Story 12/1001

• chorus
• effort
• canvas

They were tired, dirty and beaten. Emma was holding onto her left arm, which got hurt in the last trial; Rhyn was crouching, trying to catch his breath; Levi was standing with his back as straight as he could force it to be, even though his head was bleeding; and Alice was sitting on the floor, looking calmly at the situation in front of them.

It was the last trial. If they pass this, they become the Elites – the highest rank of soldiers in the Order of the King. They have trained for years, preparing for this moment – and everyone is watching. From the lowest to the highest in the Order – even their families are here.

“Everything comes to this.” Levi said, looking at the small army in front of them. “We will win this fight. Our efforts will not be in vain.”

“This is like, what? 10 to 1? We’ve handled worse.” Rhyn smiled, and stood up straight, grabbing his hammer.

“Walk in the park?” Emma smiled, wiping the blood from the corner of her lip.

“Walk in the park.” Levi nodded.

The crowd was watching in silence. The king wasn’t present today, but his Inner council was. They were watching every move the future Elites made. The small army was surrounding them, and the four of them had to defeat every single one of them without killing anyone – but also while protecting a white doll in the middle of the field. If even a drop of blood lands on the doll, they will fail. It needs to remain a blank canvas – just like they were before they got to the Academy.

Rhyn was always bigger than the rest, but he was clumsy and not aware of his surroundings. Emma was talented, but arrogant and selfish. She always wanted to work alone, and get the glory. Levi had the most power, his magic is strong, but he was always holding himself back. Alice has the power even she thinks is weak, her confidence was never her strong side. And the Council knew it all.

If they wanted to win, they needed to kill their past selves.

“Alice. We need you.” Emma said through her teeth.

“I haven’t practiced enough.” Alice defended a blow.

“We have ten minutes left, and twenty more soldiers.” Levi stated. “If you don’t do this now, you won’t be able to practice anymore.”

 “The Council is getting up from their seats. That is never a good sign.” Rhyn said, smashing a few soldiers next to him.

“Alice.” Emma looked at her and kicked a soldier who wanted to attack her. “You can do this. We can do this. We trained enough.” She added, quietly.

Alice nodded. She closed her eyes and focused on their heartbeats.

The Council stopped. A calm song was coming from the field. They couldn’t hear the soldiers yelling anymore, they seemed to slow down their attacks. They smiled, walking back to their seats, but they didn’t sit down.

Alice could hear them perfectly. She synchronized their heartbeats, and sang to their hearts. A song of bravery, fight, never giving up. A chorus of winners.

Levi held onto his sword, and it lit with roaring flames, his eyes matching their color. He smiled, looking at his teammates.

“For the King!”