Chapter 4: God of Death

The words hit Charon like a smack to the face. "Fight to the death? What do you mean fight to the death?" His roommate gave him a perplexed look. "What else did you think? They will match us up, and only once one class dies are we allowed to progress. Causing death fuels us; it is our most potent method of advancing our talents. Do you know nothing about the God of Death?" Charon leaned forward and grabbed the sides of his head. His gaze went distant. ’I’m going to be forced to kill other people? Surely this can’t be legal. There’s magic involved, maybe it isn’t actually killing them.’ Looking at Emerius with hope in his eyes, he ignored the question he had asked and instead gave one of his own. "Do they really die? Or is there magic that revives them? It isn’t like they will let us get killed, right?" Emerius just shook his head. "There is no revival as far as I’m aware. It’s absolute death, nothing more and nothing less. It is a surprise you weren’t aware of this, but perhaps the outskirts are not as educated on the matters of the gods." Charon took a trembling breath. ’Dear gods, how is this happening to me?’ The words of warning the dark mage had given to him suddenly made more sense. ’He had told me I would suffer for it, and I was too wounded to pay attention. It looks like he was right...’ "How am I supposed to survive?" Emerius grinned. "By training. They don’t test us without teaching us, but it is our job to make sure we listen. We have a month before the first trial, and during that time, you will learn your first spell and choose your weapon. If you do that right, you’ll stand a decent chance." His words were the only thing staving off a mental breakdown. ’It’s not a good situation at all, but if I’m able to train first, then maybe I can get through it. If not, I can try and escape!’ His nerves frayed from his stressful day, Charon leaned back on the couch, hoping that Emerius could explain some more. "Is there anything else I need to know?" His new friend just chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "Plenty, but you will be able to learn most of it with time. The most important thing will be the God of Death, his favor will determine much of your life here." That caught Charon’s attention. He knew of the ten gods, but not much about them. The Mistress had always spoken about them as if they were mythical creatures, yet he knew they often involved themselves in the affairs of men. His friend, Roger, had even said he overheard an officer talking about how the Emperor of Humanity had personally talked to all the gods, earning their blessing in the war. The best example he had of their power was in the stories he read. Heroes often petitioned the gods for aid, calling upon them in their times of need, only to summon powers beyond anything thought possible. ’If one of those gods is important while I’m here, I need to do my research so I can please them.’ "What about the God of Death do I need to know?" Emerius responded quickly, his tone rising in pitch as he excitedly talked about the deity. "Everything, but for now, you just need to know the basics. Compared to the other gods, Death is extremely mysterious. He usually communicates with actions rather than words, but they aren’t any less meaningful. He rules over death, and the afterlife, making him important to the natural order." He stuck three fingers up. "Death is impressed with three things: Killing, bravery, and mastery over the arcane. He cares very little for prayer or empty words, instead valuing actions. He pushes his followers to embrace the order of death, sending souls when it is their time and learning the secrets of magic. What this means is a question priests have debated for years, but my father says it means to be confident, structured, and successful." His chin tilted up as he smiled with pride. "It is what my family is known for, never erring from our commitments and doing whatever it takes to succeed." Ignoring Emerius’ remarks about his family, Charon absentmindedly scratched his chin. ’The God of Death sounds like he will be difficult to impress. I think I can learn to be brave, but killing and magic aren’t things I know much about...’ His stomach turned as he thought about trying to be a ruthless killer, happily slaughtering his enemies. ’The heroes never killed for pleasure. If I want to be like them, to make a legacy that inspires trillions, I can’t be a murderer... can I?’ It was a difficult concept to wrap his head around. If he wanted to survive here, he had to kill to please the God of Death, yet he disliked the notion entirely. ’What am I willing to do to survive...’ Charon shook his head to clear his thoughts, realizing that it wasn’t doing him any good to get lost in them. "What happens now? Do I wait for them to get me so I can begin my classes?" Emerius tapped the holo-pad in his pocket. "You will get notified when you are summoned to gain your element. This should be pretty soon, most arrived here two weeks ago." Charon nodded along, unconsciously feeling his own pocket to make sure the holo-pad was on him. "What are elements anyway?" Emerius responded by flicking one of his hands. His fingers quickly changed from pale to an inky black. They shuddered under the room’s lightning, waving like water. Then, with another flick, they reverted to normal. "An element is the part of your god that you draw mana from. For example, mine is shadow, drawn from the God of Death’s connection to darkness. There are dozens, with more being discovered every couple of years. No one knows the extent of a god’s powers, after all." Charon’s eyes remained locked on his roommate’s fingers even after they changed back. He had seen magic during the invasion, but his mind had been focused on surviving. This, however, was plain magic, done out of convenience and with little energy. Growing more excited, Charon’s gaze flicked to Emerius’. "What other elements can I get from the God of Death?" His friend matched his energy, his smile widening as he leaned forward. "My father taught me that most elements are equally possible, with the largest variation being in the intensity. Many mages will have the element of necromancy, but very few will have a strong version of necromancy. What you can expect are shadow, pain, necromancy, spiritcraft, decay, and many others." Charon’s smile grew with every named element, the endless possibilities making him forget the fact that he would soon have to fight others to the death. ’I’ll become a mage! I’ll earn incredible powers and be able to use them for whatever I want!’ It left him feeling giddy inside. Growing up, he had always heard the stories of stronger men, doing incredible things time and time again. In many of these cases, they had wielded some vague magic, aiding them both directly and indirectly, and now it seemed that he would be expected to do the same. Enjoying the idea of being a mage, he looked at Emerius, noticing the way his roommate kept staring back. Growing slightly unnerved, he realized he knew very little about the man, despite trusting the information he was giving him. "Why are you telling me all of this, anyway?" Emerius tilted his head as if he were confused. "Why not? My father always taught me that information hidden is information wasted. You will be part of my class, meaning that the stronger you are, the easier it will be for me to pass the trials and graduate." The man’s smile vanished, and his gaze sharpened. "We will be living together, so I want to make something very clear: My priority is my family. I will do whatever it costs to live up to their standards, and that requires you to carry your weight. If you can do this, we will get along fine." The thinly veiled threat hung in the air, creating a level of tension Charon hadn’t expected. He quickly picked up on the fact that his family’s expectations weighed heavily on Emerius, and those expectations would then spread to weigh on those around him. ’So I need to do well to keep this guy happy.’ The thought annoyed him. He was already in a strange new place, and now one of the first people he met was trying to load him with more responsibilities. Saved the awkwardness of responding, his holo-pad began to vibrate. Withdrawing it, he saw that a new line of text appeared. "Go to the ritual center to earn your element." Looking at it intently, Charon saw Emerius doing the same, before standing up. "You read the holo-pad, you need to go to the ritual center. I doubt you know where it is, so come along. I’ll show you." It was more of a statement than a question. Grimacing, Charon reluctantly stood and began following his roommate.