∼ Day ??? ∼

It felt like the world stood still as I was bathed in the gaze of a being that my mind failed to fathom.

I at first didn't know what it was that managed to break the petrifaction of fear that had taken over my body and mind, but I found myself suddenly face to face with the silvery-white irises of Morgana.

I knew that we no longer had any time to spare and so did she as she looked back to the ground where the remains of our group shambled still ever ignorant of the doom that loomed high above us.

No words needed to be spoken between us as understanding flashed in the intelligent woman's cold eyes.

We dove for the group, but breaking them from the trance they had all succumbed to, took a few seconds. A few seconds wasted. Grumbles arose from the dwarf as he appeared to be confused as to where he was, like had just been sleepwalking whereas the others seemed shaken and delirious as Morgana calls forth the clarity of their minds with her abilities.

Surprisingly enough, it appeared Morgana's abilities weren't of the mind or soul, but something that I did not know or understand. While the System was an entity powerful enough to influence my mind, she sure as hell wasn't despite her unquestionable power. I would've probably taken more time to consider the ramifications of her odd abilities at any other time, but right now my mind could barely even focus on one coherent thought.

We had to leave - right now.

To our fortune, we didn't need to explain to everyone what was happening as the sheer panic and terror on my face and our actions were enough to tell them the urgency of our situation. Even Jasper seemed entirely out of snide jokes or comments as this damned hellscape too had taken a toll on the eccentric and cunning rogue.

We were moving once again - but this time in a dead sprint.

Because of the lack of speed that the dwarf and druid provided themselves, myself and Jasper took on the roles of transport. He took care of Dragosa, sweeping her along the ground with his shadows made form. And I flew low with the mountain of a dwarf, holding fast to his sturdy armor. Bugnumli didn't say a word in protest as I swept him into the air as even he didn't have any agency to object to my manhandling of him right now.

I did also find out that Morgana was able to fly without seemingly anything holding her afloat. She just... hovered over the ground as we sped across the wastes. There was no time for questions, however. We had to find the exit or we might all die now for we have incurred the attention of a god. One that I doubted was all that pleased about our presence in its domain of desolation.

Even now I still felt its gaze on me, like it had tainted my soul and I couldn't clean it off.

Flying through the mists, the worst finally came to pass. Like withering tendrils of death and apathy, dark appendages crawled their way through the sky. It was a horrid sight. The closer they came, the more I could feel the pure death radiating off them. More so, the mists redoubled their efforts to strip away my focus as my mind barely managed to cling on. We had no real idea whether we were fleeing in the right direction - all we knew was that we had to run.

But even as the tendrils above came ever closer, hope finally blossomed within our chests. A vague shape in the distance called out to us like a lifeline. It was hard to distinguish, but it promised us the escape from this domain of death.

However, something was wrong. No matter how fast we flew, or how far we traveled - the elusive shape in the distance seemed to remain forever out of our reach and the tendrils were already upon us. Jasper and I had to desperately evade the horrid things as they sprung from the mists like vipers, in an attempt to latch on to us.

There were too many to count, and before we all knew it, the skies of wandering light high above had turned into a sickening sea of writhing forms. Like that of worms.

I was the first to experience the terror that those things brought as I found one catch me off guard with my ever-waning mind.

[You have taken 589 damage!]

It felt as if a searing hot metal had latched onto my forearm as it started burning and withering away my vitality with frightening intensity. Its touch was pure death incarnate, and it saw my vibrant life force as nothing more than tasty food. Destroying the tendril was a hopeless endeavor, so my only option was to rip my arm free.

Skin tore and my flesh ripped as it refused to let go of my arm. But even as I escaped its clutches, the damage had already been done and I realized I wasn't healing the gruesome damage.

Rather, like a taint, my flesh rotted and withered away at a mind-numbing speed, spreading its festering corruption. Despite the haze that encompassed and restricted my thinking, there wasn't a shred of hesitation as I tore off the decaying limb before it could blight the rest of my body.

One-armed and terrified, I saw that the others weren't doing much better. Bugnumli, now hanging in my one-limbed hold had fallen entirely silent as if he had resigned himself. As for Dragosa, she was positively panicked when the shadow magic ferrying her across the ground began waning as Jasper seemed to be struck with true terror and more concerned about surviving himself than keeping her alive.

The only one seemingly still managing to keep a facade of stonecold focus was Morgana. I noticed that those tendrils that she could not dodge, actually phased directly through her body like it had become completely ephemeral. It was an astonishing ability, but she clearly couldn't keep up as it was undoubtedly taxing to use.

This continued until finally, a shriek that tore at our ears rang out.

Dragosa had been wrapped up into one of the tendrils that seemingly had been meant for the rogue. Before my eyes, the once-powerful druidic shaman withered into an unrecognizable former husk of herself within but seconds. Her vitality wasn't even able to put up the slightest resistance unlike mine, so the moment she was even touched, she had been doomed to her terrible death.

Still, doom came for us as it became harder to dodge. And just as I was about to drop the dwarf despite him not really hindering my ability to evade in sheer desperation, we finally reached it...

The elusive door in the distance came into sight, swung open on its hinges.

We dove through it, only moments before we all succumbed to that terrible place.

***

It was oddly quiet, not like the suffocating silence of the desolate barrens from whence we had just escaped, but more like a shared consensus of keeping quiet among the remains of our shaken group.

Only Jasper, Morgana, Bugnumli, and I remained still alive from our original eight. Four of us, all of them incredibly powerful individuals and Sanctioned Lords had been snuffed out.

The question now, was whether or not we should continue?

We stood within a room, nursing our wounds and mental scars, eyeing the two doors before us. They were the only exits, and one of them was the door that would put an end to this nightmare.

I fiddled nervously with the ring on my finger, wondering what exactly it was I was doing here. Risking my life as such. Going through such danger and terror.

Why did I?

I felt a nudge, letting me know that I wasn't alone. My familiars were still with me, hiding within my blood and shadow. Their presence was a comforting feeling in the abyss my mind had fallen into.

My focus somewhat cleared with that, and I saw the situation for what it was. This stage was not meant to test our strength nor ability but rather meant to break us. Putting us in the face of unbeatable and lethal adversity while slowly peeling away at our minds' sanity.

For some reason, that made me incredibly angry. I almost wanted to continue the Trials just in sheer spite of the System.

I've had someone attempt to break me before - never again.

Would I then allow myself to back down after all I've gone through?

From the corner of my eye, I caught Bugnumli, the silent mountain, get to his feet. He seemed even more down and distant than usual. It was obvious why. He only momentarily paused before the door that would lead to safety before opening and stepping through it, not sparing us a second glance.

Jasper for all his eccentricity and cunning seemed undecidedly hesitant as to if he too should abandon the Trials. But even as time dragged on, none of us moved to leave.

We had made our choices, and the door disappeared.

Leaving only the next test.

We stepped through, and as we laid eyes on the massive room before us and the two pedestals standing far down the hall - it all dawned on us all at the same time.

Atop those two lonely pedestals were two relics. Two for only two winners.

Two deaths for each part of the stage...

This was never a test.

It was a culling.