Chapter 55: Trial of Conquest
The rest time for Jacob and Xenia was finally over, they had waited hours in silence for Shinzo to awake and set them on the right path, but the Great Sage was taking too long.
Jacob had grown bored of waiting and began to toss rocks at the branch of the trees.
’I wish there were phones here!’ He screamed in his mind as every passing second felt painful.
Xenia bided her time with either meditation or playing with her hair, all the time in the Ironfell castle, even before Jacob was born, had accustomed her to silence and idleness.
There was a rumble, finally the Great Sage Shinzo was awake!
"Time to begin your next trial." The large Tortoise bellowed, its shell immediately began to shine in a golden hue again, displaying all the runic patterns on it.
In the blink of an eye, and a blurry haze; Jacob and Xenia were both whisked away to different spaces, they both stood atop a podium that very much resembled their training ground at the Ironfell castle, but the entire place had a familiar golden glow. The deafening silence was back.
Jacob looked around, he found no sign of Xenia, he took a deep breath and a step forward.
"The Trial of Conquest will begin in two minutes." The voice from the first trial spoke.
"Great, just great!" Jacob said sarcastically, he refrained from protesting or complaining, but he decided Shinzo was going to get an earful when he returned to the real world.
Four laser-plasma holograms instantly appeared in front of him, each one reaching beyond the clouds of this space.
He took a step back as he witnessed the scenes that unfolded before him.
’Whoa, what the hell is that!?’ He exclaimed in his mind, pulling his sword out of his pocket space for what seemed like the millionth time.
Whatever it was, he would be ready.
_ _ _
Xenia stood in the empty space, the exact copy of the one Jacob stood in, the only problem was; Jacob wasn’t there.
She swiveled multiple times, hoping she would catch even the slightest glimpse of him, or realize that he was playing some kind of prank, but the more she looked around; the more the realization dawned on her. She was alone.
"The Trial of Conquest will begin in two minutes."
"Trial of conquest?" She muttered under her breath as she heard the sound. She looked up towards the skies, there was nothing but the same clouds emitting the same golden hue that they always did.
She’s seen it all before but the allure of it still fascinated her. The fascination was short lived as three laser-plasma holograms appeared before her.
’W—what is that?!’ She pondered as she stepped back, quickly pulling her sword from the sheath and aiming it at the foreign abberations that had just manifested before her.
_ _ _
Jacob looked up at the laser-plasma holograms, he gripped his sword tight, the blade humming silently with bloodlust and anticipation.
Something began to form in each of the holograms, different beasts, all four of them commanding an ominous presence.
"This is the Trial of Conquest, you have 30 minutes to defeat these Beast Lords that have manifested in your presence." The voice echoed again, filling the entire place.
"A Heavenly Frost Lion, A Void Serpent, A Primordial Ape, and an Earth Dragon."
The monsters slowly manifested, tiny motes of light turning into giant catastrophes right before his eyes.
Heavenly Frost Lion
Its silver-white fur shimmered with frost, and every breath it exhaled froze the surrounding air.
Its icy blue eyes radiated majesty and a very bloodthirsty nature.
Void Serpent
Its obsidian scales seemed to devour light itself as it glided over the earth.
Cracks in space trailed behind its colossal body.
Primordial Ape
The ape towered like a living mountain, its massive frame brimming with primal power.
Each step sent tremors racing across the earth.
Earth Dragon
Its stone-like scales resembled a moving mountain range.
The ground rumbled with every motion of its enormous body.
These creatures roared in unison, creating a deafening sound, forcing Jacob to cover his ears in surprise.
"This Sage has me out here fighting world ending catastrophe’s." Jacob said out loud, shaking his head and gripping Excalibur even harder, his eyes immediately glowed a deep blue.
_ _ _
Three creatures had begun to appear on the terrain that Xenia found herself standing on, she stepped back even further as these creatures began to take shape from little flickers of light.
"This is the Trial of Conquest, you have 30 minutes to defeat these Beasts that have manifested in your presence."
As soon as she heard the voice, she steeled herself, she had preset realized that she wasn’t getting out of here without passing the trial and she was ready for whatever challenge that came her way.
"King Frost Lion, Mountain Ape, and a Gold Winged Roc."
King Frost Lion
Its blue fur glistened beneath the light, an aura of freezing mist surrounding its body.
Its piercing blue eyes locked heavily onto Xenia, wondering why she wasn’t scared.
Mountain Ape
The ape’s towering frame was as sturdy as a cliff face, covered in thick dark fur.
Every movement radiated overwhelming physical strength.
Gold Winged Roc
Its golden feathers shone brilliantly, reflecting sunlight like countless blades.
With a single flap of its wings, powerful gusts swept across the atmosphere.
She stood there, already thinking up battle plans in her head as she met the gazes of each and every one of the beasts.
She finally closed her eyes shut and began to harness her Qi, just like she had done with the wolves that they encountered along the way.
_ _ _
Light had just taken a bite into a piece of meat when he saw it, for the second time.
It was the bright golden light that had shone previously, now showing itself again.
At this point, he was dead sure that it wasn’t the Lion, or any beast that emitted such a beautiful bright light, that must be the gate of the forest.
And it was so close.
He got up and dusted himself off, then started towards the light, just like his name, he had always found the light.
This time would be no different.
