10 Trial (1/2)
A blood red moon cast a sinister reflection on a boundless lake. The lake stretched as far as the eye could see, disappearing into the crystal-clear horizon.
I turned around and saw that I was completely surrounded by water. I was standing on a long wooden pier. Twisted red trunks supported it on either side.
At the end of the pier was a pavilion. Smooth pillars rose up into six points, topped by a sloping terracotta roof. The pillars were joined by a low, ornate guardrail.
A figure sat kneeling at a round table. I felt a tug and started walking over. I looked down and saw that familiar scars marked my hands.
I was in my old body. After spending so long in my new infant body, it felt strange. I walked with an uneasy gait, stumbling every so often.
I reached the pavilion and walked up the shallow steps
”Sit.”
I felt compelled to kneel opposite the figure. A young man with flowing black hair observed me from across the table. His eyes were black, and his pupils were a deep, sickening red.
”Where am I?” I asked.
”You have visited a similar place before.” His voice was so smooth and sweet it was almost sickening. ”You put on my Band of Trial…”
”You made that fucking death trap?!” I interrupted.
”Yes. I'm sorry for that. I needed to test your strength of will. Now you are in my soul space.”
I paused and looked around.
”It doesn't look like his did.”
He laughed, but it sounded insipid.
”You mean that weakling Sirius? Tell me, how dull was it?”
”It was less… red.”
The man sighed and stood up. He turned around and placed his hands on the guardrail, looking out at the lake.
”It's a by-product of my cultivation technique. It wasn't my favourite colour but… I've come to like it.” He turned back around to face me. ”As I'm sure you will too.”
”Are you gonna give me your inheritance or something?”
He gave me an empty smile. His eyes were motionless.
”Something like that. But first, I must test your aptitude.”
He pointed out his finger into empty space and seemed to touch something. His finger sent glowing red ripples towards me.
When they touched my forehead, my consciousness was pulled from my body. I could see myself sitting at the table. I looked at my hands and saw my familiar golden aura.
Thrashing tendrils stretched out of my hands. They had grown stronger than last time and whipped the air around me. The man looked at me, confused.
”That aura… I've never seen it before.” His confusion turned to lust, and he muttered something, but I couldn't hear it.
He seemed to snap out of a trance, and all emotion left his face.
”Good luck!” he called out, but his words were shallow.
Before I could respond, a force shot up into the sky. Aura tendrils streaked behind me as I rocketed up and above the boundless lake.
The world curved beneath me, and the horizon line faded into a red haze. The pavilion shrunk to a pin prick, then disappeared.
The whole world could fit in my field of view now. I kept climbing higher and saw the moon rush past me. It went by in a flash, and I knew I was speeding up. But where was I going?
The world and the moon became two red smudges in the distance, then disappeared. I was floating in empty space. There was nothing around me.
I felt a rush of wind, and my stomach dropped. I was falling through a tunnel towards a light. The light grew as I fell, then flooded my eyes as I emerged.
When my eyes adjusted, I looked around. I was high up in the air above a forest of lush greenery. Great mountains broke the horizon of an unfamiliar world.