13 The Qi examination

The six turned around to look at the person who called out to Reeva. The six shot up from their seats as they looked at the other person.

"Why the hell are you out already? It's only been three minutes Leo!" Reeva shouted from the top of her lungs believing that something did go wrong in there.

"Sai go in first. We can't hold up the line." Leo ordered Sai as he made his way to the group.

"Okay then." Sai was getting a bit afraid that he wouldn't pass the exam cause they were not from this planet and something went wrong with Leo as well.

"Stop it with the stares and let me tell you what happened peacefully."

"I went into a dark room and there was an officer holding a gem. He told me to hold it in my hands and to calm down while concentrating on the gem in my hand. He inturn started chanting something."

"And?" Reeva probed with visible irritation and impatience towards Leo's breaks in the flow of the story.

"The gem started to shine and cracks started to appear inside it."

"The officer immediately snatched it from my hands and told me to wait outside. That's all."

"What? What were his facial expressions? Did you flunk it?" Aiko poked Leo's shoulder as she sat beside him.

"I don't think I flunked it. But his face seemed..."

"Guys?" The sound came from the entrance to the examination room.

"Yeah?" The group turned around to face the entrance to the room only to see a Sai with a face ready to cry.

"Did you hold the gem in your hands too, Sai? Did it have cracks in it." Leo said casually as he leaned back on the chair, starting to think that everyone might have a similar outcome and if the same gem was reused.

"Yes, I did and yeah, it had cracks in it." Sai sat down right across to Leo with teary eyes. Everyone in the group knew how badly Sai wanted to become an elementor and have powers, I mean who doesn't?

"And the officer told me to let the next one inside after five minutes and not immediately."

"The officer began chanting something and you broke the gem, right?" Leo asked casually as if he knew everything.

"How did you know that!?" Sai yelled out loud alerting everyone in the office, who now shot glares at him.

"Next!" the same officer from before came out with a grim and serious face, glaring at the teens he was informed about.

"Reeva, you should go next. He seems pretty mad though, be careful."

The other six stayed silent as they waited for Reeva to come out in a minute or two as well, and she did come out in a minute just as everyone expected.

"And?" Leo questioned Reeva thinking the same must have happened after witnessing Reeva's facial expressions.

"Not exactly the same happened to me, but something similar to what happened to you. This time there was a big pyramid shape crystal and it did crack a bit when I touched it."

"I guess he brought out a bigger one to avoid damaging more gems. Clint, you next. Go in." Leo called out to Clint who immediately got up and entered the room.

Ian, Aiko and Erina followed Clint one after one and each time they touched it and concentrated on the crystal, it broke as soon as the officer began chanting.

"What now? Did we pass or did we fail? They seemed pretty serious though." Ian was the last to come out and by that time the crystal was half broken.

"I don't know. That officer rushed out just now and took that middle aged man in the counter inside somewhere. Let us just wait for him to come out, then we will ask him." Leo put both his hands on the back of his head and relaxed in the chair, leaning back leisurely, while Sai walked to and fro with hints of tension and stress.

The seven waited around half an hour after which the middle aged man walked briskly towards them.

"Come with me you seven." The middle aged man commanded the seven before he turned around sharply without any more words. Leo was the first to get up and follow him after which the six followed closely behind them.

The seven were led outside where there were thirteen soldiers with spears which had their blades made of Qi. The Qi was white in colour and was shining radiantly. As soon as the seven stepped outside, twelve of the thirteen soldiers pointed their spears at the seven while the thirteenth one stepped towards all the seven and handcuffed them with chains which had weird circles with a hexagon in them.

"You seven are coming with us." The thirteenth man had a badge on the left side of his chest, unlike others, which clearly told the others that he was in charge.

"Umm...Okay. No problem, sure. Let's go guys." Leo looked at the others who weren't that scared for some reason, but were clearly dissatisfied.

The seven were led into a horse pulled cart with an iron cage with the same weird circles inscribed inside them. The seven sat down on either sides of the cart and looked at each other, before they all stared at Leo, who was still pretty calm.

"I got nothing to say. Let's just wait till we know why they are taking us in and where they are taking us." Leo was pretty cooperative to the soldiers and had a calm composure even after being arrested for something they don't know.

"How can you say that Leo? As if everything will just go fine?" Reeva yelled at Leo who was sitting right beside her.

"You got any better idea than being calm and collected right now?" Everyone in the cart diverted their stares from Leo after they heard him.

"If that's a no, then let's go with my plan and just wait for now."