. . . . . . “Hey . . . . . .”

"What the?"

"Hehe, just wondering, what do you think about living?"

"Huh?"

"Did I not make myself clear?"

"I'm trying to figure out what you're asking. What's going on? I can't see anything."

"Don't worry about that, answer me. Why are you so special?"

"I'm… special?"

"You do not remember… Do you?"

"Remember what?"

"That's excellent, then. Please hurry up and answer my question. What do you think about living?"

“. . . . . . It’s….Pointless….”

After Rhea answered the voice from the darkness, the lights suddenly turned on. As Rhea looked around, she noticed she was lying on a white bed, and the restraint holding her there had been unlocked.

She got up to explore, but there was nothing there to explore. The walls were pure white, and her bed was in the middle of the room.

A familiar voice began calling out to Rhea as she was exploring the box she was in.

"Why, it seems you are finally awake!"

"Huh?! Who are you?"

"Don't mind me, and It's not that I would answer anyway! Welcome to the fun box!"

"The what box?"

"The fun box, silly!"

"What is this fun box?"

"The fun box is anything you want it to be, Mrs. Rhea! or are you not married yet? What a shame!"

"Anything I want it to be?"

"Yes! Anything and everything you desire is in your control with the funbox!"

"So I could exit the funbox if I wanted to?"

"Why, of course not! That would be silly! After all our work to put this fun toy together for you!"

"I see…" Rhea took a moment to think about the situation she was in.

"So, what happened to Lancel and Avo?" Asked Rhea.

"Do not concern yourself over small matters! Give the fun box a try!"

Seeing that she could not extract further information from the voice inside the box, she decided to listen to it and give the box a try.

"So what is it I have to do exactly?"

"Just speak whatever is on your mind, and the fun box will create a scenario for you!"

"If I may ask one thing before we continue, what is the purpose of this?"

"Purpose? Are you not here for the GRAND TRIAL?"

"Grand… Trial?"

"Hehehehe, never mind that! Don't worry about it! Just try it. I'm getting angry!"

Rhea braced herself for what would follow and spoke.

"Take me home…."

The moment Rhea closed her eyes, the entire box had disappeared. Once she reopened her eyes, she felt a breeze of cool air just like the ones she woke up in back home.

Confused, Rhea looked around, seeing her entire village. The same village that was meant to be destroyed by God's demonic forces is now alive and well.

Her house was also intact. She remembered that right before they left, her father burned the house down, something she did not understand the intention of.

"Here we are, Rhea! Do you like it? We have done our best to recreate your memories to the fullest!"

"This is just like it was then…." Said Rhea as she watched the village children play together."

"And what of my father! Is he alive here!?"

"Why, of course! You should be able to meet him inside your home!"

Rhea ran towards her house in the village. Their house was a rather shabby cottage; nonetheless, it was her home. She opened the door in excitement to see a memory of herself eating breakfast with her sister and father.

"What is this?" Asked Rhea, bewildered after seeing her younger self.

"Well, this is just a memory, silly! It's not like you can interact with it! The only thing you can do here is to watch."

"Father! Father!" Said the child version of Rhea. "When are we going on that trip you keep talking about!"

"Soon, darling! I still have to talk to the village chief about my leaving... haha!"

"I don't remember these memories…."

"Oh, you don't? Well, I can't blame you, but everything you see is YOUR memories."

"So you claim." Said Rhea.

After her family, in her memory, had finished their breakfast, her father left the building. As he left, Rhea followed him, but once she opened the door, it was completely white.

"What's going on? Why can't I follow him!"

"In your memory, you were not outside at this time. So you could not possibly know what was out there."

"Makes sense."

Rhea decided to watch her little sister play with her in her memories. They spent the entire day playing and studying together. But she couldn't remember any of the things she was seeing.

As nighttime came, Rhea and her sister began going to bed. However, on that night, Rhea only pretended to go to bed. While her sister was sleeping, she sneaked into the basement to look for her father.

The Child Rhea looked around the basement, for it was her first time there. she quickly hid once she got in, after noticing her father speaking to something… It looked almost like an older figure adept at magic, wearing fancy church attire.

"And what of the child?" Said the voice.

"She is safe. There is nothing to report."

"And about that other matter, I wished to discuss…."

Rhea watched her father and this mysterious figure talk for quite a while. As she watched, she noticed her younger sister sneak up behind her.

Bam! with a single hit with what appeared to be a stick, she hit her head from behind.

"IT WOULD APPEAR THAT IS THE END OF THAT MEMORY! WHAT A BUZZ KILL, RIGHT?"

"WHAT HAPPENED THERE?" Yelled Rhea in anger. "TAKE ME BACK!"

"Calm down, Miss Rhea…" said the voice.

"Calm down?! Why are you showing me all this?" Asked Rhea as she impatiently went back and forth in the room, trying to figure out what had happened.

"Hm, well, I cannot give more details than what you have already seen… It was you who asked to see your own memories, after all."

"So you are saying I can see the memories of others by using this device?"

"Well, yes, it is possible, but with admin privileges."

Rhea stopped moving and asked, "Admin privileges?"

"It's a security protocol set by our master to prevent us from meddling in other's affairs. We cannot give you that access. Such permission only can be granted by him."

"What is the meaning of this? Why am I even forced to do this?"

"It would seem that due to financial cuts, I don't care about answering further questions you may have. Please hurry up and choose something else you would like to see."

"I will not cooperate with any more of your evil schemes!"

"So be it, Ms. Rhea." Said the voice in a sad tone.

The voice that was speaking to her went silent. Rhea was puzzled at what had just transpired. She tried to make sense of her memories, yet they were all fragments.

Annoyed at her predicament, Rhea mumbled to herself, "Damn bastard," meanwhile cursing whoever put her through this pointless trial.

"All I need is to find Lancel and Avo… Then we can leave…."

Rhea stared at the white walls surrounding her, hoping to incite some response from the host or whoever was communicating with her, yet no one responded.

Being too prideful to ask for another memory, Rhea returned to her bed and sat there for hours. Not a single word. No one knew how much time had passed, and Rhea was starting to feel sleepy.

Without further communication with the host, Rhea went to sleep.

Rhea's denial and stubbornness did not last long since she did not even know how many days had passed if they even had passed. The lack of knowledge of the outside world had put her on edge, even more so since she didn't know her friends' situation.

Eventually, she had to speak. Waiting would not do her any good anymore. The trial had been taking a toll on her as she noticed her growing hunger for food.

"Hey! Anyone listening?!" Said Rhea, ready to face what came next.

"Oh! Miss Rhea! I see you've had a change of heart?" Replied the voice.

“…”

"Well, I need an answer…."

"Just take me to the second trial already."

"Your wish is my command."

The box again transformed, but the new location they teleported to was the house at the start of the journey—where it all started.

"What the… Why are we here?" Said Rhea.

"Well, what you see here is for you to explain. I'm merely just an observer."

"Could you just tell me one thing?"

"What is it now?"

"Who is your master? Please, give me a hint."

"My master is the one that created the word of law."

"So your master is the ruler of angels?"

"Hahaha! Who knows! Silly, this has nothing to do with you! Just do the damn trial!"

"Fine…"

The house in front of her was not burnt yet. In the distance, she saw her family walking towards the house after leaving the village. It was dark out, and the family needed a place to rest.

“….”

"Is there an issue, Rhea?" Said the voice with excitement behind it.

"None at all…" Said Rhea. Deep down, Rhea was anxious to see what transpired back then and could never make any sense of any of the details she had. The only thing she could think of now was to try and gather as much information as possible.

The family walked into the house, and things played out as they were supposed to. Her father found a strange child in the upstairs room and brought him down to greet everyone.

There was a tense atmosphere, something she had sensed before already. But this time, she noticed that right before he left, the boy looked directly at her spiritual form, the one she was using to observe the scenario.

"I see, so you have finally reached the box, huh?" said the boy.

Suddenly a voice screamed inside the box. "DON'T REPLY TO HIM!"

Flustered at the urgency of the voice telling her not to communicate with the boy Rhea quickly shut her mouth.

"Hm…. Is it possible no one was there after all?" said the boy in her memories.

Rhea watched as the boy carried on going upstairs.

"What the hell was that?" Said Rhea as she fell to the ground trembling in fear.

"That boy! How do you know him? This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"What do you mean?" Said Rhea confused.

"We must shut this down immediately. There is too much risk in continuing this!"

The box turned white again, and a red error message popped up on the box. "Project Shutdown Denied"

"What the hell is going on here!? Who are you?" said the voice.

"What the?" Said Rhea. "Everything okay?"

The operator was frustrated. Constant error messages popped up inside the white box, showing that he was finally powerless. Statements such as "Access denied" and "303 Error" opened around the box. The box had turned completely red, and the test would not stop.

"Miss Rhea, I am an observer, I have no right to shut down the box, and it would take hours before we can get the admin inside. It would be best if you continued the trial as it is. DO NOT SPEAK TO THAT BOY!"

"What would happen if I did speak to him?"

"If you speak to him, he will know of this world, that boy, only the highest of tier malice can see through such a sacred object. Miss Rhea! Do not speak to him!"

"Okay, okay!"

"Then ill start the project once again."

The box returned to its trial mode, bringing Rhea back into her home.

"I must find out the truth of what happened here…" Thought Rhea bracing herself for what was to come.

Rhea watched as the younger version of herself went upstairs, a memory she could not recall. She opens the door to the strange boy's room and goes inside. As Rhea followed, she noticed that the boy was casting magic on the orb.

"It would appear that I Have company. Follow the holy road, and you shall meet me." Said the boy before putting away the orb.

"Hey, Daemon?" Said Rhea inside the memory.

"Hurry up and speak."

"Ever since we got here….."

"Yes, what about it?"

"There is this purple aura behind you…."

"Oh, this…"

"I've seen red, blue, green auras, but never a purple one…."

"Rhea, was it? You're quite knowledgeable in auras, huh? Most humans can't even see them. How peculiar."

"What is this purple aura, if you don't mind me asking."

"A purple aura is a curse."

"A curse?"

"A curse is a high-tier magic put on someone, but it essentially brings misfortune."

"How can someone as powerful as you bring misfortune?"

"Why did you assume I'm powerful?"

"Well, I saw that orb in your hand, and my father said that these orbs are given to the most elite magic casters."

The boy stood up and looked directly at Rhea, not the one inside the memory, the actual Rhea, and said. "I can sense it... But why... Why do I feel it?"

It took Rhea all her strength not to talk back, even though Daemon was looking directly at her.

"Why is it that you won't talk to me?" Said Daemon.

Rhea, inside the memory, replied, "What do you mean?"

Daemon cast a spell with a wave of his finger, and everyone inside the memory just stopped. As if time itself had stopped.

"Well, that's fine if you won't answer, But I can sense it with you... Why is that? Where is my missing piece?" Said Daemon.

"ERROR 303!"

"ERROR 301!"

"ERROR 304!"

"ACCESS DENIED!"

The memory suddenly stopped, and the box turned white.

"What now!?" Said Rhea with apparent discontent at this silly trial.

"That wasn't me. It seems that someone doesn't want you to see your memories."

"Who could be doing that?"

"I'm only an observer, miss Rhea. I'll put in an inquiry to check out the magic vault. For now, please be patient." Said the voice. "But, since we are waiting anyway, let us begin trial 3."

"Huh? Already? But what about the errors?"

"The errors seem to block the memories for trial 2. We will try to fix that, but we will move on now."

It was time for the final trial. Rhea couldn't help herself from being excited. "Finally, this stupid test will be over, and I can meet up with Lancel."

But the next scene would prove otherwise….

MEMORY 3

A young elven girl was staring off into the distance. This world was entirely new for Rhea, and she had no idea what was happening. As the girl turned around, she was greeted by none other than Lancel.

"Oh, my love! Where have you been?" Said the girl.

“Arunde as sandinas.” Replied Lancel, which in elven means "It is finished, my love."

Lancel was talking about the sword he had created, the same sword he was wielding back in the forest.

"Oh, my beloved! How I've been waiting for this day!" Said Lancel. "The sword, the final masterpiece, has been created!"

"My love, why don't you use your talents to create tools rather than weapons!"

“But tools weild no power!” Said Lancel as he sighed. "My love, this sword is a relic class item!"

"Relic class?"

"This is a sword with a mind of its own. Almost all relic items have their own minds and can influence the wielder, granting them unimaginable powers."

"But my love, how could you create something like this? You told me yourself your previous experiments failed."

"Bagh! Why can't you apricate what I've done? You know, your beginning to sound like my damn sister!"

"What did you do to make this Lancel?" Said the girl.

"A relic blade, also known as a cursed blade, is forged by negative energy. A sword like this can cut through holy and evil magic; it's the ultimate sword."

"Don't tell me. HOW COULD YOU OPEN THAT BOOK?"

"Please stop that! The ends justify its means."

"And who was it that you doomed with such a curse to create this sword?"

"Who cares! With a weapon like this, we will be invincible. Not even that which will be able to stop us!"

"But I don't want power!" Replied the girl. "I just want you!"

For a moment, Lancel's mind goes blank, and he thrusts the sword he was showing to the girl right through her.

The sword drained the girl's blood, and due to the rune blade's magic properties, the soul was shattered into pieces.

After coming to his senses, Lancel cries, holding the girl's body in his arms after pulling out the sword. There was no actual injury left on the body, except the soul was quickly being destroyed right in front of Lancel's eyes.

"Lancel…" Said the voice.

"Stay with me! Please!" Said Lancel as he cried for help.

"Please, Lancel, you must make amends with that poor boy…."

"Shhh… wait, please! We can still save you."

Lancel and the girl stare at each other, knowing that her life is at its end.

"I'm sorry, Lancel…. I should have believed in you…."

"Don't SAY THAT! PLEASE! IT IS MY FAULT! I'LL UNCURSE HIM! PLEASE! STAY WITH ME!" said Lancel.

But it was already too late. The girl's life had come to an end.

Lancel let the body go, and as the girl fell to the ground, he reached for the sword once more, captivated by its power.

A voice, or rather, the sword's voice, could be heard after claiming its first victim. "She was merely a means to an end…. Reclaim me, and I shall show you TRUE POWER!"

Lancel takes up the sword, quickly puts it inside its sheath, and seals it with divine magic so it can't be stolen.

Rhea once again returned to the white room. She was confused as to what she had seen. With all the questions going through her mind at once, she did not know what to do with what she was given.

The biggest question of all was the confusing statement given to her by Lancel. one truth, one future, and a lie.

What could possibly be the lie that Lancel was talking about, and what is the lie from the three different things she had seen? Was it the first memory, the second, or the third?

"Congratulations, Miss Rhea! You have performed wonderfully. I'm glad that we could show you these simulations. I will open the gates which will allow you to claim your ascension point."

"What do you mean to claim it?" Asked Rhea in confusion. "I thought this test of yours was harder."

"No, no, we wouldn't possibly create a scenario where you would face a challenge. Please go through the gate once you are ready."

The voice cut off, and a huge gate appeared right in front of Rhea. She turned around, but the bed and everything else behind her were now pitch black. Only one path was left for her, and that was the path forward.

Since there was nothing else left, she went through the gates. Crossing the gate, she came face to face with a long and narrow path surrounding that once again pure darkness. As she followed the path laid out for her, she kept wondering what her purpose here was.

At the end of the pathway was a semicircular stage with stairs going up. Rhea climbed the stairs, and at the top of the stage, she saw two other paths leading to it. The path she had taken was the middle path. One path was to her right, and another to her left.

In the center of the stage was a pedestal with a floating gem-like object on display on top of it.

"Congratulations, Miss Rhea, for not falling into the darkness. It is more common than you may think."

"Common? what do you mean by that? How many people have done this trial?"

"Let's not go into statistics for now. In front of you is the very ascension point that you were after. However, before you claim it, we will give you an option."

"Wait a moment… What happens to those who fall into that darkness?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"I have to know!"

"Those who fall into the darkness die and become disqualified."

"What!?!"

"Is that so hard to believe? You can trust me. I'm not lying."

"Wait, what? If that's the case, then how is Lancel not dead?!"

"Now, that is indeed a good question, miss Rhea, but please let me finish." Said the voice.

"In front of you is the ascension point. You may choose to claim it for your own or exchange it for a gift."

"Exchange it?" Asked Rhea.

"There is a rule to this exchange. You cannot ask for two ascension points. For example, that would be ridiculous, and everyone would say it's IMBA. You can ask for anything your heart desires, but it is only an ask, as in, you ask a question."

"What the?"

"Yep! That's all there Is to it! Any question you may have will be answered if you decide to exchange it!"

Rhea was doubtful of anything she had seen thus far, but those memories, all of them, seemed real to her. Which was the lie, and which was the truth?

"Please take your time, miss Rhea. The others should arrive shortly."

"Others?"

"Yes, Your friends, Lancel and Avo."

"Wait, but why is there only one ascension point?"

That is a good question. We are on a tight budget.

"What sort of meaningless answer is that?"

"hehehe. Stop asking ridiculous questions."

The voice once again stopped. Leaving Rhea with more questions. Why only one point? Why did the voice she heard a sound so excited?

She patiently waited, and eventually, Lancel showed up through the darkness. He almost seemed like he was crawling. Rhea left the stage and ran to see what was happening but was thrown back immediately when she put her feet inside his path.

"Miss Rhea, you are not permitted to go on anyone else's path. Please stay here patiently."

Rhea looked over from where she fell and watched Lancel crawling towards the stage desperately. The agony on his face was something she had seen only once in her life, carried by her father.

"I must help him!" Said Rhea as she got back up.

"Finally, the third contestant seems to have arrived!"

"Rhea turned around to check the third path, and there he was. Avo was charging forth with pure force with his axe in his hand."

"Ye damned bastards!" Yelled Avo as he ran to the stage.

"Aha!! the beautiful Ascension point is finally in my hands!" Said Avo as he removed the protective layer that was displaying the gem.

"This power! It must only be mine!" Said Avo as he reached to take it.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that!" Said Rhea as she took out her wand and attacked Lancel with her tier 1 attack o will wisp spell.

"What de hell do yer think you’re DOING?!" Said Avo as he charged toward Rhea.

"You mustn't claim that!"

"Why the hell not?" Said Avo.

"There is something wrong here. Please wait for Lancel. Then we can discuss this!"

"Fine!" Grunted Avo as he backed away. There was something off about him, Rhea thought to herself, but she did not mention anything and waited.

Lancel had finally reached the stage while the two were arguing. Rhea went to help him stand, only to notice his legs.

"LANCEL! YOUR LEGS!" Screamed Rhea after seeing his legs being destroyed by some unknown magic.

“Rhea….. my love….. you must claim the ascension point for yourself…."

Lancel's legs were deteriorating at a fast pace. He screamed in torment as pieces of him fell into the darkness.

"Why do you keep referring to me as my love? I don't understand you!"

"Rhea, I wanted to give this to you, don't open it without claiming the ascension point."

Lancel pulled out his sword along with its sheath and took what he thought to be one final look at it before turning his head away and giving it to Rhea.

"I'm sorry, Rhea, I could not protect you…."

"What are you saying? Everything is going to be okay! Stay with us!"

"I remember everything now!" Said Avo as he stared down at Lancel in pity.

"What do you mean?" Asked Rhea.

"This piece of shit is the one who killed my people!"

Rhea looked at Lancel and asked. "Is this true?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Avo once again charged at Lancel with brute force. This time Rhea was caught entirely off guard.

"This is not the time or place to do this, Avo. Calm down. Let's talk this through!" Said Rhea.

Avo took his legendary axe and crushed Lancel's head. Over and over and over again.

The voice once again spoke.

"Wheuheuheuhe, it would seem that one of our beloved contestants has expired!"

"Expired!?!" yelled Rhea demanding an explanation.

"Hehehehe!" said the voice, only infuriating Rhea further.

With the sword left in her hand, given to her by Lancel in his dying moments, Rhea's anger that was Gathering within her was about to explode.

"Take my gift…. Release me from this sheath!" said a voice that kept repeating itself in Rhea's head.

Rhea slowly pulled out the sword while Avo was still busy destroying Lancels remaining body.

The sword was giant! However, it weighed almost as much as paper. But none of that mattered, for rage had consumed Rhea's mind.

"Kill him…. Kill him!!! KILL HIM!!!!! KILL HIM!!!!!" said the voice in Rhea's head.

Rhea had already given up, making it easier for the sword to take hold of her. There was quite a distance between her and Lancel as she was pushed away during the charge from Avo.

"Strike me with all your might. It won't matter if you miss!"

Avo, noticing the evil intent radiating, had finally come to his senses and turned to face Rhea.

"You!! What do you think you're doing?!" Said Avo as he pointed to Lancel. "This bastard killed my people! Why do you want to protect this murderer!"

Rhea didn't even want to talk anymore. It was clear to Avo that there was nothing to be gained from arguing with her, so Avo quickly went on the defensive.

Immediately Rhea launched herself into the air as if she weighed nothing. It was not only the sword that was boosting her power but also her rage. This tremendous amount of negative emotions pushed her body to its limits and beyond.

Swish! Swish! The sword came down on Avo's axe none stop. Avo quickly tried to put distance between them, but Rhea closed the gap almost immediately by launching herself forward and striking him repeatedly.

The sword seemed like it was laughing, and each time the weapons collided, it sounded like thunder piercing through Avo's mental fortitude.

Rhea was dancing at that point, with each blow annihilating Avo's defenses. One hit, another. Avo tried to put some distance between them to give himself time, only to be either hit by the sword from one side or a fireball from the other.

Avo ran around the stage, and Rhea was no longer having it. "Fireball," "Fireball," "Fireball," Chanted Rhea at an incredibly fast pace.

Each fireball had its damage boosted by the sword's strength, which multiplied the number of fireballs she launched and, as a unique weapon trait, made sure each fireball hit the target.

"Even if I dodge these damn things, they seem to follow me." thought Avo trying to escape.

"YOU CAN NOT RUN!" Said Rhea as she delivered a crucial blow to Avo's chest using Lancel's sword.

This was the end of Avo, though. Although Rhea did not realize it, the final specification this sword had was that it cut the soul of its victim on impact.

"Aghhhhhhhh!" screamed Avo. "You are fighting for a damn murderer! What's wrong with you? Come to your senses!"

Rhea was still in her fury, and as Avo fell to the floor, the endless barrage of strikes came down at him.

For five minutes, Rhea pierced through Avo without resistance, destroying him the way he did to Lancel. "DIE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Screamed Rhea trying to Avenge Lancel.

There was nothing left of Avo by the end as his body disappeared into the darkness.

"CONGRATULATIONS! You are the winner! And what a nice sword as well! I certainly wouldn't want to fight against that! haha!"

This would prove to be the first of many victims the sword has claimed with Rhea. However, during Rhea's rage, even the sword was flustered about whether it could keep up with all of Rhea's attacks.

((((After all these years, it seems that someone actually worthy has picked me up…. I better not fail her!))))

Normally the sword would go on a feeding frenzy, but strangely enough, it seemed satisfied with Rhea.

As Rhea calmed down, she began to realize what had happened. In front of her were two dead bodies and, on her sword, the blood of Avo.

She ran to Lancel's Body and collapsed on her legs as she cried. "Lancel! You can't leave me! What about your sister? She still needs you! She is waiting for you! Stay with me, please!"

There was still some faint breathing from Lancel. Although his face was caved in, he could still make some sounds.

"I'm sorry for not being there in time, Rhea…."

"Don't speak, you idiot! Stay with me. We will get out together!"

"It is almost funny to me… all the lives I've taken…. I always believed that I was not scared of death, Rhea…. but…. now that I'm at the brink," Lancel begins to cough up blood, "Now that I'm at the brink of death, I'm scared, Rhea… I don't want to die!"

Lancel mustered all his energy for that line. It took a lot out of him to say that. Rhea kept crying as Lancel continued to bleed out.

"Rhea, take my sword back to Grismala… Tell her that I will no longer" Lancel begins to cough again, even harder than before. "I will no longer be of any use to her."

"No, you must stay with me, Lancel!" Screamed Rhea at the top of her lungs. "I can't lose you too!"

Lancel grabbed Rhea's hand and looked her in the eye. "Rhea, I love you…"

The lights in Lancel's eyes began to vanish, and then his hand fell back to the ground.

The voice spoke once again. "Heehehehe, WHAT A COOL TURN OF EVENTS! I THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD! HAHA! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!"

Rhea stepped away from Lancel's body and looked at the sword in her hand, still covered in Avo's blood.

"So, miss Rhea! You are now the victor! What will you do with your ascension point?"

Rhea walked up the stage without even turning back to look at Lancel. She kept pushing forward with all her strength. After all this time, the ascension point was at hand.

"I can exchange this for my memories?" Asked Rhea.

"Hm? you seek a trade, miss Rhea?" Said the voice.

"Is it possible? Just give me a damn answer!"

"Hm…. I suppose it is possible…. But are you sure you want to find out the truth?"

"Do I have any other choice?!" Screamed Rhea crying once again. "I PROMISED I WOULD BE STRONG! BUT I COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT! I'M JUST A WEAKLING! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT OF ME?!"

"What of the wishes of Lancel? What about all those warnings he gave you about not exchanging the ascension point? Are you going to break his wishes after all this?"

Rhea wiped away her tears using her hand and spoke. "Screw his wishes! If he didn't want me to do this, why did he tell me what he did? Only with this can I find out."

"Whoa! Okay then, if this is your heart's desire, I will oblige."

The ascension point disappeared from the center of the stage, and the white walls from the box Rhea were once in reappeared.

"Miss Rhea, although I agreed to show you these memories, you must now face the Memory Palace!"

"Memory Palace?"

"Yes, the memory palace is a complex and crude structure that can go anywhere your heart desires. You will find your answers there. Everything in the memory palace is the TRUTH, and if you are to look away from that truth, you will instantly be thrown out. Furthermore, I must warn you. There are many ways to get around this place, so be on your guard for an adventure."

Rhea had no other choice but to agree with the instructions. She had no idea what this memory palace was, but she had the courage to face her nightmares directly after all this time. The memories locked away, the memories stripped away from her, and she had to find that truth.

"I'm Ready! Bring it on!" Screamed Rhea at the top of her lungs, sounding like Avo as she prepared herself for whatever she would face.

With Lancel's mighty sword in her left hand and the mental fortification of Avo, she was more than ready to fight anything that would come at her.

Yet doubt remained…..

Back at the Entangina Empire, in the mountains of Warfarin to the southeast, Emperor Lucious and Queen Grismala gathered with a large force of the most elite magicians in the world to create a devastating magical spell to strike directly at the tower being constructed by the so claimed Nyarbog Lasothtep.