“Don’t rest here, go through the portal first. You can rest at the hall,” Kala urged him.

“Oh, I thought it’s going to be the next trial instantly,” Viers rose to his feet lazily.

“Yeah, perhaps I should say it better. My bad,” The long-haired lamia apologized.

Viers went through the portal and returned to the pillars and murals area with the three doors. Motes of light gathered towards him, Viers was alarmed at first but he felt his condition returned to full health and his fatigue was soon a thing of the past.

“Neat, free healing? I thought the trial would be continuous and without break. That’s part of the reason I fought the golem the way I did, I hoped to maintain my condition as best as I can.” Viers said being pleasantly surprised.

Although his condition returned to tip-top shape, Viers wasn’t in a rush and decided to take a break. He chose a pillar and sat down while leaning on it with his back.

“I told you, this place is special.” Kala puffed up her chest as she said that proudly.

“Heh,” to Viers, Kala was just wearing a bikini. So he didn’t have a red face, he didn’t look at the lamia for too long and set his gaze on the murals.

It must be a cultural thing. Was all lamia dressed like her? She didn’t seem to be embarrassed at all. That or she thought me as a talking bald monkey. In other words, she doesn’t think we are on the same standing at all.

“Kala, I have been thinking… you must be pretty strong before you become a ghost right?” Viers probed.

“Ghost? I suppose that’s close enough to describe my current state… My strength when I still had a body was nothing great, just a level 5.” Kala reminisced about her past slightly before answering Viers.

“Level 5? That’s amazing! You’re the strongest being I’ve ever met! And, and, you’re so young. A level 5 sixteen years old? You must be a super genius!” Viers showered her with praises and admiration. Half made up, half true.

I bet Guo Song the bull and his three pursuers were stronger. They must be level 6 or above, but I don’t need to tell her this bit of info.

“Ehehe,” Kala fidgety moved her body, she looked happy. “Thanks for the praise, but during my time, it wasn’t considered much.”

“Oh! What’s it like during your time? You said you lived ten millennia ago, during the Age of the Gods, yes? Must be a glorious time, the Gods walked among you. An age of myth and wonders… do you live in a flying city?” Viers asked with eyes full of curiosity.

Contrary to Viers expectation, the lamia seemed sad. “Perhaps it’s as you say a few centuries earlier but I’ve never experienced it. When I was born, the world was already engulfed in flames of war. Many people I know perished during my life. Mostly, I stayed in the city, defending it from invaders. In the end, my family, my friends, my people, and I, all died.”

“…Sorry to hear that, I shouldn’t have ask.” Viers felt he’d stepped on a landmine.

“It's fine, just a shard of history from a long time ago. I did say 10,000 years ago when we spoke about Path of Power and Aspect but the truth is more complicated than that. The moment of creation was year 0, the Age of the Gods started there until around year 1000. I was born during the great war’s final stages, year 984.” Kala said.

“Hmm,” Viers didn’t interrupt her, content to be the receiving end during her storytelling moment.

“Actually, how can you don’t know this? You didn’t learn history?” She questioned him.

“I only know the Age of the Gods was a long, loooong time ago. I don’t know exactly when in the past. The calendar I’m familiar with is the Coalition’s Topalian calendar, according to that, this is year 214.” Viers answered.

“Haaaah,” Kala sighed. “The third visitor 2,000 years ago did say the human’s power and territory grabbing was getting out of hand. They care more about their immediate future than the past buried in the sand of time… Oh well, at least the world is still better compared to my time. Our sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”

“Just curious, what year is it? According to that moment of creation thingy. You can know from this place’s time-teller, right?” Viers didn’t forget that she seemed to synchronize time after just woke up.

“Genesis Year 9682,” Kala answered, her voice was filled with emotion. Despite spending most of her time sealed and unconscious, 9,000 years had passed for her.

“Year ninety six eighty two…” Viers muttered, writing the timestamp into his memory.

They didn’t talk more after that, each busy with their own thoughts. Tactfully, without needing to create an agreement between them, a solemn silence graced this place. A place that had been standing for almost nine millennia, the remaining prove of an ancient legacy.

While gazing the murals, Viers wondered. Are there any Lamias left in this world? Perhaps she and that mysterious-y Lamia Queen are the last of their kind? No, I better not ask her that. No need to ask such an insensitive thing…

He breathed in, breathed out.

I better focus on the next trial, history can wait.

“Okay, that’s enough rest,” Viers got back on his feet with gusto. “Let’s go to the second trial!” He smacked his right fist to his left palm.

“As you wish,” Kala’risyah gave her agreement. The first trial was on the left door, and now the right door was slowly opening itself.

“Hyaaah!” Viers ran towards the unknown darkness inside the door, he jumped in with fervor and a smile.

On the next moment his feet touch the ground again, he no longer stood on a stone floor but sand. Sand, sand, and more sand as far as the eye can see. The barren landscape he was in was not flat; the numerous dunes too many to count, created pseudo hills. He couldn’t clearly see the sky because the sun was too strong. Other than his clothes, there was no protection between him and the gigantic source of light in the sky.

“This is…” Viers was lost for words, he expected trials such as these would amaze him but he was still taken aback nonetheless.

“The second trial, the trial of determination. Prove yourself capable of enduring hardships to achieve your goal.”

The voice of the Lamia Queen was heard for the second time. Unlike the first trial with a clear objective, he didn’t quite understand what should he do here.

“Kala? A little clarification please,” he asked his Lamia-ghost-spirit companion. “I get that I have to endure this hellish desert because ‘determination’ and all that entails, but what should I do exactly?”

“This one is simple but hard at the same time. Your objective is to reach the end of this desert,” she answered.

“Calling that objective vague seems to be an understatement,” Viers wiped the sweat on his brows. He hadn’t been here long and he already started sweating.

“Yeah, I can’t actually tell you much about the trial itself. Sorry, it’s the rules here.” Kala said apologetically.

“Heh, rules…” Viers let the disdain he had towards rules in general seeped into his words. “Alright, what can you tell me about this place?” Viers didn’t want to argue, his current situation made him detest wasting time and energy.

“This place has no day and night cycle like on the outside world. The sun will stay stationary so you can’t wait until nightfall to make the journey. There are no plants or animals here, it’s just you and the desert. There will be food and water given to you when you hit your body’s limit. The amount won’t be much but I guarantee you won’t die of dehydration… other than that, you’ll receive no other assistance. So the blisters on your feet or any other wounds will be yours to endure. The trial will be considered complete when you reached the desert’s edge. There is no time limit to this trial and you can call quits any time. If you’re judged no longer able to continue, the trial will end by itself and it counts as a failure.”

Viers quickly absorbed the information and analyzed it.

So this isn’t about survival in a harsh environment. It’s about me walking under the scorching sun with minimal resources to reach the goal, the main focus is my determination indeed. Tch, I thought all those survival guides I watched on YouTube will come in handy…

“Ah yes, you don’t have to feel regret about not bringing any tools. For this trial, every challenger will be stripped of their equipment and only given clothes like the one you wear now. And no Arte can be used here, every trial takers have a fair start.”

Viers examined his clothes again.

Fire red colored, long sleeves, long trousers, leather shoes, no hood or hat, no bag or equipment of any kind. Not the ideal set for desert crossing but it is what it is… I will have to make do.

“This is gonna be tough, very tough…” Viers took his first step forward. “At least I won’t be alone. I can still talk to you, right?”

“Sure, I can’t talk to you about the trial but I’ll be here if you want to talk,” the lamia replied. “And this might be the last…”

She faintly spoke the last sentence, without his enhanced hearing Viers would miss it. She followed him forward, her snake lower part didn’t touch the sand so only Viers made trails on the land of sands.

There it is again. This seems to be the last trial so will she disappear after this? But I can’t afford to think about that now.

Viers didn’t think too much about Kala’s matter for the time being, his attention was focused on how to do this trial as best as he can.

Not even ten minutes past, Viers was already sweating like a roasted pig.

***

“Haaaah!”

On a plain of green grass, a boy defeated a big tiger with a flaming sword. The boy was full of wounds, a testament of the great battle he went through and how formidable the tiger was.

“Hahaha! You passed the first test. There were a few close calls there, I don’t think you would make it. You’ve proven me wrong kid, nice spirit!”

An old and wise-looking transparent figure appeared before the boy. He had white hair and a thin body but his eyes were full of glee and expectations. The old man had a staff as tall as himself, the tip of the staff was burning with white flame.

The boy was panting heavily but his eyes showed his strong and fiery will.

“I like the look of your eyes. There are still two more tests after this. Conquer it to receive this old man’s illustrious Ivory Fire!” The white-haired man smiled with fierce anticipation on the boy.

“Yes!”

The boy answered resolutely. Max’s eyes were without impurity of any kind. It was the eyes of a pure and earnest child, a straightforward and bright gaze.