Chapitre 1: The beginning.
Wade watched in disbelief. All around him, hundreds of people huddled in silent weeping in the shadows. The pitiful wailing of women and children made his heart feel like it was going to break into a thousand pieces.
While passers-by, skeptical and somewhat annoyed by the presence of these people around them, tried to take the metro at a fast pace, as if they didn't want to spend another minute in this place.
The more tenacious ones decided to ignore their embarrassment and, moved by hunger and the rumbling in their stomachs, decided to approach the ordinary passers-by in the hope of getting some food, to live another day.
It was a pitiful and heartbreaking sight, but the strangest thing about it all was that each of these pitiful people wore an ethereal glow on their chest, from them light electrical discharges, though harmless, exploded wildly, as if they were accumulating energy about to explode at any moment.
This strange phenomenon is called the tribulation curse, and it usually affects thousands of people every week. This curse did not give them any disability, nor did it make them dangerous. You may ask, if it does not affect them in any negative way, why are they in such a pitiful state?
The answer is that people affected by this curse are forced to take an enigmatic test that will put their lives at risk, and in which they will most likely be forced to do inhuman things, with the only hope of getting out of it alive.
These tests are initiated once a person is exposed to the open air, and for this reason the infected are rushed to a safe place, indoors.
Since the arrival of this curse, the government created thousands of shelters where they fed the affected people. The problem is that these shelters were full in a very short time, so the most unfortunate had to take public places like the underground, and live on the alms of the most supportive people.
The good thing about the trials is that every time someone passes this test, they are blessed and their bodies receive an evolution which will make them stand out with extraordinary abilities, above the rest of the mortals. The bad thing is that these people are usually different after going through the trauma of the tribulations.
And in case they lose their lives in these trials, their bodies are transformed into extremely powerful and evil beasts that destroy everything in their path. There are many rumors that the people who fail have their consciousness still active while the beasts control their bodies and witness helplessly all the atrocities the beast does while controlling their mutated body.
Others say that their soul is transported to purgatory where it takes the place of a demon and there they suffer until the end of time.
There are many such legends, but what is certain is that the tribulations are not for everyone, and so the vast majority decide to lock themselves away for fear of taking the trials, some even starve to death from the terror of it.
"It's got to be a fucking nightmare, it's got to be... it's got to be!"
Wade's gaze stopped briefly on his friend, his eyes were lost, tears streaming down, while the underside of his lips trembled uncontrollably. In his chest, the curse was present with its strange flashes.
Seeing the curse on his friend, Wade checked his chest, the same gleam came off his chest.
With a look full of regret he replied, "Sorry Kalen, that's the way it's going to be from now on." What hurt him the most was not being the bearer of the curse, what made him feel regret was the state his friend was in right now.
Kalen was his only friend for as long as he could remember, he used to be one who faced life with a big smile on his face, which helped Wade to keep going again and again, something that was not easy at all as they both had a life full of obstacles
Since they were very young they both lived on the streets, they struggled to survive and sometimes they didn't even have enough to eat, every day was a challenge and every day they lived with the shadow of death blowing on the back of their necks.
However, they were both happy, there was something different about them and that was that both money and the little luxuries they could afford when they were lucky did not matter to them in the slightest. What filled them with life was the fact of living in extreme situations, the adrenaline and the feeling that they might not be able to get out of a situation safely made their lives meaningful.
Because of this, their whole lives were filled with danger, both of them doing crazy things beyond common comprehension, and earning enough money to keep them alive. This is why Wade felt a pang in his chest every time he saw his friend.
There was no longer even a shadow of the strange joy his friend had, and he couldn't understand why. They had both lived so long, put themselves in danger in so many ways. Yet he was trembling - just this?
Beside him, Kalen had sat down under the shadows as he hugged both legs, his lost gaze turned towards infinity. Seeing this, Wade moved closer, resting his hand on his shoulder.
"Kalen, we can take the test. We can still fight!" He said, in a last-ditch attempt to win his friend back. Instead, Kalen met him with a look full of fear, and his body trembled again.
"No... no, no" He denied repeatedly, "They will take my body, they will force me to hurt the people I love!"
Hearing these words made his heart ache even more. He could not understand why someone like his friend, who liked to fight face to face with death, would be afraid of tribulation.
With a slight sigh, Wade gave up on urging him on for too long, but it was clear that his friend was no longer there. "Sorry Kalen, I'm no longer willing to stand by and watch it all fall apart."
He lowered a small backpack from his back and threw it over his friend's legs. "I'll take the evidence, and I'll bring you more food when I get back, I promise."
Saying this, he walked away from his friend, there was no point in staying any longer, the longer he dragged the situation out, the harder it would be to leave him. On his way to the stairs to exit the underground, he heard his best friend's shout which caught his attention.
"Wade... I'm sorry." After saying this, the tears fell again, as his body huddled around the backpack.
"I'm sorry too..." Wade whispered, then grabbed the ladder, and pressed a small red button that was just outside the underground exit.
"My name is Wade Langister of the Westminster Shelter, and I'll take tribulation."
Due to the large number of infected, it was impossible to have an agent in each of the shelters, so thousands of buttons like these were installed throughout the cities, with the purpose of alerting the authorities every time one took the test. This will give them time to send someone in the event of a test failure and finish off the beasts before it happens.
Only a few seconds later, a red light flashed on the button and a mysterious voice came out of it. "Understood Mr. Wade, we will send an attendant to collect your remnant shortly. In the meantime, let me ask you, do you know about the tribulation?"s
Hearing this, even though the voice on the other side could not see him, Wade shrugged and replied. "Yes."
The knowledge about the tribulations was public, in the hope of decreasing the risk of death in them, so Wade knew quite a lot about them.
"Excellent! Fortunately we have a free agent near your area.You can take the tribulation anytime... Good luck!"
Hearing this, Wade let out a small smile, he was surprised at the coldness and monotony with which this was proceeding. "Thank you" He whispered, then took a step forward standing outside, with no roof over his head, and looked up at the sky.
The day was beautiful. It was clear and not a cloud covered his gaze. The radiant sun lit up the streets of the city, which were bustling from side to side.
Yet, to Wade's eyes, everything was dark. Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him. In an instant. However, a huge bolt of lightning shot from the sky and struck him directly, startling those who had not yet noticed.
Chaos reigned, passers-by jumped in fright and many began to flee the area amidst frightened, and choked screams. Others quickly called the authorities, flooding the offices handling the phone calls.
This revealed one thing: A Tribulation had begun.
As soon as the lightning struck, Wade's body disappeared, and a small white orb of ethereal-looking flames was floating in its place.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone