Chapter 6: Trial of Greed

Tom wondered what the color of the third trial would be? Being exhausted from the trial of fear yet happy to have survived the nightmares.

Looking at the fog of the third trial, it was green this time. Tom waited for the ancient voice to give him guidance like it did in the previous two trials, yet he didn't have to wait long because just after he noticed the color of the fog, it spoke.

"Horrid Havoc approaches from a place of insufficiency. Great Chaos is the result of excessive desire. Thou will have enough when thou understand when enough is enough."

Listening to it, Tom knew what he would face on this floor in this trial.

"Greed is one of the seven sins, A sin that caused many wars and conflicts in the world, the grounds of death and destruction," or at least that is what most people thought.

Tom knew that you wouldn't be alive without greed. So why did the birds wake up every day and look for food? Why did men from the start of human history wake up and go to work? The heart seeks what it seeks. Without greed, you wouldn't have the motivation to do anything. You would have died long ago.

"Humans die for wealth while birds die for food."

Tom didn't consider simply wanting more as greed; instead, he saw true greed as wanting and seeking more while not having the strength to reach for it.

Stepping into the green fog, preparing and composing himself for what comes next.

[Pov Change]

Bzzzzzz.

The sound of the flies Bzing around Tom rang through his ears.

Tom looked around him only to notice he was among giant flies? Then, after a while, he noticed he was in an ancient kitchen made of wood and that he was tiny, making him conclude that the flies weren't giants but that he was simply small.

Glancing at the surroundings and himself with more care only to notice that he was a fly. He wondered what was going on, only to arrive at a dead end, not knowing his purpose and mission.

His memories were fading bit by bit, only to leave the beliefs of him being a fly and the instincts of one. Flying around as a fly doing what flies do, annoying everybody in their surroundings, and seeking food.

The flies noticed a jar of sweet honey that fell to the ground. Thus, their instincts commanded them to go, seek, and eat it until the last drop gets drained.

Tom followed the flies' venture flying to the honey with all their strength wanting to reach it before the others; after a while of flight and collusion with the kitchen staff that was about to kill him. Tom finally reached his goal. He reached for the jar of honey that had fallen.

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A bunch of flies gathered above the honey, trying to eat as much as possible. But, unfortunately, their greed clouded their minds, and they did not notice that their wings and bodies got drenched in honey, making them slowly unable to fly or escape.

Tom was one of those flies. He felt that something was going wrong and that he needed to do something, yet he ignored this thought. After all, the only thought in his mind was that of this sweet honey.

Minute by minute passed, and the mind of Tom got clouded more and more, having the mind of an addict that couldn't let the needle go.

The idea of flying away before he reached the End of the road came to his mind, but he ignored them once and twice, and thrice.

"Humans die for wealth, and birds die for food." I guess even the great Tom is going to die because of his greed and not knowing when enough is enough.

Seconds before getting his fate sealed, Tom, with the mind of a fly, remembered the saying, "Falling into greed, one seeks more. Seeking more, one falls to their demise." Tom knew that enough was enough at this moment.

Using all of his strength and wings, which were covered with heavy, sticky honey. He tried with all he had, although his will at that moment was that of a fly; even a fly seeks to live.

Removing himself from the honey bit by bit, he was finally able to fly again. So he flew away, knowing pretty well that he was going to die in a couple of seconds if he didn't do anything about it.

With that, Tom broke the illusion of a fly and passed the first half of the third trial shattering the illusion of a fly.

[Pov Change]

Tom found himself in a palace, a palace of unimaginable magnificence. The beauty and the details that went to every corner of this palace had the style of old Chinese imperial palaces.

Tom felt a familiar feeling and thought, "Oh, shit, not again." his memories were disappearing yet again and being replaced with that of a tea master that is about to take the test for the position of imperial tea master, an appointment with the glory of no other to serve the Emperor himself and be one of his closest retainers.

The hustle and bustle of the royal palace sounded all around Tom, Known in this "Dream" as Cao Changming.

Tea Masters, one after the other, were called, and those who failed the test were executed, all of them without a single one being spared. That is why everyone who came here had to have the courage to ready their hearts and minds for death.

Finally, after six of the most notable Tea Masters' deaths, Cao Chanming's name was called to come in and take his test in front of the Emperor.

Cao Chanming was quite worried about the test, but since he came here, he didn't have much choice other than to enter the Emperor's room and flip the coin of fate.

Cao Chnaming entered the room and took a look around, only to see the elderly Emperor sitting on the matt floor with a table in front of him, only having a teapot on it.

The Emperor said, "A new so-called Tea Master, eh; I hope you wouldn't disappoint me like the others before or... Your test is quite simple. Do you see that teapot over there with the blossom pattern on it? Simply pour me a cup of tea from it into the dragon cup adjacent."

Cao Chnaming thought that test was quite simple, too simple actually, that it was impossible for the six Tea Masters before to have failed.

Standing in front of the teapot, he held it with both of his hands and started pouring bit by bit more and more, not noticing that he was about to pour too much for the cup. Finally, moments before the cup of tea was about to reach nearly half of it, Cao Chnming stopped and handed the cup to the Emperor with respect.

The Emperor smiled and said, "What made you stop at only half, and why didn't you fill it to the peak?"

Cao Chnaming replied, "Your majesty, I remembered a tradition from my master that when we pour tea to not be too greedy and overfill it, making the guest or the person we serve feel as if we don't wish to perform the tea ceremony too many times. Other than that, now that I look at it closely, it seems that this is a justice tea cup designed for dripping every last drop if you pour too much."

With that, the Emperor smiled and finally declared, "Congrats on passing the test." Just as he said that Tom broke away from the second and final part of the Greed trial walking away from the green fog.