Affinity:Chaos

"That's setting people up to die. Anyone who can't survive the flames will die." Grey whispered softly to his friends.

"What's the point of sending people out on a trial that might claim their lives?" Someone from the crowd asked.

"Nothing is given for free. You either fight for it, or someone does it for you." The middle-aged man didn't see anything wrong with this question. He knew some of the people would ask about it.

"It has been like this since time immemorial. A sacrifice must be paid. Pass the obstacle, and you grow stronger. Fail, and you fall."

"Only the strong and relentless grow to become the best. Anyone else who can not even dare to face a challenge shouldn't call themselves an Elementalist."

"Living itself is a challenge. From birth we all struggle, and until our last breath, we will continue to struggle."

The man continued with his speech as a path opened up in the center of the Hall.

The man took flight as he looked at the fiery path below him.

"Those who feel they are worthy should descend into the volcano."

Grey looked at the volcano, he didn't have any interest in going in.

"There's something good. I can assure you. It's on the level of that Dragon's blood essence." Void showed excitement.

Grey tilted his head to look at the opening better. He didn't know what was inside, but he wasn't too interested in it either.

Void might be excited about something inside the volcano, but he wasn't. He had gotten so many treasures already, putting himself in harms way for a new treasure wasn't something he would do, especially now that he had countless treasures.

Void saw his lack of interest and his excitement died down.

"You've become very boring."

"Not boring, but cautious. My enemies are powerful, too much for me. I don't know where or when they will attack. It's best I'm always on my toes." Grey didn't feel bothered about Void's words.

"You guys are free to head in. I'm not going." He said to his friends.

"I don't like hot places."

"I'm better off watching them."

They turned to Alice and saw her looking into the place with intensity.

"You can go, just be careful."

"I know. But I don't think it will be that easy." Alice shook her head with a sigh. She wanted to go, but she could sense unprecedented danger in there. There was also opportunities, but she knew the danger was higher.

"I'm not going. We should all stay back and watch. Who knows, it might be interesting." She added.

Grey nodded. He didn't want to enter the volcano in the first place. Since he wasn't prepared for what might happen, it was best to stay out and watch others.

The young lady they met earlier walked over when she noticed none of them was standing up.

"Aren't any of you going to try?"

"No, we're not interested in getting any blessings. We only came here to see new things, and watching will be beneficial to us than experiencing it." Klaus replied.

"Understandable. I'll take my leave first, hopefully we see when I come out." The young lady left them, heading for the opening.

She was the first person to step into the opening. With one person taking the lead, the others started to troop in one by one.

After a few minutes, the Hall was almost empty. Only a few people were left. Most of them were elders, but there were also a few youngsters like Grey and his friends.

The man who gave the speed took a glance at the few who didn't go in.

"Are you sure you want to watch this opportunity slip?"

Those who were seated nodded. They've all accessed their situations and felt it was better not to step in.

The man didn't say anything and went to take his seat. The show was about to start.

A large screen appeared in the Hall and they could see all the people that were inside the volcano.

"That's some impressive formation." Grey muttered when he saw the people.

He could work out something like this if given the chance, but other than his communication and tracking device, he had stopped researching on this aspect of arrays.

When he first met Ellis, he got a communication device he could see the figure of the person he's talking to. So he knew things like these were possible.

Everyone focused on the screen before them. There were a few people who were still slightly considering if they should go in or not.

The scene in the screen changed and a large group of skeletons rose, charging towards the people that just stepped into the volcano.

"This is the first trial. Defeat the skeletons and get to the other side." The man explained to those watching.

"Not everyone has to kill the skeletons, as long as you can get to the other side, you're good."

"These things are difficult to defeat. And if one manages to defeat ten, the other skeletons will let them go through without bothering them."

"The more skeletons you defeat, the better your reward after the trial."

Grey and the others listened as the man spoke.

The battle erupted soon after.

Most of the people that entered were in the Late stages of the Venerable Plane. There were a few in the Early and Mid stages, while there were others in the Sage Plane.

"Wouldn't this trial be unfair for those who are weak?" Grey asked a question.

The man glanced a Grey, "Not entirely. Due to the formation, there's not really a concept of strong and weak. Everyone faces an opponent on their level."

"Since you're at the Peak of the Venerable Plane, your opponent will be at the Peak as well."

"It all depends on your ability. If you can't hold your own against someone in the same stage as you, what makes you a genius?"

Grey nodded. His eyes were glowing, the intricacy behind this formation left by the Firelord was stunning. At the moment, he felt like going in, not for the treasure, but to study the array formation.