidates are ready to leave. Right now, all the spectators are staring at certain disbelief. They were shocked out of their senses for the feat the person accomplished.
The said person though, is smiling and didn't speak anything else. Sam looked at Philip who stood beside him as nothing happened.
Philip just came out of the tower, but he shocked everyone with his performance. The person responsible for announcing the result is also staring at him disbelief. Because, when he entered the tower, his performance is similar to that of Jack. Rapidly climbing the levels easily. That didn't give them much shock, but the fact that he took less than half the time to complete the same twenty-third level in which Jack almost collapsed made them surprised.
When everyone thought he was going to attempt the next floor, he withdrew and came back smiling as if nothing happened. If not for the fact, that Sam noticed some signs of exhaustion on his face, nobody would believe that he achieved such high score on the tower of will.
After sometime Sam took a step forward and coughed to get the attention of the attendant responsible for the score. The attendant came out of the daze and shouted the results.
"Candidate Philip. Twenty third floor. Withdrew from twenty fourth floor. Twenty-third points."
After noting down the scores, he gestured Sam to enter the tower.
Sam walked inside the tower and was baffled to see the walls inside the room. The walls of the room are filled with runic diagrams. Sam instantly recognised what the technique used for the creating these structures. These structures are done by a technique named inscription etching. To be able to use this technique one must be proficient in inscriptions as well as painting Artisan. But judging from the complication of the runic arrangement it must be some kind of formation which means he must be a formation master as well. Sam looked at the room and only saw a circular platform in the middle of the room which seemed to be seating arrangement. He walked to the platform and sat down.
As soon as he sat down, he felt a jolt in his mind as his consciousness slipped away. When he opened his eyes, Sam saw himself in a familiar place. This is the street he used to live in when he stayed at the Lava rock village. When Sam started to look around, he saw a familiar person standing at a distance away from him.
The person in front of him was none other than the Village head of the Lava Rock village. He walked towards Sam with an evil look on his eyes. "How dare you hurt my son? I will kill you today." Village head said in a cold tone. Sam looked at the village head coldly. He tried to move but he felt his strength completely suppressed by the Village heads aura. Sam felt cold sweat, but he didn't falter. His strength seemed to weak in front of the village head and he felt like he would be dead at any time. Danger loomed over his heart as he saw village head walking towards him.
Sam closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. 'Even I have to die. I will at least die trying.' He thought in his head as he made his move and leapt towards the village head. He balled his fist and punched the other party in daze, but the other party didn't dodge at all. As his fist made impact to other party's face.
*BOOM* Sam woke up with a jolt. His mind felt a buzzing sensation. He is extremely familiar with this feeling. This is the time acceleration he felt in the tower when he simulated.
Sam slowly stood up and looked at the runes on the wall as he tried to comprehend the test. When he entered that illusion, his memory seemed to be erased. He only saw the more powerful Village head and himself are in confrontation and he is in helpless situation.
He felt weak. He didn't even have a thought that this is a test and not reality. Not even an inkling came to his mind.
Sam thought in contemplation. 'Here losing the battle is not the real loss. Losing the battle without even having will to fight is the real loss'. He seemed to understand what the test of will is.
He slowly walked towards the entrance which opened for him to enter the next floor. When he entered the next floor, he saw that the room is similar to the one in first floor. But the only difference is that the second-floor walls have more complex runic structures.
"This tower is definitely not created by the people of this city. This is way too high level for them to make. I will not believe even if they beat me to death." He thought out loud and sat down on the platform again.
Sam again felt his memory lapsed. His conscious drifted as he came into another familiar scene. Testing grounds of the Starwood academy, Carl and his friends surrounded him as he felt his whole-body spasm in pain and bled with several wounds. All of them are looking at him with an evil look...
Third floor, Sam entered another familiar place, the healers experimental lab in the tower, he felt his body tied up to the chains which used to restrain the green scale lizards. Albert and Alfred are walking towards him...
Fourth floor,
Fifth floor,
.
.
.
Tenth floor, Sam looked at all the people surrounding him. All the people he had conflicts with are right in front of him. Even though he has his full power and he was full of energy, there are so many people for him to handle. Village head, Oliver and his lackeys, Carl and his friends, Carter, the seniors who lost to him in the assessment, the noble family heads, Leonard, Raymond, Eisen and his father. He is surrounded by everyone as felt suppressed and tiny in front of all the auras of all his enemies. He has Golden Crescent in his hand and tightened his grip.
He wants to live; he doesn't want to die and he really doesn't want to die in hands of these people. But he saw the looks in the eyes of these people that had no emotion but extreme rage in their eyes. There is only one way for him. Get to live or die trying. He swung his golden crescent as the blade keened in the air and slashed the person in front of him...…
Sam opened his eyes as he looked at the walls and shook his head. He felt dizzy all over as he remembered the sensation. In all the ten situations, Sam always met with the enemies that are powerful than him and all these times he doesn't have any memories or recollections that this is the illusion for the test.
All that registered in his mind is are his power level at the situation, his enemies power level and the difference in between both of them. His helplessness, his hopelessness. That is the only thing he had in mind and the test how he will face it.
Each and every time, the only test he has to do is how can he overcome the situation. Every time he has no choice but to die due to his powerlessness. But his evaluation laid on the way he died. Did he die while trying or did he give up? That is the basis of evaluation.
Sam slowly stood up and walked towards the eleventh- floor stairs and went inside another room. This room is almost similar to the rooms before, but the walls are etched with a different form of runes compared to the other times.
Meanwhile, outside. The people are numb for the surprises now. They saw how fast Sam moved in the ten floors and eleventh one, they had a sense of dejavu and they eyed the candidates who cleared the floors just as fast.
Sam looked at the platform and the different type of runic patterns than before.
He doesn't know what type of change it will make to the illusion types, but the change will definitely be there.
Sam went to platform and sat down. He closed his eyes slowly and again there was a jolt in his mind.
Sam opened his eyes only to see and endless desert in front of his eyes, he saw the miles and miles of sand carpeting the earth as far as his eyes could see. He doesn't have anything on him except for the cloths he wore. The scorching sun and the hot sand beneath him gave a burning feel over to his body. He tried to use his spiritual energy but nothing happened. He tried a few more times and then only he realized, he is an ordinary man. Now, he is nothing but an ordinary man who is struck in between an endless dessert. He looked around a bit and then picked a direction where he could see a faint image of mountain ranges and started walking.
He walked neither fast nor slow, he just maintained his pace and walked without caring about sun and heat. Soon, he found a dead tree on his way but didn't mind it and walked forward, his throat started to feel dry, his cloths are soaked in sweat, he is dehydrating in a fast pace. But he didn't stop.
After walking for a long distance, Sam froze on the spot. The dead tree appeared again, He looked at for a while and just thought that it might be another tree and he might have been feeling dejavu. He walked past it, this time his body became dry, his cloths that are soaked in sweat also started to become dry. He felt an unimaginable thirst, he walked for another long distance.
He looked at the dead tree that came again. His heart screamed of despair, he felt that something is wrong. He slowly walked towards the tree and with the little bit of meagre strength he left, he broke a small tip of a branch and took it along with him. This time his skin started cracking and his lips broke.
After another long distance, he spotted the dead tree again, he walked towards it and looked at the branch tip, he pursed his lips and placed the broken tip on the branch, which obviously matched, his heart went cold. He is looming with despair. He looked at the dead tree and at the mountain ranges that can be seen far away. He thought. 'Am I going to die like this?' Then he shook his head and thought again. 'I will try until the last breath.'
He took another step forward with determination and walked towards the mountain range. He walked miles. His feet started to bleed, he encountered the dead tree again but this time he didn't stop, he increased his pace and walked again, after sometime his legs gave in, he crawled with his hands, his hands gave in he still crawled with his remaining strength. His clothes were tattered. His body was full of abrasions from the sand and bleeding. He can't see what was in front of him, but he didn't stop. Soon, he felt weak and tired. He closed his eyes and breathed his last breath and final thing he saw is the dead tree which he saw for the tenth time.
Sam opened his and looked at the platform. He shook his head to come out of that feeling. His body broke out in cold sweat. He stood up from the platform and walked towards the door for next floor. He was thinking what would be the next test. He walked towards the room in the next floor and sat on the platform and closed his eyes again.
Sam opened his eyes and he felt wet all over and looked around in daze. He was floating in and endless ocean, he instinctively started kicking his feet to stay afloat. His memory is blank. He doesn't remember anything. All he had in his mind was that he fell into the sea and he has to move in order to be safe.
Sam started to swim and he did so in a direction where he could see an island. He swam in a moderate pace to keep his stamina in check. He swam for miles and just when he thought he would have reduced some distance and looked towards the island; he only saw the same black dot he saw when he just arrived. Sam looked around and again started to swim...…..
Sam opened his eyes on the platform and walked towards the next one.
Meanwhile, outside.
Spectators looked at tower. They saw Sam clearing levels, just like the other high-scorers. They are not waiting whether he would make a good score or not. There are more inclined on thinking, whether he would beat the score that Jack has set. They are waiting in anticipation and they are not the only ones.
"How far do you think, he would go?" Hawk asked Kelly who stood beside him. Jack also stood with them. He had enough rest to stand and Philip is looking at Hawk and Kelly to hear what she would think.
"I don't know. But I hope, he would make it far." Kelly answered in a sweet tone. Freya and Haley are sitting a little away from them. They are feeling dejected at their low results. They both scored only 14 and 15 points respectively. They didn't even see what the third set of tests, which are twenty-first on wards are. Now only they understood that they are full of themselves. Even Philip who always goofs around and has a very 'average talent' compared to them beat them big time. They sighed and looked at the tower as another floor illuminated brightly.