A boy could be seen meditating in a dark place, sitting over a tall boulder. His eyes opened gently, and he looked at the area around him.
"It's time I start. Finally, I will be able to reach the epic stage. Only then will I be confident enough to venture deeper into the realm. Without it, I would have faced many problems. Finally, I will be able to overcome this."
"It will also help me catch up to others in the university; I don't know how far ahead Kajal might be. As much as I know her, she would have already reached the epic stage; it's better this way. I can worry about myself for now."
"Vinay will return in a week or two, and we will decide which university to join after I reach the Epic Stage. It's like everything has circled around and come to this point."
"Trial 4 is famous for being very tough; some people cannot clear it even in their lifetime. He clenched his fists as his eyes brimmed with confidence and radiance. It's just the start for me."
"This will also give me a chance to enter the rankings. It is decided by age, so if I am able to enter the epic stage, I will be able to compete against other geniuses."
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said, "Awaken."
*Ting*
Scanning...
[User qualified for trial]
[Would you like to challenge Trial 4?]
He had just fled when he disappeared from his place; he appeared in a strange, dark place. Here, he was not able to see anything as they were shrouded by something; otherwise, he ignored it and claimed himself.
[Welcome back, Challanger]
Rishi nodded, not saying anything.
[You have applied for Trial 4. This trial is divided into three segments. You have to complete them all to pass this trial. In it, you don't get any time to rest; you have to continue.]
[First Segment: Chambers of Emotions
Second Segment: Realistic Illusions
Third Segment: Self Reflections]
[You can start whenever you are prepared; keep in mind that there is a time limit in this trial. You can't take more time. The faster you complete, the better your score will be.]
He stood there with his eyes closed, noting down everything he had heard and processing it. The name contained clues, and he tried to guess the trial. He wanted to extract as much information as he could.
After thinking for some time and calming his mind down, he decided to start.
A strange black-colored portal appeared in front of him. He looked at it for a while with a racing heart before stepping on it.
The next moment, he found himself in a strange place. He was at the center of a place with dim lights around him, and the area was spinning. He could see various doors that looked similar yet distinct.
Wasting no time, he approached one of them and entered it. As soon as he entered this place, he appeared in a place shrouded in darkness. He could sense a strange presence all around him.
He smelled the smell of blood and rotten corpses while laughter and cries echoed all around him. He moved around but was not able to see anything. He wanted to use his shadow sense but found it was sealed, as were his other abilities.
His heartbeat rose as he moved around; he sometimes sensed a cold presence near him, while sometimes he felt someone holding his feet. This was nothing. As he moved, he felt like he was in the sky, standing on a small surface. The moment he took another step, he would fall.
His legs started shaking as he felt goosebumps all over his body. He felt strange feelings from time to time. He was scared that much for the first time in his life; everything around here scared him.
He found a strange creature clad in a long robe, holding a scythe trickling with blood on his bony hand. His other hand gestured for him to come closer to him. When he looked at his skull, he could not move at all.
Next, he heard the laughter of a woman. She was sitting on a swing made up of chains. She laughed and smiled at him, and she winked at him when he looked at her. She had light purple skin and a large horn on the right side of her forehead.
The moment she appeared closer to him by swinging forward, she appeared gorgeous, attracting him to her, but the moment she returned, her hair became dry and messy, and her eyes shone red. Her canines grew, and her appearance turned to that of a terrifying demon.
His head started aching as he moved forward; this was too much for even him. As he moved faster, his feet touched something, and he tripped, appearing in front of a strange thing that rolled.
He looked at the head with its eyes wide open, smiling at him. It had silver hair and purple eyes. It was his own head. He touched his head and found there was nothing his hand passed through. His heart started beating rapidly, and he screamed in fear.
This torture continued for a while before he saw the entrance of the other chamber. He sighed in relief and entered it. His clothes were tattered and covered in wounds, blood, and dust; he saw his face in the metallic door resembling a beggar.
His hair had grown, and his body appeared frail and weak. He took another look, and he appeared to be older. "Nooo!" He said inextricably that he could not believe he had turned like this. Tears came out of his eyes as he looked at himself.
The metal door opened, and a humanoid figure walked out. It was an old man with a slouched back. His body looked weak, while his skin looked like dry wood, as if all youthfulness had been extracted from him.
He moved forward, and the first thing he saw was Aditya laughing at him. He ignored him and moved forward, meeting all the people he had hated one by one. His body started shaking; he clenched his hand and controlled himself.
He found Chaya laughing at him, and beside her was Sameer Tyagi, who was looking down on him. "You were lucky at that time, Brat. This time, I will crush you."
Things worsened as he moved forward; until now, he could control himself. He saw a few men from the Tiwari Clan.
"How did it go?" asked the first one.
He heard a laugh. "It's time to enjoy; that thorn has been taken care of. How dare he call the wrath of our Tiwari Clan?"
"That Bastard, the so-called patriarch of the Rawat Clan, died the death of a dog, with no one around. His pup would never ever find even a bone of his father to mourn into." They laughed together.
"You Bastards! How dare you! " He jumped toward them, enraged; all his suicidal rage burst apart. Soon, he regretted it; his face hit a transparent wall. He fell back, only to hear louder laughter.
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.co(m) for the b𝘦st novel reading experience