Entering the Dark Space, Dame had a shiver running up his spine. He knew what was going on and had guessed what the students had resorted to.
For them to be doing this naturally, it must have been what they had done in the other assessment rooms to keep going the way they had been doing.
He didn't want to stay in the room any longer and had decided to turn around and head back down the hallway.
'I don't understand what the academy is trying to do. I know the Dark Faction is relentless and will do anything at the expense of victory, but what will become of these students after they leave this place?' Dame thought.
'They're sanity, their respect for life, all of it will be gone. Do the clans have some method to return them back to the way they were before?'
'Or do the clans not care? They just want a bunch of loyal, strong, hardened killers.'
There was a thought deep in the back of his mind. Although they said they were doing all of this for the sake of the Martial Arts Tournament, that was short-sighted thinking.
Even if they managed to win with the five students that had made it out of this assessment, or more than that after this.
This preparation, this desperation, it almost felt like they were preparing for a war instead. Where they needed to be at the strongest possible in the shortest amount of time.
Even if they managed to win with the five students that had made it out of this assessment, or more than that after this.
This preparation, this desperation, it almost felt like they were preparing for a war instead. Where they needed to be at the strongest possible in the shortest amount of time.
It was the only way he could rationalize what they were doing right now.
Eventually, Dame had returned, and seeing him return in one piece, they felt like it was good news, that was until they could see the look on his face.
"Most likely, the students will group up and attack us again," Dame informed them all in a loud voice. "And they will have more energy than the last time they attacked. I don't know how long until they are back."
"Maybe they will wait a few days until we're all weaker, but just know that if we just wait around, the problem isn't going to go away."
After saying those words, Dame decided to go over to his group, Liam, Simyon, and Safa.
"What are we going to do now then?" Liam asked.
"We need to keep training," Dame replied. "It's the only way we're all going to get through this. You guys are getting better at working together; you're getting used to the techniques that you have learned."
"But Simyon, your body is close to breaking through to the next stage, but to do that, your dantian needs to break through to the next stage as well.
"That's the same for all of you; we need to break through so all of you are at least at the fourth stage like them; your life depends on it."
The others understood after the dread they had just gone through. They could each feel their bodies getting slightly stronger, but it wasn't quite there.
"Follow me; we'll be safe in the seclusion rooms. For now, we need to use the gift that Raze left us."
With that, the rest of the Red Headband students just watched as the group walked down the hallway to the seclusion rooms.
The rest of them thinking that they must be mad to do such a thing.
"Hey, what about Raze?" Joe, one of the trio of Red Headband students asked. "Isn't he in the Dark Space as well? If all of those guys went there, does that mean he's dead?"
"I doubt it," Tinson said. "But it does make me wonder, where is he in all of this? I mean, he wasn't even protecting his friends. Maybe he's just stuck in the seclusion room. Maybe those attackers know not to mess with him either."
After a short while with Dame and the others leaving, one person started to move forward towards the room, and it was none other than Ricktor.
He took a few steps before he had been grabbed by the arm by another fellow main disciple.
"What are you doing?" Mada asked. "Are you planning to team up and help the others again? Where's the respect for yourself gone?"
"Respect?" Ricktor replied. "If we don't do something or team up, then we will all die."
"And that just means the Clans' trials were too tough for us, but we will die with honor." Mada replied. "Remember, the honor of the Clans we are with and the honor you have. You can't just throw that away, and in such a desperate way work with the others."
"We have to rise with our own strength. Remember, although we might die, the clan will continue to live, and the Clan's honor is number one. Dying for the sake of the clan and allowing it to rise is an honor."
Ricktor couldn't help but laugh. "You really think like that? Do you think the ones that survive thank the Clans for living every day? Are we alive now because of the Clans or because of what we have done?
"Right now, our life is on the line because of the Clans, so again the situation has to come down to us. If we're dead, what good is honor? It will disrespect our clan and family."
"What about the respect for ourselves? Let me ask you something when you saw Raze that day, the one from a no-name family, the one that is from no clan. When he beat us."
"The eyes of all the other students that day, did it look like they had no respect for him, even though he was part of no clan? I think it's time we start thinking for ourselves." Ricktor stated as he continued to walk off.
Mada's grip loosened, as he was left with Ricktor's words. He couldn't grasp it. The Clans were everything. They were what made up the faction, what protected the people, and the rules and hierarchy were what allowed the Clans to be in the position they wanted to be.
One would rather die a member of their main clan than die being a nobody or being known as a traitor, but why… Why did the whole situation feel so wrong to him?
Ricktor continued to walk down the hallway. Mada was right about one thing; he was looking for a certain group of people down here.
He turned his head looking into each of the seclusion rooms and noticed something.
'So the dead bodies were taken away, now I understand what is happening. Our deaths give us so much honor, to the point where our bodies aren't even buried but fed to the ones that killed us! Ha, it makes me laugh how stupid I was to follow such things myself.'
In the whole underground facility, Ricktor knew there was one that was clearly stronger than him, and it was Dame.
With the two of them, maybe he could use him to break through to the next stage and reach the peak of the initial stage.
He carried on walking until he heard a sound. He turned his head and could see all of the others in one room sweating, huffing, and panting.
"Hello," Ricktor said with a smile, before he knew it, from the doorway, a large stone leg came out swinging right toward his face.
He lifted his hands, and his body was sent crashing against the hallway walls. It was a strong hit.
"What was that!" Ricktor asked, and now standing in the hallway itself, Ricktor could see it, a large stone warrior statue, but it was moving as if it was alive.
