Going back and forward

Despite my progress, the nature and purpose of the final skill eluded me since it didnt have a name. When I tried to activate it, nothing occurred, leaving me puzzled and uncertain of its true potential.

I felt like it was useless, but that didn't matter much. The coolest thing was that I could now have wings. For some inexplicable reason, within a span of five seconds, I went from never having flown in my life to soaring through the sky like a bird. It was a bewildering experience, considering I had never possessed wings before.

Interestingly, the child I encountered earlier also exhibited impressive flying abilities while engaged in combat. Could it be attributed to the blessing? I pondered this as I tested my wings.

Once I got the hang of flying, I felt a newfound sense of safety. Even when I was grounded, I could already outmaneuver the golem with relative ease. Now, with the ability to fly, evading the golem became even simpler. I would ascend to a height that felt secure and remain suspended in the air, out of the golem's reach. From my elevated position, I spotted a distant fire raging in another part of the forest.

Additionally, I discovered that the seemingly black sky wasn't an actual sky but rather a peculiar black substance that proved impenetrable. It acted as an impassable barrier. Curiosity piqued, I decided to fly towards the fire. With my wings, I effortlessly outpaced the golem's pursuit, which had proven challenging for me on the ground.

Finally, upon arriving at the fire...

I come across a child who appeared to be on the verge of death, exhausted from a prolonged battle against the golem. His spirit seemed broken, devoid of any will to continue fighting. Witnessing the golem deliver a crushing blow, I expected to see his lifeless body, but instead, there was nothing. In a sudden turn of events, a flame ignited, and he was miraculously revived. It was a baffling sight, for he showed no signs of injury. However, his eyes betrayed a profound pain, reflecting a desire to embrace the release of death.

Intrigued and perplexed, I consulted the blue screen to gain some understanding. It revealed that only twelve survivors remained in this relentless trial. Reacting swiftly, I descended from the sky with alarming velocity, halting just before reaching the ground. Placing my hand upon the child's head, I uttered the word "absorb." In an instant, his head vanished, and he crumbled to the ground, lifeless. It became clear that his immortality was not due to regeneration, but rather the remarkable ability of the Phoenix Blessing to bring him back from the brink of death.

With this newfound knowledge, I acquired several skills: Flame 3, Fire Array 1, and the fully developed Phoenix Blessing. The revelation of the Phoenix Blessing's true nature shed light on his extraordinary resilience, as well as the burden he bore in the form of unending cycles of death and rebirth.

I then looked back and saw as the immense golem ruthlessly crushed me under its weight, I found myself in a state of complete helplessness. The physical force exerted upon my body was beyond anything I had ever experienced before. It was a bone-crushing, soul-draining sensation that left me on the brink of oblivion. In that moment, I believed I had reached the pinnacle of agony.

However, my journey into darkness was not the end. In the realm between life and death, I caught a glimpse of the majestic phoenix. Her fiery presence conveyed a sense of anger and disapproval for my actions, for I had extinguished the life of her chosen candidate. Yet, she chose not to intervene, allowing me to return to the realm of the living.

As I regained consciousness, I realized that the other golem had moved on, leaving me momentarily safe from its wrath. Overwhelmed by the intensity of my recent experiences, I sought solace in sitting down and reflecting on the profound sequence of events that had unfolded.