Chương 12: "The First Tragedy"

"Kill these three." Celestia looked at Jade, eyes wide in disbelief, hoping she had misheard. But his expression told her she hadn't. A cold weight dropped into her stomach. She glanced from Jade to the kneeling men and back, her mind racing. Yes, she had known, intellectually, that one day she might have to take a life. This world, especially the path of the Tower, was violent. But here? Now? To execute bound men in cold blood on her estate's training grounds? The notion made her feel faint for an instant.

Her hand drifted to her side, and she realized it was trembling. Celestia curled it into a fist to steady herself.

"Is this truly necessary?" She said carefully. Jade's eyes narrowed just a bit as he explained, "The Tower isn't just about clearing the trials. The Tower's greatest dangers often come from other people. Betrayal, ambushes, kill or be killed scenarios; you must be ready to do what's needed, without hesitation."

He stepped toward her, boots thumping on the floor, and continued in a lower voice, "If you fail to kill these three here and now, I will have no choice but to inform your father, the Duke, that in my assessment, you are not ready to go to Summit." A surge of panic welled in her chest, but beneath it, anger flickered too: anger at being cornered to make a decision like this. Yet she also understood. Jade had promised to prepare her for the Tower. That reality was now in front of her.

She forced herself to breathe slowly, unclenching her fist. She hadn't noticed it, but her nails had dug into her palm so hard it stung. She spoke again, "I understand." Celestia's legs felt oddly numb as she crossed the few steps to the rack. Her fingers hovered over the selection of spears. She wrapped her hand around the shaft of one spear and lifted it. It felt heavier for some reason, as if its balance was slightly different. She adjusted her grip a few times until it felt somewhat steady in her palm.

Behind her, the first man let out a ragged breath, sensing perhaps that the moment had come. Celestia's stomach churned. She turned back to face the kneeling trio. Jade had stepped aside, arms folded again as he watched her with a stern face. Celestia's heart thumped so loudly she wondered if Jade or the men could hear it. She approached the first man, the rapist-murderer Jade had identified, until she stood directly before him. Through the burlap sack over his head, she heard a faint, heavy breathing.

Was he afraid? The thought that such scum was feeling fear filled her with righteous indignation. But it didn't make what she had to do next any easier. She forced herself to the spear's point at the height of where his heart would be. Her vision blurred for a second. Was she really about to do this?' He's evil,' she told herself, ' he deserves death.' She had to believe that. She forced herself to. Taking one more half-step, Celestia drew in a shaky breath and steadied the spear.

Through the haze of fear and adrenaline, Celestia finally thrust the spear forward with all the force she could muster. The blade punched through cloth, flesh, and bone in one horrible instant. A muffled grunt burst from the man as the steel pierced his heart.

Celestia felt the impact shudder up the shaft into her arms, a sickening mix of resistance as flesh squelched and blood spilled. She recoiled internally at the sensation. In her past life, violence had always been distant. But now, the visceral reality of killing someone was literal warm blood on her hands. The man made a wet choking noise and slumped forward until his hooded forehead almost banged the floor.

Celestia yanked back on the spear, instinctively wanting to retreat from what she'd done, but the blade was lodged firmly in his body. Her panicked tug only slid the dying man's body a few inches across the ground instead of freeing the weapon. A spike of nausea rose in her throat. Her hands had begun to tremble uncontrollably, still gripping the spear's shaft. Suddenly, Jade was beside her. Jade pulled the spear free with a single powerful jerk, freeing it from the corpse.

The first man's body collapsed fully to the ground now, face-down in an expanding pool of red. Jade set the bloody spear aside and, with a remarkably calm demeanor, reached to the rack to hand Celestia a fresh spear.

"Keep going," Jade said. Clutching the second spear, Celestia stepped to the next man, the arsonist. Her legs felt strangely weaker now, as if the strength had bled out of them along with the first man's blood now pooling onto the floor. The second man had been silent up until now, but as she came close, he began to whimper, "P-please…" he croaked from beneath the hood, his voice muffled and desperate. The man's plea was hardly coherent, but it was enough to send a stab of pity and horror through her.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Seconds passed and her weapon still hovered mid-air. Jade's voice cut through the fog of her indecision.

"What are you waiting for? Finish it!" he barked harshly. The sudden sound startled Celestia. In that abrupt moment, the spear plunged forward but at a poor angle. The blade stabbed into the second man's shoulder and upper chest, missing the heart. The man screamed a raw, horrible sound that ripped through the training grounds. He fell onto his side, writhing in agony. A dark stain spread across his rags from the wound. Celestia's eyes went wide in horror.' I missed.' Her stomach lurched.

Without thinking, she stepped backward, ripping the spear away and at the same time, almost dropping her weapon in shock at what she'd done. The man's screams turned to choked whimpers as he thrashed, legs kicking out frantically. For a moment, Celestia stood paralyzed, the sound of mute static roaring in her ears. Her rational mind began to fracture under the weight of the gruesome scene. Jade moved in front of her, blocking her view of the twitching, bleeding man on the ground.

His hands came down firmly on her shoulders. Celestia realized she was shaking from head to toe.

"Focus," Jade said.

"Look at me, Celestia." She met his gaze.

"End his suffering. You know where to stab." Jade's voice resounded again. Celestia forced herself to nod.

"Y… yes." she muttered. He released her shoulders and stepped aside, back to an observer's position. The second man was still groaning, curled on the ground with shallow, rapid breaths. Celestia approached him. Her hesitation had only prolonged his pain, a cruel outcome for them both.

'I have to finish it.' Hands slick with sweat, she tightened her grip on the spear and aimed at his chest where it heaved under the hood. In one swift motion, Celestia drove the spear downward. This time, it pierced the man's heart cleanly. He jerked once, a gasp cutting off into silence, and then lay still. Blood pooled beneath his body, joining the first man's. Celestia yanked out the spear with difficulty, stumbling back a step when the man's fat and muscle gave way.

Her entire body felt numb except for the adrenaline pounding in her veins and the sickening twist in her gut. Two lives taken by her own hand. The reality of it crashed over her, dizzying in its weight. She had killed people, monstrous people, yes, but people nonetheless. Nothing in her previous life or even this past month truly prepared her for the horror of it. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, and she felt that her face had remained passive from the shock of it all. Only one more remained.

The third prisoner was crying openly beneath his hood. Unlike the others, this man had been quiet, but now, he was shaking with faint sobs. He knew what was coming for him, and that only caused Celestia's heart to clench painfully. This one was innocent, Jade had said as much. A debt-slave guilty of nothing except misfortune. How could she justify this? Killing the first two criminals was one thing, she could justify herself by saying it was a form of justice or a necessary removal of evil. But this man…

he had done nothing wrong. Celestia hesitated, bloodied spear in hand, as she stood over the third man. Her arms felt like lead, barely able to lift the weapon. Her throat constricted as she turned to Jade.

"He's innocent," she managed to speak. Jade's eyes bore into her with an intensity that rooted her to the spot.

"Celestia," he said, voice low, "the Tower will not discriminate between the innocent and the evil. Monsters, schemers, rivals, whatever you face inside won't spare someone just because they've lived a virtuous life. And neither can you if you want to survive." His gaze flickered to the cowering man at her feet, then back to her.

"There will be a time when you must end the life of someone who has done nothing wrong, because if you don't, you might lose your own." Silence fell, broken only by the third prisoner's quiet sobbing. Celestia stood trembling, Jade's brutal words hanging in the air. Someone who has done nothing wrong… yet I must kill them anyway? She understood what Jade was truly asking: was she willing to sacrifice her own moral comfort to be strong enough for the Tower's trials?

To do what had to be done, no matter how vile, for the greater goal? Celestia looked down at the final man. A dark blotch stained the front of his trousers, he had wet himself in fear. She felt hot bile rise in her throat, and for a moment, she feared she might vomit. This was wrong. Every decent fiber of her being screamed that this was wrong. Executing a defenseless innocent… it was a crime itself. But Jade's words echoed louder in her mind: ' If you don't, the Tower will kill you.'

The Tower broke those who faltered.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not even sure if the prisoner could hear her. It was unclear whether she spoke to him or to herself. Celestia thrust the spear forward a final time. The blade plunged into the third man's chest as she drove it in deep. The man jerked and gave a heartbreaking, short scream that cut off almost instantly as the steel pierced his heart. Celestia felt a warm spray against her hands and saw more blood gush out. She didn't recoil this time; she stayed until she felt the man stop moving.

At last, she released the spear. Her fingers slipped off the shaft, now slick with blood and sweat, and the weapon stayed lodged in the man's body. The third prisoner toppled sideways to the ground with a dull thud, his hooded face turned toward Celestia's feet. He twitched once and then lay motionless, blood starting to pool beneath him. Celestia stood over the body, her chest heaving with ragged breaths. The air felt cold. She stared at what she had done…

three bodies in a row, their life's blood darkening the floor of the training grounds. Her vision wavered, black edges creeping in as dizziness threatened to overwhelm her........... The bright late-afternoon sun bore witness as Celestia Von Reingarde stood amidst the bodies … with an eery smile on her face.