Chapter 2: Interrupted Climb

When they arrived at the dining hall they were ushered in by assistant guides. These less experienced guides would serve the meal before joining a group as secondary guides. Next year, if they prove themselves, they might be able to claim the title of guide for themselves. For now they were aids.

The dining hall, like most everything else on the mountain, was simple. Two long and two shorter stonewalls held up a sloped wooden roof to protect most of the inside from the elements. There was an open section in the back that let out the smoke of the fire pits, but the aids would climb up the rafters to replace the missing planks when the fires had been put out.

It was a set of tricky acrobatic maneuvers to get up there and stay balanced but as adherents who’d passed the second gate the connections between their body and soul was high enough that the task was more annoying than dangerous.

The larger than normal group was quickly and efficiently seated at a long table in front of meals consisting of fire roasted meat and vegetables.

A quick look at his charges showed him that none minded what they’d been served.

He’d momentarily panicked at the thought that Hecate might be a vegetarian but she’d already stabbed into the meat on her plate and started eating before he could ask. He nodded to himself and got to work on his own food.

During the meal the aspirants tried to ask Halus what would happen during their ascent. They had the common questions hopefuls always had. They asked about what it would feel like to awaken to the gates? Or how would they know that they had taken their first step? What comes next?

Halus waved away the questions with a chuckle.

“You’ll have to experience it. But, you should know I didn’t give you those candles for my sake.”

He’d told them to keep at least one hand on the candle as they ate but refused to say why.

“Think about what path you want to take and observe the flame.”

Berra, Hecate and the Prince had to have their candles relit more than once but Halus said nothing as he did so, his silent encouragement for them to continue was enough.

When the meal began to come to an end the Head Guide stood to speak.

“Please, if you are still eating, continue to do so but try to finish up while I speak.” The head waited until he was sure all eyes had found him in the center of the dining hall. Many as suggested were doing their best to quietly shove food down their throats. Among this group was Bab who had started in on his sister's plate. Berra had given up on eating and chose to focus on the Head Guide.

“I am sure that you are all excited to get out there. To climb the mountain and find your path. It would be hard to be anything but excited or nervous in a time like this. To some of you this might feel like it’s the most important moment in your young lives.” He made eye contact with as many in the crowd as he could as he spoke.

The elder fae’s overly large swirling eyes took in each young man and woman, his gaze felt like a warm blanket of encouragement that lingered even as he moved on. He had reached what many would consider the end of his path centuries ago, with his power having passed the fourth gate he had a weight on the world that he could use to relay his will to those around him. The students could literally feel that he cared for them and their futures.

“Before you go I must warn you that some of you will come down unchanged. Pathless. This may seem like a cruel thing to say to some of you but know it to be a warning. If you lie to yourself the path will remain unseen. There is never only one chance to take your path, but there is only one path for you. It is up to you to accept it.

The ether is chaotic today. Together we will see what effects it’ll have on your paths. Perhaps something new will come about.

Our guides have taken that step themselves. Some of them have taken paths they never thought they would because it was the one for them. If you feel uncertain about anything do speak to them as they lead you up the mountain. They are to guide in more ways than one.” He smiled grandfatherly and despite the fact that everyone couldn’t see him they all felt the effect.

“Wow.” Shae marveled. “I’d heard that the Head Guide was one of six that had passed the fourth gate in recent history, but I hadn't expected to feel the power coming from him like that.”

“Neither had I.” The prince gaped. “Father has great respect for the Head Guide. Seeing him with a presence like that, I think I understand why.”

Halus smiled at the conversation. He could hear the awe and excitement in their voices. When he looked over his group he could see that same spark of anticipation in the eyes of the others.

That was the power of the gates. The first three were about the internal change the soul would undergo, you take aspects and use them to bind your soul closer to your body. The next three allowed the changes your soul had undergone to become natural parts of your physical body, bringing the two further into alignment. The Head Guide had inspired them with his soul force, like a blaze giving a spark to start a new fire.

“Come with me. Stay silent and continue your contemplations until we start our climb.” Halus stood and his group followed. Without looking back he led them out into the night.

His walk quickened to a run and without looking back he knew his group had begun a sprint to keep up. Having reached and past the third gate his movements were so efficient that a casual run propelled him beyond the speed his young group were capable of. He made sure to stay only a few yards ahead but he also was sure they had no elusion of catching up to him.

He reached out with his soul, even without reaching the fourth gate and his soul having yet to start its merge with his body, he had used his first aspect to feel in a way that even the head guide couldn’t.

The increasingly turbulent Ether pushed back against his soul sense but he managed to get through with added effort. He felt that the souls of his aspirants had made the connection with the candles and were feeding them the truths that kept them lit regardless of them running.

They ran for a span of five minutes before coming to a stop in an open glade a little higher up the mountain, just outside the monastery. The aspirents huffed and puffed from the effort of trying to keep up with him.

“When I told you to contemplate your path, you all had similar reactions. Irritation can be hard to hide.” The flickering of their candles stopped them from opening their mouths to lie, but Halus still noticed the attempt. “It’s fine. Don’t deny it. I have been where you are. I remember when I first climbed the mountain to take my first step to awaken.”

Hecate glared at their candles.

“These things are tattletails.” She scoffed lightly.

“To cross the gates is to walk in truth.” Halus chuckled.

“So what, we can’t lie no more if we want power?” Bab said with what looked like genuine offense at the thought. Halus had to hold back his laugh at the face the goat shifter was making.

“No, people lie all the time. Regardless of how many gates they’ve crossed.” Halus chuckled. “You can never deceive yourself though. The gates are like reflections of you the moment you try to break through. The gate measures your truth and asks it to be more. Lies muddy the water.” He observed his charges as he spoke, continuing to use his soul to keep track of them in the night.

Giants, as a race, had one of the weaker night visions. The stars tonight were bright enough but he felt more confident keeping track of everything with his senses extended.

“What if you get to the gate and don’t like what you see?” Berra asked, her voice was quiet but crisp in the night air.

“Then you hope you’re strong enough to cut it off.” The prince answered before Halus could. It was no surprise that the prince would know something like that but Halus took note of the spike of anger he felt in the young man's spirit.

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“That’s close but I would say Inaccurate. Cutting it off is a much more difficult prospect than what actually happens.” Halus said. “It's tempering and refinement.”

Seeing the obvious confusion on their faces he continued.

“Let's take anger as an example. Someone who is known to lose their temper easily may or may not see that as a negative. If they don’t view it as a negative quality then they can pass through the gate having changed little to none in that regard. If that person does view it as a negative they can’t actually cut it away but they can refine it into a weapon or temper it with another aspect of themselves. Rage can become a weapon to boost you at a critical moment or it can be smothered by pairing it with a more positive aspect of yourself. The result of tempering rage is often a more calm or collected mind in intense situations.”

“So everytime you go through the gate you change as a person, not just in power?” Hecate asked.

“Everytime you go through a gate you become more you. The gates are capable of binding a soul and body into one.” This concept felt easy once you had experienced it but Halus could see the confusion in his group. Rarely did one understand before crossing the first gate.

A strong surge ran through the Ether suddenly. It was intense enough that Halus' soul sense was shoved back into his body for a moment and he frowned. His aspirants all seemed to feel the surge as well but none but the Prince and Shae seemed to understand what they had felt.

“That felt…wrong.” Bab said to Berra who nodded in agreement.

The group was ready to continue and he had no answers to the questions in their eyes, so Halus gestured toward the peak of the mountain. They’d settle down and he could do his best to try and guide them through the rough Ether. It was as the head guide said, this adversity could be good for them.

“Let's keep climbing.”

“Uncle, will there be monsters to fight as we climb?” Shae asked as they began to climb once more.

“On the mountain?” Halus asked in confusion. “No, niece. The mountain has been swept clean of any and all monsters for the climb. Even if fighting is to be a part of your path, the first step is about you. Monsters would only be a distraction.”

“I see.” Shae said with obvious disappointment. She had grown up on the stories of heroes crossing through the gates using battle as inspiration. She dreamt of being that kind of adherent.

“Don’t worry. As a pledged to the prince you will likely have many fights in the future.”

“Hopefully not.” The prince chimed in with a laugh that seemed a bit forced. “I hope to live as peaceful a life as I can.”

Shae nodded with her prince but inside she disagreed. She was a warrior.

As they climbed Halus made sure to point out the beauty of the mountain. In the night, beneath the light of the stars, the mountain felt fragile in its sanctity.

He showed his group the hidden waterfall he’d discovered some time ago. He showed them where the wildlife of the mountain had their dens and took the time to get to know them a little better as they climbed.

The candles they held flickered as they answered his questions. The physical representation reminding them not to lie practically forced the truth out to every question.

Shae wanted to be a warrior. There was no surprise there. Bab and Hecate had also been vocal about the warrior path but Berra and the prince both seemed uncertain on how to answer.

The more Halus watched the prince the more he noticed how close the young man was to taking that first step. So close that he should have been able to do so already, without help.

This realization shocked Halus. The prince was more talented than Zon had led on. But the fact that he hadn’t passed the gate already confused Halus enough to make him pull the young man to the back of the climbing group.

They were coming up on a caved area that Halus liked to use as his resting spot to watch the sunrise with his groups.

“Why have you waited to cross the first gate?” Halus asked him softly so that no one else would hear.

The young man looked surprised that Halus had noticed. Anxiety ran across the prince’s face in a flash, but he managed to reclaim his calm in an instant.

“What do you mean, Guide Halus?”

“Your soul is reaching for the gate but you seem to be holding it back.” He told the prince. “Why is that?”

It seemed like the younger man had no intention of answering the question. He looked away from Halus and the Guide could tell he was looking at Shae.

“Waiting on Shae?” Halus asked in confusion.

It wasn’t uncommon to have people want to advance at the same time when they were close to crossing a gate. Halus had never understood it. Your path was yours alone and slowing yourself down for others to catch up was unwise.

“No!” The Prince said with vehemence, his attention snapping back to Halus with a lost look.

“You were staring at her, so I figured.” Halus shrugged.

Prince Edgar flushed red at the statement. He opened his mouth to speak several times before anything actually came out.

“It’s not like that.” He hissed in a tone that immediately convinced Halus that it was like that.

“Sure.” Halus agreed, since that was what you did when talking to a prince.

“No! I'm being serious.” Edgar continued in a whisper. “It’s something else.”

Halus frowned. “Sorry, I wasn’t being serious. Just messing with you. It wasn’t even funny.”

“No it wasn’t”

“Right.” Halus agreed. “But what is making you wait? Passing the first gate on your own would mark you as a genius, why climb the mountain?”

“Instinct.” The prince said simply. “I’m supposed to be here right now. I'm supposed to wait until whatever is going to happen happens. It’s like I know that something I'm missing is on the way. I still haven’t truly chosen what I’ll take as my first Aspect.”

“Is that the fae or shifter in you?” Halus knew that the connection the fae had to the ether was second to none but he also knew that the instincts of a shifter pulled on the energies of the word in a very specific way. The shifters' interactions with ether were mostly limited to their shifts but they were sensitive to its changes.

“Both, maybe?”

“Well if there-” Halus' proclamation of support for the young prince was interrupted when the stars flashed. All of them at once. It happened so fast that had the group not all come to a stop at once he would have thought he’d imagined it.

Then it happened again.

“Guide Halus, is this normal on the mountain?” Berra asked incredulously.

“No, Berra. It isn’t.” The stars flashed again and the Ether surged. Halus got a bad feeling. “There’s a cave entrance after the bend just ahead. It’ll be to the left. Get inside.”

The group sped up until they reached the cave Halus had described. Once inside he had the group put their candles into the holders along the walls. Using their fire he lit four more candles and placed them in the remaining candle holders.

In the time it had taken him to finish setting up their light the stars had continued to flash faster and faster. The group gathered at the entrance and stared at the sky in awe and fear.

The flames of the candles began to pulse in time with the stars now that they were running on ambient Ether.

“What is happening?” Shae asked, repeating the question the group had been asking amongst themselves for the last few moments.

“I’m not sure. Hold on.” Halus had been reaching out to the world with his soul for some time. Now that he was prepared he was able to push past through the surges without his senses being blocked.

The ether was moving around them, agitated in a way he had never seen before.

“Think this might be what you were waiting for, Prince Edgar?” Halus had asked offhandedly but the lack of a response drew his full attention.

Prince Edgar had fallen to his hands and knees. As he watched the others started to fall to the ground one by one.

“What the hell?” Halus was about to reach out to start checking on them with his soul force but something else caught his attention before he could. His extended soul felt something in the ether rip and then his senses were slammed back into his body so forcefully it made him dizzy and nauseous.

He fell to his hands and knees like the rest of the group. Darkness took his vision as he tried to breathe through the discomfort. His eyes were open, he knew it, but he couldn’t see or hear anything any longer.

No matter how he tried to get a hold of his senses it just felt like he was being thrown through a windless storm.

He puked in the darkness.

When his vision started to return it was like surfacing from a deep sleep. He was shivering on his hands and knees, he couldn’t tell if he’d been like that for minutes or hours. His clothes clung to his cold and clammy body. The soaked tunic felt like it weighed as much as a person with how weak his muscles were.

As his sight cleared further he saw the stone of the cave floor painted in an eerie blue light. After that it was the bodies of his Aspirants. All of them curled into balls on the ground.

He started to reach out with his soul but hesitated when he remembered what had just happened.

He pushed past it and reached out anyway. His soul force stretched out like spider webs covering his group. His touch caused them to flinch as he went deeper than he normally would, but they were in no state to resist.

They all bore marks of soul trauma but these marks were healing as he watched. A quick self-examination showed his soul to be in a similar state, but in his case they were smaller and already almost gone.

Confirming that his group was mostly okay he was forced to confront his body. It was still shivering and his head was pounding. There was a light in his vision that kept flashing. He tried to look away but it seemed to follow his gaze. When he focused on it it expanded.

Welcome To The Challenge system!!

Congratulations! Your world has been chosen to join the challenge system. Life has changed. Challenges await around every corner. Can you survive?

A second message appeared just as he finished reading the first.

Grand Challenge: Get home

Rating: SSS

You and your group have been taken from all you’ve known. Your challenge is to make it back alive! Cross the galaxy and explore the many worlds.

Rewards: ???, ???, isn’t getting home the best reward?