Chapter 0049 - The Second Test

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Cheng Yu, just like his brother, had been blessed with the body of a Qilinkin. Thanks to Wu Hai, he had been shown an existence that was incredible, he had even experienced growth in his new form. Being stuck as a drunk in a tent, he slowly forgot about the life he had after meeting Wu Hai and in his Trial, he had returned to his Human body.

He and his twin brother roamed the land day in and day out.

One day, looking up at the sky he wanted to fly, to know what it was to fly and truly know freedom. Somehow he felt like he belonged there, not crushing his way through a Desert or scrounging for food in a Forest.

Cheng Yu looked at his brother with a longing that was undeniable. "Brother, this is wrong. I don't feel like this is the life I'm suppose to live. We know greater freedom than this!" It was infuriating, he knew something was off but he couldn't remember how things were different, how they were before.

Shouting at the top of his lungs, Cheng Yu circulated his energy and didn't find it. Jumping up and down, he could only go so far. For him, there was no place he would rather be.

Continuing to yell, Yu knew something was wrong, "I WILL NOT ACCEPT ... THIS!" With a crushing strength, he planted his feet and leapt into the air again, and again.

His motivation clear, he was not going to give up. Cheng Yu wanted to fly, he jumped until he lost all of his strength and passed out.

After losing consciousness in the dream, he found himself at the doorway in front of the Bastet Monk. Cheng Yu asked, "That was ..difficult. How is my brother?" Asking in a kinder tone, Yu seemed to have grown a bit inside, his eyes darted around the room, he wasn't sure if things were right, moving his wings, it all came flooding back to him.

"Ask him yourself, He has already gone into the next passage. For beings that were once Human, you have an intense sense of familial drive. Temper it well." The Monk pointed to the next passage and Yu took the stepped forward, ready for the path ahead. Regardless of what was to come, he would be determined to live his own life.

He would stand beside his brother no matter the situation.

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Being locked inside the tribal grounds while not picking herbs, Khan Ni was mostly at peace.

She had been lousing around her Family home and had gone through her daily routine over and over. The nostalgia and memories of the outside world had quickly lost their luster, fading into the recesses of her mind. Unaware of what she was missing, she continued on.. for a time.

After a few months of dry grains and a bland life, Khan Ni was itching for an adventure or anything other than the regular trip to the gardens and herb fields. The slow life was not just uneventful for Khan Ni, it was dull.

It was the middle of the Night, the forest was alive with noises. In the distance, a lone wolf howled in the mountains calling for its friends as it passed into the trees. The Pack was hunting.

Above it, in the distance, a giant, lumbering and fat Duck was struggling in the air. Somehow she felt drawn to it and she started to sprint to the gates of the Village. The Duck was only visible for a moment before it slipped out of her vision behind the trees.

"Let me pass, I must.. Let me go!" Trying to pass through the guards that stood watch at the gates, she tried to use force. The guards grabbed her and pulled her back, "Ugh!, This won't stand!" Khan Ni was thrown down to the ground, her escape had been stopped.

Running to seek her Mother and find out why they wouldn't allow her to leave, she felt panicked. Something was off and she knew it, "Mother, I saw a pretty duck. I want to go check it out, please let me!" She acted cute, to see if it would work. As a Child, Khan Ni had an easy time manipulating her parents into action and she was hoping for the same thing to happen again.

Sighing heavily, her mother gave in, "Child, return before morning. I will go with you to the gates, don't cause a scene."

Putting down her attitude and frustrations, Khan Ni walked with her Mother.

When the guards finally opened the gates, Khan Ni looked at her Mother, smiled to her Father in the distance and ran at her fastest into the Treeline.

She wasn't coming back.

Khan Ni knew she had to find that Duck, it was what she needed, what was driving her every fiber at this moment. Rushing so fast that she actually slipped and fell from a tree, Khan Ni desperately searched for the belly of that giant and rather fat Duck.

Panic stricken, she fell face first into a pile of muck. Khan Ni's face streamed with tears and she didn't know why. Looking back up, she kept trying to find the Duck. The first Sun had already set and twilight was fading. Wiping the muck from her face, she climbed a tree to look for anything that marked the Duck's path.

A loud thudding noise could be heard in the distance.

A kid with long hair and two other men tied some animals to a tree and slipped into a cave.

The Duck was there, she could go up and take it, free it and ride to safety.

The dark belly of the duck was bulbous, it had a few swirls of neon bluish-black that danced on it's green feathers. It was a handsome bird but it was very fat and didn't seem to appreciate anything she was doing. Feeling a gust from behind, someone's presence, she blacked out and woke in front of the Bastet Monk.

"Well done, it is not difficult to seek fate but it is greatly different someone chooses to return to the fate they've traversed." The Tower's Monk spirit spoke with a gentle tone, "Your next path awaits.." Pointing to the wall, Morning Dew directed Khan Ni on her way, she lifted her feet and took the first step, then the second.

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It didn't take long, everyone finished at different times. The time it had taken the first test to finish was actually very short. All the events flowed by in a matter of minutes, the tests were designed to be enticing and would only end upon commitment.

"Determination was just the first exam. A pretense for this next evaluation, you simply need to place your hands on the globe. Fate being accepted, your choices make you the people you are. Justly judging such a reaction is merely a representation of prospective, sometimes even Evil will do a deed of good to accomplish it's goals. The end result being good for the Evil but bad for those who interfere." The Monks voice rang out as if over a loudspeaker in the tiny room above. The noise echoed, vibrated and strained the ears of the group.

A ghostly image of Morning Dew's body appeared in the room, it took half a second for him to become somewhat solid, he pointed, "Now place your hands on the globe and let it be shown how you choose." He stared directly at Wu Hai, "There is nothing to fear."

Ending his sentence, silence filled the room and breathing could be heard in the space.

Wu Hai had waited the longest, it did give him time to go over his inventory a bit.

The whole group walked up to their respective globes and placed their hands on them. Bright flashes crossed the surfaces and each lit up with a respective image.

Wu Hai had a scene of a climbing world of conflict, commanding heroes and clashing titans. The scenes continued and showed a white room. Many people were suffering in a forest because of the plains to the east, a great flash. The image faded.

Cheng Yu and Cheng Mu ultimately gave their lives in the images for the sake of another, bringing them both to tears. Cheng Yu gave his life for a little girl and Mu for the Girls Mother. The enemies were defeated and the women safe, kneeling as they mourned. The Image faded beneath their hands. The Brothers looked at each other, they both had some hard truths to face.

Khan Ni's globe was filled darkness, a raging fire and a crushing wave that washed a forest bare. Then, a dim image of a tiny girl, herself, crying, alone among the dead. There was a scar on her arm, and grief on her face. The image faded, tears filled her eyes, she tried holding them back.

Morning Dew watched the scenes as they played out and then announced the result. "Your second test has been completed, there was no failing. It was an assessment of ones inner heart, it only showed an inner reflection, distorted yet ideal. These Images are not a foretelling of your futures but what is in your hearts, it gives you the chance to witness your inner most thoughts without reservation. While they might not be true event, there are truths you must eventually face."