Kain's gaze snapped to the buttons on his armrests and he realized that they must be the key to voting. Each one corresponds to the symbol on a person's seat. Each one representing a conscious decision to send someone else one step closer to death.
The realization sat heavy in his chest like a stone.
'So... we vote with the buttons. And the more votes a person gets, the lower their pedestal drops. How many times must you be voted against before you die?'
He glanced across the ring of thrones. The Eastern man, seated atop the boar-emblazoned chair, was now visibly lower than the others—maybe three or four feet closer to the waiting creatures below. His expression was a mix of confusion and horror as he struggled uselessly against his restraints.
If Kain had to guess, based on the drop from that single vote, ten votes were probably needed to be within reach of the creatures waiting below.
Kain turned back to the buttons. Snake. Wolf. Tiger. Crane. Boar. Owl. Each one representing someone else in this hellish arena.
Who was he supposed to vote for?
Serena—or the 'crane'—was instantly off the table. That wasn't even a consideration. He didn't see any advantage voting for her might bring—and even if there was one, he would prefer to vote for himself than to vote for her.
So that left Cassian, the white-eyed girl, the two Easterners, and the Holy Son.
His first thought went to Cassian. Arrogant. Smug. Entitled. And Kain's biggest competitor during the National Tournament in a few months.
Eliminating him now would greatly increase their chances of winning the National Tournament.
But even if Kain voted for him there was no guarantee he'd die. Not to mention, the National Tournament wasn't so important that Kain would consider betraying his fellow countrymen over foreigners.
Also—unfortunately—Cassian was likely the future king. Making an enemy of him now could be disastrous down the line. Kain had no proof that the votes weren't anonymous. If Cassian survived this trial, and found out Kain had helped push him toward the monsters… well, Kain didn't need that kind of negative attention from someone with a much stronger familial backing than himself.
Same with the white-eyed girl. Kain knew next to nothing about her, nor was she one of the representatives at the previous National Tournament. But Kain could tell that if she'd been elected to come to this relic over the other talented students at First Celestial, then there was more to her than met the eye.
Her solid white eyes gave the impression of someone who knew far more than she let on. Kain didn't want to be on her list of enemies.
So… that left the Easterners and the Holy Son.
But before Kain could think further, the second movement came.
The Holy Son's pedestal dropped.
Twice as far as the first.
Kain blinked, startled. "Two votes?"
The relic's voice confirmed it.
Kain's breath hitched. Now the Holy Son was down two levels.
Then his pedestal dropped again—a full third of the way toward the horrors below.
Four votes in total had been cast now.
Three had gone to the Holy Son at almost the same time.
One to the Eastern man.
And three people had yet to vote—
Kain's chair lurched.
He gasped as his pedestal sank, the motion smooth and almost gentle—but no less terrifying. The creatures below shrieked with renewed hunger, clawing up the edge of his pedestal before being flung away by an invisible force.
He was now level with the Eastern man.
Kain's mouth went dry. Someone had voted for him?
He hadn't antagonized anyone. Had he? He'd kept quiet. He hadn't insulted anyone. Aside from the Serena, he hadn't really interacted with anyone since entering this relic. Compared to the others, he'd kept his head down. Blended in. He thought he'd been… invisible.
'So why me?' he thought. 'Who the hell would target me?'
He looked toward Cassian. Still stiff, but there was no visible signs or shifts in his expression that seemed to indicate he voted for Kain.
Serena, noticing Kain's drop, was looking at him worriedly—he knew there was no chance she'd vote for him.
The two Easterners Kain hadn't seen move, but had assumed they'd vote for the Holy Son.
And the Holy Son? His eyes were still closed.
Three votes deep and nearly a third of the way to death—and he sat like he was sunbathing in a field of wildflowers.
Kain's heart thudded in his chest. Five people had voted. Two hadn't yet. Including him.
'Actually make that one vote remaining…only me'
With a faint whir, the Eastern girl's chair descended a notch. Her eyes widened, face twitching with panic as she realized what was happening.
His finger hovered over the buttons.
'It's either him… or me.' With one vote against him, Kain was technically tied for the second last position. He didn't at all feel comfortable with his position.
He looked at the wolf symbol.
Kain didn't hate him. He wasn't some moral crusader fighting against corruption and had some hatred for the pyramid-like nature of the Western Continent's hierarchical structure.
In fact, Kain had more than a little admiration for the man's calm, unshakeable demeanour. But this wasn't about admiration. Or morality.
And as the saying went—When running for your life, you didn't have to outrun the beasts…
Just the slowest runner.
He pressed the button with the Wolf's emblem.
The Holy Son's pedestal dropped again.
Now fully four levels down.
Three levels lower than Kain, the Eastern man, and the Eastern girl. Alone, at the bottom.
Serena, Cassian, and the white-eyed girl were in the best positions, slightly higher, with no votes against them.
But surprisingly, despite his disadvantageous position, the Holy Son hadn't even flinched.
Not even as the creatures below leapt higher, their claws scrabbling at the base of his pillar.
He still had his eyes closed.
Still had that faint, unreadable smile.
As if he knew something the others didn't.
As if he was waiting for the true trial to begin.