Child of War

[Welcome to Babel, Challenger Kaleb]

As I heard the whisper in my ears, the world around me began to shift and assemble itself, like scattered fragments coming together to form a complete picture. Before me, twelve doors appeared. Eleven closed, and one opened.

All of them seemingly identical, their surface smooth and polished. Just below the peephole, a small golden plate was affixed, but each with a different name written on it. 

The difference between the doors were the knobs, some had a keyhole in it, while others didn't.

[Pick your challenge, Kaleb]

Twelve doors, within a dark space, it's really as in the game.

This is the area where you choose your challenges in the tower, each of these doors will give you a different challenge within a specific floor inside the tower. 

Each door represents a different floor, as well a different entity that takes care of the Trials that you face. Twelve doors, for twelve different beings. However, seven doors are completely locked, because they are already conquered.

Which means someone already walked inside these doors, and completed all the Trials within it. Conquering the tower and gaining complete control over anything related to that floor.

Only with permission of the Conqueror someone is able to walk those doors and face its Trials. With this system noble families and organizations were created and kept the power of the Conquerors to themselves.

The other five doors are unconquered paths, meaning that no one has ever completed all the Trials, and never managed to conquer the tower within those paths.

And from these five doors, there are two paths that no one has ever been able to finish the first Trial, the most basic Trial, the easiest one, the startpoint for a Challenger.

The door of Balam and Azazel. Well, at least for now, in the game there's a character that walked through the door of the fallen angel Azazel.

An incredible and extremely important feat, but one that I'll enjoy as well.

I walked confidently toward the door where the runes described its owner, standing in front of it I read the runes on the golden plate.

Balam, the Dragon of War.

In the game no character had specifically chosen the path of Balam, though some of them opened its doors, but even if you finish the first Trial you don't need to continue on that path forever, you can choose another door later.

However, to become a Conquer you need to complete seven Trials in a single path, but until then, you can choose any other path.

So, without further hesitation, I opened the door of Balam carefully, as I did a bright light enveloped me, which caused me to close my eyes to not get blind by it, as I heard a whisper in my ears.

[You have chosen Balam as your Trial. Good luck, challenger Kaleb]

After hearing the whisper, I kept my eyes closed for a few moments, sensing the brightness around me begin to fade. Slowly, I opened my eyes, cautious and deliberate, only to find myself in an entirely different space.

It was a tiny island, barely large enough to hold a medium-sized house, surrounded on all sides by an endless expanse of ocean. The ground was covered in lush, green grass, with a few stones around, big and small. 

At the very center stood a towering tree, its branches reaching skyward as if in defiance of the solitude. Beneath its canopy rested a table, upon which lay dour items: an envelope, a blade, a rope.

When I was about to reach for the table, a strange sound pierced my ears. Which was some sort of hiss, or a growl of a famished beast, coming from the ocean.

I approached the edge of the island, and what I saw sent a chill down my spine.

Beneath the crystal-clear water, an enormous creature lurked, its massive form partially hidden in the vast expanse of blue. Despite its attempt to stay concealed, the clarity of the water betrayed it. This beast was unlike anything I had ever encountered, its sheer size dwarfing any creature I could imagine.

It resembled a shark but on a terrifyingly colossal scale. Its gaping maw was large enough to swallow a car whole, lined with rows of jagged teeth that gleamed menacingly. The creature's body, a steely gray, was covered in scales that looked more like armor. Its powerful tail, equally massive, ended in a brutal sphere bristling with razor-sharp spikes, a weapon in its own right.

Then I saw its eyes—two voids of darkness. They rose toward me, locking onto my gaze with a predatory hunger. In those black depths, I could feel an abyss staring back at me. I could see its predator's desire to devour me.

The sudden shock made me fall on my knees on the ground, my legs felt weaker because of the fear, and my hands were shaking. Seeing that, I distanced myself from the cliff.

With a chuckle I said to myself, "Hah, this will be harder than I expected"

I waited a few seconds on the ground to recover from the shock, and then I walked toward the table and grabbed the envelope.

As I opened it, I noticed a weird smell on it, it was coming from a very small bottle of a green liquid that was inside, together with a letter that was written:

"A child of War is always alone—in every sense of the word. No water, no food, nothing to sustain you—only death as your constant companion. A knife, to carve open your belly and embrace a slow, agonizing end. A rope, to hang yourself—swift, yet steeped in desperation. Poison, offering an easy, painless release. Or perhaps to be devoured by a ravenous beast.

Tell me this: What kind of death is worthy of a child of War? That is your Trial—face death, and survive. But remember, the Child of war is never indecisive"

As I finished reading the letter, the Screen materialized before my eyes, and in its center, a countdown appeared, set to precisely one hour. The numbers began to tick down fast and relentlessly.

However, I was not desperate, because I already knew the answer, so I simply dismissed the Screen and focused on the items on the table.

With a smile I said, "Face death and survive…"

I spent hours trying to find a way to pass this Trial before I finally discovered the answer. 

Most would assume the Trial was about using one of the objects on the table to end your life and somehow survive the attempt. Given the countdown ticking away and the final line of the letter, others might think the challenge was to find a way to die before the hour was up.

But this is not about meeting death and surviving, it's about facing death and surviving, to choose a death worthy of the Child of war, and suicide could never be an option for someone aiming to pass the Trials of the War Dragon.

Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed the bottle of poison and slipped it into my pocket. Then, I reached for the rope, walking toward one of the nearby rocks. I tied it with a knot so tight and strong that even if I struggled, there would be no escaping it. 

I dragged the heavy rock to the edge of the cliff. Once there, I returned to the table, snatched the knife, and clenched it between my teeth, then I used both hands to lift the large table, carrying it carefully to the cliff's edge. I flipped it upside down, setting it down on the ground just near the precipice with half of it on the ground, and the other on the air.

I carefully placed the rock at the far end of the table, ensuring it balanced just right, preventing the table from tipping over and falling into the sea. Then, I walked to the center of the table, observing the other half hanging precariously in the air, suspended only by the weight of the rock and myself.

I looked down and saw the enormous monster waiting to eat me there.

That was death, without a doubt—the most agonizing of the options listed in the letter. But it was the only choice that made sense in this Trial.

Because a Child of War would never choose suicide. A Child of War fights, even against death itself, until there's no fight left to give. That's what going through the path of Balam means.

I locked eyes with the beast, fear clutching my heart as my hands trembled. But hesitation would only lead to my end. Besides, this is a game anyway.

I hope I have more lifes…

Staring death in the eye, I positioned myself at the far end of the table and let my weight send it sliding down the cliff, heading straight toward the monstrous creature below.