The Bloodforged Kin

Chapter 239 - 233: Cass - A Trial of Choices

Cass stood at the entrance to the zoo, heart racing. Guilt wracked him almost as deeply as his shame.

They hate me!

That thought had been running through his mind as he ran through the surrounding areas, looking for something to take his rage and shame out on. The System didn't provide this time, and nothing showed itself. His frustration brought him to the place that had, ironically, become a safe place for him. Nothing in the zoo was a threat to him anymore, and the feeling of power he got from knowing that was a balm to his injured soul. He thought fondly back to when he'd brought Marcus here after the concierge had tried to cheat him. A smile crept onto his face as he recalled Marcus there, shaking with fear - literally pissing his pants with it - knowing that the only person that could save him, or doom him, was Cass.

"If they live, you live. If they don't…"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"I'll do whatever you want, man. Please. Please, please, please, just get me out of here."

This place was his and he loved it for the power he had over it - and anyone he brought here. Only now, it was different. Even in the darkness of night he should have been able to see into the foyer of the entrance lobby, but instead it was only a nothingness of darkness that swirled lazily. It was both foreboding and enticing. He wanted to run away, back to his bed, back to safety. He stamped down that feeling.

No! I am strong! I am brave and I can take on anything that's in there!

He stepped inside, receiving a System message as soon as he was fully inside.

** Congratulations! You have discovered a System Trial. This is a limited challenge dungeon that offers unique rewards. This trial is composed of three parts, all three of which must be completed for full rewards.

Rewards: Unique items can be found in this trial.

Success: Evolution of two skills.

Failure: Reduction of one skill by one level

Do you wish to enter this trial?**

Cass stared at the message, fear paralyzing him. Reduce a skill? Why would that even be an option? Would he have a say in which one? What if he lost his speed, or even if it nerfed it? No, this was crazy. Who in their right mind would choose that kind of risk?

He took a step backwards and was greeted by another message.

** Warning: You are about to exit the trial. Exiting will make this opportunity unavailable forever. **

He froze. What should he do? Was the risk worth this? He didn't even know what the trial was, so how could he possibly know if he'd be successful at it? He could be seriously screwing himself over right now. His thoughts strayed to Gabriel and what he would do. In this strange, liminal space he could almost hear the man's voice.

"There will be other paths to power, Cass. Why take the risk yourself when others can do it for you? The most powerful men in history never dirtied their hands - only the weak throw themselves into the fire. Stand above them. Use them. Prove you are greater than all of them."

Cass knew they'd never had that conversation, but it didn't matter. The words felt as real as any memory - as if Gabriel were standing right behind him, whispering into his ear. It was familiar. Tempting. Even now, Cass hated the part of him that missed that man. Another voice came to Cass then, as unexpected as it was predictable.

"Son," Zavier's voice was steady, warm, and full of calm conviction, "you don't have to be scared, mijo." Cass squeezed his eyes shut, his breath shaking as something like a sob fought to escape his chest. He could almost feel his father's strong hands on his shoulders, grounding him like they always had.

"Power taken from others isn't strength, Cass - it's a crutch. You've never needed that. You are intelligent, resourceful, and you have a good soul. Your gentleness, your protectiveness - those are what make you strong. Don't chase power for power's sake. Strength comes from knowing who you are, and standing firm in it. If you do that, everything else will fall into place."

"What do I do, dad? I'm not the person you always say I am!" Cass's soft words were sucked into the blackness. There was no answer. Cass took a step.

** Congratulations! You have chosen to enter a limited trial dungeon. This trial is being calibrated for you.

Congratulations! The Trial of Choices has been initiated! There is no time limit. **

A spark of pride flared within him - he'd made the difficult choice. Taken a risk! He would conquer this challenge and show everyone that he was strong. The blackness evaporated around him and Cass could see the lobby clearly again. Everything looked different, like seeing a picture upside down - familiar but not. He realized that the colors here were washed out, not just an effect of it being nighttime like he'd initially thought. Everything was painted in grayscale, as if he'd suddenly found himself colorblind. In the distance he could see whisps of light bobbing and moving. The zoo itself was mostly unchanged and Cass breathed a sigh of relief at that small bit of familiarity.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

** Trial 1: Harvest of Souls. The spirits of the slain linger here, trapped between life and the afterlife. These are not System-generated echoes, but true remnants of the living. Their fate is in your hands.

Guide them onward: Convince them to move on, granting them peace. No immediate reward.

Harvest their power: Absorb their essence, growing stronger. But once taken they are lost forever, consumed to fuel your growth.

To release a soul, touch it and help it let go. To claim it, use the Soul Catcher and store its strength for later use.

The choice is yours. **

Hovering in the air in front of him was an unassuming black rod, no bigger than one of his batons. He plucked it out of the air and examined it, Identify returning nothing. He tried unsuccessfully to place it into his dimensional space. It looked like The System wanted it in his hand at all times, ready to be used. He looked around, trying to find the closest soul. Small motes of lights that looked like butterflies danced in the air not far from where he stood. He stepped gingerly to them, expecting them to scatter at his approach. They seemed unaware of him as they bobbed and dipped in small circles. He reached out and gingerly touched one, his consciousness expanding to include the essence of the tiny being.

It didn't have thoughts in any recognizable way, but Cass felt a distinct impression of confusion and fear. It was lost and didn't know what to do about it. As Cass explored the sensation he realized that he could feel a path, or maybe a string, leading away from the butterfly and into… something else. All he had to do was point the way.

"Here you go, little guy," Cass said as he brought the string to the butterfly's attention. It began bouncing excitedly as its wings beat with purpose, and Cass felt something that may have been gratitude flow back to him as the butterfly touched the string and was carried forward along its path and into its next life. He smiled at the sensation. He had done something good! He'd helped it! His excitement and sense of accomplishment grew as he worked through the rest of the group, sending each one home.

The penguins had been slightly harder, the spirits of the birds seemed almost intentionally dumb. It took repeated attempts to get them to face their strings, and even then they had to be coaxed.

"I swear I am going to use this on you if you don't move on!" Cass waved the Soul Catcher uselessly, the birds either couldn't see it or didn't care. They had no physical form, so he couldn't push them - all he could do was show them the path and try to coax them onto it. For over an hour Cass coaxed, cajoled, influenced, and yelled at the frustrating creatures. His skin was starting to prickle as irritation and frustration built up inside of him. More than once he found himself running his thumb along the Soul Catcher. It would be so much easier, so much faster - did he really need to save all of the penguins? They're just penguins, after all…

He shook the thought away. He would do this the right way, no matter how long it took.

Six hours later and Cass was at the end of his rope. The prairie dogs, antelope, deer - all of the herd animals, really - had been fairly easy. They had been frustrating in their own ways, and none had been as easy as the butterflies, but he had been able to appeal to the natures inside of them to guide or push them down the path. Even the hyenas hadn't been all that difficult - they seemed like agents of chaos, but in the end they had trotted towards the path as soon as he'd held their attention long enough to make them realize it was there.

The first real frustration had come when he'd encountered the wolves. He'd spotted a cluster of them standing at the edge of a shadowed enclosure, their spectral bodies tense, eyes locked onto him. Unlike all the other animals, they didn't move. He'd approached slowly - he knew they were incorporeal, but his instincts weren't convinced. They didn't react, even as he moved between them, touching each in turn. He pushed, prodded - tried to convince them that there were juicy rabbits on the other side - anything that would get them to move. None of it worked and Cass dove deeper into their souls, searching. His eyes shot wide with realization when he did.

They weren't lost, they were waiting. They were pack animals and they were waiting for their alpha to lead them. They would not be moved until the alpha arrived and led them down the path himself. Cass touched each spirit once, twice, a third time - none were the alpha. He searched the enclosure, finding nothing. He didn't miss that they were all staring in the same direction, as if waiting for the alpha to return, so he sped that way, using his speed to search everything between them and the entrance - still nothing. With dawning horror he realized that it was possible that the alpha hadn't died. He'd wasted so much time - too much, searching. He wasted more trying to convince them that the alpha wasn't coming, or that he would come later. He understood instinctually that if he could prove himself strong enough to be their alpha, they would follow him - but he had no idea how to do that.

He'd screamed at them then, kicking uselessly at their spirits. There was intelligence behind those unmoving eyes and he'd felt their ridicule at his attempts.

"Fine," he growled to them, "you want an alpha? I'll show you an alpha." The Soul Catcher was in his hand and he swung it at the head of one of the wolves. There was an ethereal yelp as its spirit was stretched and pulled into the rod, the blackness of it growing lighter by a shade. Cass stared at it in wonder as the wolves stared at him in shock.

He could feel it, the power thrumming in the rod. It was such a small amount, and the Soul Catcher had so much room. He now understood that the stronger the soul he captured, the more power he would have access to later. Thoughts of the rest of the trial began to swim through his mind. What if he needed their strength? What if he wasn't strong enough to beat whatever came next? Was he leaving all this power on the table for what - a few animal souls that he wasn't even getting any reward for saving?

He tapped the rod on his hand absently as he thought, decisions and possibilities swirling through his mind. He came out of his thoughts with a start when he realized that the wolves had moved and were now arrayed in front of him, all facing his direction. He reached for one and it flinched, ears laying flat on its head. He carefully pulled the rod back and touched the wolf with his free hand. He'd bested them - shown he was stronger than they were. He could take them all, he knew, and they wouldn't fight him for it. This was the way of the pack - the alphas led and the others followed, even if it meant their true deaths. His mouth twitched upwards reflexively and his thumb stroked the smooth material of the Soul Catcher. He could swear he felt warmth emanating from it. He could take one or two more and guide the rest, couldn't he? He was the alpha now and that was his right. They wouldn't fight him for it - wouldn't even fault him for it. They followed power, and he was powerful.

He shook his head, throwing the thoughts away. What am I thinking? They're looking to me to lead - can I really just sacrifice them all when they trust me like that? He knew what Gabriel would do, but he also knew what his father would do. With a heavy sigh, and no small sense of loss, he showed them the path and urged them on their way. As the last of them was pulled away he felt the warmth of having done the right thing - the good thing. But he also felt the loss of free and easy power. He hoped that would be the hardest challenge he'd face, but knew it wouldn't.