Chapter 4: Trial for Power

Alexander and the God stared at each other, Alex was full of fear and the god was not even faced by his presence. There was a silenced and then the god spoked, "Did you hear me, I told you that it is time to begin". Alexander completely ignore what the god said, as he stared at the god's bright golden armor, he said, " Was it your doing? Back in the path, was it you?". The god thought that Alexander was rude since he completely ignore what he said, but still the god knew what Alex was asking. " I have been watching you since the moment you came young boy, but the path is like the first test you must do since it is a defense mechanism to proof that someone is ready to be in my presence". Alexander was in angered, but there was nothing that he could do for it was a god and there was no way that he could afford to be angry at the moment. "So I am worthy?" Alexander asked. The god with certainty he said, " No one is ever worthy". The god then stopped leaning on his hand and grab the corners of his throne and he stood up. Alexander had to look up in order to see the god in the face for it was tall, much taller then anything that he had seen. " You came to my golden palace and you stand before me to be judge and trial to see if you are worthy to hold my power, ridiculous", the god said. Alexander looked at the amazing palace one more time which was full of swords and all kinds of other weapons. It smelled fresh like the air in a vast plain full of trees. In the back of the throne was a flag that looked like a sword and it was inside a circle, it was much like a sigil. Alexander thought that the palace was breathtaking, but he also thought that the god had a big ego for he did not acknowledge him yet, he had not even ask for his name or said his own name. " I know what I am here for , you do not have to tell me again", Alexander said with some fear. The god looked down at Alexander and said, "You learn your place boy, do not talk back to me, a great god".

The god then started to come down the steps of his throne and he had loud metallic footsteps from his heavy armor. He stopped when he was just in front of Alexander, and he looked down again at him, " Let me say this once now boy, so we can safe me some time, no one is worthy to wield my great power and no one will ever be…. That is why their will be no trial… for you are not worthy, you are just a small fragile human that has nothing to offer to me or this world". Alexander looked at the god with green eyes and inside he felt disappointed for he was not even been given the chance to even do the trial. He thought perhaps was because he showed to much fear, and he decided to not back down and stand up for himself. Alexander closed his fist with angered and determination, he then screamed at the god, " Listen you armor freak.. . I do not care who you are or what…. You do not know me and I assure that you have no clue if I am worthy or not…. How can you even know without even having me do a trial… you are not being fair". The god got irritated by the comments of Alexander had made and he said, " Listen you ant…you do not speak to me that way for I demand respect…. And as a matter of fact I do know, I can see it all in your eyes, you only want power for one thing and that is revenge". Alexander never pictured himself in this situation and surely he never expected to be arguing with the god. " Revenge is all the drives you and aside from that nothing that you do will have meaning, that is why you are not worthy, you are a man without a purpose who eyes can only see one thing and that is revenge… that is the most selfish kind of thinking, for if you have power you will only think about yourself and not others", the god added. Alexander could not believe and was denying the things that the god was saying in his head. It was a turmoil in Alex's head because it is true that all he had thought of was about revenge and only that. Deep in his heart however he knew that the god was wrong and he needed that power so that he could become strong.

Before Alexander had the chance to speak his mind, the god open his hand and a large light appeared in his hand which then made a very large silver sword appeared. It had a golden handle and had some sort of rare jewel in the middle that was red. The god closed his hand gripping the sword tightly, as if he had a great angered with in him. " Like I said before, it is time to begin…with your execution boy", said the god . Alexander open his eyes wide open in surprise as the god lifted his sword with both his hands. "Wait", said Alexander with frustration, but the god did not listen, as he lifted his sword with both his arms. In a blink of an eye and with great strength the god swung his sword at Alexander which he barely saw. With all the strength in his body Alexander was barely able to avoid as he quickly dodge by jumping to the right. The swung was so strong that it left crack marks on the marble flooring of the throne room. Alexander who was not wearing any armor just a normal white shirt and some brown worn down pants, felt very unprepared for a fight with a god. "I am surprise that you were able to dodge my attack, you aren't just a normal human aren't you", the god said. Alexander knew he was right because during his childhood he will do a large amount of physical labor and work. For fun he will run around the forest with his friends which in a way made his body stronger. He was faster then a normal person and definitely much stronger. It was something that no one had noticed and yet the god did. This told Alexander that the god had a keen eye for things. " You have to listen to me, please", said Alexander. The god looked at Alexander with a looked that show he was unwilling to listen and he grab his sword again and moved to the right. " I am done listening to someone that has no purpose!", the god said yelling. At that moment the god swung his sword one more time which was way more faster this time and Alexander had to move very quickly to the left. The swing got his shoulder slightly and Alexander started to bleed a good amount of blood. For Alexander the cut felt like a thousand knifes have pierced his shoulder and he thought that he was going to pass out from the pain, but he stayed standing up. The god turn his head towards Alexander and he was amazed at the fact that he was still standing. " Not a lot of people can withstand one of my swings and for that I applaud you", the god said, "regardless you will die here now!", the god added. Alexander was in angered for he was afraid that he was going to fail and die and his journey was going to be over. As the god began to approach him something awoke inside of him. The god then lifted his sword once again and then with an unhuman voice Alexander yelled, "I said stop!". A huge wind blew which was weird since they were inside a room. The god was amazed and surprised, he also had somewhat of fear in him, " What is this feeling", said the god to himself. The god continue to talked to himself and said, " Is this fear… what.. me.. because of the brat!".

The unhuman voice was even a surprised to Alexander and he did not knew what that was. One thing was certain that the voice help him stopped the god. For the god stop moving and he put his huge sword down. Alexander knew that this was his time to speak to the god. " Yes, I do want revenge, but it is more then that", Alexander said. For the first time in all the time they he saw Alexander the god started to listen to him, and he seemed intrigue by him. "it is more than that because I am not just getting revenge for myself… I am getting it for everyone who has suffer in this cruel world of ours that is ruled and oppressed by the demons… what kind of world is that.. where everyone has to grow up in fear". The god was hearing to every word that Alexander was saying and he saw that he was nearing the answered that he was seeking from him. The true purpose of why he wanted power the purpose that Alexander had to follow. Alexander continued to speak, "It is unfair to have a world like that… people should be allow to be free and not be trap in their own factions never getting out and exploring their surroundings… I refused to live in a world like that… a world full of darkness and fear". The god then saw something inside Alexander, a fierce determination. The god then had to ask, " So then boy, what are you going to do about it?". Alexander did not know that answered to the question for he did not know what to do against such an over whelming force like the Demon Empire. He looked deep inside him for that answered and he found it. With a determined looked in his eyes, he looked at the god and said with certainty, " I want to change the world, so that no child or parent will ever fear of anything… so that people can explore the world out of their own volition… I want to free this world from the shackles of evil…I want, peace". The god then sat down in the ground, which made a loud noise and he crossed his legs which Alexander thought was very hard because he had all that armor. Regardless the god started to laugh loudly as he heard what Alexander has said, the god continued to laugh, " Hahahahahaha…. You amused me boy, that is exactly the answered that I was looking for!", the god said.

Alexander was surprised at what the god had said to him because it meant that the god knew the answered all along. " Wait you knew I was going to say that?", asked Alexander who was curious. The god then responded, " Of course I did.. I am a god after all… I knew that you had a purpose, but you did not know what it was, and I can't serve someone who only has revenge in mind". Alexander was slightly annoyed because he realize something, " So the whole purpose of you attacking me and hurting me, was so I will figure out that purpose". The god then answered, " Precisely, you needed to learn what drives you, and what better way to push you than to make you think that your life was about to end,… however, something that I never saw coming was that power you had.. what exactly was that?". Alexander did not know himself what exactly came over him when he used the unhuman voice and he said, " I do not know myself". The god saw that Alexander was confused about what had happen and said, " Never mind that, let's begin the next trial to see if you are truly worthy". Alexander was more confused and he asked, " Wait there is more than one trial. I thought it was one and done". The god then answered, "Boy you had been tested since the moment you enter the gate do you not see,.. the first trial was the path and that was to test your determination, and the second one was to test your conviction… and now this trial is the definitive one, it will also be the last one, and it will determine if you and I form a pact… you need to understand what I am for you to wield my power". Their was some excitement within Alexander as he thought he only needed to do one more thing for him to gain the power of the god he had summon. However, Alexander did not know anything about the god and who it was, he didn't even knew the name of the god. "How do I do that?", asked Alexander in confusion. The god then said, " Well that is the next test boy… to know what I am I will simply give you a riddle and a question and if you answered correctly we will form a pact, but if you answered incorrectly you will die". Regardless of what the god said Alexander knew that he could do it now, and the fear that he had was mostly gone now that he had spoken with the god for a fair amount of time. " I understand", said Alexander. The god who was still sitting down with its legs cross then said, " Very well then, lets begin, the riddle is…

…The horn sounds

Sacrifice follows

The people march

And death comes in knocking

As I live, peace dies …

..Now that you have heard the riddle, I ask this question to you, What am I the god of?". The god then stretch his right arm and again a bright yellow light appeared and he made a sand hourglass appeared. It was huge in size and aside from all the things in the palace that where made of gold, the hourglass happen to be made of wood. The god then said as he turn the hour glass, " You have twenty minutes to answer the question for when the last grain of sand leaves the top glass your life will end". Alexander was angered by the fact that he was not told by the god that their was a time limit for him to answer the riddle, " Wait! What? You did not tell me that their was a time limit", Alex said to the god. " I am telling you now, did I not", said the god, this answered only angered Alexander even more. " You are wasting time boy", said the god, and Alexander knew that he was right and he needed to think quickly for he had a lot of pressure . He calm his angered and he begin to think of the answer. He was deep in thought and he had no clue of what the answer could be.

Meanwhile outside of the gate was the Grand Magician and the other students looking at the closed gate. They were eating and talking around a campfire waiting for Alexander to come out of his trial. Zoran looked at the gate and Emilia noticed this and said, " You are worry about him aren't you?", which to Zoran answered, " Only a little.. I mean we hardly knew him and then we basically push this on him, and I mean look at the gate, its massive". The Grand Magician heard the conversation that they were having and he interrupted them and said, " I am sure that he is doing just find inside the gate". Emilia then asked as he looked at her master, " I mean Master, what kind of god has a gate as big as this one, and how strong could it be" . The Grand Magician looked at Emilia and was wondering of the question and said, " I am not sure, for its been sometime that I had seen a palace gate with all honesty… one thing that I am certain is that I am sure Alexander has his hands full".

Back inside the gate in the throne room was the god looking at Alexander trying to figure out the question to the riddle. Alexander was indeed freaking out as the sand continue to fall from the glass. "What do I do, What do I do, Whaaaat do I doooo", he said to himself. " I need to calm down and think of the answer, alright Alexander you got this", he added as he said this to himself again. Alexander then had the idea of looking around the room to see if there was a clue that will help him answer the riddle from the god. He only saw the large amount of weapons that where in the throne room and the big sword that where the walls themselves. He saw how everything was gold and possibly thought that the god was the god of gold. However, when he remember the riddle it did not make sense in his head. Alexander started to think about the words of the riddle and began to think about what each of the verse meant. " You have ten minutes now", the god said as the sand kept falling down. Alex could not believe how fast time was passing as he kept thinking of the answered to the riddle. He thought of the first verse, "the horn sounds" and Alexander started to think of his own experience when it came to that verse. He then remember that before the attack on his faction he heard a horn, and indeed the people of his faction went on to fight the demons so " sacrifice follows". When he thought of the third verse of the riddle he remember how the army and the demon armies both march before the battle and then death did follow for the demons destroyed everything. As soon as he said the final verse of the riddle, "peace dies, as I live" he started to think of the answered. It was an answered that he knew all too well, for all his life the world had experience it. Alexander was not convince of the answered that he had thought of, and the god then said, " You have five minutes now boy, you might want to hurry". Alexander was now in more pressure, as he kept thinking that his answered was wrong and it could not possibly be that, because it was too much of a coincidence. "It cant possibly be that, there is no way!". Alexander became more convince of his answered as he kept repeating the riddle in his head over and over.

The god noticed that Alexander was frustrated and conflicted, this told him that he knew the answered to the riddle but refused to say it. " Go on boy spit it out, you have two minutes now", the god said to Alexander. Surely Alex was afraid of answering the riddle because their was always the possibility that he could be wrong and he will die. That was what was setting him back the most from telling his answered to the god. " You have fifty seconds now boy, just say the answer", said the god. This made Alexander have more fear and then he looked at the god and said to himself, " Dammit all to hell I'll just say it". He then prep himself to say the answered to the god. He looked at the god with a fierce looked and it had some angered as well. The god then said, " Ten seconds". Then Alexander open his mouth and yelled, "War!!... that is the answer". He answered the question before the last grain of sand hit the bottom. The god looked at Alexander and then he stood up. Now Alexander was looking up at the god waiting for him to say if he was right or wrong. Their was a pause and then the god laugh, "Hahahahaha… I can not believe it boy, the answer that you have given me, only a person that has experience the riddle itself can answer it, and you were truly spot on in that answered". Alexander was filled with relief that the answered was correct and some excitement came as he had passed the trials of the god and now can form a pack with him. Before anything Alexander had to ask the god the question he thought of as soon as he thought of the answer. "So are you the reason….. you are the reason that everything is happening… that death and endless fighting…why?", said Alexander. The god felt insulted by the comments of Alexander and at first he did not want to answered that question. However, the god knew that it was something that he had to tell Alexander, "Believe me boy, I do not start the wars… it is greedy creatures that seek to oppress the weak…. I am only a god that grants power to those who need it in times of war…. I certainly do not want destruction on my mothers very creation". Alexander was surprised at the answer of the god and he did not know what he meant by "mother" at the end. It was something that Alexander wanted to ask the god and he did, " What do you mean mother?". The god avoided to answer that question but he did say, "I can not answered that question young boy". It was something that Alexander eagerly wanted to know, but he felt not ready for the answer that the god would give.

"Enough talk now boy, you have pass the trials that I have placed in front of you, and now I know that you are somewhat worthy of my power, but that will make due". Alexander was overjoyed that he had pass the trials and for the god to say it, made him feel amazing inside. It was truly one of his greatest accomplishments. The god then continued, " The trials that I gave were made specially to test your determination and conviction… because I tell you now if you are trying to change the world you will need those two, for it is a long hard path that you are setting yourself in young boy". Alex started to listen carefully to the god for he thought that it was important that he listens to him. "Now boy, I will make a pact with you and I will help you accomplish your purpose…. You will have my power at your disposal… with that you will have the power to change the world… but also you must treat the world with respect and show care to it… for it is fragile and anything can corrupted…. That is why I choose you so that you will change the world and free it from its corruption and destroyed the plague that has fall upon it". Alexander felt inspired by the words of the god and then he had to ask, " So what are the powers that I will get?". The god gave a quick laugh and said, " You sure are eager boy…. The magic that I wield is called, war magic… and it will give you the power that you need trust me". The god then began to glow and it was a bright yellow light that was very intense. Alexander thought that this was the making of the pact, but instead when the light went away he looked up to see that the god was not there. " Over here", said the god. It was indeed the god with his golden armor, who had in fact shrunk to almost the same size as Alexander, but still the god was fairly tall around six feet and three inches.

"What just happen?", asked Alexander in confusion to the now shrunken god. " I went down from my original form to a more manageable height for you… as I think it is more convenient to do it this way to form the pact". Alexander question the god no further and only wanted to form the pact with him, he was certainly very excited. The god started to walk towards Alexander, and you can still here the metallic footsteps of the god because of his armor. When Alexander saw the god walked, he started to walk as well and he was a little nervous of what will happen. Eventually, in a short time, the god and Alexander face each other and looked at each other. " Now then, it is time for us to form a pact, which is a bond between us and this will help open the first arc of magic… my power is yours to wield… this pact will end if you die you understand me". Alexander then answered the god and said, "Yes of course, I understand… so how do we form the pact?". Then the god with his left hand touched his chest and it began to glow, " I ask now boy what is your name?". Alexander felt this great power running through his body. It even started to burn slightly, but it was a pain that he could handle. Alexander then answered, " My name is Alexander". The god heard the name carefully, for it was a name that he needed to remember for a long time. Then the god said, "I now form a pact with you Alexander…my name is Ares and I am the god of war". Alexander was amazed by what was happening and now he knew his gods name. Ares then said, " Now together we will say the words that you need to say in order to gain my power, this are words that you knew deep inside you". Alexander some how new the answer immediately and at the same time both Alexander and Ares said, "Open first arc!!" . The light became more intense that it was blinding. Alexander closed his eyes.

Outside of the gate the magic circle begin to glow again and the palace door did as well. It was a bright yellow glow and the Grand Magician and the student were amazed by what was happening. " He did it", said Zoran with joy . The palace door then disappear and it created a huge crater in the rock that the camp was in. The students and the Grand Magician looked at the crater and their was Alexander who then open his eyes. Out of him came out a intense dark golden aura that was large in size. It even created a wave that reach all of Eden. Then the light went away and he fell. The students and the Grand Magician went down to the crater in a hurry and they all looked at Alexander. Alexander open his eyes for a moment and said to them, " I did it" and he then went unconscious. Zoran, Robert, Emilia, and even the Grand Magician all felt proud of him. The Grand Magician then said, " Yes you did, now rest boy".

That light that Alexander release was sense by the powers of Eden. To the savage factions in the south and even in the Demon Empire.

Demon Empire Capital Devorus

Year 1000 of Gaia

Not much could be seen, only a room that looked like a palace and a menacing force sitting on the throne of that palace. A shadowy figure came and said, " Lord Vargas, did you sense that?", said the figure. The person sitting on the throne was only a mere dark figure not much of its appearance can be seen. It only open his purple eyes.