Walking the line between life and death opens the mind and body more than any other method. It is the fastest way to power, but that is because nothing risked means nothing gained.

~Belenus the Sun God

Yuletide wasn’t the principal reason for the crowds in Oiche. Many outsider clans also came to visit so they could participate in the Trial of Tur Briste. The first day of the trial started the day after Yule ended. Since everyone was already present in Oiche, most would go to the Arena to watch the event and see the promising people of the younger generation.

It was also because whichever clan won the event would host next year. That wasn’t as big of an award as being able to see how the arena worked. To this day, the Arena has remained a mystery, and not even Mugna knew its full origin. The formations and the various facets were still being discovered, just like today’s event.

The Duncan clan had monopolized the trial for the last five years. With their clan head dead, and Belgae and Rulaney clans eliminated, no one was sure whose clan would take the lead. Crow suspected that the Teonet clan would take it this year. Not because of Mara or Esme, but they had a cousin who was quite a prodigy. Crow had never met her, but she lacked the arrogance of most geniuses and focused mainly on her training from what he heard.

“Little Crow, you ready?” Niall asked, standing to the side with the rest of the clan. Crow had stopped in front of Lugh’s statue out of habit and performed his ritual blood offering. However, the spear didn’t shake this time, nor did he feel a rumble in the earth. Instead, it turned crimson and started glowing. Everyone in the plaza turned to watch with stunned looks. Typically, offerings left wouldn’t even gain acknowledgment. For those that did, it was so minor that most people wouldn’t believe it. This was neither of those scenarios as the light shot into the sky and then dimmed down to a faint glow, but even more impressive was the stone changed and looked like red marble. The glow didn’t fade even after Crow stepped back.

“What does it mean?” Brian asked Elder Quinn. When it came to the history of the Druid people, there was no one his equal. Not even Gavin would claim he knew more about Druids than Quinn.

“I… am not sure either,” Loremaster Quinn said. “We know the gods exist, and this plaza has long gained the distinction of a temple. I can only assume that Crow’s obeisance has somehow created karma between the two.”

“I’d have to agree,” Gavin said, staring at the red spear. “However, I’m not so sure he formed a link to Lugh. It is just my speculation, but it was the spear that reacted.”

Quinn tapped his lips with his finger and slowly nodded. “Regardless, we have to go. I’ll investigate this more later.”

While it was an interesting phenomenon, they couldn’t be late for the trial, so they all turned away and continued to the arena.

Crow walked in and stumbled in shock. The arena had expanded and was much larger than it had been during his last honor battle. It didn’t seem right because the inside was now much larger than the out. All five surrounding stages and the central one had dropped below ground level, and stadium seating circled those prominent stages. In these areas, Crow knew there had been walls previously. The only place without seating was the entrance.

Aine started laughing from beside him. “See, cousin, you hide away and miss out on how mysterious the Arena really is. Seeing your shocked face was worth coming today, even if I fail spectacularly, so worth it.” Aine was wiping tears from her eyes. “I only wish we could have watched one of your Arena fights.”

“Why? He lost them all,” Brian said.

“So? He was the most-watched arena fighter of all time. Lose or not, he obviously was worth watching if others kept coming back.”

“Fine. Fine. You win.” Brian grumbled, seeing how stubborn she was being. He didn’t want to risk angering her. Crow smiled at their antics, and in some ways, their closeness and interactions reminded him of his own parents.

“Alright, those of you participating, head on down and register,” Niall said but stopped Crow. The younger generation filed down to a check-in desk, and the older people of the Maddox clan went into the stands to watch the show. Once everyone had dispersed, Niall handed Crow three items—two stones and a ring. “I looked for you last night, but your uncle told me an interesting story—”

“Grandpa!” Crow nearly shouted with his cheeks burning.

“Alright, I won’t tease you too much. But listen closely, because this is important. Those two stones are called Shield Imprint Stones, and if you feel you are about to be captured or worse, destroy them. Do not hesitate. You must make sure no one gets a hold of them.”

“What are they?”

“Your parents always worried that Gideon would arrive one day, so they created these for you. Once you gain your Shield, and I have faith you will, press those against it and activate your Shield. They’ll form a link between your Shield and theirs, and if you are on the same floor or realm as them, you’ll be able to find each other. Now you know why you must destroy them if something happens. Do not let them fall into enemy hands, understood?”

“Yes, grandpa.”

“That ring is a spatial storage item. A Shield also has spatial storage, which is why most cultivators don’t use these. Inside you’ll find food, money, survival and camp equipment, and books on various techniques and spells. Most of that will help while traveling, but inside that ring is my gift to you. It is Sealladair which means Seeker in ancient Draoidh. It is a bow crafted using layers of Ghost Oak, which I’ve never heard of until I found this bow and dragon bones. The glue is supposedly made from a void beast. The bow is a mystery, and even after all these years, I’ve never been able to fully use it. However, I’ve seen what you can do with an ordinary bow, and I think this was always meant to be yours. Its draw is too much for you right now, and it might be even after you gain your Shield. So just keep it safe for now.”

Crow’s eyes widened the more he heard until he felt like a giant snow owl staring at prey. This was one of his grandpa’s most prized possessions. “Y-you—”

“Take it. We both know your archery skills are better than mine. I’m more of a smash the enemy apart type of fighter. You are more strategic. It was why I watched your Arena fights with great interest. You have some of your father’s stubbornness and a lot of your mother’s cunning, and of course my fearlessness,” Niall laughed. “In our past, the Draoidh were archers and roamed the lands without fear. We were welcomed for our stories, paid for our knowledge, and praised for our righteousness. I hope you can use that bow and help us bring back some of that glory.”

“I will, grandpa.”

“Good. And Crow? I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you—”

“Please don’t start that. You’ve done everything you could for me, but I feel my journey will always be hard. If you want to blame anyone, blame my father for marrying the daughter of the vilest man in the tower.”

Niall chuckled. “You are right, that unfilial son of mine…

Crow coughed and then kowtowed to his grandfather. The old man’s hand tousled his hair.

“Thank you, grandpa, for everything.”

“It is good that you respect family and clan. I’m afraid you’ll be on the Wood platform, as you had one of the lowest scores. Now go, the council is about to speak.” Niall said, nudging Crow to head down the stairs to the check-in.

“Name and clan?” The bored elder asked.

“Crow, son of Maddox.”

The man scanned through the names listed.

“Wood platform…” Crow prompted, and the man looked up and nodded before flipping to the back of the list. He crossed Crow’s name off and handed him a token.

“Don’t lose that token, no matter what. It is like the Hunt. Head over to the others on the Wood stage—the brown one and wait for the elder from the Duncan clan to explain the rules. Not even we know what those are, so don’t bother asking anyone else.”

Crow nodded and placed his fist on his chest, and bowed before rushing over. Before he left the area, Mara stepped forward and walked with him. One more ally for the trials ahead.

“You are Wood too?” Crow asked.

“Pfft, no. You can’t move up stages, but I can move down. The only difference is the visibility of your achievements. These tokens also allow others to watch what we do in the trials. Those on the central platform have the biggest viewing area in the center of the ceiling. This platform, well… you’ll be a small view in those corners,” Mara pointed to the edge where the wall met the ceiling.

“Hello,” a Druid elder spoke, and Crow recognized the Duncan clan’s crest on his chest. He found it odd that no one spoke of Kenneth Duncan, nor his death. It was as if the man had just ceased to exist. The crowd went silent as the elder’s voice carried throughout the Arena. “I won’t waste time and will get right to it. The event we chose is something we call a Scramble. It is about survival, quick wits, ability, and strength. There are a total of six sections you will cross through, which provide their own set of challenges. You’ll have three days to get to the checkpoint. Fail, and you are eliminated.”

The silence was near deafening until one of the guest elders stepped forward. “Do you mind explaining that in more detail?”

“Death, failing to reach the checkpoint, or failing to meet the victory requirements will result in the contestant’s elimination. Not death, as their spirit is the only thing that enters that place. No lasting harm will come to anyone, but the death they experience will feel very real and painful. Like the Hunt, those tokens, once crushed, will send you out of the competition. Keep it safe, and keep it at hand at all times.”

“I apologize for interrupting, elder. Did you say three days for each section? I was told this event would only last three days.” Crow recognized that his man was a foreigner by his features alone. It was a good question because the timeline meant this event would last half a month.

“That is one of the elders from the Sky Torn Sect,” Mara whispered to him. “I heard each sect and academy brought more people than usual, intending on bringing quite a few people away. The war you mentioned, I think it has already arrived, and they are all here to start supplementing their losses.”

“How many candidates can they take?”

“The Druid Council put down a rule a long time ago. They can only take one person per elder that visits. This is why there are at least a dozen from each group this time.”

“Why weren’t you selected last year?”

“Dumbass! Not all of us can awaken our Source early. This is my first year attending. Besides, I do not intend to leave with any of them.”

“Why?”

“I have an important mission. Protecting your clueless ass. You train all day, and I fear your common sense is a bit lacking.”

Crow wanted to comment, but before he could, the Duncan elder spoke.

“Ah yes, sorry for not clarifying, Senior Maleno. Time operates differently inside. To them, it’ll seem like weeks have passed, but for us, it’ll be three days. Above us are scrying screens, and the screens are linked to their tokens. You’ll be able to watch whoever you like. However, if you aren’t a cultivator, I’m afraid time will move too fast for you to be able to see what is actually happening.”

“What about us? Those with advantage?” Munro called out, and the elder frowned.

“Do not act like Golden Mouth and spit out random nonsense whenever you please. Stand to be recognized.” The elder barked, and Mara looked nervously at Crow, who just smiled. “I’ll forgive it this once, but watch your manners, boy. The advantage is simple, you’ll all start at the second checkpoint, which means you’ll get to start stage three immediately. Checkpoints only open every three days and remain open until noon. Once it closes, you’ll need to wait another three days to continue. However, those starting from the beginning don’t have that luxury. They’ll have to move non-stop, but if they reach a checkpoint early, they can rest until the gate opens. In other words, use your time wisely.”

Another kid stood up, and she waited to be acknowledged before speaking. “What about our equipment, senior?”

“Good question. Your equipment will also have a spiritual representation, including the token we gave you. This means it isn’t real, so feel free to use everything to your heart’s content, including single-use items. One last thing about your equipment. The system isn’t omnipotent, so test your gear before using it and expect some anomalies.”

“Elder?” Another person from the visitor platform spoke, and Crow thought the guy looked more like a slab of stone than an actual man. “Excuse my ignorance, as I’ve never heard of a trial like this—how do the competitors win? Just make it to the end?”

“Once the competition starts, all the spectators will be able to see the competitor’s scores. Kills, actions, and achievements are all recorded via the token, so we’ll be able to see these scores on their scrying screens. From what we’ve gathered, points come from reaching checkpoints, the order they reach it, and beasts killed. Killing other competitors also rewards a person with thirty percent of the slain person’s points. However, this marks them as a killer. Killing a killer does not turn you into a killer but will reward you fifty percent of that person’s points. There are also bonuses, but I won’t be sharing how to achieve though. I can say that risk brings reward.”

“How will they know where these checkpoints are?” The rock-like man asked. Crow wasn’t even sure the man was human.

“You’ll understand when it starts. They’ll definitely know which way to go.” The elder chuckled and was visibly amused, which made all the contestants shudder. “Ideally, the winner will be whoever makes it to the end with the most points. Realistically, none of you will make it to the end, so the winner will most likely be the person who can survive the longest.”

“So, a Scramble is essentially a linear free for all, right?” The rock-man asked.

“Correct,” The elder said, and the rock-man nodded and said nothing else. “Now, I want to make one thing very clear before starting the event. Death might only be in your mind, but your mind will make all that pain feel real. Sometimes horrible amounts of pain depending on how you die. Remember to crush your token if you can’t take it. Further, to curb any evil thoughts, I will emphasize that all of us are watching you. We consider while fighting and killing to be honorable. Still, torturing, maiming, and other deviant behavior will reflect badly on your clan. It should be understood that we will not tolerate some actions. Alright, sit down and prepare your minds. We begin now.”

Looking around, Crow saw Otto and Song Xue standing in an area that gave them an advantage but was sectioned off from the other Druids. It was clearly a place meant for outsiders. None of the people had the appearance of a Druid. Song Xue stared at him, and he winked back. Her mouth twitched, and then his vision faded—he was no longer in the arena.