She gets a sly, almost sadistic smile.

Proctor: Now, let’s begin the fear test.

--- Chapter 92 ---

Red: Fear test? Well, it’s a good thing I ain’t scared of nothing!

Proctor: You will be put through your greatest fears, and you must save someone despite your fears.

Red: Greatest fears?

Proctor: Now, all of you line up.

The forty of them line up in two lines, of twenty each. The first two walk up and lie down on a metal chair that is reclined. The proctor takes her gloves off and touches the top of their head. The two’s facial expressions change to that of agony, and one even falls off the chair.

Proctor: You both fail.

The two get up and leave, still shaking in fear.

Red: Oh man, this seems a bit much.

Eventually, as they go up, some of them pass some fail. Leo seems to pass the quickest. The monk twins sit down together. The Proctor places her hand on their bald heads. Their sleep begins to become restless. They both bring their hands to their eyes and almost claw at them in pain. The proctor sees this and quickly releases them. Needless to say, the monk twins fail. Next up is Hiro. He sits down and looks over to Red. He gives him a thumbs up.

Proctor: Alright just close your eyes, and we will begin.

Hiro: Ok.

Hiro closes his eyes and feels her touching his head. He opens his eyes, and he sees he is standing on a large plateau, with a thin steel beam as a bridge to a tower. He looks over the edge to see a five-hundred-foot drop. His heart begins to rapidly beat. Beads of sweat form on his brow. Suddenly he hears a cry for help. A little girl sits in the tower. The tower begins to crack and crumble. He realizes he has to go now if he wants a chance of passing, but it’s so high. He begins to walk along the beam, his heart pounding out of his chest. He tries to summon the poles from his heels to launch himself, but nothing happens. He realizes his arcana doesn't work here. As he’s walking, his foot slips, but he barely catches himself. His heart is beating to a point he can feel it and even hear it. His legs are quaking, but the little girl keeps calling out.

Hiro: S-s-so high! B-but, I must save her! I must!

He closes his eyes, and at the moment, he dashes full speed down the rod, screaming. He gets to the tower and sucks air in.

Hiro: H-holy shit!

He says continuing to quake. He catches his breath, but the tower is beginning to fully collapse. He scoops up the girl and looks across the chasm.

Hiro: Okay okay okay.

He takes a deep breath in through his nose. And runs across the beam at full speed, and when he gets close to the other side, he jumps all the way.

Hiro: Oh boy, oooh shit, Jesus. That was too intense.

He looks up at the little girl and the girl taps his forehead. He then awakes and sees the rest of the group. He gets up and goes to sit with the group of people that passed. Next up is Luna. She sits down and begins her test. She wakes up in a fancy bed, in a fancy room with ornate tables and flowers.

Luna: Huh? Oh, I guess it was just a dream.

She gets up and walks to a dresser. She opens up the dresser and grabs clothes. She changes out of her pajamas and walks to the door. She walks out of the room into the regal halls. She begins walking down the hall and a woman in maids clothes looks at her.

Maid: Good morning lady Luna, you look beautiful as always.

Luna: T-thanks.

Maid: Is something the matter Mrs. Luna?

Luna: N-no, I don’t think so. It just feels like I’m forgetting something. Something important.

Maid: Oh I see, well if you cant think of it then it must not be that important. Come, breakfast is ready.

Luna: Right, I’ll head down.

She walks through the exalted halls of what seems to be a large manor. As she wanders around she eventually makes her way to a large dining hall. A middle-aged man sits at the head, and a boy in his early twenties sits at this table. She sits across from the boy and pushes her seat in.

Man: So, Luna, how have your lessons been going.

Luna: Lessons?

Man: Yes, your singing and etiquette classes.

Luna: Oh, good I guess.

Man: You guess?

The gentleman sighs in disappointment.

Man: Why can’t you be like your brother. He is the perfect role model. He’s talented, he follows proper noble etiquette, he’s charming, making all the noblewomen swoon. Why can’t you have just an ounce of what he has?

Luna looks down.

Luna: U-uncle I-

Man: Enough.

Luna pushes her chair back and storms out of the dining hall.

Uncle: Luna! Get back here immediately!

Luna: Why can’t I remember! T-this has happened before.

She turns the corner and two maids are there.

Maid #1: Are you ready for your singing class?

Luna: N-no. Not today.

She pushes past them while holding her head. She looks up and sees another maid holding scissors.

Maid: Mrs. Luna, are you ready for your haircut?

Luna: No.

She again pushes past the maid, hand still glued to her head as if she’s having an intense headache. She quickly rushes around the corner and see’s her uncle.

Uncle: Heh, your back. I knew your little trip to try and make it on your own would fail like it always does. You always come back. You know you can’t go anywhere else. Now, how about you go upstairs and make yourself look presentable. You look like a filthy peasant dressed like that. You better hope nobody saw you like that.

Luna begins to cry and she quickly turns around to see a group of maids.

Maid #1: Are you ready for your singing class?

Maid #2: Mrs. Luna, are you ready for your haircut?

Maid #3: Good morning lady Luna, you look beautiful as always.

Maid #4: Are you ready for your etiquette class?

Maid #2: Mrs. Luna, are you ready for your haircut?

Maid #3: Good morning lady Luna, you look beautiful as always.

Maid #1: Are you ready for your singing class?

Maid #4: Are you ready for your etiquette class?

They all say simultaneously, almost as if there chanting. Luna collapses crying. But she begins to hear something faint.

???: Luna...

Her crying begins to stop. She looks around at the maids continuously repeating themselves.

Luna: T-that voice. W-where is it coming from?

???: Luna!

The voice yells becoming slightly clearer.

Luna: I know that voice, but how? Who is that?

??? Luna!!!

Her eyes widen as if her memories were kept back by a flood gate, and they were all released at once.

Luna: Red…

The maids silence themselves and stand there silently. She stands up.

Luna: Red!!!

Red: You have to do it!

Luna: Do what? Red! What do I have to do! Where are you?!

Red: You must win!

Luna: Win…

She looks around and spots a crying little girl outside in the courtyard. She grabs a pair of scissors from one of the maids and stabs the window. The ornate stained glass window bursts open. She leaps through and runs to the girl.

Uncle: You get back here young lady!

She looks back at her uncle.

Luna: Never, I’m never coming back. I- I know where I belong now.

She turns back and touches the girl, waking from her dream. She rubs her eyes and gets up. She looks over and see’s Red give her a thumbs up. She smiles and gives him a thumbs-up back. She goes and sits next to Hiro. And she looks over at Hiro.

Luna: Was Red allowed to do that?

Hiro: Hm?

Luna: I heard him yelling in my dream. So I assumed he was doing something out here.

Hiro: Uh, nope. He looked nervous after a while but otherwise, he was silent.

Luna: Oh.

Hiro: Yeah, it looks like you were dreamin his voice.

He says laughing in a playful voice.

Luna: N-no I wasn’t-

Hiro: Oh it looks like Reds up next.

They both shift their attention to him. He sits down and enters his dream. He opens his eyes and he sees a field of steel. Men in armor clashing their blades together. Fireballs go flying by, hitting a group of knights, sending them flying. Red’s heart begins to beat fast. A boy in light armor with red hair walks up to him.

Boy: This is a gruesome one.

Red: Y-you!

Boy: Of course it’s me! Who else would I be?

Red: You’re alive…

Boy: When did I die? Haha.

Red takes a few steps back.

Red: I- I don’t know.

Outside the dream, a man in a lab coat comes out to inspect this trial. Within the dream, Red begins to tear up, but he doesn't remember why.

Red: Why am I? I-I’ve seen this before.

Boy: Seen what?

Red’s eyes widen.

Red: Get down!

He yells but it’s too late, a sword plunges through the boy’s chest, his eyes go wide before his body falls limp. The man who killed his good friend, the face Red cannot forget. The new archbishop, general ZaZa. The man whose nickname is that of the devil in dragonic tongue. That crooked, no mercy smile on his face as his friend slides off his demonic purple blade. Red fear and rage swell in his body, to a point of bursting. A small fire sprouts behind his left shoulder, where an insignia should be. Outside the dream, his insignia glows and begins to grow. The proctor is about to fail him, but the man in a lab coat places his hand on her shoulder and shakes his head no. She lets Red continue. Within the dream, he looks around as the other knights turn into his friend, and repeatedly get stabbed. He feels someone grab his foot, and he looks down at the first one. It looks up at him in pain and agony.

Boy: Why did you let me die?

Red: I- I didn’t!

Boy: You let me die. You killed me.

Red: No! I… I didn’t. ZaZa had…

Boy: But you let it happen, you could have stopped it. But you killed me.

Red: No I couldn’t have! I was powerless then.

His insignia begins to grow rapidly.

Proctor: I must end his trial!

Lab coat: Do not! I am of higher authority than you, you will do as I say!

Proctor: Fine.

All of the bodies chant in unison of how he killed them. The maddening chant is beginning to break Red down. Then, suddenly he hears a faint cry for help. A familiar cry. He sees an eight-year-old version of himself calling for help, as he had all those years ago. Red begins running to that boy, that oh so familiar boy. The crawling bodies of his friends grab and claw at him. They climb him and pull him backward, but he keeps pushing. He reaches his hand out for the boy, as all the hands pull him back. He reaches one final time and touches the boy. When he does, all the bodies of his friend disappear, and it’s replaced with the bodies of the dead soldiers on that day. All having a similar hole through them where their hearts should be. He pulls the crying boy in for a hug.

Red: It will be ok, trust me, it gets better.

Red looks at the boy’s left shoulder, adorning a new, still smoking dragon insignia. Red is then brought out of the trance and gasps for air. His insignia slowly recedes into its normal position. He gets up and walks toward his group, and sits in silence. The rest of them go through the trial, with a final number of 32 passing.