The Rejected Family

Chapter 6

Reject the trial, Part 2

After the boy bumps into someone he can't see, a new competitor appears: Xilo confronts Muro.

"Look at that... looks like some bastard's gone mad. You're not on that team, are you?"

"No. But you were stealing from them. That's dirty!"

"And what has that got to do with you, you little shit?"

Unable to move, Muro is suddenly thrown to the ground. Nobody touches the boy; a supernatural force causes the damage. 

"W-what? I can't get up."

Xilo scolds the boy, "Worms like you should stay down."

"Muro!" Saul and his family arrive to help.

"Hey, enough of this. Stop it, you two. Do you want some water, too?" Exuding absolute calm, Seiji offers Xilo a glass of water.

"Huh?"

"You can take what you want, no problem—you too, little man. Your whole family can make themselves at home," the old man says to Muro.

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm lying?"

Lua is suspicious of the stranger, "Did you put poison in the food, old man?"

"Lua!" Kikyo is embarrassed by her daughter's rudeness.

"No, no, it's just food and water. We happen to have too many resources."

"Well then, take all you can get, Tuca," Xilo says to the invisible man.

The pressure on Muro's body disappears. Xilo and Tuca grab all the resources they can carry, walking away from the others with their hands full of food.

Seiji invites the Mamoru family, "Come on, you don't have to be shy. We just got lucky in this situation and are happy to help. Nice to meet you, I'm Seiji."

The Mamoru family approaches the man. The host's team is set up in a kind of camp, with food, water, and fire around them, surrounded by wooden chairs. 

"Looks like the heavens have smiled on you today, guys! Have a great trial. I'm rooting for you all!" Fern says goodbye to his friends.

"You saved our lives, Fern. Thanks for everything," Kikyo thanks him.

"No drama, Kikyo. I want to see you resting peacefully at the top of the mountain!"

As Fern leaves, the family enters Seiji's team's camp. As they advance, they see four beds on the site.

Lua is impressed by what she sees, "They're pretty organized. Can I live with them?"

"Beds?" Calos asks the others, inevitably surprised.

"You look like you live here," Toki adds.

"Well, our skills go hand in hand with that. As you can see, I reject hunger."

Besides Seiji, there are three other people in the place. A severe man —covered in a gentle scarf — controls the drinks. As if using magic, Dende materializes water and fills dozens of glasses with his hands.

Sitting on the chairs, a woman and a young man enjoy themselves in front of the fire.

Seiji explains the powers, "Dende rejects thirst, Dinda sleep, and Dundo abandonment."

"So the beds were made," Lev begins understanding the situation.

"Why are you telling us this?" Saul doesn't understand the trust placed in him.

"So you can relax. If you were suspicious of us, it wouldn't let you rest. You need to be at your best if you want to overcome the trial."

"I still don't understand; why are you helping us?" Muro asks Seiji, standing up.

"I've already told you. We were lucky. We'll use it to help whoever we can. As you can see, we don't have any combat strength, so we won't be able to help you if the trial requires this skill."

"Thanks, you've already done a lot," Honda accepts the help.

Dundo makes a bed for each member of the Mamoru family. 

Saul murmurs to Kikyo, "If anything happens, just leave it—"

"Relax, I won't be able to sleep. You can rest, big guy."

"You never change."

"How do you think I will relax in an environment like this? It was all very sudden."

Everyone lies down on a bed, where some manage to get a good night's sleep. Toki has the most enchanting dreams, while Calos faces a nightmare. 

Going against any rest, Kikyo has huge dark circles under her eyes. At dawn, she notices Muro and Lev moving away from the camp.

Away from the rest, the boys urinate in peace. 

"It's sad, isn't it?" Lev asks his cousin.

"Sad?"

"This family. If the trial requires any combat or mobility, they don't even have a chance of winning."

"They seemed happy with their skills. They've been lucky so far.”

"These guys aren't lucky, Muro. They may never get out of here."

A flash, awakening the deepest sleep. Lightning strikes the Waterfall of the Trial.

Lev understands the call, "finally."

As the sun rises, all the teams head towards the stricken area. Once again, amid his opponents, Muro looks intently at his adversaries. 

Teams made up of smiles, doubts, and frustrations, each of the other participants is observed by the reflective boy's curious eyes.

"A developer," as Saul crosses the waterfall, he witnesses true grandeur.

A nobleman in metal armor, Yuki holds a huge scythe.

As soon as they see the developer, Xilo and his team kneel before him. The same goes for the other competitors.

All the members of the Mamoru family kneel except Muro and his two brothers. Saul places his hands on the heads of the two children and makes them bow.

"Are you the one who will oversee the trial?" Muro asks, still standing.

"Muro!" Kikyo frowns.

The mother uses her strength to make her son kneel.

Yuki informs them, "We'll start the trial with all the teams present. As most of you already know, there were no other trials during the spring. So, I'll be very direct." 

"Weren't there?" Muro mutters.

"The developers' council believes that only the truly deserving should inhabit the Summit. As we are in the first village, the most effective way to filter out the unworthy is quite simple..."

Faced with their most immediate goal, the participants listen to the nobleman's final words.

"When everyone falls, and there is only one competitor left standing, the team he is on wins a hundred merits, advancing to the next village."

What! The hundred merits! The Mamoru family has only one reaction.

The last team standing wins? And there only needs to be one member left! Kikyo is content with the surprising situation.

We're the biggest team here; we've got a great chance! We—

Like a shock that paralyzes his entire body, a flash of memory comes into his mind. Seiji's image takes over the boy's mind, and he realizes something and pauses his train of thought.

Looking at the man who had just welcomed him with a smile, Muro reflects, as he sees Seiji kneeling, we got lucky. 

It's a test entirely based on combat. What's more, it's worth all the spring points; the boy recoils, depressed.

Lev's words invade his cousin's memories; they may never get out of here.

Looking around again, he notices the different teams occupying the site. The boy remembers his conversation with Fern near his family's tent.

"Me? Oh, no. That mountain wasn't made for me," his friend had said.

In the present, his thoughts continue: all the families who weren't blessed with rejections specifically for combat may be forever stuck here. That's different for us. That's why we can dream of reaching the Summit.

Remembering his fight with Jony when he became a repeller, Muro asks himself: what would have happened if I hadn't become a repeller that day? If my rejection had been any other, it would have been different. Would I still be here? Could the guy in the hood have been in my place?

The trials... don't make sense, Muro concludes through gritted teeth. 

Seiji's words fill his mind, "I already told you. We were lucky. Let's use it to help whoever we can." 

Muro stands up, outraged. All eyes of any living being present now turn to the young man.

"Tsk."

Toki does not react, "Mu... ro...?"

"So that's how it's going to be. In that case, I must go through your stupid little game. We're lucky enough to be a family that can compete, so I will make the most of this opportunity," Muro glares at Yuki.

Faced with a single idiot standing there, complete shock is the most accurate feeling that can be felt throughout the entire group of contestants.

Lua cracks a slight smile on her face, muttering, "Go for it, asshole."

"Whoever reaches the Summit becomes a Summit dweller, right? When I'm one of those suckers, I'm going to destroy this council of developers," Muro continues.

"Do you think they'll allow that?" The organizer of the trials imposes himself.

"Shut up, let the kid get on with it," the developer intervenes.

"If you stop me, you'll be admitting all the flaws of your shitty little system." 

The organizer tries to hold back, "you—"

"Let him try. Rules are rules. Despite his attitude, the kid will continue to abide by our principles. Let's see how far he gets," Yuki calls the dispute.

Muro turns to Seiji and nods at him.

"Well, I'll be going, Seiji. Don't worry if you can't get to the next village now."

"Dude...?"

"When I'm at the Summit, I'll end this game and wait for you!"

"Hahaha! Well done, kid!" Saul instigates his nephew.

Kikyo doesn't like the way things are going, hey, hey, hey...

"Actually, I'll wait for everyone else from the Foot of the Mountain. No... all the others, from all the villages!"

Yuki stares at Muro, his face completely serious, "You're forgetting something important, young delinquent."

Muro feels tremendous pressure on his back, the heat from the other bodies reinforcing the boy's sweat drops.

"This is the lowest city on the mountain; many want to reach the top."

Eyes hungry for action, a focus that consumes every last molecule of air in the place. Muro's speech motivates everyone around him.

The developer, Yuki, gives the signal, "Let the trial begin!"