Chapter 17 - The Candidates
Written by LastationLover5000
Original Story Concept by LastationLover5000 and Demod20
Max felt alone. Despite being accompanied by Bashiff and Kaseem, being led away from his friends and towards and entirely unknown situation left him only feeling hollow. The trio walked in silence, Bashiff's friendly and welcoming energy being the only thing to counter the dour mood that Kaseem emanated at almost every turn. Max could not have wondered precisely why they sent two people so opposite each other to act as the escorts of not only the Fairy Tail guild, but one of the candidates. Max could only assume it was simply because everything was as it appeared: Bashiff just was a people person, capable of getting along with anyone, and Kaseem was...dangerous was a word Max applied to the man lightly. His display in the desert showed that he was indeed terrifying, and Max realised he and his guild could not have been given a better bodyguard.
Yet he didn't feel safe in the slightest. Max barely took in the sights as he passed them by; what should have been an intricate, gilded path, hewn from only the rarest stone found in Desierto blended together in his eyes as the Fairy Tail mage tried to keep pace with Bashiff and Kaseem, neither of whom seemed to consider slowing down for him to be necessary. Thus, Max attempted to keep in stride. The palace had seemed so close at first, yet Max soon realised this was only due to the palace's truly domineering size. It loomed over the bulk of Desierto, and the Sandstorm Mage could only imagine the view at the highest of the towers. The gold-paved road they took let them travel upwards, scaling the raised-mountain on which the palace rested. Being led by Kaseem and Bashiff made the journey feel much shorter than it seemed, however, and it was not long before Max and his guides were face-to-face with the entrance of the palace.
"Welcome, Candidate, to the Gate of the Vermillion Bird," Bashiff labeled the door to Max, the overtones of pride unmistakable in his voice. At the look of confusion on Max's face, Bashiff faltered only slightly. "Do you not recognise the significance of the name? I was so sure simply the magnificence of the door and the splendor of its name would mean it wouldn't warrant explanation."
"I've never heard of a Vermillion Bird," admitted Max sheepishly. "Is it important here?"
"The Vermillion Bird, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise," interjected Kaseem quietly. "The Four Auspicious Beasts. Each figure are well known throughout this region, and are often used to symbolise the four cardinal directions, in addition to varying attributes associated only with them. We're aware they're prominent in the Far East as well, and truth be told, we're not sure where the tales originated."
"Well spoken, Kaseem," Bashiff crowed boisterously. "Each of the entrances to Her Majesty's castle is marked by one of the Four Symbols. The Gate of the Vermillion Bird is only ever used by the guests of Her Majesty herself; the bird symbolises rebirth, the recreation of oneself through a trial by fire. Those who meet her Majesty indeed never the same again. It is a religious experience, even moreso for the one she takes to rule by her side. Once you step through this gate, Candidate Max, your life will be transformed. That is what the Gate of the Vermillion Bird represents."
"What about the other three?" asked Max curiously.
"The other three do not concern you," replied Kaseem. "Prove yourself worthy, and you will find out when you take your place at her Majesty's side. If not, then our secrets are best not left with a foreigner."
Max swallowed the lump sitting in his throat. Even if he ignored Kaseem's less-than-kind words, the man still found that all of this merely added to his feeling of ever-mounting pressure. He wasn't anything special; just a Mage from Fairy Tail. He wasn't even one of the stars, that role belonged to his late friends from Tenrō Island. All of this talk of rebirth, royalty, and life-changing decisions...as far as he'd come, all the way to Desierto, now standing on the very doorstep to the Palace of Paradisio itself...was it too late to turn back? Couldn't he just bolt now? Run back to the Guild and pretend he'd never gotten the letter?
The Guild... Max suddenly felt cold. No one else in his Guild was the kind of person who would run from this. It's just a selection ceremony, right? The entirety of Fairy Tail faced far worse than this before. Besides, Natsu and the Master wouldn't hesitate to give me a piece of their mind if they heard I ran away from something like this. Yeah, that's right... His eyes brimming with new fire, Max exhaled slowly. "I'm ready, Bashiff."
"I like that look!" Bashiff grinned widely. "You looked like you didn't quite know what to do with yourself when you were on board our airship, Candidate Max. But that's a different look entirely! Tell me, before I open these gates...what changed your mind?"
"My friends," replied Max simply. "That's just the way we do it at Fairy Tail."
Without waiting to be given a cute, Max placed both his hands on the double doors of the Gate of the Vermillion Bird, and gave it a hearty push. With his own two hands, he'd open the door to his own future. When Max walked through the doors, he progressed through on his own. Bashiff and Kaseem watched the doors closing, each with a different look on their face.
"I had no confidence in that young man," Bashiff said gruffly. "Yet now, I can't help but hope he doesn't go home too dispirited."
"What becomes of him is no concern to us now," replied Kaseem gravely. This entire procession is but a formality anyway. Let the foreigner try his best.
Through the receding light of the closing double doors, Max was given a view of a brilliant hallway, lined with statues of a bird, wings spread as it preparing for flight. The door closed with a surprisingly soft thudding noise, plunging Max into a darkness so complete he couldn't see his hand in front of his own face. His eyes swiveled about the room, desperately trying to adjust to the darkness, yet he need not have tried: the very moment he prepared to take a step, the entire hallway seemed to explode. The light which greeted his eyes was blinding, the young man finding the need to cover them before peering through squinted lids into the hallway.
Each and every single statue — of which there'd been more than he could have anticipated even on his first look — were gushing flames from the eyes and beaks of the Vermillion Bird. So many were ablaze, and so bright was their light that Max might have mistaken the hallway for being lot by some kind of Lacrima. Despite being within this hallway, surrounded by torches, he felt no heat, not a hint of perspiration.
They sure know how to give a greeting, thought the Sandstorm mage, nervously chuckling in spite of himself. I guess I wont be getting an escort from this point...so I should walk on?
As if answering his thoughts, his own legs moved. Max didn't know if he'd consciously made the choice or was simply giving in to the urge not to remain there alone, and plodded through the hall. Lit by the flaming birds, Max could see everything; the smooth, marble walls, the detail in each feather...and the otherwise wasted space. Was there a point to a hall this pointlessly long? He found himself wondering that, even as he walked. Left with nothing but silence and his thoughts, Max couldn't help but believe this was part of the Candidate test in some way.
Max felt he was reaching the end of the hall once he saw an obvious doorway, obscured by shadows. The frame was built in a way where the light of the Vermillion Bird's statues didn't penetrate it. Approaching the doorway with caution, the Fairy Tail mage nearly leapt back in shock when the shadows took form, manifesting in the shape of a woman. Her skin was not quite as dark as the others he had seen since arriving in the country of Desierto, yet it was clear it had once been pale and she was merely been deprived of light, giving it more of an olive tone. Her eyes were piercing amethyst, and she wore clothes which were clearly meant to be easy to move in but revealed more of her well-endowed chest and shapely rear than was wise.
"Um..." Max, caught off guard by both her sudden appearance and beauty, found himself at a loss for words.
"Greetings, foreign candidate," the woman spoke in a direct tone, her eyes never breaking contact with Max's. "My name is Kuon. I will proceed with the final qualifications examination."
"E-Examination?" Max stammered, this being the first he'd heard of it. Had he not been still recovering from shock, Max may have taken notice that her name too, was odd in these lands. "W-Wasn't I already chosen as a candidate?"
'"That is correct, Max Alors," Kuon said, using Max's name despite never having been introduced to it. "But that is a general selection without pre-screening. This qualification examination will weed out those unfit to stand by Her Majesty's side by weighing their very hearts." She reached into the shadows behind her, pulling out an ornate set of beautiful golden scales. "This test, however, is fatal should one prove to fail. I give you a final chance, Max Alors. If you are not prepared to lay down your own life and weigh it against your heart for the sake of your future, then take your leave."
Was he willing to potentially sacrifice his life for the sake of hooking up with a woman he didn't know? Max stared at Kuon incredulously. That wasn't a question he could simply answer when prompted.
"You do not have the luxury of time, Max Alors," Kuon said curtly. "You are the last candidate we are expecting; make your decision or begone from these walls."
"I..." Max felt the words struggle to come out. "No way in Hell am I ready for something like that! But at the same time...it would make my Guild look bad if we came all the way here just for me to run because of a little setback. So go ahead; weigh my heart or whatever, and I'll show you I'm worth passing through those doors."
"You would risk your life for reputation, then?"
Max shook his head. "That's not what this is. I'm just not the type who turned back after I've made a decision. You'll find my family is full of people like that — stubborn as a bar of metal."
"Hm," something flickered behind Kuon's eyes. "Very well. I will acknowledge your resolve...and weigh your heart." Kuon raised the scales to be level with Max's chest, and placed her free hand atop the glittering ornament. Words began to spill from her mouth, an incantation spoken in a hushed tone, its very words filling the cramped hall with the air of magic.
"Right of mistrust. Left of honesty. A soul muddled in uncertainty, the centre of a human heart brings clarity to all. Hesitation. Resolve. Into the jaws of hell, the screams of the sinners are fed."
The scales began to emit a strange, flowing black mass. This mass dripped from the gilded appliance like liquid, slipping onto Kuon's hand. Max watched the scales, horrified, as the dark mass melded into Kuon's hand and arm. Formerly pale and beautiful, it took on a deadened appearance, almost akin to petrified wood.
"If you wish to grit your teeth, I would not think less of you," she said cryptically. Before Max could so much as raise a question, he felt it before he saw it; Kuon's arm ripping right into his chest, gripping something within it, and tearing it out. Pain seared through his body, nerves aflame, mouth screaming. As he fell to his knee, blood splattered onto the torch-lit ground, and before Max's eyes, Kuon lifted what was unmistakably a heart to eye-level. Connected by a series of threads — no, they were veins — he was left with no realisation other than this woman had ripped his heart right out yet he continued to breathe.
As quickly as this realization had come, however, it faded. The pain numbed, ebbing to nothing, and the blood he swore painted the floor and coated his chin was gone. In Kuon's hand was a shadowy mass in the shape of a heart, linked to his body by threads of equal darkness.
"The vision of death," Kuon explained to a bewildered Max. The man steadied himself to his feet just as Kuon began to place the effigy heart onto the scale. Adjacent on the other scale was, to Max's surprise, a feather that had not been there before. "Now, the weighing will commence." The shade-constructed duplicate rested gently on the scale. Moments of silence followed, with Max unsure what to expect, and Kuon unwilling to divulge. Her hand, restored to its pristine look, hovered gently over the scales, which she held remarkably steadily in her other hand. The magic which filled the area did not fade, and instead seemed to only intensify.
Then, a movement. The feather began to rise slightly, attracting the attention of Kuon, concern of Max...and simultaneously occurring as the shadows behind Kuon shifting ominously. Max felt his chest tighten.
"I see..." muttered Kuon. "A grudge...deep-seated resentment..." as she muttered these words, the scale began to average itself out again, the feather and heart level with each other. "Yet these are overshadowed...by compassion...a desire to do what is right...a sense of honour…ah...but insecurities weigh it down...and yet..." Her mutterings became ever faster, with Max unable to discern just what she was saying. Finally...the heart duplicate began to rise on it scale, above the feather. The tightening faded.
"Very well," said Kuon stiffly. "You are no saint, Max Alors, but we do not expect to find one among outsiders. Regardless, just barely, the feather outweighs your heart. There is much on your mind...but you are eligible to pass."
"I still don't get it," mumbled a confused Max, who watched as the fake heart vanished, and any sense of unease along with it. His chest felt free. "What was the point of this? What happened if I failed?"
"The point," she replied curtly, "is that the candidates are traditional chosen from all over the world. To us, to our people, the Queen is revered above all. She is not on the same level as mere mortals, and to allow those with tainted, wicked hearts to be in her presence would be a failure on our part." Reaching behind her into the shadows, Kuon tucked the scales away. "As for what would have happened if you failed..."
She let her own words trail off. No, in fact, theh were drown out entirely by a sudden cacophony; a mixture of growls, screams, pleas, and other sounds filled the hall. Several of them, Max lacked the ability to even describe, he'd never heard them on Earth. The shadows behind Kuon began to morph, sprouting vivid eyes, gleaming teeth, all connected to the head of a reptile...and this vanished as quickly as it had come, seeping into her own shadow. A door was revealed, resplendent in its shape, and sporting the relief of the Vermillion Bird. "You would have been fed to the shadows, Max Alors."
"I—" Max struggled with his throat to find vocabulary he could throw at the woman, who was waking past him now. "Why go to such lengths? Why murder—?"
"You agreed," replied Kuon simply. "Everyone person consumed by Amru forged a contract with the scales when they agreed to lay down their life. It was their own choice; such a thing is hardly anymore murder than what you foreigners consider a duel to the death."
"But why–"
"Our Queen is divine," Kuon turned to face him now, her amethyst eyes searing. "The feather with which your heart was weighed against, and found lighter, came from the body of our Queen's venerable ancestor, the deity who created our country and ruled it before she left it in the hands of her daughter, the very first Queen." She sighed. "Candidate Max Alors, if you wish to make it farther through the trials you will face, please understand this firstly: Her Majesty above all, and Her Majesty's word is law. It would do you well to remember that." Parting on these words, Kuon's body slipped into the nearest shadow created by the dancing firelight, leaving a stunned and silent Max in the hallway.
What is this nation? Max wondered. A nation that reveres its leader to the point that they're revered as a deity? He frowned, placing a thumb and forefinger to his chin. I think...now I have to win. And figure out why. I'll have to let Wendy, Charle, and Doranbolt know later, if I can...
Forcing these thoughts to retire to the back of his mind, Max placed both hands on the double doors, and pushed. His eyes flooded once again with light, the young Sandstorm Mage squinting until his eyes adjusted. And what a sight he saw once they had. The room the hallway had led him to was vast, with a domed ceiling, and seeming to have been constructed from marble. Tables, huge and imposing, took up the bulk of the space in the room. Where a traditional castle may have been lit by candles or torches, which Max expected from the hall he'd just passed through, the light of this room was oddly artificial. It took mere moments to see why; floating high above them, resting just under the ceiling, was a giant Lacrima. It emitted a powerful flow, erasing the shadow from nearly everything. Glancing around, Max was alarmed to see just how many people he had to contend with. He reckoned it was over a hundred, and they were all standing patiently, quietly, within this Great Hall.
Within this crowd of faces, Max found himself focusing on two individuals. He couldn't pin why precisely, beyond the fact that they managed to stand out in every respect. In a crowd of people, these two congregated together, yet their body language didn't imply that they knew each other. No, Max believed it was the same feeling that he was getting from them now; each of these individuals was going to be someone to focus on, though he'd hardly had a rival in his life. Thus, Max himself began to focus on these two, as if he was hoping to gain some sort of hidden knowledge by simply analysing them.
The first was a young man, perhaps only a few years older than Max. If "handsome" existed in a human form, this man was certainly it; he possessed features many women would stampede over their husbands for, and many men would turn green with envy to possess for himself. His eyes were a vivid, sky-blue, his hair blonde, worn as a reverse-mullet in a way which barely covered his eyes, and his nose, while smaller than average, complimented the sculpted face rather than detracted from it. He wore clothes that someone like Max would have needed to spend several year's of quest earnings simply to make a down payment on. The man wore a crimson suit jacket with flowing trails, over a pristine white dress shirt, with similarly matching pants, and gleaming black shoes. Protruding from within the jacket were the multiple ruffles of his shirt, and Max noticed the cuffs of his shirtsleeves were similarly ruffled. The Fairy Tail mage couldn't tell if the attire was made of satin, velvet, or silk, but he knew it was some similarly expensive material.
Another of the standout candidates for Prince Consort was a familiar yet unique sight for Max. A sheen of radiant golden hair combed to the side of an angular but soft face of fair complexion, with the telltale sign of his face being an exposed pointed ear. With his right eye darting away from any and all eye contact, Max felt a draw of pity for the elf. Despite him wearing regal robes of bright yellow outlined black silk, one could easily see his indecisive mannerisms as he paced in circles around a small proximity in the vastly populated room.
The most significant of the assembled candidates for Prince Consort however leaned against the wall next to the entrance of the vast room. It almost escaped his notice from the shadows cast around the Vermilion Gate but the gleam of angular white steel shimmered even in the darkness. Remaining around a height a head taller than Max, the helmet poised with a series of small slits over the visor that concealed the figure's face save for a pair of white orbs that stared stoically that he caught sight of. Standing upright as if on cue, the pale snow cape unfurled off the wall and metal heels clicked against the ground as Max tensed in the knight's approach.
"So the last finally appears," It spoke, a voice deep and metallic from the echo of the impressive armor. "You look familiar. You aren't per chance, a Mage?"
How could I not have noticed them? Max wondered. This person exuded an aura different from the rest; not merely power, though be supposed there was that. No, Max felt a strong resolve from this man, stronger even than his, which had just been tested. Though I suppose everyone who passed that horrifying test was going to be set on coming through here... Clearing his throat, Max nodded. "Yeah, I'm a Mage of the Fairy Tail guild. My name is Max Alors."
"Max Alors," the deep voice seemed to mull the name over. "You have my greetings. You may refer to me as many do – Der Weiß Ritter."
"Der...Weiss...Ritter?" Max pronounced the title with difficulty. "That can't be your name, can it?"
"It is a title yes," replied the knight slowly. "In the domain I have from, someone of my rank is only allowed to divulge their name to brothers-in-arms. Until then, we are to be known by the titles we earn through our deeds — you have one such title as well, do you not? Hero of Fiore?"
Whispers immediately began to carry outwards from where Max and the Knight were speaking. It was evident that people had been listening in — more eyes had been on Max than he thought, and the Knight had also garnered interest.
"Der Weiß Ritter?!"
"Isn't he the knight who slew a hundred demons in a single stroke?"
"No, he fended off three hundred over the course of two nights!"
"Did they say one of the Heroes of Fiore?"
"They saved their country's capital, right?"
"Which one is it?"
"It would seem our reputations precede us," the Knight said calmly.
"I-I'm not much," replied Max, flushing. "Besides, the heavy lifting was done by someone else. I just happened to be there, helping."
"Modest as well as famous."
It wasn't the Knight which spoke again, but the blonde man in fine clothes, who seemed to have finally taken notice of Max and his conversation partner. "Aren't you an interesting one then, little Fiore mage?"
"S-Should you really be speaking to him like that?" The demure young elf seemed to have worked up the courage to speak as well, though he was obviously nervous just interacting with them. "He was instrumental in s-stopping an assault on the Fiore throne."
"I-I told you, it wasn't that much," insisted Max.
"That sounds to me more like you're a coward," replied the blonde man snidely. "Or perhaps you simply paid good money for the accolades you've received? You don't look the rich type but you know what they say about looks being deceiving." His eyes glinted ominously, his mouth curved into a sneer. "Let me make this clear, 'Hero of Fiore.' I, Octavius Selfridges, will be the one who secures victory and the Queen's hand!" Belting out laughter, the man turned and walked away, not even giving Max the dignity of a response.
Max watched him go, vein pulsating in his head, biting back the urge to shout after him in this Hall of crowded people.
"I-I'm sorry," uttered the elf suddenly. "That man is a noble from the Pergrande Kingdom...and he's got a h-habit of acting out like that." Clearing his throat, he still avoided direct eye contact. "I'm E-Elidyr Oladove, and I'm from Seven."
"Max Alors."
"Der Weiß Ritter."
After introductions, Max found himself mulling over Octavius' attitude. "How did he pass through the weighing...?"
"They are not checking for sainthood," replied the Knight simply. "Traits such as arrogance and pride can be found even in the noblest of souls, and thus it stands to reason they were not checking for such things."
"Then what...?"
"More than likely, it was a test to see who would bring their Queen harm," continued the Knight. "Qualities such as hatred, jealousy, the capacity for forgiveness and mercy, were most likely considered more important than how highly one holds themselves in their own heads."
Remembering what she had said about the grudges in his heart – resentment towards his parents – Max had to agree the Knight may have had a point. Still, the idea that someone as irritating as Octavius could win only made Max irritated, and, he had to admit, more motivated to win.
"May the goddess of victory side with the most well suited, Max Alors," the Knight said, by means of a farewell. He stepped back, and turned his attention to the end of the Great Hall. Max, taken aback by the sudden and abrupt end to the conversation, followed the gaze of the Knight that everyone was now parroting. All noise died down, and the lacrima dimmed completely, before reigniting in a brilliant spotlight that shone down on a single man.
He stood out in a way no one else from this land did. His skin and braided hair were both pale as snow, and his eyes were narrowed and amethyst in hue. He wore glittering robes of silver and green, and from beneath them, an arm gripped a golden staff. He carried himself with importance, and when he spoke, his deep voice rang clear above the crowd.
"My humblest greetings, potential candidates of our venerable Queen," He spoke curtly, and his smile was equally short. "My name is Ja'far."
"A man possessed of fine features and regal attire," murmured the Knight. "If I did not know better, I would almost believe he himself was King. This Ja'far is certainly highly ranked, if nothing else."
The Sandstorm Mage found himself in agreement. Ja'far had a certain air about himself that one could find in royalty or noble dignitaries. He even commanded the attention of the entire room simply by walking in. Something about him looks weirdly familiar...but I haven't met him before...right? Max mused, intently analysing Ja'far.
"First, allow me to offer my sincerest gratitude to those of you who accepted our summons," Ja'far said, extending his arms out to the individuals in the room. "This process of selecting a potential candidate to marry our Majesty is a holy tradition dating back generations, to the very founding of our great nation." His gem-like eyes surveyed the room, settling on where Max and the Knight stood. These eyes only served to make Max more certain he'd met the man before, and to make him feel uncomfortable, as if they could see right through him. "In older times, those of less distinguished reputations and even darker hearts would vie for the hands of our Queen, and her descendants, and thus we created the test which each of you had to overcome, all for the sake of proving yourself worthy to take your place at the side of divinity.
But now...perhaps you have noticed, there are still quite a large number of you," Ja'far's voice didn't give away any surprise, implying that a large turnout for this event happened frequently. In fact, Max noted, despite the flowery words, the man sounded almost businesslike. "But rest assured, your lives are no longer in danger; the lot of you candidates have been proven, on some level, to be suited what is coming." Holding up his hand, Ja'far showed off three pale fingers for the room at large to see under the spotlight. "Three tasks. We will have three tasks for you, and these three tasks will weed out all but the most competent of you. By the end of it all, we should have narrowed down precisely who we think is most worthy, but should there be multiple candidates of note...well, how such a situation will be handled shall be decided when the time comes."
The hush which had accompanied Ja'far's entry was abruptly shattered, as mutterings arose within the crowd of candidates. Each of them was a prominent figure in the land or settlement from which they haled, so they were all wondering just what test could possibly weed them out — certainly they were already worthy, what was with the rest of the riffraff here? Only Max, the Knight, and Elidyr were silent, though all for different reasons. Elidyr simply could not speak. The Knight chose to remain silent, as an idle tongue was best when surrounded by foes. Max, however, kept quiet as his brain worked, wondering what three tasks would have to be if they were for the sake of marrying a Divine Queen?
"I believe you will find your rooms have been prepared," said Ja'far, his voice carrying smoothly over the din as if no one was speaking at all. "For those of you who brought guests, they will be afforded lodgings elsewhere, as all candidates will take up room and board here, within the castle. The tasks will begin in the morning, the day after tomorrow, giving you all plenty of time to rest and prepare yourselves. Please do not disappoint us, candidates. The Queen's hand is not something to be taken lightly."
The room brightened to its full splendor again, as Ja'far turned and walked from the room. Max's eye followed the swish of his robes, and the young Fairy Tail mage could do nothing to stop the feeling of trepidation edging itself into his stomach again.
One day of rest...and then three unknown tasks to deal with. What could they even be?
A/N: Hello hello, everyone! First, let me start by apologising for the immense gap between updates. This is the first chapter I've had to write solo for the story, and, coupled with trying to find my motivation again, it made for a very bitter brew that honestly I can't say was too enjoyable. But regardless, I took everything step by step and wrote this chapter as best I could, even with my co-author absent. I know you all were used to very well paced updates, but right now, as it is just me, and I am working on three stories alone, I will do the best I can with what I've got, even if that slows the updating process down for each of them. To the fans of the Heart of Adventurers and the Erased Chronicles, those will receive their updates next, then I will circle back around to the Sky Maiden and write its next chapter. This was a pretty interesting chapter to write; Desierto is a country with...pretty much nothing known about it. My co-author and I are borrowing from multiple "desert cultures" (can I say that? So many people get offended by anything nowadays) from middle-eastern cultures to Egypt itself. The latter is definitely reflected in the "weighing of the hearts" test I concocted for Max to endure. All in all, this chapter definitely served the purpose we wanted it to in the end, and I hope you all enjoy the future chapters to come.