Door of comprehension

Gen went through the door and came upon a small hall. Gen looked around and realized that the room only had a reception counter like the ones in the common inns around town. There was an empty chair behind it and a door.

Gen then started to walk towards the counter, and when he reached it, he saw a bell on top of it. He then rang it, and after a few moments, the door began to open. Out of it came a man a little taller than himself who looked to be around thirty. He was unshaven, and his short hair was completely messed up. He approached Gen yawning.

His eyes were black, and they gave Gen a strange feeling as if he was going to fall through them into a bottomless pit, and this caused Gen to look away.

The man then said, "Yawn, Welcome."

Hearing this, Gen thought, 'What's going on? It feels like I've just walked into a real inn. If I hadn't just been through all the stuff that happened to me and wasn't dead tired, maybe I'd think it was all just a weird dream.'

The man, seeing Gen in shock without saying anything, said as he stretched, "Yawn, it's always the same with you outsiders. You come in here, you look like you've never seen a table in your life, and you spend half an hour without saying anything. You came here to do the challenge, right?"

Gen then woke up from shock and said, "Yes, this is the ruin of the sands, right?"

"No, this is a bar, and the challenge I was talking about is who drinks the most cactus liquor in thirty minutes."

"What? What do you mean by cactus liquor?"

"You don't know it? Have they stopped making it outside?"

"Well, I've never seen it in any bar that I've visited, but maybe in specialty stores you can get it -hang on, that doesn't matter, isn't this the ruin of the sands?"

The man then said, "No."

"Damn, you mean I went to all this trouble to get to the wrong place?"

"Probably not, yawn."

"What do you mean?"

"This is probably the place you were looking for. It's just that every time someone comes in here, they ask for a different name, like 'Sanctuary of the Gods', 'Heavenly Challenge', or 'Path of Truth'. It's one name stranger than the other. At least yours has sand in the name since we're in the desert, and make no mistake, it's not a good name. It's just not weird, which is a plus."

Gen then said, a bit blushing, "So what should I call this place?"

"The door of comprehension."

"The door of comprehension? Hmpf, you were badmouthing the other names, but this one is no big deal either."

"Well, at least it points directly to the essence of this place."

"What do you mean? Are you saying that the essence here is the essence of comprehension?"

"Of course. Not. Are you dumb? It's always the same thing. I can't speak the word essence, that you guys from outside always think of the essences of the world."

Gen blushed again and asked, "What is the essence here then?"

"It's the -, no, calm down, Dehji, there's no need to be rude. He's just dumb. Not everyone is born intelligent."

"Ahem!"

"Ah! I'm sorry. Ignore what I'm saying. It's nonsense from the past. Now, about your question, I can't tell you."

Hearing this, Gen asked, "Why?"

"because the point of this place is for you to understand the essence for yourself. If I tell you what the essence of this place is, you'll probably start looking for it everywhere, and you'll end up losing your focus on what matters."

"That's right, it doesn't make sense if I don't understand the essence by myself. How dumb I am."

"Indeed."

"huh?!"

"Ahem! Well, before I take you to the ordeal, let me see what your level is."

The man then picked up a paper that was generated in the air and then began to read.

"Hmmm, an ok time. Activated fourteen beasts, I've seen better. Did eighty-one damage. Wow, that's the highest I've ever seen."

Gen then said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Well, everything seems to be right. What's your name?"

"Gen."

"Ok, mine is Dehji, nice to meet you. Well, now all that's left is the signature, if you could press your thumb here, please.", Gen then pressed on the indicated spot and felt a prick on his finger.

A little blood came out of his finger and marked his fingerprint on the paper. Gen then asked, "Ouch. What's that for?"

"Oh, relax. It's just to keep a record of the people who come through here and to say that you are aware that you may die in the middle of the ordeal, and you agree to the risks."

"What?!"

"Yeah, tell me about it. It's obvious that the people who come here know that they are putting their lives at risk. This is something that some guys decided to put in place to avoid 'unnecessary deaths'."

Gen was speechless, and then Dehji said, "Ah, I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, it's not like you're going to die, like all the others before you. I feel something in you that is different from the others. What's the word again? Ah, stupidity! No, wait, that's not the word. What was it again? Stench? No, that wasn't it either."

Gen was perplexed as he watched Dehji ramble on and didn't know if he felt angry or not until he heard him speak, "Ah! I remembered. Determination."

Gen was surprised to see that the word he wanted to remember was not an insult, and soon after, Dehji continued, "It is very easy for me to perceive these things through people's eyes. Some had ambition in their gaze, others had surprise, but in yours, I can see determination. It's the first time I've seen it, especially strong like this. Why did you decide to come here?"

Gen was about to answer, but before he could, Dehji spoke before him, "Actually, come with me. I'll show you around, and you can tell me why on the way.", Dehji then left the counter at the side, and went towards a door, that appeared out of nowhere, before Gen could answer him.

Gen then thought, 'This guy ...', and then heard Dehji speak, "What, you're not coming?"

Gen then went toward him, and seeing this, Dehji opened the door and walked through. Gen came right behind him, and then the door closed.

Gen then looked around and could not see anything. The place was so dark that it seemed that nothing existed around him besides Dehji, who, for some reason, was perfectly visible.

Dehji then said, "Let's go.", and then started walking, and Gen followed him for fear of getting lost.

Dehji then asked him, "Well, back to the subject before, why did you come here?"

"It was to get my essence back."

"Get your essence back?"

"Yes.".

Gen then began to tell him the same story he had told Darren and Andre.

When he finished listening to everything, Dehji said, "So after hearing this mysterious man in the bar, you decided to leave your hometown and come out here in the desert?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, interesting. I don't know if you are dumb or brave. I, for one, would never follow the advice of a stranger I met in a bar. He might as well have just been drunk and told you any random story, hahaha!"

Gen frowned at this but then thought, 'Well, he has a point.'

Dehji then continued, "That's a good story you've told me, but now you can tell me the real reason you're here."

"That's the reason."

"No, it's not. I told you, I saw the determination in your eyes, and at no time did I see it while you were telling me this story. That's not the reason you came here."

Gen then said, "What do you mean, it wasn't for this reason? Everything I've told you so far happened for real. Why would I lie to you? The only thing I want is ...", Gen then suddenly paused, and his eyes began to change color, from their previous sand color to a solid golden color.

He then looked in Dehji's direction and said, "The only thing I want is ... to save my brother!"

Dehji then said, "Now we're talking. Tell me more."