CHAPTER 97: The River of Reflection

Chapter 97: The River of Reflection

There were many more hours of walking through the inky black tunnel carved into the base of an enormous tree. The walls were unmarked, yet they seemed to emit a hard-asiring greenish light, as if the trees of the jungle had consciousness. Natasha and Alison slowly crept in the corridor, and the sound of their feet barely reached our ears.

"I get a feeling like we are being led," Natasha said, closing her fingers around the glowing surface. "It's almost... alive."

Alison nodded his head affirmatively and held his axe firmly. 'It should be fine as long as it does not want to make us its lunch". I'm done with surprises."

The walls rose higher, as did the level of luminosity of the light. Soon they were in a large cavern that left them struck and spellbound.

A great subterranean stream ran unhindered across the sward, and its waters seemed to give out a silver sheen. The sheer made the cave quite bright as it had icicle-shaped crystals on the higher part of the ceiling, falling right on the river's surface to provide different intricate designs on the walls.

Central to the river, there was an island, and on the island there was a stand, and in the stand was something that looked like a glowing ball. The orb glowed dimly and emitted warmth and light at the same time.

"That has to be important," said Natasha in amazement. Hajráért hajót terveztünk, amely után legendához mérhetetlenül hasonlóan fest.

Alison narrowed his eyes. "It's never that easy. What's the catch?"

In return, the deep voice from the trials of the warriors resounded in the cavern. "The Trial of Reflection: To cross the river is to engage that which one is most afraid of knowing. Only then can you claim the Orb of Clarity. This is seen as, now, only then can you take the Orb of Clarity.

Natasha and Alison looked at each other nervously.

Natasha and Alison looked at one another somewhat suspiciously.

"Truths we fear most?" It looked like Natasha spoke to the man, but her voice was hardly audible.

Alison sighed. "Great. Another mind game. Let's get this over with."

As soon as the two of them approached the riverbank, this water began to glow. Thus two bridges of light appeared for him and her, one for each, laying from the shore to the island.

"We have to go alone," Natasha said the last thing that they were telling the other in terms of it being beyond tenderness and devotion, but in terms of convincing her of the absolute necessity of what they had just planned.

"Figures," Alison muttered. "Stay sharp."

They each stepped onto their respective bridges, the light beneath their feet again 'solid' but with an infrared heat to it. And as they moved, the cavern receded and was replaced by visions that seemed real enough to be an existence of dreams.

---

Natasha's Trial

Through Natasha's eyes, she was suddenly in a familiar place, the room she grew up in, her childhood bedroom. The walls were covered with rather wearisome-looking huge posters, and the air had a sort of lavender-like scent. Lying on the bed was a replica of her, but a couple of years younger; she had a journal in her hand and was staring out the window.

"What is this?" Natasha said in hushed tones, her sorrow rising as she saw that.

The younger Natasha then turned to face her; she had tears in her eyes. "You abandoned everything you ever wanted," she gave me a look, and I could hear the tears in her voice. Thus, you gave up: you froze from fear and allowed doubt to creep into your mind. They all thought it was internalized, and you told yourself you were not good enough.

Natasha's throat tightened. "That's not true. I'm here now, aren't I? There is nothing to it really."

"But you do not believe in yourself." Switching into English, the younger Natasha walked up to the window. "You are still anxious about trials, and you're always cowing yourself that one day you will be failing your expectations of those who believe in you."

Natasha clenched her fists. "I've made mistakes, yes. But I've learned from them. I am not that tenderhearted girl anymore. I'm stronger now."

Natasha's features filled with hatred never existed before the younger, smiling Natasha dissolved into ashes. "Prove it."

The vision broke off, and Natasha realized where she was—the bridge of Trill. Taking a breath more to convince herself fully, she did not change pace and kept moving forward.

---

Alison's Trial

Finally, Alison wakes up and feels himself in the middle of the battlefield with smoke and noises of the dying and actually the feeling of being an amputated man. He thought he knew the setting at once—

It was the day he lost his squad, the day everything changed, were the words that were used.

"Alison," a voice said, and he turned around to meet his former commander, a man he admired more than anyone he knew.

"Why are you here?" Perhaps, Alison asked, his voice sounding hoarse.

This is when the commander approaches, his look deadly serious. "You abandoned us. You made the call, and we are the ones that had to pay for it."

Alison's jaw tightened. All I needed to do was to survive, and I did what was necessary for me to do. I wish I could've made it; I, um, if I hadn't, none of us would have survived."

"And yet, you still carry the guilt," the commander blurted out. Looking at you now, I can see that you can't let it go, can you? You think it was your fault."

Alison looked away, feeling a pain in the chest. "I... I didn't want it to end like that, being caught at wrong with my pants down, as it were. I did everything I could."

The commander nodded. "Then forgive yourself. Realize that in choosing the best you, you were all you could do under the circumstances.

The sight of the battlefield disengaged, and Alison was now on the bridge. He let out a deep breath, weighed less than he had in years, and moved forward.

---

Two arrived right on the island indomitably at the same time. The luminous ball, which was placed on the pedestal, became brighter when they were close enough.

"We made it," Natasha said, with no sweating or quivering in her voice. "We faced our truths."

Alison nodded. "Let's finish this."

All of them stretched out their hands and touched the orb at the same time. The second their fingers touched it, the cave exploded in light. The river slowly evaporated, the crystals faded away, and the underlying structure of the cavern was replaced with plain light; they eventually emerged in the middle of a great open meadow under the warm sun.

Far from the ground, there was a huge temple, towering formations into the sky. The treacle quest, which was to get to the Heart of the Jungle, was possible soon.

Natasha and Alison glanced at each other with the air of best friends ever ready to conquer the world together.

He opened his eyes to see Natasha's hard look and an assurance that we were close.

Alison smirked. "Let's make it count."