Chapter Five: Forgotten Quest

The air around me shimmered as my vision blurred and I found myself standing in the mist of an battlefield lit by a vast crimson skies.

A man stoods atop a hill, tall and commanding. His eyes burning with conviction and around him, seven heros who shared the same eye and hair colour, each radiating with power and a purpose as they stood besides the man in a silent oath.

"We will unite this fractured world under one flag. No more kingdoms torn by war. No more meaningless deaths..." He commanded his voice sounding like thunder in flashing within a storm.

The heros rose their weapons in unison in a vow echoing across the lands.

Swearing to bring true peace to this world.

The world around me collapsed before coming forth once more, replicating another scene, from another memory.

Battle raged as cities fell and alliances as thin as wool snapped yet even after countless wins, the victories only brought us despair.

Of it's own accord my mouth whispered as an unexplainable sadness crept it's way into my heart. "But what was found at the end of this quest remains forgotten, shrouded in the mist set by the passing of time."

The flood of images suddenly came to a stop and the man's sharp gaze once more pierced through mine.

"We were seven, bound by fate and ambition but our conquest was merely a child's fantasy that could never exist in any reality." He spoke with disdain.

"Was I…one of them?" I whispered.

He doesn't answer instead looked into my eyes with a emotion I could only describe as regret...a sorrowful regret.

The next moment time seemed to skip a frame as the man was no longer in front of me, disappearing into thin air along with all of the menacing phantoms.

Leaving only me and the four adventurers dumbfounded at the sudden disappearance of both the cloaked man and the vengeful phantoms.

"The laws within this trial are truly absurd." Fritz sighed as his gauntlet vanished within a swirling portal beside him, consumed by the dark heavy liquid.

"The last zone is up ahead..." Lysia announced looking at the other side of the pit where a gate had teared itself to life onto the pits earth walls, cracking with a black electricity spark.

Gathering our bearings slowly we walked to the gate leading to the final and deepest zone of this collapsing world constructed by the trial. Where the singularity resided.

"Hi leader, I now know what to do after this..." I said as we arrived at the gate's foot. "Before I can go back home, I need to find out the truth."

A flash of surpise passed through everyone's faces likely not understanding what I meant but nevertheless they nod their heads in acknowledgement.

"Understood." Was the last thing I heard before we entered the gate and a black veil completely engulfed my vision as I seemingly floated within the gate, losing my sense of direction.

Gradually the trial rebuilt itself around us anew.

The air felt thicker in this zone as reality was even more fragile then before, the air rippling like water, voices from the past and future overlapping over each other.

The arena pit carved into the earth from the earlier trial was replaced by an beautiful green garden.

Bushes were craved into majestic horses in dramatic poses. Polished marble statues were craved in tall proud figures placed around the immense garden.

We seemed to have been teleported to the middle of the green labyrinth, behind us a large fountain with clear waters that had shiny coins littered within them.

Looking up to the sky that was died in a eternal dark veil, I caught the glimpse of shimmering black stars.

The final zone was nothing like the two zones from before but although it looked normal on the surface, time and space here was basically on the verge of collapsing and cancelling one another.

"Be careful, the space around here is thin. I rather not have one of us to get stuck in a infinite loop." Fritz said with a sarcastic smile.

Looked like the battle from earlier still was hanging over him.

"The flowers around here remind me of the garden back home." Freddy said as he picked a flower with bright yellow petals, holding it gently between his index finger and thumb as he brought it to his nose to smell it's aroma.

"Hum...a lovely place for a warm drink on a sunny day." Vivi smiled as she closed her eyes likely imaging the scene of her being here to relax instead of having to fight with a collapsing dungeon's boss.

"You drunkard..." Fritz growled at her remark playfully earning a laugh from Freddy.

"It's the statue from before..." Lysia ignoring the rest of the group moved towards one of the marble statues. Examining the warrior with a sword raised high in the air, his face displaying a fierce sense of righteousness. "The brave hero Gil..."

My body subconsciously tensed as the familiar burning of the soulbrand swept throughout me.

[Memory Det—

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted all of us and on reflex we drew our weapons as we turned to face the potential threat only to find a woman walking in slow, precise steps.

She wore a red elegant dress with an choker around her neck that would likely live a red mark on her pale skin was removed.

She looked proud and demanding.

She stopped a distance away from the party, ignoring everyone present as her glance landed only on Freddy. "Freddy Mordred Degoon, I'm very disappointed in your actions as of late." She scolded with an look of one was reprimanding their younger sibling who had done something wrong.

"Running off with a commoner, denying your heritage and joining a bunch of regular adventurers. You have—"

Before the woman could continue further a blade cut through the air towards her only to be deflected by an invisible wall of air.

Freddy now visibly pissed off, roared at the lady. "Damn trial prying into things that have nothing to do with you. Go to hell!" Barely taking the time to finish his words, he dashed towards the woman as the dark particles around him flared with menace.

A small smile played on the womans lips as she turned tail and ran into the garden's labyrinth with surprising speed.

"Freddy, don't go after her!" Vivi yelled out to the to the teen's disappearing figure. Clutching her jaw as she prepared to follow the two only to be flanked by two knights wielding longs swords, that clash with her armoured forearms. Stopped her in her tracks. "Damn you echoes..."

Vrooom!

"Fritz!" Lysia stood shocked as a sudden cold air emits from Fritz's body before completing freezing the air around him.

Frozen in a block of ice with an unreadable expression. "History repeats itself..." A maiden uttered as she brought her hands to gently touch the frozen surface.

[Crimson Step]

In an instant I appeared to Lysia's side, narrowly intercepting a slash from a broadsword wielded by a woman with bright silver hair and an smooth cloth over her eyes.

The force of the strike nearly knocking me off of my feet but what really shook me was that this woman....

She was one of the seven heros in my vision!

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