Chapter 26 #2
My heart pounded as the other students were called. They all entered through the left door and came out through the right, then returned to their seats to celebrate.
I glanced at my phone screen and saw a message blinking. It was from Lorenzo and Ambrose.
“Good luck, Kay! Just like everything in life, you'll rock this test too. We're rooting for you. With love, from the two people who love you most in the world.”
I pressed the phone to my chest, touched by the message. Ambrose being Ambrose.
“Kyller Voluz!” the young woman called from the door. I put away my phone and headed to the stage. Aish touched my hand as I passed by. She had no idea what had happened after the party, and I thanked the gods she hadn't come after me—she would have been attacked too.
“Good luck, zoozi,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks,” I replied, not sure how to act around her after kissing her at the party.
I walked down the narrow corridor until I reached the stairs, where the woman greeted me with a scowl, her gaze sweeping over my hair with obvious distaste.
“It's at the end of the corridor. Leave all your belongings in the room next door and go in without taking anything. The sonar is sensitive.” She pointed the way.
I headed to the room, my heart galloping in my chest. It's just a stupid test, I told myself—I was sure my level wouldn't be lower than 700.
Still, I couldn't shake the fear, because if it wasn't high enough, I'd have trouble getting the position at the hospital, and Ambrose would be disappointed.
In his eyes, I was the most extraordinary elmedic he knew, and I didn't want to let him down.
The door at the end of the hallway was completely black, and before entering, I left my phone and earrings on the table beside it.
On the other side, a side door marked the exit.
I took a deep breath and pushed the golden handle, stepping into a dimly lit space that immediately made my pupils dilate.
The darkness was broken only by faint red light radiating from the ceiling onto the walls, creating a mystical atmosphere.
In the center of the room sat two red armchairs facing each other. A man was waiting in one of them.
The sonar was truly a man of pure Drutes genetics, and at first, it was strange to look at him—I hadn't seen someone with my hair color in a long time.
He was enormous, sitting in the armchair with his eyes closed.
His nose was impossible to ignore, large and wide, making a striking contrast with his thin face.
His clothes hung loose on his frame, and a green tunic covered almost all his skin, but even beneath all those layers, you could tell his body was thin.
“Hello?” I called awkwardly. The man appeared motionless in the armchair; the only sign he wasn't asleep was his upright, alert posture.
“Come closer, girl. I can't see you,” he said, his eyes still closed.
I approached, uncertain what to do.
“Come have tea with me.” His hands beckoned me closer.
His nails were long and unkempt, and his fingers looked like claws—long and thin.
The sight sent a chill through me, and I mentally scolded myself, because he was a respected figure.
But looking at him up close, I began to believe the myths about his life were real.
He really did look like someone who lived in a hole and never bathed. I swallowed hard and moved closer.
“Closer, sit with me. I must warn you that the tea is bitter, but what's one more bitter thing, right? One less or one more makes no difference—bitterness teaches too.”
He poured the tea with his eyes still closed and held it out to me.
I didn't understand much of what he was saying, but Ambrose had already warned me about his eccentric ways.
I walked to the armchair and sat across from him; his hand was extended with the cup held in his long fingers.
I took it, but during the exchange, his fingers stroked mine.
His eyes snapped open immediately, and a completely red gaze fixed on me. There was no white, no iris—just an ocean of blood staring back at me. Eyes the color of the seventh hell.
I jerked my hands back, spilling tea on the white floor, while the man stared at me in shock, his mouth falling open.
“You,” he murmured. I immediately shrank back in the armchair. “You finally came to me.”
My attention kept being pulled to his eyes, and my heart raced in my chest. I swallowed hard again, trying to keep my body still. What the hell, I scolded myself. This was the sonar, and I should show respect. I forced myself to grip the tea firmly, keeping my hands from trembling.
“Should I know what that means?” I asked, worry creeping in. No one had told me about the blood eyes. “I'm sorry, but I only came to test my level.”
He was petrified, then his expression began to change. His horrified look gave way to a wide, yellowed smile.
“You've arrived,” he said in wonder. Tears of blood streamed from his eyes.
Although he was smiling and his gestures projected calm, there was something unsettling about his presence that didn't match the facade he'd created for himself. Something frightening, ancient, and sharp—a presence that demanded fear.
“Granddaughter of the apocalypse,” he hissed. The hairs on my arm stood on end. “The angels await your ascension.”
I stood up from the armchair and set the tea on the side table—this couldn't be normal. There was no way this was the same sonar who had started the conversation seconds ago.
“No, no, don't be afraid, little scarlet. I wouldn't hurt you. Killing you would be like snuffing out the only light in a world of darkness.”
A cold breeze touched my face, and my heart would have dropped to my feet if not for the rib cage holding it in place.
No one besides my mother had ever called me that.
“How do you know that?”
I was in shock, so he stood and touched my shoulders, gently guiding me back to the armchair before sitting down himself.
“I know many things, girl. I have no eyes, but I see.” He took another sip of his tea. “And my non-eyes have told me the secrets of your existence.”
“Secrets?”
There was no way he could know about the nickname unless he'd known my mother, but that would be insane.
“Secrets of a song forgotten in your blood, but one that must be remembered. He hid you from the angels, but it's time to awaken, my little one. The world needs your strength.”
“Who hid what? I don't understand,” I said, struggling to make sense of it. His cold hands sought mine, and I shrank back, but he took them anyway, tracing a circular pattern on my palm.
“The wheels of destiny are turning. Soon the worlds will collide. Are you prepared?”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you must prepare,” he grumbled, as if it were obvious.
“For the final tests?” I asked, confused, my stomach churning at his closeness.
“For life, death, and everything in between.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my heart, which was pounding wildly in my chest. I inhaled and exhaled until my mind broke free from fear's grip.
“I came here to find out my power level, not to play guessing games.” The man's madness seemed to seep into my skin, sticky and treacherous.
“Your body is already prepared, but your mind is not. Perhaps I should help you with that.” He seemed lost in thought.
“What's my level?” I asked, wanting to get out of there immediately.
“Foolish questions.” He clicked his tongue in disapproval. “You should be asking about more important things. You're behind in your quest.”
“What quest?”
“For the eyes, isn't it obvious? Five of them, each from a different god, each more terrible than the last.”
Shivers wracked his body and a thin line of saliva dripped from his withered lips.
I stood up slowly and took a few steps back—was this the beginning of dementia, or something worse?
His bloodshot gaze followed me as he rose, leaving his cup on the table.
His movements were quick and fluid, as if he simply floated wherever he wished.
“When the time comes, you must be able to take control.
Don't let it diminish you, and don't bow to her, for you are equals—opposite sides of the same coin.” His voice rose and echoed through my mind, freezing me in terror.
He approached, closing the distance between us.
One hand gripped my shoulder while the other pressed his cold thumb to the center of my forehead.
“Don't touch me!” I screamed in panic, swatting away the hand on my forehead. My body was ready for fight or flight. But the rational part of my brain insisted this was the sonar—what would they think of me if I attacked him during the test?
He still held me in place and leaned in, whispering in my ear—a voice from another world, something ancient and dormant, that smelled of mold and decay.
“Fight. If not for us, then for the son of night. The one who will save our people.”
I shoved his bony chest and threw myself toward the door while he staggered backward, smiling even wider. I was trembling down to my bones, and my bladder threatened to empty right there.
“What are you?” I shouted at the being crawling beneath the man's skin.
“Wrong question, little scarlet. Who are you?” he whispered wickedly, pointing at my chest.
I felt a chill, as if some presence had appeared beside me, and the air grew colder. My instincts roared at me to run.
“I'll find you when you're ready,” the voice said, its breath washing over my face. I felt that presence envelop me completely, its aura touching every inch of my skin, drinking in my breath.
“Fight.” The word echoed through my brain. “Fight... Fight... Fight...” The sound gradually diminished until it finally faded away.
Then the sonar's body trembled and he curled in on himself. My hand was on the doorknob, ready to bolt, but suddenly the man composed himself, stretching his lanky frame. He turned to me, staring at me with closed eyes.
“Hello! I'm the sonar.” He turned, walked to the armchair, and sat down, offering me a friendly smile.