Is it their ability to maintain a facade?
Or is it the lack of sympathy in their actions?
Maybe it's the atrocities they commit behind closed doors.
That’s what I used to believe, until I came to a consensus—everyone in this world at some point, will fall victim to portraying these traits, whether it's intentional or simply an effect of the choke this world has them in—so what is it—that makes a “true” monster?
I believe it's the monster that does evil, just like everyone else, but this monster—it refuses to acknowledge what it truly is.
It lies, just like everyone else, but unlike the occasional lie people mouth to others, this monster mouths those lies—to itself.
In my eyes, that’s what makes a human—a monster.
“Please take your seats, we’ll begin orientation shortly.”
Announced the invigilator standing at the forefront of the hall.
The visor of his black cap tucked his eyes out of sight.
His black cloak concealed the sheathed blade stuck to his hip.
The hall was vast.
Candidates occupied the rows of seats, descending row after row.
Leith chose a seat at the very back of the hall, sheltered from potentially grabbing any unwanted attention.
He studied the room quietly, his expression hollow, yet observant.
“Get on with it already!”
“I don’t have all day, you bastards!”
Leith's gaze shifted to the very front of the room at the bottom row of seats.
The candidate impulsively yelled out in a frenzy brought about by his boiling impatience.
“Hey calm down Kiren, you don’t wanna get us kicked out already, do you?”
Muttered the candidate next to him in a panic.
Kiren scoffed as he sat back down, crossing his arms.
Leith noted the short fuse on Kiren—his intention in doing so remained unclear.
“If you’re done, then yes, we can now begin.”
The examiner said, his voice nonchalant, but visibly annoyed.
“You are all here to undertake the recruitment assessment to become ASPs, as I'm sure you all already know.”
He sighed.
“In this assessment, we’ll provide you with all the essential information you need as an ASP, along with a plethora of examinations you will undergo to simulate the experience of fighting as an ASP.”
The air was tense with anticipation.
Some looked worried, others looked determined.
But above all, they looked to be fueled by a certain purpose.
“Of course, not all of you will be considered to walk away from this assessment—wearing the title of ASP.”
He said with a harsher tone of voice, the look in his eye sharpened as he spoke again.
“That’s right, only the candidates that managed to score in the top fifteen rankings, will pass this assessment—as for the rest of you, well, I'm sure it’s quite obvious.”
“If you have any questions or concerns, now is the time to voice them.”
The room remained silent.
The air felt thicker, and thicker the longer the silence lingered.
“That’s quite the large range for acceptance, Mr. Examiner.”
Voiced a candidate from the back of the hall, tearing through the silence.
“I mean, considering there’s only about twenty of us here, wouldn’t you say that number is a teeny bit too generous?”
He said with a smirk, his legs resting on the top of the chair in front of him.
“Simple—the more, the merrier.”
“Don’t be like that, Mr. Examiner.”
“I’m sure the rest of my fellow candidates aren’t satisfied with that vague of an answer,”
The examiner remained silent.
He opened his mouth, seemingly to dismiss the question.
“Ah, let me guess.”
“Your division has become exhausted of its number of soldiers, perhaps.”
“So to compensate, you now accept practically anybody to act as GAPPs little meat-shiel-”
“If that’s all, Drelan, then allow us to begin the assessment.”
The examiner interrupted, his expression one of evident irritation.
A group of assistants marched through the back of the hall, walking up its steps—strange equipment on their person.
“To start, we’ll be measuring your passive atheris output, so we can get a little idea of what we’re working with.”
“Please put this on, sir.”
Said the assistant, handing Leith a black cuff—attached to it, a gauge, adjacent to a number of tubes and a pump.
“While we collect your readings, I’ll properly educate you on the biology of atheris, as this is a fundamental of becoming an aspiring ASP.”
“Atheris is an odd compound—one that doesn’t exactly have a standard form or shape to it.”
“It can sometimes come in the form of fire, lightning, water—I'm sure you get the jist of it.”
“However under uncommon circumstances it can mutate to form something entirely different, whether it be simply a different color, or a different element altogether.”
“This compound has come to organically fuse into the very DNA of human beings, resulting in exceptional changes in the body, as well as allowing the body to manipulate the atheris present in its bloodstream.”
“When a human shows signs of the recessive atheris gene, their heart will begin pumping the compound out, almost like a second blood.”
“In turn, giving the person—”
“Sir..”
“This candidate—doesn’t have any atheris.”
Declared the assistant responsible for Leith.
Shock arose as heads from all corners of the room turned to look at Leith.
He stood up, his eyes still shallow yet lit with determination.
“I would like to ask your permission to still take the assessment, sir.”
He said firmly, meeting the examiner's gaze.
“You came to an ASP assessment—with no atheris?”
He chuckled.
“Are you out of your mind, kid!?”
“You don’t even stand a chance at scoring anything higher than even the weakest, most incompetent candidate here!”
“That just means I have to try harder than everyone else, sir.”
Leith replied.
The examiner couldn’t hide his detested grin upon hearing those words.
“You know what?”
“Knock yourself out, I’d love to see what you’ll do to ‘try harder.’”
Leith sat back down.
Whispers flooded the hall despite the intensity of their volume.
The board behind the examiner flickered, before showing the list of the rankings for the first examination.
1.Drelan Draeven
2.Elian Thorne
3.Soren Malvek
Leith’s gaze scanned the list, ignoring the top names but mysteriously aimed straight for the bottom.
- Kiren Voss
- Malric Dast
- Ivan Sarric
- Nyel Arven
- Coren Vessan
- Leith Laziel
“This’ll conclude your first assessment, please head to your assigned dorms.”
The thunderous manifestation of scurrying resonated through the hall, soon retreating.
Kiren pushed his way through the crowd, grunting.
Leith sat there, his expression still blank.
“Wow, you’re quite the fool aren’t you, Laziel?”
Leith looked up.
“But I guess we aren’t too far in that regard.”
“I’m Malric, Malric Dast.”
He said, reaching his hand out.
Leith smiled—Malric’s gesture requited.
“I’m sure you hadn’t noticed, since you’re sitting all the way back here brooding, but the examiner grouped us into four groups of five—completely based on our rankings.”
“So let’s help each other out, Laziel!”
Malric suggested, his face bright, and his smile conveying a sense of warmth.
“Sure, let’s do our best.”
Leith replied, standing up.
Behind Malric, stood the rest of the bottom 5 candidates.
They strolled out of the hall and into their dormitory—a cold cramped room with nothing illuminating it but a small lantern.
They sought refuge for the night under beds bunked on top of eachother, conversing.
“Say, Malric..”
“What did you mean by what you said earlier?”
Leith asked, lying on his bunk, gaze directed at the ceiling.
“When I said we aren’t too far in that regard?”
“Yeah..”
“...My atheris..”
“Is jokingly pathetic.”
A swift breeze sounded outside the dorm”
Malric spoke again.
“I produce flames—that are too hot for me to maintain.”
“In fact, I can’t output my flames for any longer than a few seconds, without risking severely burning myself.”
His voice shook with pain.
He tossed to the side, his palm extended out before him.
“I’m unique, but—ultimately useless.”
He muttered.
“I think—that just means you have amazing potential.”
Leith spoke, breaking the silence.
“You’ve already passed the hardest part, Malric.”
“Imagine the heights you’ll reach once you learn to control your flames.”
“I’m—amazing?”
“Totally!”
Leith exclaimed.
He threw his head down his bunk to see Malric, only to be slightly stunned.
Malric has a soft stream of tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Uh..”
“Are you—okay?”
“Yeah, I'm just happy to hear someone finally say those words.”
“What about you, Laziel?”
Asked Coren from another bunk.
“YOU WERE LISTENING—?”
Malric yelled out abruptly—embarrassed.
“How do you feel being in a place like this, surrounded by people like us—you know, with atheris.”
Coren spoke again, ignoring Malric.
“It’s less about how I feel, I've learnt to cast aside feelings like envy when I stepped foot into this place.”
Leith replied, clenching his fist.
“Because I came here with a purpose undeserving of such meaningless distractions—that are completely out of my control..”
“Why are you here, Leith?”
“I had to watch my whole world burn before me, as I sat there—stuck under a couple of stupid rocks.”
“I–”
“I don’t ever want to feel that weakness ever again, I—refuse to stay under that rubble for the rest of my life.”
Leith’s jaw clenched, a troubled look in his eye.
Clap, Clap, Clap
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Confusion washed over Leith upon hearing the sudden clapping from the other bunk.
“I must say—I had the wrong idea about you, Laziel.”
Ivan said, a friendly grin plastered on his face.
“I took you as a guy who came here because of some foolish sense of arrogance.”
“But I’m glad you proved me wrong—you seem like a good guy after all.”
“Will the four of you shut up already!”
“Whatever you say, Nyel.”
Ivan remarked snarkly.
Coren and Malric chuckled loudly as Nyel’s audible teeth clenching followed up Ivan’s remark.
Leith remained silent, smiling quietly.
They fell silent.
A quiet breeze sounded in sequence with the sole lantern’s flame burning out.
Morning struck.
A couple dozen knocks on their dormitory door, signaling them to wake up.
Leith stepped out, staring up at the dark morning sky.
The clouds seemed to have stood in the same place as last night.
Snowflakes trickled down onto his face.
His cheeks—a hue of crimson.
They soon arrived at their next location—haunted ruins of a devastated town surrounded them.
Gates, the size of behemoths stood before them, towering over them like mountains.
“Welcome to your second trial of the ASP recruitment assessment.”
The examiner announced, his cloak moved along with a harsh breeze of frost.
“As you have noticed—this trial will be taking place outdoors, specifically..”
BANG, BANG, BANG
“Prime hunting grounds—for mutants.”
He said coldly.
The gates shook violently, as if they would tear off their hinges.
However, despite the situation, most of the candidates' expressions remained steadfast—determined.
“You will be tasked with hunting down every mutant beyond this gate.”
“You will receive scores for every one you, or your group, takes down successfully.”
“And of course..”
“Individual take downs—will result in a higher score.”
Their expressions only grew more deadset upon the revelation.
Leith noticed as Kiren clenched his fist—slowly backing away from his group.
“Any questions before we begin?”
“What happens in the case of a casualty?”
Asked a voice from a group—trembling.
“Then you die..”
Silence followed by the sound of a breeze manifested upon his answer.
“Casualties in this assessment—are overlooked during trials.”
“So do your due diligence to stay alive, because no one is coming to rescue you.”
The voice remained silent—unable to form a reply.
“If that’ll be it, then I suggest you people get a move on.”
Panic set quickly despite their recent resolve.
Groups scurried to move, some lacking coordination and separating, while others operated swiftly.
Leith’s group moved together, traversing hollow ruins in search of a potential vantage point.
Promptly, an ear-piercing roar echoed through the cold air, sending shivers of terror down the spines of those unfortunate enough to hear it.
Carnivorous thuds vibrated throughout the ruins, as if the earth itself was being torn apart.
Time had run out before they had anticipated.
As they ran through the ruins, Leith caught sight of a mutant, rebounding off the roofs of destroyed buildings.
As he was about to open his mouth, he caught a glimpse of someone chasing after it—Kiren.
“We should split up!”
Leith yelled out to the rest of his group.
“Are you sure that’s a bright idea, Laziel?”
“Aren’t you guys trying to secure yourself as many points as possible?”
“We’re at the bottom of the list, if we don’t cover more ground—we’ll never increase our chances of changing that!”
He replied, panting as they ran, his voice clashing with the wind.
“He’s right, you know.”
Nyel exclaimed, coming to a halt, as well as the rest of his group.
“If we don’t resort to taking risks, then we won’t get anywhere with this assessment.”
He added.
Their group, now agreeing in unison, began to discuss plans.
“Malric..”
“You head down that path there, if you’re lucky, you should be able to encounter a lone mutant in one of those alleyways down there.”
“Why the alleyways?”
“Mutants don’t necessarily hunt, at least not all of them.”
“Some of them rather hide and wait for unsuspecting prey to approach instead of getting their hands dirty.”
“You sure know alot about this stuff don’t you?”
“I had to live through a purge, of course I would have some recollection of how mutants think.”
“Purge?”
Nyel commented, a wary look on his face.
Leith met Nyel’s gaze—his expression began to fade, his eyes becoming dull and hollow.
“There hasn't been one in the 10th Division’s region for ages..”
“Leith.. Laziel…”
“Wait, are you–”
“Hey, we can't afford to keep wasting time like this!”
Malric shouted in desperation, clenching his fists.
“I’ll go that way—like Leith said.”
“Nyel, you and Coren branch off the north, while Leith and Ivan branch off–”
“South.”
“I’m sure I heard some run off south.”
Leith suggested, puffing from fatigue.
“If anything goes wrong, meet up back here—understand?”
The group took off as per Malric’s commands.
Malric sprinted past the snowy ground, his path full of rubble and eviscerated buildings.
He checked every alleway he passed, staying on his toes along the duration of his hunt.
KEEIEEEECCKKHHH—...
Above Malric, sprung a speeding mutant, its long legs pushing off the edge of the building as it pounced on him.
He held it off—his arm almost swallowed whole in its gaping mouth.
Through a whirlwind of flame, Malric’s eyes began to glow a bright orange as his palms began to bear a smouldering smoke.
The creature shrieked in agony as Malric’s arm wore a shield of inferno—scalding it from the inside out.
It staggered backwards—quaking violently.
Malric, in a state of frenzied shock, gave it no time to recover—beating it to nothing but a mere pulp as his skin reached the brink of melting to a regressed state of liquid.
“MALRIC!!!!”
“YOU BASTARD!”“THAT WAS MY KILL!”
But he didn’t stop—no, he couldn’t.
“MOVE OUT OF MY WAY!”
A raging voice yelled out, shoving Malric to the ground.
“Kiren?”
“What are you–”
“No..”
“It’s—already dead..”
His dark red eyes became engulfed in a boiling anger, as he turned to face Malric, who was on the ground—confused and in agony.
“DAMN YOU, MALRICCC!!!!”
He roared, charging at Malric.
His hand clenched to form a fist as he threw himself at his helpless friend on the ground.
They clashed—tussling violently while Malric tried his hardest to push Kiren off of him.
Sssccckkkk—
“AHHH!”
Kiren yelled out in anguish as Malric grabbed his arm, scalding his flesh.
“Move Kiren!”
“I-”
“I don’t want to hurt you!”
He cried out, tears forming in his orange eyes.
Kiren held his arm in writhing pain—grunting miserable noises.
“I’m—I’m sorry!”
Malric wept, as he ran away, leaving Kiren aching on the snow-covered ground.
He ran, and ran , and ran.
His pace trembled with every step.
Kiren—leaning his back on a wall, tried to get a grasp on his consciousness to prevent himself blacking out from the agony.
Footsteps in the snow echoed abruptly—accompanying his mutters of anguish.
“Kiren Voss..”
“Who the hell—are you?”
“Wait, you’re that kid with no—atheris.”
He said, stammering in pain.
“What a pitiful state to find someone like you in.”
Leith commented, his face—expressionless as always.
“Someone like me?”
“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”
“I never thought I would find someone as courageous, and bold as you—agonizing over a little burn.”
“Courageous?”
“Bold?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He replied, the same cold look in his eyes.
“You’re not afraid to speak what’s on your mind—you say what needs to be said, and you do what needs to be done in order to achieve that which must be achieved.”
“It perfectly fits you to be out here alone, battling mutants—not sitting back because of a tiny battle wound.”
“No—no, I'll tell you what I really am..”
He stuttered, eyes tense with emotion.
“I'm a pathetic—sorry excuse for a human being..”
“I’m weak—so I try my best to compensate for that by pretending to have strength…”
“And because of that weakness—the people I care about—all suffer..”
He sniffled out through tears.
“Tell me!”
“How can you call any of that courageous!?”
Leith remained silent, stepping forward to kneel down as he tended to Kiren’s wound.
“I think it’s courageous of you to try, Kiren.”
He said, wrapping Kiren’s arm in a cloth.
“Even if you show no results, the fact that you took the first leap forwards—is well deserving of the title.”
Kiren couldn’t say a word as his lips quivered.
His eyes welling up with bundles of tears.
“Forgive me for dismissing this wound of yours, Kiren.”
Leith quietly chuckled, removing the blood-soaked cloth from Kiren’s arm.
“I-”
“I want to apologize—to Malric.”
“You’re in his group, right?”
Leith’s eyes returned to their cold, faded look.
“Do you maybe know—where I can find him?”
He asked apologetically.
His gaze stuck to the ground out of shame.
“Our group is meeting here in an hour—you can apologize to him then, if you meet us here.”
“But why here?”
“Uh—this might sound a little odd..”
“But we’re planning on dissecting a mutant's body after the trial.”
Leith said as he nervously chuckled.
“Sure..”
He said, wiping the tears from his eyes.
“I’ll come.”
Attention Candidates..
Your trial is over, please report back to your dorms.
The intercom sounded.
Soldiers—deployed to clean up any remaining mutants marched into the ruins.
The grounds of the ruins became engulfed in an atmosphere of calm—yet a tense, shallow disturbance.
Leith’s group reunited—all mutually distraught.
“Ivan!..”
“Have any of you—seen Ivan?...”
Malric asked through his gasps for air.
“Leith?”
“I was planning on asking you guys—we were in the south wing as planned, when he suddenly ran off on me after catching sight of a mutant chasing someone.”
He replied, his expression one of worry.
“Come on..”
“We have to look for him.”
Suggested Nyel, maintaining a calm expression despite his trembling hands.
Snowfall intensified as the stake of time became introduced.
The skies became shrouded in an even deeper darkness than usual.
They searched as hard as they could, but the minutes began to fleet by before they could find their missing friend.
“Hey, you four!”
“You’re not supposed to be out here!”
Yelled out a soldier, gripping his flashlight—exposing the group in its radiance.
“We’re looking for someone.”
Coren replied, stammering.
“He was last seen in the south wing—before he ran off to chase a mutant!”
“Huh?”
“The south wing??”
The soldier questioned, wearing a look of confusion.
“That wing was completely sealed off during the trial, there were certainly no mutants in that sector.”
“If that’s the only dumb excuse you guys managed to come up with to be here this late, you can leave now.”
He added dismissively, promptly turning around to continue his patrol as the sound of his voice retreated.
Puzzled, and in shock, they turned to look at Leith.
His face—still completely cold—expressionless.
“Leith?..”
“Tell me, Nyel, Coren.”
Shluk!
A sickening sound echoed through the tense air; the raw sound of air escaped Malric’s lungs.
A pool of blood formed underneath him, pouring down from the puncture in his thigh.
—-hah—-...
“How well can you hold a secret?”
Leith asked, discarding the serrated metal rod in hand.
He smirked—cynically.
His eyes—unsympathetic.
“What the hell–are you doing, Leith..?”
“You were right, Nyel..”
Hhrkkk—
Thump
Thump
Thump
Time seemed to come to an abrupt standstill as the horrifying resonance of Malric’s heart beating struck.
HHHHRR—
HHRRAAHHH—
Agonized shrieks tore through Malric’s throat as his body became engulfed in his own flames.
Coren and Nyel—couldn’t say a word out of shock.
Leith’s eyes fell cold, as his mouth opened once more.
“I am–”
“The Print of Calamity..”
He said with a sickly grin on his face, reaching into his pocket.
He held his arm over Malric on the ground, before twisting a bloody cloth over him.
“I’ve taken quite the liking to you two..”
“I’ll consider letting you live as long as you scram—without a word.”
Malric’s flames turned from a bright orange to a dark red, as Leith finished squeezing out every last drop of blood from the cloth.
You're wrong commander..
I'm no monster, no—I just happened to be another victim—of this cruel world…
I’ll make whatever sacrifice I must make in order to win.
That doesn’t make a monster—it makes me a survivor…
Coren and Nyel ran for their lives, past the soldier, and past the fences marking the perimeter of the assessment center.
“Hey!!”
“Hey!!!”
“You’ve got to hurry, it’s Malric!”
“Kiren murdered Malric!”
Leith yelled out to the soldier, leading him to Malric’s ignited corpse.
As Leith and the soldier turned the corner, they found Kiren standing there—shocked.
He couldn’t protest—his jaw was locked in place, trembling.
The examiner’s voice sounded through the intercom among the crackles of flame arising from Malric.
“Please report to the assessment hall at once.”
Kiren was escorted to the hall, his eyes—desolate.
“Some unforeseen circumstances have unfortunately arisen.”“And as such, I regret to say—this assessment must be concluded early.”
The examiner announced, before turning to face Kiren.
“You’re scum, you know that, Kiren?”
“Murdering another candidate because he was ‘too’ close to you in rank—it really shows your true colors—a coward.”
“It-”
“It wasn’t me!”
Kiren finally rebutted through trembling lips.
“I would never do such a—-”
“Oh, but you would..”
“I had already received several reports of you clashing with Malric, next to a corpse of a mutant engulfed in his flame.”
“But–”
“You wanted that kill, didn’t you Kiren?”
Kiren remained silent, unable to form a rebuttal.
“Not only that, but Malric’s body was found burning, with your flame..”
He argued, his voice firm.
His gaze—judgemental.
Kiren was stunned.
But beneath that disbelief, boiled an anger inside him—clawing its way out.
He turned to look at Leith—his teeth clenched as he took a step toward him.
“It was you..”
He muttered, loud enough to hear but quiet enough to justify not rectifying any safety precaution.
“You!”
“He’s the one who set me up!”
His eyes began to glow dark red as he attempted to pounce on Leith.
He was held down by the soldiers in the room—jerking like a ravenous beast, hollering curses as he bucked to tear Leith apart.
He coiled against the men bounding him to the ground—his eye’s encompassed in malice.
Leith stepped back in fear.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Are you really going to try to make someone else suffer for your own undoing?”
He said wavering—hands quaking in fright.
The board flickered once again,
A monotonous voice sounded throughout the hall, announcing the top ranked candidates of the assessment.
“Candidate Number One: Drelan Draeven.”
“Candidate Number Two: Soren Malvek.”
“Let me go!”
“He did this!”
Kiren yelled out, flailing.
He looked up at Leith, ready to spit more curses at him—but his anger turned into a silent shock.
“Candidate Number Six: Ezric Vale.”
“Candidate Number Seven: Tavian Locke.”
Leith looked back at him, meeting his gaze directly.
His face—blank—completely blank.
His lack of expression emitted a sense of dread, tearing through Kiren’s heart.
“Candidate Number Eleven: Silas Trenor.”
“Candidate Number Twelve: Kastial Hale.”
“You’re a—”
“Candidate Number Fourteen: Orin Marrow.”
“Candidate Number Fifteen: Leith Laziel.”
“Congratulations..”
“Monster..”