The knowledge keeper’s test

Hugo drew in a sharp breath of dewy air and sat bolt upright.

The enormous snake and creepy dark tunnels were gone. He was disoriented and had no idea what was happening.

[Was I teleported somewhere else by the green light?] He wondered while squinting his eyes to get a clearer look at his surroundings.

Hugo realized he was lying on an island of snow with a surface area of a few hundred square meters amidst roiling blue waters. However, he had no recollection of the events that had preceded getting there.

The island was comprised of unending grains of pure white sand that gave the impression that the landmass as a whole was made of snow. Yet, Hugo didn't feel any cold, even in his light waterproof clothing.

[Should be a teleportation formation or something with similar effect. The door seems to have deposited me at another place far from the outskirts of the Dark Forest.] Hugo mused as he rose and started advancing towards the shores of the island.

Beyond the shores lay nothing else but the iridescent neon-blue waters that sparkled in the starlight.

There was no sun in sight, just a blanket of stars in a boundless night sky. The plethora of twinkling stars looming above was pretty enough to kindle the heart of any child of nature. Nevertheless, Hugo didn't stop scrutinizing his surroundings to admire them.

Atypical of him, Hugo was in no mood for stargazing. All he cared about was determining his current circumstances before any unforeseen situations could arise.

Oddly enough, he didn't feel scared but instead intrigued by his state of affairs.

[Were the snakes also teleported here?] He wondered as his eyes continued roaming the breadth of the island. He felt like his strange meeting with the snakes had happened a long time ago, in a dreamy space distinct from his current location.

Hugo couldn't even follow the passage of time as a strange sense of tranquillity coupled with the numbness of remoteness engulfed his entire being. He felt just like he did whenever he thought about Earth during his stay on Gaia.

[Probably, I am in a different space…] He resolved while shaking his head in an attempt to awaken from the dreamy situation.

[But this isn't necessarily a disadvantageous situation. There is always a reward after danger.] He mused while continuing to roam the island. He was still searching for clues to help him unearth the mysteries of the strange island.

He soon came to a stop at a distant corner of the small island.

Before him, was a majestic waterfall that looked like a silk curtain of sky blue velour with edges stitched with white lines, whooshing down. The water seemed to materialize out of thin air before thundering down into the pool below like a torrent from a giant waterspout.

[If there were other creatures and food here, this place would be the ultimate utopia.] Hugo marveled after adjusting to his surroundings.

On cue, as if in response to his musings; glowing mist, very picturesque in juxtaposition with the surrounding snow-white sand grains, materialized some distance away from him.

Hugo couldn't even blink his eyes at that moment because he was awe-struck by what they registered.

Out of the gathering mist, emerged the outline of a woman, young and beautiful. She traversed the snow in great strides. From a distance, she looked otherworldly because wherever she passed, there was more light instead of less.

In the dim glow of the starry sky, she stood out as the brightest light. She wore a robe so white that it made the pristine sand-grains beneath her look dirty.

Hugo stopped his musings and simply froze.

As she came closer, he could see that her hair which formed a strong contrast with her deep green eyes was kohl-black. It plunged over her shoulders in a dark cascade. Her wasp-waisted figure didn't surprise Hugo as much as her olive complexion which shined like burnished gold in the dim starlight.

[If angels exist, she is one of them.] Hugo thought to himself as he saw the seraphic woman stop a few meters away from him.

Her crescent-shaped eyebrows rose slightly as she saw Hugo gawping at her. …And Hugo yelped at the realization that he had been caught. …But apparently, she had taken no offense and her languid eyelashes of velvet-black blinked slowly once as if inviting Hugo over.

[Perhaps,] he wondered, […this isn't an angel but one of the famed aliens from the central continent.]

Hugo's legs went wobbly with fear after contemplating the possibility.

Aladdin had hinted that one of the races of colonialists in the central continent were females possessing otherworldly charm. With a single glance, any mystic below the realm of kingship would have his or her soul enslaved.

"Do not be frightened." The ethereal voice was not conveyed by his ears but sounded directly in his mind. Hugo swallowed, perhaps it was just an illusion since the woman's lips hadn't moved. Even Bundi the owl seemed incapable of this feat.

The angelic woman continued, "I am just one of the avatars of the Omniscient and Omnipotent Gaia."

[Omnopotent Gaia! Is the planetary will interested in me?] Hugo was befuddled.

"But I'm an atheist, are you sure that you got the right person?" Hugo inquired, his hands growing cold and clammy. He was apprehensive.

From Tracy's numerous solemn warnings, Hugo had surmised that getting close to the so-called deities of Gaia had been the genesis of the downfall of many great beings in History.

But he could see no way out of the situation other than humoring the strange woman who labeled herself as Gaia the Omnipotent.

"The All-Loving Gai does not distinguish between the beliefs and factions of either humans or beasts, she only considers their dedication to bettering and protecting their homeland." The angelic voice once again resounded.

"So, why am I here?" Hugo was still filled with doubt.

"You arrived here by your own will! Aren't you here for the test?" The woman replied, her brows creased. Hugo's question seemed to have greatly displeased her.

He instantly felt a chill run down his spine as fresh terror reared up within him. He was sure that if his next response was not to the woman's liking, his doom would follow.

However, he still hesitated. He was never one to cave into his fears. Any decision made under duress was usually a bad one. Thus, the need for caution when dealing with mythical characters like Gaia herself.

"What is this test about? Can I choose to refuse?" Hugo questioned calmly despite the mounting pressure from the woman's aura.

"Gaia's knowledge keeper's test." the woman replied, in a nonchalant tone, after a few seconds of mind-numbing silence. But what was prominently absent was a response to Hugo's second question.