Figure In Black Gown

White vision turns dark as soon as he enters the gateway. He pauses and looks around confirming that can't see anything he continues walking on the path.

"Was this supposed to happen…" he thought.

…

Sounds of steps resounded on a silent desolate land.

The land on the Other Side was vast, spanning as far as one eye could see, tall grey mountains stood; piercing the dim sky and strange air filled the world. The land was desolate, the earth was on the verge of drying up and no living things could be seen and the trees were only left with few branches along with some wilted leaves.

Looking at the world before them, the participant got a wired sensation, almost like a dangerous foreboding.

More sounds of steps could heard as more people suddenly appeared from empty space, when they stepped into the lands the space they emerged out of rippled and disappeared into thin air.

This phenomenon happened throughout the desolate world, as thousands of participants appeared out of thin air in different parts of the world.

On a certain location.

Some participants White was familiar with, appear one by one.

There was Frez, the cloaked figure with him, the redhead with a spear, and the girl with emerald eyes who appeared on the land.

The orphans and villagers appear along with Little Chief and all the people who enter the dark gateway also appear. But the people didn't get the chance to observe the scene before they heard a loud familiar voice.

"Big Brother—!" 

"!@!"

Airi being herself; as she stepped out she didn't just look at her surroundings, instead, she tried to feel White's robes but couldn't, then she realized he was missing.

"Ahh!? Where is he?" she shouted hurriedly, looking around in question.

Young Ju beside her, who hadn't calmed down from the shock was frightened by her.

"Airi?" she called out in confusion.

"He's not here Ju! Big Brother is not her!" Airi panik sicken, hastily said.

It was only at this time that she noticed, White was not here and nowhere to be seen!

"What? But everyone else is here!" Hurriedly looking around Young Ju noticed most of the people she saw before were here.

Upon overhearing their conversation, Luu and Ru came running asking for the information.

"Airi what happened? Didn't White enter the gateway with you?" Luu hurriedly asks, deep concern flashing in her eyes.

Airi simply nodded, her eyes which seemed to be filled with positivity and happiness were dark and teary. She had a light frown on her face too.

She was in a panicked state and all of them knew this mode of hers.

But unlike Airi and Luu, both Young Ju and Ru had some level of calmness.

"Airi don't worry, White not being here doesn't mean anything bad happened to him instead, he likely appeared someplace that is not here." Ru at this time displayed her calm and excellent deducing skills.

Luu and Ju seemed to come to a realization and nodded in agreement.

"He's weak but still dares to come? He got what he deserved," said Leiju who stood just behind Little Chief. 

Although the voice was weak, it still reached Airi's ears. And at the next moment, the environment seemed to turn slightly strange. Her dark eyes shifted in his direction, giving him a dangerous look.

"You don't want your mouth anymore?"

A voice as cold as a thousand-year-old ice resounded from her mouth,

Young Ju couldn't help but take a step back, Luu, Ru shocked and the Little Chief turned his head with a slight frown.

No one would believe that a weak-looking girl who was always happy and cheerful could utter such words with such eyes.

Leiju was frozen and could not utter a single word, he looked at the gloomy eyes staring at him and shuddered in trepidation. No one talked, especially the people who knew Airi with her strange temperament, knowing this girl was not to be messed with sometimes.

The village chief didn't name her a genius of swordsmanship for nothing, she could accomplish what she had just said! 

The environment was tense for moments, even the outsider near them had moved far away.

Airi slowly retracted her dark gaze and looked at the place beside her silently. There was only silence in the area for some time until someone broke it,

The Little Chief also retracted his gaze and turned to the twenty to thirty people left of their village and said: "We can't stay in this palace for too long or we wouldn't have the advantage in collecting these prime seeds. Anyone who wants to follow me can come, we will all try to clear this trial together, as the other people would be doing the same," he prepared to set off.

Most people decided to follow him, while some went their way with friends they made before.

One has to know that most people here are mortal and like them, they have zero experience and knowledge, they would end up partying with anyone to complete the trial without harm.

"Airi, listened to me ok? We should go together, I am sure we'll find White on the way," said Luu worriedly.

Airi remained seated and shook her head. She has expressed her unwillingness to go and wait here.

Seeing this, Luu and Ru got a headache, they were trying to convince her to go with them but to no avail.

But knowing Young Ju would be staying with her they felt assured, dangerous or not, they had to go and search for the prime seeds, a lot depended on them becoming a master, and couldn't give up on the trial.

They didn't want to leave Airi but knowing this place was relatively safe and could meet up there again, they decided to go with the group with only slight worries.

"Sigh," Young Ju sighed watching their shadow disappear. She turned to the seated girl and thought, 'Where could he be!?'

…

In a strange dark place.

White was looking at the place where he had ended up in muted silence. He doesn't who he had offended in this life for him to end up in such places. Before, he was walking the dark path alone and after almost an hour, the path started to light up eventually reaching the exit. 

Exiting he had ended up in a place he hadn't expected.

In front of him, the vast sky was covered with gloomy clouds, and below on the ground was a vast plane that held up a pitch-black monument that was as large as a mountain and height almost reaching the skies. It was like the fortress of death with its extremely intimidating look.

But that was not the most horrible thing he had seen today, because behind that black monument were innumerable ancient coffins floating, forming a structure like a wall that kept emitting an ominous aura that would scare even demons and ghosts.

The world was desolate and seemed to bleed from the aura these things emitted.

White stood I wonder, but was not looking at all these abnormalities, instead, his glaze was solemn and was fixated on the gigantic stairs that ascended to the peak of the black monument. There, existed a throne, and on it seated a figure of a person!

White looked up in horror and confusion, the other figure on the throne also seemed to be looking at him.

White could vaguely see that the figure on the throne was wearing a black gown adorned by unknown material, the figure's face was covered by a black veil curtaining down from her elegant headdress; making up a visage of a mysterious figure.

The world was quiet at the moment, even ghosts and demons didn't dare to make any noise. 

The person didn't speak, not believing the scene in front.

One mortal and one mysterious figure look at each other in strangeness.

As time passed, White suddenly clasped his hands and bowed slightly, saying, "This young one greet great master,"

Although his voice was small it travelled to the figure clearly. Its veiled head moves slightly as though it is still in her confusion.

"Who are you?" a cold yet ethereal voice travels to White's ears. 

He instantly identified the figure as a woman and obviously not any ordinary one. 

"Great master, this little one name is White, a participant in the trial of a master." 

White couldn't remain nonchalant anymore, in front of such a figure that could crush him and his circumstance. He took a step back and showed a very respectful expression.

The woman on the throne remained silent for some time saying,

"Participants in the trial?!" the woman on the throne murmured and asked the most important question that even confused her, "Then how are you here?"

White knew this question was coming, he couldn't help but rethink his answer but couldn't come up with anything! "Great master, this little one honestly has no idea. I only entered the gateway to the Other Side, but the moment I exited, I ended up here." he decided to be honest and continue,

"If possible, could great master point me in the direction of the second trial, I will be on my way and won't disturb you anymore."

The woman this time didn't respond or move, making White uncertain of his future. On this vast dead land, he was alone. There was nothing but some old remnant skeletons and old weapons scattered on the earth.

This place was definitely not a place a mortal like him could visit.

 'Fu*k! Who the heck actually sent me to this place?'