Chapter 4

A blue furred gorilla like monster with two heads and tails like serpents was running toward me.

Shouting and threatening he moved forward.

“Go” I said

And with that one of my ice wolves tackled the gorilla by biting on one of his legs making it fall forward while I instantly summoned an ice like spike from underground.

The spike went straight up the gorilla’s head while its other head screamed and shouted from pain.

I gave it no chance to retaliate as I conjured a heaven piercing javelin and threw it to penetrate its other head.

With this I completed the quota and finished the seventh floor.

Once I exited I saw about a few hundred warriors and mages already out and recovering. One was screaming his lungs out as his right foot was cut off but none even went to help him. After all. None would try to help another now. We all witnessed what trust could do to a person here.

“Ugh so annoying” Said the same voice and another light that was known to all showered over the no longer screaming man. Only ash remained and more dread was thrown to us. Whoever is this person he is merciless.

More tried to challenge him again and were met with the same treatment and many abandoned the climb early on. This was but the seventh floor we had to fight through hordes of monsters. Even had to climb a mountain. We even had to run away at a particular floor from this same crazed person’s ray of death. If it was not for my small version of dragon spirit that I rode and flew away from the ray I would have died right there.

However, doubt was never in my heart. I had a goal and I will reach it.

“Alright it seems that it is about it. The rest had died and only you remain…quite pitiful I say. It seems that this time the candidates are rather unentertaining.”

Once he said that another portal was opened.

I walked toward it and noticed something I have neglected.

There is a Romanian number on the floor.

I gathered my courage and spoke.

“Is this not the same floor that we began at? It seem to be similar to it…”

“Hmm…who is this? Ah a descendant of the so called guardians. Hmm. No, although it looks similar it is not the same. Every floor is in a different dimension and a different world. Now go along I have a special challenge this time for every single one of you.” Said the same thing

This actually sent shivers down my spine

No matter I will deal with it no matter what.

I then entered.

It was raining. The place I was thrown at was near a forest. In front of me was an establishment that looked old and almost crumbling however some rooms had light in them. I tried to move but was unable to do so. It seems that I can only watch. I tried to use a spell or even create frost but was unable to do so.

So I watched.

Soon a vehicle moved near the place I was at. A man wearing a black coat exited and was soon followed by a woman…I know these people…this place…it can’t be…

Soon after the establishment exploded sending debris and rubbish everywhere.

The man conjured a wind barrier and protected the woman behind him while a little black haired girl exited the vehicle and went toward them.

A young boy was leaving the now enflamed place and began to speak. His voice however and the voice of everything was muted to me. Soon after that he casted a spell that easily destroyed the man’s barrier but the woman behind him pushed him out of the way.

She was struck with the attack and the man only took minor damage but crashed into a tree nearby.

The little girl was blown away by the weight of the attack and lost consciousness.

Rain soon stopped falling and the boy got closer to his victims.

Tears began to drop as I knew what was coming. However I still hoped that they would make it.

The woman was unmoving and the man rose. He had a gash on his side making lots of blood splurged on the floor.

He went closer to the woman but was thrown away once the same boy used his staff to control some of the debris and stones and threw them at both of them.

Unable to do anything the man waited for the end but was instantly squished away by someone.

It was him…It was Greetman. Is this an illusion? What the hell is the meaning of this? Why did this thing show me something like this?

Greetman soon placed the man on the ground who now lost consciousness. He soon looked over the boy’s side who now crumbled to his feet exuding huge amounts of energy. The man took the staff that was now on the ground and walked toward the boy. He spoke to him and placed the staff in front of him. The boy reached out to the thing and the dark atmosphere soon subsided.

He grabbed the boy by hand and looked over the man who was unconscious, he got closer to him and grabbed him throwing him over his shoulders. And walked away from the scene. Due to the position of the debris Greetman was not aware that a woman was still under them, neither did he notice that on the other side of the still inflamed building was an unconscious young girl.

He walked away with the two leaving a scene of horror. The man was still wounded but it seemed that he would live…

If this is truly what happened then papa might still be…No this is an illusion it has to be. It must be the challenge that that voice said he is the only thing that would be behind this tactless joke.

I tried to squirm out of my position but was still stuck. Will I be like this for long?

A few minutes later once the flames subsided the little girl who was now awake walked forward.

She searched all over the place and finally stumbled over the location of her deceased mother.

She cried and cried. Until the weather turned cold. She cried until the earth turned to ice. She cried until her hair turned white…

Soon afterwards I was taken back to the same room.

I looked around and saw that the number of contenders didn’t decline not by one bit.

However, most of them dropped down to their knees crying while the rest was either seething with rage or looked like a corps from shock.

A psychological test…

“Now that was rather interesting. Some of you have some intriguing pasts. No matter the next round for you is going to start soon. Go along”

Once he said that another gate opened. Another challenge will soon begin…

***

“Ok that was wicked!” I said

I was out of that untrue world like Drakhsis had called it and back to the normal world….or should I say the Void.

Anyway apparently I was in the dragon from.

“RELEASE IT NOW!!!”said Drakhsis with a tone full of worry and haste

“Release what?” I said

“The Dragon form hurry youngling your life is in danger!”

Huh? My life?

“Morfii Hshto!” I said

And instantly felt my skin wriggle, the claws retracted the fangs went back to normal teeth and my vision became normal.

Once I was back in the ‘human form’ I instantly felt dizzy while my ears began to wring. I dropped down to my knees and felt the whole world’s weight on my shoulders.

“W-what the hell is going on?” I said

“What did you expect youngling? There is no such thing as immediate power without consequences. And you became strong too strong and at such a short notice you will suffer the leach back of such power. Until your body has adapted to your new power you will need to only use the Art of the aspects ever so lightly.” Said Drakhsis

“More so” he added. “You had burnt an immense amount of your vital energy that if you had stayed in that form a bit longer you would have died!”

“What do you mean I would have died? You never mentioned anything like that before why is staying in that mode so dangerous? Is that power truly that grave if so why did you teach it to me. I was filled with power too much of it that I overwhelmed the devil within! It was intoxicating better than anything I had ever felt!” I said

“No it is not the form. If it was a normal case of exhaustion your body would have simply released it. but didn’t you ever think of how you managed to gather aura inside an empty and lifeless world? Inside the untrue world that is? There was nothing there so where did you think the aura came from?” said Drakhsis

Now that you think of it? How did I manage to do so?

“It was your soul! Once inside that world you are directly linked to your soul. You used it as fuel for your power. Carful youngling igniting the soul is a great way for getting more power but if you do so with excess you will one day lose your life.”

Note taken.

“So it seems that you were unable to tame that devil.” Said Drakhsis

“Yeah. It seems he prefers death over giving me some of his power but I can’t help it. I think I will just have to go back there and try to ‘convince’ him harder.” I replied while shrugging.

“No, leave him for now. I thought that it might end up this way that is why I had you bring those crystals.” Said Drakhsis

Now looking at it I wonder why he did so. I was gathering those things like there was no tomorrow…

Drakhsis soon stood up from his lying position and walked closer to the mini mountain of purple crystals.

They were glowing ever so faintly. Yet their sheen was mesmerizing.

Drakhsis opened his maw and slowly a red flame was sent engulfing the crystals in a searing heat.

The flame was not meant to destroy the crystals but it seems he was heating them.

Once they were hot enough the sheen on them became more apparent then he somehow willed them to float all at once.

Once they did so they became a huge mass of purple crystal that slowly began to shrink into a ball.

The mass became denser while he heated it more with his flame and became more compact

Ever so slowly it shrunk until it was small enough almost ten centimeter in diameter.

I wonder how he managed to compress such a thing to this size but he is a mighty old dragon so a trick like this should not be something that hard for him.

“Take it” he said

I hesitated at first because common that thing must be super-hot I think that it would be unwise to grab it before it cools down.

“Just take it. Worry not youngling you have a body of a dragon now. heat is the least of your worry” he added

I grabbed it with both hands but instantly felt the weight behind it as it almost brought me down to my knees.

It seems that this thing is so compressed that it still held on to its original weight. Normally my hands would have been severed by its weight as without my spiritual buffs I have no way to even try and carry something of this magnitude. But somehow these ‘body’ improvement proved to be more helpful than I thought.

“It is heavy...” I said under my breath.

“Good” Drakhsis said “Now use some of your mana on it.”

I did so and instantly felt a connection with the purple crystal ball.

Drakhsis soon said

“I saw in your memories the time that person had given you a prism stone. These stones are similar in way to them. Now that you have dragon flesh you can open more mana veins and with my power I can do so with ease. Pour more mana” Drakhsis added

I did so, and the stone began to shine even brighter.

Its weight began to lessen while I felt tingling under my skin. A damn broke inside my body and was instantly filled with power. My body began to absorb the magic more so than I could ever believe.

“Enough!” said Drakhsis

But I couldn’t stop I took in more, and more

“I said enough Youngling your body cannot handle all that!”

However I was unable to hear him he then immediately reached his hand forward trying to separate me from the crystal ball but once his claw got closer a shockwave of purple energy shot forward pushing his hand away.

More mana was absorbed into my body until the ball began to crack and soon shattered.

Purple veins began to spread across my flesh and pulsate with power but a moment sooner I heard Drakhsis shouting something. But all I could hear were background noises. I then lost consciousness.

…

Waking up I felt my body brimming with energy. More than I ever felt before but once I looked up I saw Drakhsis looking toward me with worry clearly showing on his face…I wonder how he could make such complexions I mean he is a dragon for god sake…

“Are you alright Youngling?” said the dragon

“Yes, never felt better.” I replied

“Good. But that was a stupid thing to do, you should have slowly in took that energy and not all at once. Anyway it was fortunate enough you are now ready for the next thing.” Said Drakhsis.

“Oh common more training? Will this ever end?”

“It shall soon do so. But you need to learn the way of dragons before you proceed to the crucible.”

“Way of the dragon! You mean breathing fire right!” I ecstatically said

“Ugh, what is it with you and breathing fire, and yes that is one of the basics. But go wash yourself first.” Said Drakhsis

“Alright.” I said

I went toward the lake to wash myself and took a look into my reflection. And boy I was shocked…

I now had purple strands of hair mixed in with my natural hair color…

I turned to look over Drakhsis who seemed to be enjoying this rather peculiar change of appearance and then he said

“Side effects of in taking too much void energy at once. Be glad you don’t have a purple crystal on your forehead. Hahaha”. He said

“Well…I can’t seem to be minding it at least now it matches with the color of my cloths.”

I then removed my cloths and dived into the lake…