Way of the Knights

Chapter 832: Grand Youth Meet Second Phase: Start

—

Ever since Raven announced the contents for the Second Phase, the participants felt uneasy. 

Three days was long enough for them to find a spot where they could fall into a slumber but it's not enough to calm their nerves. 

Even after knowing what they're getting into, they can't help but feel doubtful about what they know, especially considering what they experienced during the first phase..

Those who managed to get to the Second Phase realized what Raven did. They discovered the secret behind his wordplay, meaning their not dumb. And if Raven could pull off something like that, he could do it all over again and make it work even though they were paying attention. 

So, nobody could really blame the kids for over-thinking at this point. They just want to prepare themselves for the worst. After all, the competition is fierce. They'd take any advantage they can get, especially if it means that they could receive offers from peak experts all over Divine Realm. 

Time continued to pass and the closer they were to the deadline, the more nervous they got. Still, no amount of preparations could prepare them for what's to come. 

There wasn't even an announcement when the Second Phase began. The moment that the three day deadline was up, it just happened. 

A strong pulse emerged out of nowhere, sweeping through the fake Dawn Council Headquarters, knocking everybody out. 

There were no warnings, no clues, no nothing. They were knocked out unconscious and sent straight into a long, long dream. 

…a dream sequence that will surely leave a mark on their lives. 

"…it started." Raven murmured as he saw the remaining participants lose consciousness. He felt several gazes landing on him which caused him to sigh. 

"Have faith in them." Luna took Raven's hand and squeezed onto them tightly. She gave him a reassuring smile and said: "The kids are strong, this won't break them completely."

"This needs to happen you know." Mark added, "It might sound cruel but they need to suffer. You did the right thing. They'll thank you for this later on." 

"Don't fret. Keep you chin-up and take responsibility." Paul stated, "This is what you always tell us right? You've been doing a good job. Listen to us and believe in your decisions. This won't break them." 

Raven looked at his friends and smiled. He was thankful that they're here, ready to support him for his actions. He could also feel the gazes of the guests, they were filled with silent encouragement and support. None of them blamed him for what he has done and fully understood why he did it. 

What exactly did Raven do for the Second Phase? 

Well, just like the name implied: 'Test of Spirit', that's what. 

Raven modified the seal to have a trigger that will send all humans within it to fall unconscious and spend time trapped within a long dream. 

In the said dream, their Spirits will be tested. 

At first, they will wake-up in a false reality, fully aware of what transpired before they got there and aware that they're inside a forged-reality. 

They will experience death in many ways in there. And with every death, parts of their memories will be gone upon their resurrection. 

This means that they will die again…

And again…

Until they could no longer remember anything about themselves. 

Every death they experience will leave them damaged. Raven can't control how much they get broken since the amount of times they die depends on their circumstances. 

Raven called the Test of Spirit since he knows that experiencing death again and again would unmistakably burden their mentalities. He would know since he himself experienced it before. The kids can't rely only anything aside themselves for this test. Their Will and Spirit will be put to the test again and again within this space. 

The reason why Raven felt hesitant about this is because he can't control the outcome. 

Compared to the first phase, Raven didn't use any wordplay here. The Second Phase is straight forward. If the kids want to reach the final phase, they have to conquer the dream sequence by either finishing it or breaking out of it and waking themselves up. 

Finishing the dream sequence was simple. They just have to persist until the end and they'll do it. The dream sequence is long and programmed to whittle their spirits down. If it doesn't manage to break them, then they'd succeed. 

Forcing themselves to wake-up is a different matter entirely. For this, they have to keep their sanity in check. They need firm or unbending will to not only persist but also stand-up against the cruel dream their facing. 

Fighting using their Will is mentally exhausting but it's the best way to break out of the dream. 

The dream sequence is formed to quench their Spirits and forge their Will. This is the best benefit the participants will get out of the Second Phase, not the offers from the Empyreans. 

But since Raven can't control the outcome, there is a possibility that the Dream Sequence might break the participants completely. This is what Raven is afraid of. 

Raven planned out this even to help raise the quality and quantity of the Divine Realm experts, not lessen them. 

He didn't want to break the spirits of participants at all, but he also understood that if they didn't suffer, they won't be able to go far. This is why he felt conflicted about this matter. 

Raven still ended-up doing it anyway. He trusted himself, knowing that this is for the best. And it is. He's not alone in this thought, others think so too. In fact, almost everyone agrees with him in this. 

Still, he just can't stop feeling guilty. 

That being said, what's done is done. It started now and it won't end until the first 50 participants succeeded. The only thing left to do is wait. 

—

To the audience, what the participants goes through within the dream sequence was visible. 

Not everyone has the same start. Some people started the dream sequence differently from the rest. 

The scenario inside the dreams were vivid. Even the participants, who are still aware that they are dreaming, couldn't help but doubt themselves whether that's the case or not. 

It was working a little to well that some of them were already losing grip in  their realities without even dying once yet. 

Each scenario was to vivid for them to not get absorbed in it. Different tactics were employed by the participants to pull ahead. 

Some chose to play the role of an observer. Some just tried to enjoy it. Others tried to go against the flow and rebel. Some doesn't have and idea of what to do and just rolled along, 

Once again, no amount of preparations could ready them for what's to come so they might as well do as they please and figure things out as they go. 

Not even a week later since the start of the second phase, the remaining participants already died at least once. 

Some were distraught by what happened and confused when they woke-up to another reality. Their confusion fazed and bothered them a lot, especially since they have this feeling that they lost something and they just can't put a finger on it. 

They moved-on and some decided to change their tactics but then again, it won't work since they'll eventually die again. 

Their deaths are different from one another but they had no way of knowing that. All they could do is to try their best and move-on. 

The audience were immersed as they watched them. Some people from the Divine Realm already discovered the peculiarities of the Second Phase while some remained clueless. They watched eagerly to learn though. 

The participants experienced different lives in every resurrection. Time and time again, they'll try to do something but eventually, they'll find themselves dying in one way or another. 

It was a disturbing idea to those who were watching. Some felt uncomfortable even but they continued to pay attention. 

After a couple more deaths, more and more of the audience were starting to understand what the Second Phase is like. 

There were some participants who already died more than ten times already and forgotten a large part of their true identity, yet they still kept going. 

The focus of the crowd shifted to those who were doing really well. Unexpectedly, the top ten of the first phase weren't doing so well in this round…at least not all of them. 

The Test of Spirit already began and more people were starting to understand what Raven was thinking when he decided this. 

Of course, not everybody agrees with his thought process but they could understand where he's coming from. That's the important part at least. 

More time passed and a good amount of the participants were already losing their grip on themselves. They're starting to believe that the dream was real, which starts the spiral downwards. Nobody could help them at this point besides themselves. 

Through this all, Raven watched. He no longer felt conflicted, just hopeful. 

'Come on, kids.. Show us what you're made of.'