RISE FROM THE VOID

Chapter 3. THE TRIAL

The girl's name was Mira. She clutched a torn photograph,family faces fading under her trembling fingers.

"They said I stole medicine for my brother."

 Her voice cracked. 

"I just wanted to help him."

Veyra pressed water into her hands. 

"Everyone up there is dead to you now. Accept it or die."

Xander's bracers pulsed warm against his skin. Wrong. The past wasn't dead. It was fuel.

"Can she forge a Remnant?"

 Xander asked.

"Maybe. First, we take her to the Council."

 Veyra moved to the entrance.

 "They decide if she joins or..."

"Or what?"

Veyra didn't answer.

They climbed a mountain of compressed vehicles. At the summit, Xander saw it,a massive cargo ship half-buried in the Void's wall. The Rust Haven. Platforms jutted from broken windows. Rope bridges connected wreckage to trash mountains. Firelight flickered inside.

"Home." 

Veyra said.

They crossed a chain-link bridge. Below, chemical sludge glowed yellow. Guards met them,a man with a crystallized smoke arm, a woman with electric gauntlets.

"Fresh meat?"

 The man nodded at Xander.

"Already forged. Combat manifestation."

The woman's eyes narrowed. 

"On day one? That's rare."

Inside the ship, Exiles moved through corridors. Everyone had Remnants,bows of light, frozen water shields, shadow whips. They stared at Xander. Measuring. Judging.

The bridge held seven people around a scrap metal table. The Council.

An older man with a scarred face and Remnant staff stood.

 "I'm Garreth. Report, Veyra."

"Two arrivals. This one forged in combat,adaptive bracers. The other's still processing."

A silver-haired woman leaned forward. 

"Forged in combat? Without understanding the cost?"

"There was a wraith." 

Xander said.

 "I didn't have…"

"We know what wraiths are, boy." 

Garreth's staff glowed. 

"Down here, the Council decides who stays and who doesn't. Not everyone can handle the Void."

A younger man twirled a Remnant dagger.

 "Some people break. Become liabilities. We need to know you're worth it."

"I survived the fall. Forged a Remnant. Rescued Mira." 

Xander's voice hardened.

 "What more do you want?"

"Loyalty. Obedience." 

Garreth pointed his staff at Xander's chest. 

"You want revenge. That fire will keep you alive or kill you. We need proof you can control it."

The silver-haired woman raised her hand.

 "I'm Seris. Tell me,what did you think when you forged your Remnant?"

Xander's throat tightened.

 "My mentor. Harlan. He was murdered. I was framed."

"And the bracers?"

"Harlan taught me to fix things. Copper wire was his favorite. He said it remembers, holds heat..." 

Xander's voice cracked. 

"Now it's all I have left."

Seris nodded.

 "A Remnant of transformation. Most forge weapons of destruction. Yours adapts."

 She glanced at Garreth.

 "He could be useful."

"Or dangerous."

 Garreth circled.

 "Adaptive Remnants are unstable. They evolve, sometimes consume their wielders. Can you control it?"

The bracers rippled.

 "Yes."

"Prove it." 

Garreth slammed his staff down.

 "Trial by combat. You fight one of our hunters. Survive, and you're an Exile."

"I just got here! I'm injured…"

"Then fight harder."

 The younger man stood, dagger gleaming. 

"I volunteer. I'm Kael."

Veyra stepped forward.

 "He needs rest, training…"

"He needs to prove himself."

 Garreth's staff glowed brighter.

 "We vote. All in favor?"

Four hands rose.

"Four to two. The arena. One hour."

The Council left. Veyra gripped Xander's shoulder. 

"Kael's been down here for two years. His Remnant is bonded to speed and precision. You're slow, injured, untrained."

"So I'm dead.

"Probably. But if you survive, you'll have their respect."

 She paused at the door. 

"And respect is the only currency that matters."

Alone, Xander stared at his bracers. The wire shifted, flowing like water.

One hour to master a weapon born from grief.

One hour before Kael's blade found his throat.

He closed his eyes, thinking of Harlan's workshop. Steady hands teaching him to see value in broken things.

The bracers blazed with light.

Something inside them answered,not Harlan's voice, but an echo. A memory given form.

"Everything can be fixed, boy. Even you."

An hour later, Xander stood in the arena,a cargo hold cleared of debris, walls scarred by Remnant combat. Exiles packed the observation platforms above. Fifty pairs of eyes watching. Judging.

Kael entered from the opposite door, spinning his dagger. 

"Nothing personal, fresh meat. Just business."

"Xander. My name is Xander."

"It won't matter when you're dead." 

Kael's Remnant pulsed,the dagger multiplied, became three, five, seven blades orbiting his hands like satellites.

Garreth's voice boomed.

 "First blood or submission. No killing unless absolutely necessary. Begin!"

Kael moved.

One second he was twenty feet away. The next, he was inside Xander's guard, daggers slashing. Xander threw himself backward, felt a blade kiss his cheek. Blood welled hot.

The Exiles roared approval.

Kael pressed forward, daggers weaving patterns of light. Xander's bracers responded,wire unspooled, forming a shield. Kael's blades sparked against it, testing, probing.

"Not bad." 

Kael admitted. 

"But defense won't save you."

He feinted left, struck right. A dagger punched through Xander's wire shield, scraped against his ribs. The old wound reopened. Pain exploded white-hot.

Xander stumbled. Kael's boot caught him in the chest. He crashed backward, hit the wall. The bracers flickered, wire losing cohesion.

"Yield." 

Kael said, daggers at Xander's throat.

 "You fought well for fresh meat."

Xander's vision swam. Blood soaked his bandages. Every breath was fire.

He thought of Harlan, dead on the floor.

The masked killer, walking free.

Celestara, gleaming and untouchable.

‘No.’

The bracers erupted.

Wire shot forward, not as a weapon but as dozens of thin strands. They wrapped around Kael's daggers, his wrists and his arms. Kael's eyes widened.

"What…"

Xander twisted. The wire yanked Kael off balance. He hit the ground hard, daggers skittering across metal.

Xander stood over him, wire forming a blade at Kael's throat.

Silence.

Then Garreth laughed,deep and genuine. 

"First blood goes to the fresh meat! Well fought, both of you."

Xander's wire retracted. He offered Kael his hand.

Kael stared at it for a long moment. Then took it, letting Xander pull him up.

"Welcome to the Exiles."

 Kael said quietly.

 "You just earned something most don't get on day one."

"What's that?"

"A chance."

The Exiles cheered. Veyra caught Xander's eye from the observation deck, nodded once.

Garreth descended into the arena. 

"You've proven yourself, Xander. You're one of us now." 

His expression turned serious.

 "But understand,we're not here to help you get revenge. We're here to survive. To find a way out of t

his hell."

"I understand."

"Good."

 Garreth turned to leave, then paused. 

"Oh, and Xander? Tomorrow, you join the hunt. We've tracked a Broodmother to the eastern ravines. Veteran wraith, birth-giver to dozens of lesser ones. Kill it, and you'll truly be an Exile."

Xander's blood ran cold.

 "Broodmother?"

Garreth's smile was all teeth.

 "Welcome to the Void, boy. The real test starts now."