CHAPTER 30 - Third and Last Trial of the Goddess

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After passing the first and second trials of the goddess, Arty knew that she will have to wait for the next call for the other trial as she walked back and returned to the inn where she was staying with the freedom fighting group and Lord Dark-grip.

She was a little relieved that only a short time has gone by when she went through the goddess' trials and the others didn't notice or think much about it when she was absent and gone from her trip. Even though it was a short time, Arty felt like she has been gone for a week and she was completely exhausted from it.

By the time she got to her room while trying to maintain a calm and strong composure so that the others wouldn't see how tiredly haggard she was, she collapsed straight to her bed without changing her clothes and then went to sleep instantly.

She hoped that by the next days, she will be having the free time to have her break but also prepare herself for the next trial given out from the Trinity Goddess. And it turns out just that, much to her relief and relaxation.

After another three days of her free time to have a break, and also practice and train herself to be ready, Arty sensed the call again from the goddess through her dreams and then knew that the time has come for her to undergo the next trials laid out and given from the goddess.

This time, the scenery she was being shown to was a place that there was a thick misty fog in the area and she could slightly see a landmark to where that place is, that is a leafless slightly gnarled old tree that looked like it's about to tilt and fall over to the side but it's still standing.

After she had seen that, Arty knew that it won't be long for her to find that place after she had woken up from her dreams and then prepared herself again to set out and go there to take the goddess' next trials to be tested on.

Arteria Blaze breathed in and out deeply as she is preparing herself for the last trial about to be given out from the Trinity Goddess after she gave notice to Lord Dark-grip and the others again that she's leaving for another short trip, and then she sets off to go there with her sword weapon at the ready and a small bag that has some snacks, bottle of water and a few stuff inside it.

It wasn't long for Arty to find the exact spot of the place that she had seen from the dreams sent from the goddess, and she seemed a bit nervous to go through and enter into the misty fog with the gnarled tree beside it like it's some sort of ominous sign to her.

But then Arty knew that she'll have to go through this next trial and pass it so that she'll prove herself worthy to wield the magical weapon, so she took a deep breath again and bravely went into the fog and was prepared and ready to face whatever it is that she'll be facing.

When she went into the deep misty fog, she almost shivered slightly in fright that the fog seemed to darken a little from its grayness colors like the day is turning into night time already. Arty felt a little afraid about this but she still maintained a brave front to face off whatever that might come at her or something that she might come up to.

It was about a split-second later that she had encountered something but it was nothing that she seemed to have expected. For before her very eyes, parts of the fog seemed to swirl together to form some kind of image or shape and it wasn't long until it becomes clear and Arty was nearly staring at it with shocked wide eyes.

To her very sight before her, she sees the imagery of herself but in a frozen scene in a pictured image that shows her of being burnt alive tied to a stake with an angry mob gathered around her for some reason. Arty couldn't figure out why she's being shown this but then it didn't take long for her to figure this out and realize it instantly.

Once again, Arty realized that the third trial, the next and last one being laid out from the goddess is that it is a test for the spirit, meaning this trial will test her of the inner strength of her body and the mind of her very soul.

As if to give the approving answer to the question in her mind, the fog swirled again, erasing the imagery scene she had seen and shown her the next one.

This time it shows her another scene of herself being old and feebly weak and looked like that she had returned to her former home-world but has grown old to show how long has it been she had spent in the fantasy world she's now in.

Arty frowned at this and knew that she'll have to just watch and accept whatever images she is seeing and she will not break down upon seeing them. And that's what she did.

It was almost a few hours later that the fog kept showing her heart-breaking and nerve-wracking images and scenes of herself being played out in horrifying and terrifying scenarios of different ways and kinds, and Arty kept up her courage and brave front on facing and seeing them all until they stopped.

Once everything was done and the goddess seemed to approve of her courage both in mind and spirit upon seeing those scenes, the fog seemed to lighten and show Arty the way out which she quickly moved to do so, to leave the area almost hurriedly.

Arty couldn't help but let out a slightly loud sigh of relief as she got out from the thick misty fog that she had come from after she had gone through and finished the third and last trial of the goddess. She never thought that she would feel this exhausted and tired again after that ordeal, but then she felt a little excited over what will happen next and when she will be sensing the call again to find the magical weapon and wield it.

She knew that she shouldn't be this excited and anxious about it since the Trinity Goddess showed her another sign before she left the fog, that she still needed to be tested whether she has truly proven herself worthy to wield the Fiery Blade. Arty wonders what's in store for her in the future and thinking deeply whether she should be prepared to face whatever it is that will come at her at the final stages to become the future heroine of the story.

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