The Sky Serpent waited. His eyes were glued to the wall of darkness that covered the yawning cave before him. Many times did the notion of rushing in to assist the snake come to his mind, but every time, he crushed it in favor of patience. His glowing presence would stand out in the profound darkness, and the Sacred City would fall into chaos to find an offender amongst their ranks. The serpents of the earth do not forgive and forget.

Sometimes the Sky Serpent turned his eyes away from the cave mouth and towards the sky. It really was an auspicious night. The sky was clear and free of clouds and the stars above were free to witness the trials of the mortals. However, the stars had began to fade from the dark sky.

Many hours had passed and the princess was yet to return to the surface. The sky had began to lighten, and day was about to break. He feared that the princess had failed. The sun was about to be released from its stable and soon it would to be herded across the sky. He ruminated about this point, but then decided that the stablehands could handle the sun until he returned.

When only a third of the stars had remained shining in the sky, it was then that the princess had emerged from the shadowy depths. She slithered out the darkness in an armor made of taro flesh. Fitted upon her head was a silvery helmet with sweeping filigree. Upon her chest was a chestplate with flowing filigree upon which was attached the wings that were now folded upon her back.

The Sky Serpent was filled with happiness to see the princess had passed the trial. He smiled. Just in time too. But they were not to celebrate yet. The time grows ever shorter as the night moves on.

"Congratulations, princess," the Sky Serpent remarked. "You have finished all three of the trials. Now we must make haste more than ever. We must cross the heavenly gap before it closes. Open your wings, princess."

The princess did as she was told, and her wings were splayed open. It was wide to catch as much wind as she need to rise high into the sky. Each feather was a thin slice engineered to create as much lift, and each was beautifully engraved. The fiery aura she gained from consuming the mango had teamed-up with the pre-dawn light to give the silvery armor crafted from sacred taro a golden gleam.

In turn, the Sky Serpent opened his wings. In the near-morning, his wings were like the aurora; the colors of his rainbow feathers danced in the open, and the glitter they produced pushed back the gloom of the night. It even pushed back the dark veil of the cave. The retreating darkness gave a hostile hiss at the Sky Serpent.

A gray serpent emerged from the darkness. Her eyes were glued upon the Sky Serpent, glaring. She hissed, displeased to be in the presence of the Sky Serpent.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" The Sky Serpent asked. He was oft disliked by the citizens of the Sacred City.

"I am the Grey Serpent of the Warm Irons. I wished to see the Princess Snake fly," the grey serpent answered.

The Sky Serpent was rather surprised and turned a questioning look to the Princess Snake. The princess sensed his silent question and moved on to answer it.

"Grey Serpent is the one to craft the armor and wings," she said.

"Nevermind that. She can watch the ascent," the Sky Serpent said. He coiled around the Grey Serpent and carried her as he flapped his wings. His wings lifted him into the air and he began to ascend to the top of the mountain. His passenger wriggled and hissed in his grasp. She hissed hostile words and even bit into the Sky Serpent, but her fangs failed to pierce his scales.

The Princess Snake followed the Sky Serpent. She flapped her wings and soon her body lifted off the ground. Unlike the Sky Serpent's smooth and steady flight, hers was unsteady and unpracticed. The Sky Serpent and the Grey Serpent watched the newly winged snake slowly rise into the air. Her expertise in flying slowly leveling up as she continued to rise.

The Sky Serpent went on ahead and began to spiral round the mountain. He had chosen the path he took so that their ascent up the mountain was as gentle as possible. The princess followed behind him, and carefully moved her wings in concert with his. She feared that the wings would fail. Below them was steep cliffs and crags. If she or her wings were to fail the trial they're undergoing, she would be impaled on the rocks.

The Sky Serpent purposely flew slow so that the Princess Snake could follow him. He made sure that he was always in view of the princess. The Grey Serpent had ceased her attacks upon the flying serpent and turned her attention to her creation. The princess's flight was ungainly and inefficient, indicative of her untrained nature. She despised the unskilled use of the princess, but she was confident that that unskillfulness would fade in time.

Their slow spiraling flight carried them up the mountain. They gently landed upon a platform that was built at the loftiest peak of the Sacred Mountain. Flecks of snow carried by the wind marred the face of the stone. Carved upon the octagonal platform was the sigils of creation and the Birthday Star. While it was no spell circle, its mystical nature drew the eye to the significance of this peak.

"Look up, princess," the Sky Serpent said. "Above us lies the bridge between earth and the Birthday Star. All the gifts you've gathered from your trials are for this very moment. The path you'll be taking will be fraught with fire and knife-like winds."

The Princess Snake turned her eyes up above, and what she saw filled her with immense terror. A spiraling column opened up above them. It was dark and confusing, and it stretched all the way to infinity where she completely lost sight of it. The winds howled with cold fury. They blew with such intensity that they became white and shaped like knives.

"I'll be going through THAT alone?" The snake nervously asked.

"No, princess. I'll be guiding you. All you have to do is follow me," the Sky Serpent answered.

The princess turned to the Grey Serpent. "Are you coming with us?"

The Grey Serpent shook her head and answered, "I do not welcome the heavenly realms, snake. I will stay here and watch you ascend the heavenly bridge."

"Ready, princess?" She turned her eyes back to the Sky Serpent whose wings were wide open, to fly once again.

The princess flared her wings in response. Seeing her ready, the Sky Serpent began his ascent to the tunnel-bridge. The Princess Snake followed the serpent in the sky. The Grey Serpent merely looked and admired the figures that were now approaching the mouth of cutting wind above.

Their ascent soon entered the mouth of the tunnel-bridge above them. The currents of air carried them along the length of the bridge, but the very same also tried to cut them into ribbons. Their wings endure the slashes of the winds. Their scales protected them the being chopped into pieces. The very substance that makes the tunnel attempts to slice and dice their very substance, but their serpentine toughness had protected their bodies from becoming a splash of blood and gore upon the winds.

The winds had carried them high above the ground. Beyond the blur of the winds, they could see the world that once was beneath their bellies shrink. The horizon over yonder had begun to curve in the distance, betraying the true shape of the world, but even the height they were already at, their journey was yet at its halfway point. They still had far to fly.

The twisty way they've been following had begun to heat up. What once was a tunnel walled by glacial winds was now walled by harsh desert wind. They scratched at their defenses to no avail. The walls had begun to glow a fiery orange light as the ascended through the tunnel-bridge. Fire licked from the walls like the waves of the sea. The winds had remained as cutting as they've entered, if not any more sharp. They were barraged by the winds on all sides, testing their defense and endurance. The Sky Serpent's wings glittered in the heat; the sparkle could be seen, even amidst all the fire they could see.

As their journey continued, the path simply grew more fiery. Their visions were obstructed by swirling blazes. Their eyes earned no respite in the tunnel lit brightly by heavenly fire. The princess wanted to scream to help. She was surrounded by unpleasant elements, but her wish kept her mouth closed. Plus, she didn't want the fire to enter her mouth.

The path went on until the fire that surrounded them had begun to become starry. They glowed blue and cold, with flecks of star-like particles floating about. Her eyes felt itchy at the thought of them getting stuck on her eyes. They continued on. The fires around them swirled in their who-knows-how-long journey through the tunnel-bridge.

Their respite would come to them when the tunnel ended.