UNMEI: Pantheon’s Game

They descended the hill slowly, the cliffside fading behind them as they stepped back into the wild open land. The air was fresh, carrying the distant sound of flowing rivers and creatures moving in the sky above. 

They didn't speak much, each of them still caught in the memory of the golden whale, their thoughts wandering in different directions.

After a while, Dune broke the silence.

"Cadogan," he said, glancing at the man walking just ahead. "How did you awaken your Zeten?"

Cadogan didn't answer immediately. He slowed down, then stopped, turning to face them with a more serious expression than usual.

"I didn't know this before," Dune went on. "But I've heard now… you don't have to go hunt for your Zeten animal like you do with Neba. It… just appears inside you?"

Cadogan's eyes narrowed slightly. His piercing blue gaze shifted from Dune to the others, as if deciding how much to say.

"You're right," he said at last. "That's how it works. For Neba, you need to hunt, defeat the beast, and take its core. That's how you gain power from it."

He paused, folding his arms.

"But Zeten is different. It's not something you find out there. It's something that's born within you. You don't get to choose when it happens. Sometimes it awakens in your sleep. Sometimes during battle. Sometimes when you're close to death. It's unpredictable."

The boys listened closely, the light breeze brushing through their hair.

"But when it does awaken," Cadogan continued, his voice firm, "you'll have no choice but to push forward. You'll be tested again and again, forced to climb higher, to keep moving. Because if you stop, if you fall too far behind… your own Zeten will replace you."

"What do you mean… replace you?" Ned asked, his eyes wide.

Cadogan glanced at him. "I mean it will take control. It'll become you. And you'll disappear."

Atlas swallowed hard. "I didn't know that…"

Cadogan turned his gaze to him. "Yours is purple, Atlas. That's a slow one. Might take years before your Zeten beast wakes up. But when it does, you'll feel it."

He looked at Ned. "You've already awakened yours"

Then he turned to Dune. "And you…" he said, more thoughtfully. "You could awaken it at any moment. Maybe today. Maybe next year. Maybe next week. There's no warning. But once it starts… everything changes."

Dune nodded slowly, the weight of those words settling in his chest.

"Alright… then how do you grow it?" he asked. 

"How do you upgrade your Zeten?"

Cadogan raised an eyebrow, seeming impressed. "Good question."

"When your Zeten awakens, it'll start giving you orders. You'll feel them, commands in your mind, like instinct. You don't get to choose them, and you can't always ignore them."

"What happens if you ignore them?" Ned asked.

"There are penalties," Cadogan said simply. "And the punishment depends on how hard or easy the task is. The more you refuse, the more it fights against you. But when you follow its orders, when you succeed, you grow. You evolve."

He paused.

"And sometimes… if the Zeten sees you're ready, it'll give you something. Maybe even a new ability. A rare extension of your own power. But only if you push yourself."

"That's why people fear Zetens… and why many would rather see them gone.

Their tasks aren't noble, they're twisted and cruel. Some force you to kill, to destroy, to commit sins far worse than you can imagine."

"Sure, you can refuse… but the penalties are brutal. And the more you resist, the more of yourself you lose. So in the end… most have no choice but to accept them."

The group went quiet again, each one of them lost in thought.

Dune looked down at his hands. So there's Zeten inside me… waiting to awaken. Something that could take over if I'm not strong enough to face it.

A small chill ran down his spine, but he didn't feel afraid. If anything, he felt more determined.

Ned, still looking thoughtful, finally asked, "And what about Neba?"

Cadogan's expression changed the moment the word left his mouth. His jaw tightened slightly, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

"Neba," he said quietly, "is far more complicated."

He stopped walking, turning to face them fully. The breeze caught the edge of his cloak, and for a moment, the air itself seemed to hold its breath.

"As we know, unlike Zeten, Neba is something you take by force. It's power stolen from others, beasts, monsters… and more. But just having a core isn't enough. If you want to truly grow in Neba… you must go through the Trials."

"Trials?" Dune asked, his brow furrowed.

Cadogan nodded. "There are seven in total. Each trial pushes you past a limit you didn't know you had. Most people never even pass the first. And as far as we know, in all of Sanatria, only three people ever made it to the fifth."

He paused, then added, "None have reached the sixth or seventh."

The boys exchanged uneasy glances.

"Who were the ones that made it to five?" Atlas asked.

"Only three people from Sanatria: Soul's Mirror, Cassius Ceresey who is the right hand of Aramir. And king Aramir himself."

That name made all of them go silent.

Cadogan continued, voice low and firm. "Cassius and Aramir both pushed themselves through five of the seven Trials. That means they've each reached Purple Neba, the highest known level. Green… Yellow… Orange… Red… Blue… and finally Purple."

Dune swallowed, his mind spinning. "And… what happens after Purple?"

"No one knows," Cadogan said simply. "No one's ever seen what lies beyond it. But whatever comes next… it must be terrifying. Powerful beyond reason. Dangerous beyond logic."

He looked off toward the horizon, voice quieting.

"Some believe the sixth trial changes you forever. That it breaks the mind. Maybe even the soul. I think that's why neither Aramir nor Cassius has dared to attempt it."

"Even they're scared?" Ned asked.

Cadogan gave a faint smile. "They're not scared of dying. They're scared of what they might become if they survive it."

A long silence followed, only broken by the distant cry of a skybeast overhead.

Dune looked down at the ground, then up at the open sky once again. His mind felt full. The world was so much larger than he'd thought. So much more dangerous… and far more beautiful than he ever imagined.

And he hadn't even scratched the surface yet.

Atlas opened his mouth, ready to ask another question, but Cadogan raised a hand, stopping him before he could speak.

"That's enough for now," he said calmly. "You'll get the rest of your answers soon."

Atlas frowned. "But—"

"I know you're curious. And that's good. But if I keep explaining things now, I might just confuse you more than help you."

He turned, beginning to walk again, his boots crunching gently against the soft earth.

"You'll learn more once you reach the BloodRose Academy," he added over his shoulder. "They'll teach you everything properly there. The theory. The rules. The history. And more importantly… you'll experience it yourself. That's when it'll start to make sense."

The boys exchanged looks but said nothing. It was clear Cadogan wasn't just brushing them off, he was serious. There was too much to explain all at once, and some lessons needed to be lived, not told.

They had been walking for hours. The trail had turned flatter, and the sun was beginning to dip behind the hills, casting long shadows across the glowing grass.

Ned quietly shuffled up beside Dune, his face pale and stiff, his steps slightly awkward.

"Hey… Dune," he whispered, glancing nervously at Cadogan ahead.

Dune looked over, curious. "What's up?"

Ned leaned in closer. "I… I need to take a dump."

Dune blinked, his face still neutral, but his lips twitched at the edges. "Seriously?"

"I've been holding it in for the last 5 hours," Ned muttered. "My stomach is &@£$€%, If I move too fast, it's over."

Dune tried to keep a straight face. He looked away, biting down a smile. Atlas turned back, sensing something. "What's going on?"

"He's about to shit himself," Dune said calmly, though his eyes were clearly amused.

Ned hissed, "Don't say it like that!"

Cadogan called from the front, not even glancing back. "Few more hours till night, we stop when we reach that mountain." 

"I can't walk like this!" Ned whined, "Dune, go tell Cadogan to stop." 

"Tell him by yourself!"

Cadogan finally slowed, glancing over his shoulder with a faint grin. "You want us to stop? Why?" 

"You know why!" Ned shot him a glance. 

Cadogan laughed softly. "Alright, alright. But, do you know that…. There's actually a technique for that."

Dune's eyebrows lifted. Atlas leaned forward with interest.

Cadogan smirked. "It was created by an old weirdo named Dandy, a very… unique gentleman. He came up with a Neba technique that burns all the waste inside your body before it ever leaves. No more toilet breaks. No more peeing behind trees. Everything gets vaporized and converted into raw Neba."

Dune and Atlas stared, wide-eyed.

"You're telling me," Atlas said, "you can turn crap… into combat power?"

"Oh yes," Cadogan nodded. "And if you really master it, you can even release it as a Neba attack."

Dune looked amazed. "Wait… like a shit blast?"

"Well, technically yes," Cadogan said with a grin. "It's just a small Neba attack. But be warned. It smells horrible. Dandy once used it in a tournament and cleared out the entire arena. Judges ran out. His opponent surrendered before the attack even landed."

Ned groaned and covered his face. "This is a nightmare…"

But Atlas's eyes were shining. "That man… was a genius."

"That's actually useful," Dune agreed, holding back another laugh.

Cadogan shook his head, laughing now himself. 

Ned sighed dramatically. "Fine… this is so funny, but until I learn this legendary technique, can we please stop for just five minutes?"

Cadogan gave in with a laugh. "Alright, alright. Five minutes. But if you're not back in time, we leave you behind."

Ned didn't even reply. He was already sprinting toward the nearest bush like his life depended on it.

Dune and Atlas watched him go, still laughing.