God’s Cube

As the weeks went by, the group fell into the rhythm of the Academy's lifestyle. Augusto continued to shine at physical training. His natural athleticism combined with red enhancements made him one of the best performers in their year, and soon he started to gain the attention of the instructors.

“You know you can’t beat the Blue Cube by throwing fists at it right?” 

Amina teased one morning as they finished yet another morning session. Augusto grinned, running a hand through his sweat-drenched hair. 

"If I train hard enoughI could, but I’m not planning on challenging the Blue Cube anytime soon, if ever.”

One evening, as himself, Amina and Vasko sat in the court overlooking the sea, Thesi asked a question that had been bothering him for weeks.

“You ever just ask yourselves what’s the point? Why do we chase the Cubes so much? You know, Augusto made me think. What’s the point in a Second Cube, it’s not like our lives will be bad once we leave this environment, we’re still Cube survivors after all.”

Truthfully, Thesi knew such thoughts were fruitless for him, he would be attempting to become an Ater, he still couldn't control his body's unnatural eagerness to attempt the trials. Amina turned a thoughtful face toward him. 

"I think about it often, but it is for the greater good of my family. We’re not a huge nation, but we have control over a vast territory. I don’t want them to feel at risk. A non-Violet Mixed in their ranks would be a powerful deterrent.”

Vasko added to that as well. "It is not a question of right or wrong, Thesi, it's one of choice. We chose this path the moment we survived our first Cube. Now, it's time to see it through."

Thesi nodded, he knew that just like him they were both certain of their choice, but a part of him hoped that springing doubt into their mind would stop them from going through with it. He could sense his hypocrisy, but he didn’t want his friends risking their lives once more. It was a feeling he was still getting used to, until very recently he couldn’t feel much sadness for others, but what Augusto called empathy slowly started creeping up on him as time went by.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, the shades of gold Thesi grew accustomed to seeing shining through the horizon. Thesi made a silent promise to himself. He would do whatever it took to survive, no matter what happened. He would live, not just for himself, but for his friends as well, he started to understand Augusto after all these years. 

The first month of classes at the Mediterranean Academy came and went without much noise. With some of the introductory courses over, new classes were added to the mix. Today, Survival Strategies, one of these new classes added in welcomed them into the afternoon. It was taught by Professor Kallos, a Violet who attempted the Red Cube as his second one, and the results showed. His face showed the scars of the latter, his left arm seemingly entirely mechanical, was there even much of a point in being enhanced if those were the scars you brought back?

“Surviving a Cube, it is not only a question of how strong you are. It's a question of how smart you are. The Cubes don't play fair. They test you in ways you can't predict, so you need to be ready for anything. I assume most of you have experienced that somewhat, but for those that wish to go through with a second trial, it will be far, far worse, I would know.”

Professor Kallos stopped talking and raised his left arm, showing it to all the students.

"Today we're going to talk about strategy, how to approach a second trial of the Cube, how to keep your head in a place where fear will try to break you, and how to work with the limited resources you'll have inside, if any…”

Looking over at Augusto, he seemed to concentrate on the teacher's words. Thesi knew that regardless of what he said a week ago, a potential second Cube attempt was on his mind, he knew him too well. 

"... You might think strength is enough, but strength will only take you so far. Inside the Cube, you  won’t know what you’ll face. People have reported facing creatures, puzzles, traps, and sometimes even your own mind. The most dangerous opponent is the one you never see coming."

A shudder ran through Thesi, that had indeed been the case for him. He thought back to the child running over to him in the forest, and re-lived that moment vividly for the first time since entering the Academy. Amina sat next to Thesi, she was furiously writing notes. She had been intrigued by the Yellow Cube since their arrival at the Academy, and hoped to gain some insight on how to approach it in this class. Vasko, on the other hand, looked unbothered, it didn’t come as much of a surprise, but Thesi felt that inside he was probably running multiple laps around the words their professor spoke, to understand them to the core.

As the class went by, Thesi felt more and more distant, the professor’s words having brought him back to that day a few months ago.

His next class was called Cube Studies, a theoretical course where students would learn about history, mechanics, and evolution about the Cubes. Professor Elara was leading this course, a Blue, and one of the leading academics on this subject in the European Union. As her bright eyes scanned the room, she started introducing them to the more basic, yet abstract, concepts behind Cube theory.

“The Cubes are not just physical or mental challenges that lead to a starightforward boost in power." 

She explained. 

"They are transformative experiences. They reshape those who enter them, sometimes physically, sometimes mentally and often both, regardless they touch upon your very being, your soul for those that believe in it. Each Cube has its own essence, its own way of changing the person who faces it. Red challenges your body, Blue challenges your mind, Yellow your humanity. A select number of Modern theorists see the Cubes as objects sent in to hasten humanities evolution, selection processes determining who had the writing to benefit from this.”

Thesi’s grip on his pen loosened, he had heard about that theory before. It seemed absurd to him that a race would sacrifice such a large portion of humanity to develop them quicker. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more he saw himself and his childhood. Wasn’t this after all what his Tamer did to him? The idea that that man had been playing by the intended rules of the Cubes scared him.

As his mind flick back to the class, he heard Elara's voice continuing its explanation, her tone remaining level. 

"The changes in the Cubes can be subtle or explosive, but they always leave their mark. For this reason, the Academy insists on preparation time. If you wish to go through with it, you should be prepared in every aspect possible, both on your knowledge of the Cubes, but also of yourselves. The Cubes learn after putting you through the first Trial, and they will know who you are when you come for the second.”

Vasko raised his hand. Elara nudged him on to speak.

"What happens after a second Cube? Do the transformations become more pronounced?"

Elara's eyes lit up with the question. 

"Ah, good point. Yes, actually, they are. Those few who survive into more than one Cube often undergo deeper changes, both physical and mental. You can see it with some of my colleagues, it is more evident that they’ve gone through more than one challenge. Each Cube builds upon the last, reshaping the survivor anew. This is why there are so few people who even try to take on two Cubes. The toll taken on body and mind alike is immense.”

Thesi felt a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck. Was his change moe pronounced? Was it easier to spot that he was a Violet? Would the Academy find out? However useless, these questions still ran through his mind. He didn’t want to be found out, he didn’t want to complicate his goal, yet he also knew these thoughts to be unfounded. Afterall, they hadn’t found out anything just by looking at him, he’d just have to keep up with his self control during physical training.

He glanced at Augusto, what would be his friend's reaction if he found out? Would he feel scared? Betrayed? That question tormented him, but he couldn’t get himself to actually tell Augusto, not these last 5 years, not now.