Outside of the palace was just as beautiful as Adonis could imagine. Mzdrig's Paradise could best be described as heaven.
Above, the sky was an ethereal white, with a faint golden glow highlighting the land beneath it. Many palaces spread throughout the land, each equipped with a garden of their own. The street paths were made from a white cobbled stone, sometimes leading to small bridges that leapt over calm ponds.
As he walked, he spotted many other 'students', with smiles wide on their faces, and enjoying the land with their groups.
It became obvious to Adonis then. The majority of students fail at the first trial of the academy.
They fall into the trap of luxury and aren't able to get any further.
As this became known to Adonis, he couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic he found it.
"So, have you heard there will be a party at Brandon's palace? His servant is cooking seafood, and has somehow managed to hire an orchestra to play music for us."
"OH, I cannot wait!"
Adonis heard chatter from two ladies sitting at a park bench nearby, wearing distinguished dresses. Dresses unfit for battle.
"Unbelievable." He muttered under his breath as he continued down the streets.
——
After a twenty-minute walk, Adonis came to what he believed to be the centre of the First Floor. There, he found a bustling city plaza, with the statue of a Cross at its center.
The Cross statue had a man crucified on the face of it. His beard and hair were long and messy, covering the features of his face, and his body was malnourished, so much so that his bones protruded through his skin.
Adonis stood before the statue and regarded it for a moment.
Could that be Mzdrig?
There were roughly one hundred people in the plaza, going about their days, but Adonis's eyes scanned the area in search of a specific set of people.
For people like him.
Those who would deny the luxuries of this land for seven days and hope to reach the next floor.
But no matter how hard he looked, all he saw was smiles on faces, and groups lost in chatter. The further he searched, the more disappointed he became.
And so, Adonis sat on the floor and rested his back against the statue.
There was no hope for these people, and he knew what he had to do to proceed to the next floor.
He would wait by the statue for the Seven Days until he was rightfully invited to visit Mzdrig, the ruler of this land.
———
As the sky grew dark, the Paradise streets became emptier, until Adonis was the last man left. The entire time, he remained sat by the Cross.
No one seemed to even notice him. They were too focused on the joy presented to them.
It only further disappointed Adonis.
Mzdrig must be a wise man. He knew exactly what it would take to trap the majority of students. I wonder how many are able to pass the first test? How many students are on the upper floors?
The night grew darker and darker until all that lit the streets were lanterns powered by flames. Adonis remained sat by the cross, eyes closed in a resting state.
Until he heard footsteps approaching from the distance.
He opened a single eye and looked towards the sound. He did not currently have control over the concept, as his powers rested elsewhere, but his hearing was still naturally above average.
One, two, three. Three approaching men... or women.
Adonis saw their shadows dancing around the plaza, trying their best to avoid the lantern light. Oftentimes, they hid behind benches, lampposts, and hedges, but Adonis kept track of them the entire time.
Come on. Keep approaching.
He allowed the men to continue believing they were unnoticed, but after a while, he grew tired of waiting.
Adonis rose to his feet and brushed a strand of red hair from his face that had fallen loose from its hairband.
The shadows stopped moving.
A smile crept onto his face.
Adonis tapped into the current concept that he had control of simply by raising a finger into the air and using it as a conduit of his power.
In an instant, a great weight was placed on his body. It caused sweat to instantly bead from his forehead. He had to grit his teeth against the struggle.
It was like his entire being was being crushed by an invisible force, which required every ounce of his energy to use.
That was one of the drawbacks of Adonis's power. Unlike others, who used Mana to access their Blessings, Adonis had to use physical energy. If he used too much, he could be left unable to move, or with other ailments.
The current concept that he controlled was experimental, and what he was attempting to do with it, was incredible.
Yet still, he fought through the pain. It was a battle which lasted merely a few seconds but felt like hours.
Then finally, the screams came, followed by a wave of relaxation washing over his body.
Adonis smiled to himself, pleased with what he had been able to do.
"W-what the fuck? Guys... guys!"
A man continued to scream from the shadows, no longer caring about whether or not he was noticed. He stumbled out from his hiding spot to where Adonis could see him.
It was a young man wearing casual attire and a steel mace around his hip. He looked around frantically, with worry and confusion on his face, until his eyes landed on Adonis, who stared at him with red eyes.
The man's expression was replaced with fear as he stood frozen beneath the lantern light, staring at Adonis, who was shrouded by the darkness of the shadows.
"M-my friends..." The man muttered. "They are—"
"Gone?"
Adonis interrupted him with a smile, as he held up his pointer finger and inspected at it. The young man nodded his head shakily.
"O-one moment we were together, hiding. The next, they just d-dissapeared. Vanished!"
"Erased." Adonis corrected, now taking a step closer to the man. "They were erased from this world."
The man's face remained confused. He had no words to speak, and his fear was growing uncontrollably. It was obvious, the red-haired man in front of him was responsible for the erasure of his friends.
Am I next? He thought to himself, instinctively taking a step backwards from the approaching man.
"Stay away. STAY AWAY!"
The young man scratched at his arm intentionally, drawing blood in an instant. The blood was an unnatural blue, which the man controlled using his other arm. In a swift movement, he outstretched his palm and sent ten droplets of glowing blue blood flying towards Adonis like bullets.
A Blood Blessing.
The strikes were fast and powerful. Any man without a defensive Blessing would find it trouble to deal with.
Adonis, however, simply brushed his hand through the air, creating an unseen barrier in front of him. As the blood passed through, they vanished into thin air. All ten of them.
Witnessing this, the young man knew that this was not a man he could beat. As his arm still bled, he dropped to his knees with a defeated look on his face.
Adonis removed the barrier, and let out a sigh. He did not feel bad for the man since, after all, he knew the reason why he and his friends were attempting to kill him.
Still, there was no victory in defeating a man so much weaker than yourself.
"Run along." He said, turning back towards the cross where he would remain for the rest of the night. "And tell anyone else that wishes to stop me, that there is no hope for them. If they love their lives, they will let me leave this underwhelming floor peacefully.'
The young man looked up in disbelief.
His life was being spared!
Before the red-haired man could change his mind, the young man rose to his feet and ran off towards the direction of his palace.
I need to tell everyone that I love to call off their attacks. Trying to kill this man isn't worth it!
My friends... gone. Just who is that man? I've never seen a blessing so powerful.
And with that, Adonis was left to rest by the Cross once again.