Beware where you fall

That knight and that system had the worst sense of humor, I swore to all gods.

We were free-falling. No jokes, no metaphors. Just falling from the sky like unwanted spoils.

A strong wind current rushed from below, slowing down our fall to a considerable degree. However, even with the wind’s sheer force working in our favor, depending on how or where a person landed, they could get hurt.

By hurt, I meant broken bones, cripple, and possible comas.

Although the world below seemed small at that point, I was beginning to spot rocks, alongside small holes and deformations. Thankfully we were transported in the same positions that we were before, the twins falling by arm’s reach.

Yet by the speed we were falling, I estimated we would reach the ground quite soon.

Too soon.

Screams and curses echoed with the wind, some people wiggling desperately as their fall while others were like block of stones descending into the ground. The twins were one of the rocks.

With the air’s aid, we wouldn’t die. Yet it would still hurt—a lot. And if we ended up landing wrong…

I kept trying to look at our surroundings, calculating where we were more likely to fall, and as we approached the ground…it was not good.

Not good at all.

Right below the twins I spotted one large, sharp rock daring people to fall on it. Even if I was only seeing it from above, it almost felt like the rock eagerly waiting to stab and pierce the falling pieces of meat.

There was no way to tell its real size, and I was not keen to wait to find out. Not when one of the twins would likely fall straight into it. Real problem was, though the wind current prevented an instant death on our fall, it restricted our movements far too much.

Apparently, Hil and Hal noticed the sharp rock as well, and I did not need to ask if they had a power that could help us; their eyes said enough.

I could only thank the system we were transported together—no matter how petty and small this favor was.

As we approached, I saw its shape better. The rock was not very large or wide; it was just astonishingly sharp. I pulled Hal by his shirt, moving him to the right as I pushed Hil to my left—each movement arduous and heavy—positioning myself between them.

Right below the pointy rock.

I heard their screams at the same time the rock’s tip hit my breastplate, a muffled sound echoing from the armor as I bounced and fell flat on the ground, letting go of the kids.

It took me a good few seconds to clear my head; even more for my ears to stop ringing.

"Are you guys all right?" I glanced at Hal and Hil looking for bruises and cuts. They seemed fine, only a bit of dirt covering their faces and clothes.

Yet that place—it looked like a desert. From the south I could see a woods’ entrance, a single large path surging from it in a straight line.

On the north, there was an enormous castle that stretched for miles up above. Its flags were made of living flames, the windows red and orange while the tiles and rocks carried more warm colors, imposing not only strength but fierceness. A wild aura surrounded the structure, making it feel like an untamable force.

As I glanced back toward the twins, Hil’s tears still wet her face while Hal stared at the rock with haunted eyes. It took a couple of seconds for Hil to rush to my side, wrapping her arms around my waist.

“You saved us again, mister…!”

“Hey, I promised, remember? As long as you stay close, I will protect you guys.”

I was about to ask Hal if he was truly well, when all around us people started “landing”. Many of them did well, grunting as they got up with only some bruises and scratches.

Yet many didn’t.

I’m not sure which sounds were louder—which were more graphic; the bones being broken, or when people fell right into the rocks.

The piercing and stabbing, the sound of blood gushing out as people gurgled and choked. The screams. Suddenly all those sounds got louder, a symphony composed of terror and death.

It was different from the Jolly Train, different from when I was in my cubicle answering ethic questions. Depending on where the person fell, I felt the ground vibrating and shaking with their impact. I saw their blood and the life leaving their eyes.

Hal met my gaze; his face paler, his eyes darker. He walked toward us, his voice louder than usual, his eyes locked on mine.

“Hil, I told you to not get too comfortable with that guy. We know nothing about him.”

“Don’t be so mean—”

“We are wasting time. Hey, you said you are going to protect us, so take us to the meeting point.”

It took me a few seconds to understand what Hal wanted. People were still falling, their deaths echoing through the vast area.

And every time a sound echoed, Hil flinched.

When she turned to face her brother, Hal got in front of her. He was staring at me in anticipation, his reddish eyes desperate for my reply.

I looked around, finally spotting an arc between some rock towers. Most participants were rushing there, some numbers lit up on top of the arc.

[267/3657]

As I looked around, it appeared a great number of participants hadn’t landed well.

And Hal didn’t want his sister to see it.

“Here I thought I would never be bossed by a kid. Let’s go before all spots get taken.” I took Hil in my arms, putting my hand on her head to make sure her gaze would only meet the ground, her arms wrapped around my neck.

As we walked, me and Hal continued to talk on top of each other, trying to muffle the other sounds. Hil never said anything, much less questioned what we were doing.

I could tell she knew.

By the way her hands grabbed my shirt to the trembling of her body every time someone screamed and cursed, I knew she was aware of what we were doing.

When we finally crossed the arc, a new message popped up.

[You reached the Court of Wands’ Tower!]

The Court of Wands, huh…? My sword had belonged to the Court of Swords—they were likely the ones that gifted it to me—so this meant there were more of them.

More Courts, more territories. If I was right and the Courts were one of the responsible parties overseeing the Trials, did that mean different Courts oversaw different Trials?

Was there even a difference between them?

“Look, Hil! We arrived safe and sound. Am I great at keeping promises or what?”

As I put her on the ground, Hal immediately reached for her hand, squeezing it briefly before fixating his gaze on mine.

“Congratulations on doing the bare minimum. You want a pat on the head or something?”

Even by his harsh words, I could see the gratitude glowing in his eyes, though his smile matched more his words than his gaze.

Still, it was enough to take the pain away from my muscles—warm my heart a little bit.

“You can thank me by fulfilling our agreement,” I said while scuffing their hair, receiving one joyful laugher from Hil and one frown from Hal.

Such adorable little angels.

“We can start now, mister,” Hil whispered, a sly smile appearing on her lips.

At first, I was apprehensive. Chances were, the group the twins knew was here as well and that man could certainly cause trouble for us.

However, most of the people within the tower seemed to be quite exhausted, a lot of them hurt to some degree. The ones who seemed better off were either accompanied by a small group or isolating themselves.

Hal scoffed. “What? Are you backing out now? I thought you were smarter than this.”

Learning more about the participants, and what they knew as well…was not a bad idea at all, at the moment. Perhaps we could even make some allies for this first trial.

Well, the twins seemed quite reliable on their own and they were also putting their trust in me. I should do the same.

I was about to open my mouth when Hildr’s eyes bulged, her eyebrows shooting up. Her mouth hung open, genuine excitement flooding her eyes as she pointed behind me and exclaimed.

“Coat!”

I frowned as Hal followed her gaze, slapping his hand on his face with a sigh. I turned around in time to see a man and if Hil calling him out and pointing at him hadn’t attracted his attention, me staring that intensely certainly did.

The man was taller and slender than me, with two medium bags stuck to his waist. I didn’t have to guess what was inside those bags.

Also, I would have to agree with Hil on that one.

His coat was cool.