The Rejected Family

Chapter 9

Reject the trial, Part 1

The Waterfall of Trials. The environment where the Foot of the Mountain repellers are challenged to their limits, facing off against the other participating teams. 

Earning merits with each test passed, the first team to reach one hundred can move on to the next village in the primordial landscape, rising in altitude and gaining access to an increasingly glorious life.

At this point, ten members walk together along the path that will take them to where the tests are held. Moving further and further away from the human constructions, the scenery to which they are accustomed begins to fade into the background, and a clear view of their goal comes into view.

Hungry, Muro devours countless slices of bread, carefully saved for this big day. Without pausing to catch his breath, the boy shows his most profound gratitude for the food, leaving no trace of its existence.

"Damn, you look like an animal!" Toki is surprised by his brother's voracity.

Lua scorns him, "Jesus, have some manners."

"Don't get carried away. My boy has just woken up; he needs some energy," Calos replies to his daughter.

"That's it! Eat what you need, kid. Let's kick the other participants' asses!" Saul encourages the boy.

Kikyo's voice is heard from afar; the most forward of the family calls out to her team, waiting for them at the end of the route, "Hey, you goofballs. Looks like we've arrived."

Facing the waterfall, the woman can feel the cool air of the mysterious water cascading over her skin.

"So that's what it's like up close." Lev admires the landscape.

The crystalline liquid acts as an intermediator between the everyday life of the lowest village on the mountain and the complete unknown, forming a small river along which all the trial participants gather.

Filled with anxiety, Muro eats his last loaf of bread in one bite, saying with his mouth full, "Finally."

"It looks like there are quite a few competitors today," Saul enthuses.

Over ten teams are scattered along the riverbank, facing the Mamoru family as they make their way.

"Guys, we need to clear up a few things before we get there," Kikyo organizes the group.

Lev asks her, "What do you mean?"

"To move to the next village, we must be the first team to achieve a hundred merits. If we win a trial, we earn merits. It's as simple as that."

"But be prepared to handle any situation on the scoreboard," Calos adds to his wife.

Muro doesn't understand, "What's the meaning of that?"

"Merits are accumulated over the seasons. Whenever a season ends, the merits of all the teams are reset to zero, even if no team has achieved a hundred merits. We're in the middle of spring and haven't kept track of what's happened so far."

"This means that another team may already have accumulated close to a hundred merits. Prepare your minds for the worst case," Kikyo reinforces.

Piercing eyes. As if each of the opponents present were aiming an arrow directly at Muro's neck, the boy feels suffocated before the other competitors.

Saul keeps his determination, "At the end of the day, nothing changes. We have to overcome everything."

Heavy breathing prevents Muro from communicating, and the boy's face remains fixed on the ground.

Bringing him back to reality, his whole family answers his uncle, "Right!"

The entrance to the waterfall, where the trial organizer works. Muro's team arrives at the registration desk, ready to make their journey official.

"Boy, you're a big group. Ten participants, huh? What's your team’s name?" The organizer asks Kikyo.

"Mamoru Family."

The imposing man writes on the flyleaf of a thick-covered book; the object looks like it has been used for years.

"Are there any members of the team who aren't here right now?"

"No, it's just us."

The organizer points to a section of the long page, indicating a field to be filled in.

"I need you to list everyone's name here."

While his mother takes care of the bureaucratic step, Muro is still upset by the stares.

"Wow, all those people are repellers, aren't they!" Toki can't fix her attention on a single participant, dazzled by everyone around her.

All these people must have something they reject with all their will. There must be strong people here. Not just in this place, but in all the other villages, we will face many tough people. The boy fears the future.

An agitated but gentle touch. The girl's tiny hand grasps her brother's.

"If there's someone stronger than that guy in the forest, we'll be able to win, right?"

Muro remembers his fight with Jony; the scar on his knee relives the despair he and Toki went through during the fight.

Facing someone like that again, One, Toki, Lev, anyone will be exposed to unimaginable risks. It doesn't matter if I'm ready; I can't fall behind! He says in his mind.

The trial organizer closes his book, finishing his task. 

"Right, all you have to do now is wait."

"How soon can we start?" Lev asks the man.

"At the moment, this is indefinite."

"Indefinite? Don't you even have an estimate?"

"We can only start the trial with the presence of a developer."

"A developer?" Toki doesn't understand the term.

His mother explains, "It's the name given to a council member that manages the trials, made up of people from the Summit."

"He should have arrived by now, so we don't have a prediction. Just wait as long as you have to," orders the organizer.

Back on the banks of the river, the Mamoru family moves to a place where they can wait more calmly. Away from most of the teams, they sit down on the green grass of the local ground.

"Seriously, no estimate? Are they fooling us?" Lua rages.

Honda tries to calm the young woman down, "That's the way it is; there's no point in arguing with him. Even a developer was called in; we have no power to question."

"Damn, I was so determined!" Muro feels cheated.

"Stop complaining and wait quietly. We'll be inside the mountain soon," Calos' words ushered in the most disquieting silence ever witnessed.

Expecting to be called at any moment, the sun sets. Every cloud in the sky seems motionless; the wind seems to be blowing hundreds of times slower.

Few dare to close their eyelids. The most critical moment in many participants' lives could begin in the blink of an eye.

Complete focus prevented Muro and his family from opening their mouths; everyone needed to be in their best mental state during the big event. A nap could mean disqualification; no one was sure they would be called at the right time.

Two days passed.

After resisting as long as possible, Lua's thoughts finally return to her mind.

"After all this time, I'm going to need twenty-three baths when we get back home," her voice interrupts the absolute concentration of the others.

Devastated, the Mamoru team is completely shaken, without water or food. With bodies so weak that they can barely sit up, everyone in the family is lying on the ground.

One succumbs to boredom, "I can feel my body disintegrating."

"Mom, can't we come back later?" Toki tries one last time.

"The trial can start at any second. We need to be here exactly when it happens. We can't risk missing that moment."

"She's right; we have to endure it," Muro agrees.

"Hey, Kikyo. If we get to the trial like this, won't we lose like slobs?" Calos considers the worst-case scenario.

"There will be other teams in this state, but it's possible."

"What if it's an endurance test?" asks One.

"Nothing changes; all we have to do is stay here."

Calos despises his current state, "But damn, we need at least some source of energy."

Muro's father looks around, paying attention to the other teams scattered along the river. 

A man smiles cheerfully with his companions, curiously resting on wooden chairs. They chat as if they were in a bar. His hair has fallen out with his growing experience, as he carries fifty years on his back.

In direct contrast to the deplorable state of the other teams, everyone around the competitor is in high spirits, showing no signs of fatigue.

"One of the teams is living a dream," Calos tells his family.

The image is reminiscent of a high-level banquet, the atmosphere of a social party. Countless foods are piled up next to the friends chatting, varying in type as if they filled all the levels of the food pyramid. 

Over ten clay cups filled with water accompany the appetizers and the meal.

Calos makes a tendentious comment, "Full of provisions... do you think we've reached desperation level yet?"

"We're not going to steal them. We don't do that sort of thing," struggling to move his parched lips, Muro objects to his father.

"This is an extreme situation, kid."

"We won't do it. That's their food."

"Don't you think it's strange that they're in perfect condition? Surely, that's the skill of a repeller. They can have unlimited resources; they won't miss them."

"It doesn't matter."

The silence worsens the family's condition as they lose track of time again. The simple conversation — which would typically last minutes — ends with another sunset.

After hours, Calos' last words finally reach Lua, who uses her last drop of saliva to communicate her doubt.

"We're repellers, too; shouldn't we solve this the easy way? Lev could run and get supplies in a matter of seconds."

" Lua?" Toki is about to faint.

Kikyo disagrees with her daughter, "We don't have those supplies. The tent won't be open for a while; we're out of money."

"So, can't we just take what we bought for this week?"

"If we spend these resources and miss the trial, we won't have the money to replace them later."

As the last glimmer of hope fades, Toki's eyes begin to close. In a moment that seemed premeditated, a friend's voice is heard, along with the squeaking of a wheelbarrow's wheels.

"My goodness, are you still here?" Fern appears with a smile on his face.

The cheerful gentleman approaches with a load of food. Fruit, bread, and other easily transportable carbohydrates are piled on the cart.

Fern continues his speech, "This is the fourth time I've seen you this week. Every time I come home, I see you from afar, in the exact same position."

"Hahaha, good timing, Fern! We can be called at any time," Saul laughs, breathless.

"Honestly, did you intend to participate in the biggest event of your lives under those conditions? I'm glad I took the initiative."

Fern stops the wheelbarrow next to the family, putting all the contents within reach of the others.

"Let's see it."

"Am I dreaming?" Toki surrenders to her newest moment of happiness.

The girl holds a slice of bread and tastes the most delicious food she has ever eaten. 

The lightness of the family atmosphere is restored. As if in a competition, Muro puts five apples in his mouth at once. 

"Hey, leave it for me!" Lua demands her share.

Everyone tastes the food, and the speed of their actions makes it difficult to take a single breath. Communication takes place at the same time as chewing, with no breaks between movements.

Kelly celebrates, taking on Muro's appearance, "I look much better now!"

"But this is Muro's body." Kikyo reinforces the obvious.

"Haha, my strength has returned! Unfortunately, those suckers' chances are over, hahaha!" Saul gets excited again.

Lev eats at an inhuman speed, consuming twelve meals in a second, "I have to finish soon! The trial can start at any moment!"

"At least now I have something to do," One relieves some of his boredom.

"My goodness, I thought I was going to die," Honda cries with joy.

While eating frantically, Muro notices something strange in his field of vision, "huh?"

The boy spots a floating apple standing in the air next to the team of people sitting on wooden chairs. The food's behavior becomes even stranger, moving away from the group.

"Hey! Thief! You're being robbed!" Muro spits out what is in his mouth and alerts the other team.

Among the people who seemed to be at a party full of provisions — previously observed by Calos — the older guy hears Muro's message. The name of the person, who appears to be in his fifties, is Seiji.

"Wow!" The guy is surprised to see the fruit in the air.

Leaping into action, Muro runs towards the apple, throwing himself over the target, "This isn't your food!"

Unexpectedly, he bumps into something he can't see. The food is held by someone who is hiding from the human eye.

"Argh!" A voice reacts to being hit by Muro.

The boy keeps his opponent's body pressed down without letting the person escape.

"So you're invisible, huh? Was that your trick?"

"Look at that. It seems that some bastard has gone mad," another voice approaches the boy.

Visibly irritated, a man with spiky hair and a height that sets him apart from any other competitor, Xilo confronts Muro, "You're not from this team, are you?"