Trials of Ea

A month has passed since Iman resolved himself to rebuild his family's legacy. The group have been traveling towards Rola's home, the Dark Elf Village, in order to create a staging ground where they will be protected from the other nations in the Eastern Continent. With the war against Sarisova still ongoing despite the overwhelming forces facing the nation, Iman and his party have made it across the continent unnoticed.

"We're here."

Rola's statement brought immense feelings of relief and satisfaction among the group.

Suddenly, Alaria unsheathed her blade and pointed it to the nearby forest ahead of them. Iman sensed it too. Killing intent. The forest ahead was bathed in it.

"Rola, your people, are they welcoming to newcomers?" Iman whispered.

"Yeah, generally. I see officials from the nearby nations come here for diplomatic meetings all the time."

"How about towards the descendant of the family that suppressed them for ages." Iman finally pointed out the issue.

"Oh. Well, shit."

A massive cloud of arrows launched from the trees, all of them being directed towards Iman.

"Death to the demon spawn! Kill the Sun-Singer!" The elves were furious.

"Sun-Singer? That's a new one." Iman thought to himself.

Alaria dashed to Iman and sliced all the arrows in one quick move. Meanwhile, Iman began chanting a spell.

"Fall, O Blaze!"

The clouds in the sky dissipated and the sun began shining brightly. Answering to Iman's call, fire began to rain down on the trees, burning them down.

"Iman stop! You'll burn the whole forest down!" Rola shouted.

"Does it look like I care? They fired first." Iman was cold.

"Gusted Arrow!"

Rola shot an arrow empowered by wind magic, putting out all the fire in the forest.

"You have made the difference in power known Iman, it's time to stop." Rola appeared angry.

"Fine, fine. You win."

The orange glow of Iman's eyes that signal he is using his powers dissipated.

"I am Rola of Clan Fel, heed my call! The man to my side is not your enemy, but your friend!"

"Prince. Step away from that demon at once less you fall prey to his corruption." a dark elf shouted from the now charred tree line.

"Did you literally not hear what I just said?"

"My Prince, step aside. Now." The elves were not going to budge.

"Iman, we came here to make allies, what do we do now?" Elizar was hiding behind Alaria, whimpering in fear.

"We use diplomacy. Lower your weapons. We will follow Rola's lead and do this 'peacefully'," replied Iman.

"I am Iman, son of Andraos and the rightful heir to the Eastern throne. I come here seeking aid from those I have been informed are allies. Please take me to the village head so I can discuss the circumstances that brought us here." Iman spoke proudly and confidently, showing absolutely no fear.

The eyes of the elves held more emotions than simply resentment. The elves were clearly afraid of Iman. They were not angry at the being that suppressed their life and culture, but were rather terrified by it. So terrified, many soldiers were shaking at the mere sight of Iman. Soldiers that had seen active combat and war had their confidence crumble before a mere boy. Questions ran through his head. Why is the Ra so feared? What had happened all those years ago?

Rola's confusion was cut short by the arrival of the village leader, Fel Jula.

"Father! Please meet with Iman, he needs to speak with you immediately!" Rola exclaimed.'

"Take Rola to the palace. Take the rest to the dungeons." Jula completely ignored Rola.

Iman knew that fighting back was not in his best interest. He signaled to Alaria to drop her weapon. She shot a glare at Iman, then complied reluctantly. Elizar was still hiding behind Alaria.

As Iman and his two companions were taken to the dungeon, Iman was taken aback by the beauty of the elven village. It could hardly be called a village, being more akin to a city. Massive trees were lined with huts and houses as well as large fortified bridges that connected various branches. The bridges held many archers who kept their bows ready to fire at Iman and his party at any moment.

"Rola, I thank you for getting us this far. I will try to handle the rest." Iman whispered to Rola.

Iman, Alaria, and Elizar were tossed into a dungeon. Iman desperately tried to reason with their guards, but to no avail. After a little while of one sided diplomacy, Iman gave up and sat on the floor and laid back against the wall next to Alaria and across from Elizar. Silence crept into the cell.

"So...how did you do it?" Elizar whispered to Iman, desperate to break the silence and genuinely curious.

"Do what?" Iman responded.

"Revive Alaria, how did you do it? Could you do it again?" Elizar inquired.

"Elizar. I am not saying this to be rude, but don't you think that if I could, I would? It takes over a decade to store the mana necessary to perform the Rising Sun Ritual. If I could save everyone in the world, I would. Yeah, that's a nice dream. I wish I could save everybody." Iman spoke with a glint of sadness in his eyes.

"Iman. Although our early interactions were far from friendly, over the month we've traveled, you have shown me a whole new side to life. Before I was stingy, arrogant, and irritable, but you changed me. You were gentle, kind, and diligent. Not just that, but you're strong. Strong in ways I could never be." Elizar spoke softly.

Alaria then spoke up.

"Your mother's death was not your fault. It was not your weakness nor your carelessness. I know it hurts still, but this is the path you have chosen. The path of a god amongst man. Loneliness, pain, and suffering are only natural. You have the power to achieve what you desire. You want to save everyone? Then do it. Only you would have the power to do so."

Iman looked at Alaria, who met his eyes in full. Iman felt conflicted over his feelings of what Alaria had just said.

"Is this the path I have decided to take? One of loneliness?" Iman's thoughts began to shake the resolve he had created for himself.

Iman's train of thought was interrupted by a loud bang at the bars to his jail cell. Elven soldiers began unlocking the door and grabbed Iman. They put a sack over his head to blind him and began taking him to a unknown location. Iman, although confused, decided to keep quiet and not voice his opposition.

They pulled the sack over his head to a chamber full of fog. They proceeded to kick him into it and lock the door behind him. A loud voice then boomed through the room.

"The village priestess has determined your sentence. You will go through the Trials of Ea, the Goddess of Truth and the patron goddess of the Dark Elves. Ea once suffered countless different torturing methods in order to complete her goal of freeing the Dark Elves from being held as slaves by the High Elves. She now oversees the Trials of Ea to determine who truly believes in their words. In other words, this is a test of your resolve and how much you believe in yourself and your abilities. Failure means a fate worse than death. This trial will push you in a way you have never experienced before. It could be physical. It could be mental. It could be both. You will now begin."

The room began to shake and the fog began to lift. Around him, however, was not the room he was once in. Instead, he saw a bright and mighty city. A massive tower laid in the center of the city. The tower was siphoning the power of the sun and spreading it to the city so that even in the blackest night, the city still shines as if it's day. Lamps and torches lined streets, houses, and stores. In the pitch of night, people were still out and about, talking and meeting with friends, eating food at restaurants, and having fun. No burglars. No murderers. No danger in the night.

"Where is this place? What are you showing me?" Iman shouted.

"The Past. The Could-Have-Been Present. The Should-Have-Been Future." A woman's voice echoed through Iman's head.

Iman examined his surroundings and soon realized where he was. He was in the old capital city of the Eastern Continent, Rasalon. The woman's voice began again.

"Your trial will begin here. In order to secure your future, you must first face the past. If you identify where your ancestors fail, you will have passed the first trial. You may now begin."

Iman remembered the memories his mother, Aliya, recalled of her time serving the Ra. He knew exactly where to start his search for an answer. He turned around and faced a massive tower at the center of the city. It was feeding solar magic to the entire city so they could light up the city. It was the royal place of the Ra, the Suntower.