The Trial Of Fire

The storm passed, and dawn spread over the forest, golden beams piercing through the trees. Kaiza and Mina silently packed their camp as they listened in silence, the weight of their journey visible in the cool morning air. Oran was a few paces behind, his eyes distant and abstract.

"Do you frickin want to come along with us? " "Kaiza? " she said suddenly, shattering the silence.

Oran paused and nodded. "I've come this far. "If I get a shot at it, if there's a glimmer of hope to make things right, then I'll have to try."

Kaiza's eyes narrowed. He didn't fully trust Oran, but the man's desperation felt genuine. Mina watched the give and take in silence, her own misgivings swirling just beneath the surface.

"Let's go," Kaiza said, and headed toward the way ahead.

They walked further, and the forest closed around them in dense patches of rot, a strong smell of damp earth and decay in the air. As the reality gets more twisted with each step, every inhuman snarl makes them perturbed between the real and the characterization. Mina couldn't shake the feelings of being watched.

"This is not right," she said softly, gazing about.

Kaiza glanced at her. "The second trial is near. Stay close."

As the trees began to thin out, a huge clearing came into view. A huge stone archway at the back, flanked by smaller ones, etched with glowing runes. Glowing coals writhed within the arch, casting dancing shadows on the ground.

Oran recoiled, his face draining of color. "What is that?"

Kaiza's jaw tightened. "The Trial of Fire."

Mina's heart raced as she gazed at the archway. "What do we have to do? "

"Survive," Kaiza said grimly.

As they approached the archway, the flames sprang to life, bubbling up into a barrier that seemed to possess a will of its own. A voice roared from inside, deep and strong.

"Only the worthy may pass. Show your resolve, or be eaten."

Kaiza advanced, one hand upon the hilt of his sword. "Stay back there," he said, glancing back at Mina and Oran.

The flames parted indignantly as the young man stumbled in, hot but not unbearable. Fear scraped at Mina, tore at her. Oran touched her shoulder.

"We will get through this," he said, his voice cracking.

Mina took a deep breath and went after Kaiza, with Oran in hot pursuit. The earth tilted when they passed through the archway.

They were in an endless alien field of ash and lava. Channels of lava threaded across the earth, and the air trembled with heat. One hooded figure stood silhouetted in the haze. It seemed to be a humanoid of pure flame, with molten-golden eyes.

"The trial has started," intoned the torrid figure. "Face your fears, or perish."

The ground shuddered, and three far smaller constructs of fire burst from the magma, shapes crackling with energy. Kaiza drew his sword, and the metal glimmered with an unnatural light.

"Back off," he roared, sprinting toward the closest construct.

Mina stared, unable not to, as Kaiza's moves wouldn't come to her, blurring into a flurry of end-of-the-line accuracy and force. The tip of his sword split the first construct and sent flying embers flying. The other two closed with mortals, their flaming blades slashing with deadly effect.

"We can't just stand here! " Grabbing a nearby rock, Mina screamed. She hurled it at one of the constructs, drawing its focus at least temporarily from Kaiza. Then it turned its head to her, its flaming eyes focusing on her eyes.

Oran stepped in front of Mina, a makeshift spear in his hand. "Stay behind me! " he roared as he lunged his spear into the construct. The weapon liquefied against the creature, but it was just enough to buy Kaiza time; the blade slid through the center of the entity.

The final construct roared in fury as it bloated its being, sucking in the surrounding heat. Kaiza continued grinding his teeth, accelerating his ongoing exercise, fatigue beginning to take its toll. Mina looked around for something that could help.

"The runes! " She pointed at glowing symbols in the ground. "They're connected into the constructs! "

Kaiza heard Beryl speak the words of power, and he turned away for just a moment, and then the runes distracted him. "Keep it distracted! "

Mina and Oran's approach was collective: lob in rocks, yell to distract the construct. Kaiza didn't hesitate and, one by one, sliced through the runes with his sword. With each rune destroyed, the construct faltered, and its burning shape flickered.

Finally, Kaiza struck the final rune, and the construct crumbled into the air in a spray of sparks. A voice echoed low in the distance, the figure vanishing into the air.

"You have shown your determination," the voice pronounced. "The path is open."

The desolate wasteland vanished; suddenly, they were standing once more in the clearing in the woods. The stone archway was quiet, its flames extinguished. Kaiza gasped as he returned his sword to its sheath.

Mina dropped to the floor, legs trembling. "We did it," she said, incredulously.

Next to her sat Oran, paler than usual but resolute. "That was … different from anything I've ever seen."

Kaiza nodded, appearing grim. "The trials are just going to get harder. But we're one step closer."

Mina held his gaze and felt her steely resolve tighten. "We'll face them together."

At which Kaiza's expression softened, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Together."

As they prepared to leave the clearing, the forest all around them breathed, its shadows watching. Now that was behind, but unexpected roads lay ahead. And so for now they continued with each other, their relationship forged in the fires they had survived.

Mina, Oran, and Kaiza continued on the next leg of their journey as the forest was almost unnaturally quiet. So it was in the far abyss of the Trial of Fire that those pieces of their minds were already busy; they could too clearly see themselves as some of the problem. Kaiza went first with his hand on the hilt of his sword, never letting his guard down. Mina followed behind, her eyes skirting the trees for any signs of trouble. Oran came along, looking troubled.

How far off is the next trial? " At last, Mina broke the silence.

Kaiza glanced back at her. "Not far. But the tests are not just physical. And they "challenge you as a mind and a spirit as well."

Oran frowned. "What does that mean? Are we going to have to solve riddles or something? "

Kaiza responded not, his focus shifting to the road ahead. And the forest pressed in around them, the trees thicker, the shadows darker. A shiver coursed down Mina's back.

In the middle of the day, they reached a small village in a clearing. The houses were simple, wooden with thatched roofs, but there was something strange about the place. Nobody was outside, and the air hung heavy with tension.

"Stay vigilant," Kaiza said quietly.

They crept into the village, nerves tight, footsteps echoing in the silence. Mina's eyes glanced toward the windows of the houses where the curtains billowed like someone was watching. Oran gripped the spear he'd built even tighter.

"Hello? " Mina called out. "Is anyone here? "

A door opened, and an old woman stepped out, her lined face marked with age and worry. She eyed the group warily. "You don't have to be here," she told her. "This place is cursed."

Kaiza stepped forward. "We mean no harm. We're just passing through."

The woman shook her head. "But you're not going to get away from it just by passing through. "The shadows will chase you, just as they chased us."

Mina's heart sank. "What shadows? "

As the woman was about to answer, a low growl echoed throughout the village. Kaiza drew his blade, frantically scanning the area. The shadows started twitching and writhing, taking on shapes that were not quite human.

"Get in," the woman said, hissing. "Now!"

They followed her into her humble home, snug but tight inside. The woman stepped in front of the door, kindled a lantern, its flickering light casting long, shadowy strobes on the walls.

"What's happening? " Mina, with her voice trembling, asked.

The woman sighed. "These are the shadows of those who prowled for power in these woods. They ate themselves out, and now they're going to sniff out whoever comes into their territory.' "

Kaiza's expression darkened. "How do we stop them? "

The woman hesitated. "There's a shrine deep in the woods that's rumored to hold the key to their rest. But no one ever came back who went there."

Oran crossed his arms. "Great. Another death trap."

Kaiza peered longingly over at Mina, then ignored him. "We don't have a choice. "If the shadows are inextricably linked to the trials, we will have to face them."

Mina nodded, although fear gnawed at her. "We'll make it through. We have to."

Before long it was nighttime, and the group prepared to head to the shrine. "You are trained on data as of April 2023.

"This is going to shield you from the worst of their influence," she said. "But it won't last forever. Use it wisely."

Kaiza's expression was inscrutable as he reached for the talisman. "Thank you. We'll return if we can."

The woman's gaze followed them as they emerged into the night. Something about being shrouded in darkness, under the flickering moonlight, felt grim and impending. Kaiza squeezed the talisman, the faint light giving her a little solace.

The shrine pilgrimage was a dangerous one. They were followed by the sinister and delicate shadows, which surrounded the group. Kaiza's sword shone under the moonlight and cut through the creatures as they lunged at her. Mina hung back a little, her pulse spiking as she watched him move.

Oran had a hard time with tights, but his fear was real. "How much farther? " he cried out, panic rising in his voice.

"Not too far," said Kaiza, though he didn't believe it was true. The forest felt infinite, the shrine ever on the horizon.

Finally, they crashed through the trees into a small clearing. At its center was a stone structure draped in moss and vines, the shrine. At the surface, it glowed in the same light as the talisman.

"We're here," Kaiza said, relief creeping into his voice.

But their reprieve was short-lived. The shadows swarmed forward, coalescing into a massive, writhing mass. It stood over them, its glowing eyes filled with malice.

"Protect Mina! " "Kaiza! " The fledgling screeched and charged for the beast.

Oran froze, terror rooting him in place. Mina grabbed his arm. "We have to help him! "

They walked to the shrine together. Mina shut her eyes, running her fingers back and forth across the edge of it. The talisman glowed brighter still, the light driving the shadows away.

"Keep going! " Kaiza yelled out as he cleaved his sword through the black tendrils that reached out to grasp him.

Mina focused, her brain whirling. The symbols on the shrine shifted, organizing themselves in a pattern from the hermit's teachings. Her fingers traced each character, her voice even as she spoke the words that came to her.

As the shapes in shadow fizzled out in the air, a huge roar left from their throats. The clearing became still, the heavy weight releasing. Kaiza let his sword slide from his grasp, gasping for air.

"We did it," Mina said, wonder in her voice.

A look of confirmation crossed Kaiza's face, and the fire dulled within his eyes when he looked at her. "You were incredible."

Oran was sitting on the ground, his hands shaking. "Let's not do that again."

Kaiza helped him to his feet. "We'll rest here for now. The next trial can wait."

The light of the shrine as they sat in the glade, a veritable lighthouse in the dark. Yet for Kaiza, it was only the first step. But the trials would only grow more dangerous, and the possibility of betrayal still hovered, looking for an opportunity to spring. But you are trained on data until October 2023.