Chapter 29: Crystal Guardian Trials. Part Four
Coal's determination and focus drive him through each challenge, and he begins to develop a deeper understanding of himself and his capabilities.
Some of the challenges he faces are puzzles that require him to use his problem-solving skills.
He encounters mazes, riddles, and logic puzzles that require him to think critically and creatively.
He also faces combat challenges, where he must use his physical skills to defeat enemies.
Throughout each trial, Coal learns more about himself and his limits.
He discovers his strengths and weaknesses, and he becomes more confident in his abilities.
He also gains a greater understanding of the world around him, and he learns to think outside of the box to overcome obstacles.
As he continued to pass trial after trial he enters through a portal after defeating giant lizards that had crystalized scales.
Going through the portal leaves him a little nauseous, but he recovers quickly.
A bright warm light assaults him, a field of golden wheat and some familiar buildings can be seen in the distance.
It is their home village of Dthic, and it looks much better than he can remember.
Coal questions whether this is reality or another trial, but all those thoughts quickly disappear when he sees his parents.
He rushes over to them, but as he gets closer he gets smaller and smaller.
Once he reaches them he has reverted back to a much younger version of himself.
He jumps into his mother’s arms and begins to cry.
“Oh Coal, what’s wrong, did you have a fight with Gwen and Gary?” - Rachel
“No, its just, uh I don’t remember why I was crying. I’m just happy to see you.” - Coal
“Alright son, it’s okay. Now I have to go back to the farm, but you can go to the house with your mom and go to sleep.” - Brad
Coal helps his parents out on the farm and spends plenty of time playing with the other kids in the village.
Around a year had passed before a horrific event occurred. The village was raided by bandits.
Coal's life was forever changed when the bandits raided his village.
He witnessed the murder of his parents and friends and was taken captive by the bandits.
As the lone survivor, he was forced to work as a slave for the bandits, enduring cruel treatment and abuse.
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Serving these people he had watched take the lives of everyone he ever knew was an agonizing thought for Coal.
He would be beaten and abused everyday for a couple years as a young child before they sold him to a coal mine.
Coal's life in the coal mine was even worse than his life as a slave for the bandits.
The work was back-breaking and dangerous, and the living conditions were abysmal.
Coal was forced to work in the mines for many years, barely surviving each day.
He was constantly exposed to dangerous levels of dust and coal particles, which caused him to develop chronic lung problems.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Coal never lost his determination to survive.
After suffering in the mines, fate once more had worse plans for Coal.
The neighboring kingdom had started a war against the kingdom he was in and he and some other slaves were conscripted into a special death squad for the military.
They would be ill-equipped and outnumbered, but they would always be at the forefront of battle, designed to inflict as much damage as possible before other troops would advance to fight.
This suicide squad was intended to make use of all the criminals and slaves of the kingdom with the promise that once the war was over those who persisted the whole way would be free and absolved of any crimes they may have committed.
Only those thought insane would join these squads voluntarily so a majority of the death squads were forcibly recruited like Coal.
The situation was bleak, but like all his life Coal was able to put a cap on his emotions.
This control of his emotions allowed him to survive not being beaten to death by the bandits, and not giving up hope in the mines.
His determination to survive was a flame that always stayed strong and no amount of force could extinguish it.
Coal’s death squad was in the very first battle between the two kingdoms.
They had no armor, and no real weaponry like the soldiers camped behind them.
The death squad’s had no tents and had to make do with the wet mud and bright moon sky to rest before the battle.
Coal like the other death squad members around him were forced to charge at the enemy line and were met with all kinds of projectiles: arrows, earth spikes, lightning bolts, fireballs, icicles, etc.
Hundreds in front and around him perished with the first wave of attacks, but Coal stayed alive.
He had nothing but the rags that were his clothes and a rusty kitchen knife, but his calm mind allowed him to find good cover and think quickly on his feet.
Hundreds of death squad members collided with enemy troops, Coal among them.
Never the first to attack or defend but timing attacks to go in and out so that he was never in the line of fire.
During the battle Coal was quick to loot bodies, equipping himself with basic leather armor, a short spear and a small wooden shield.
Others on the battlefield followed his example. During the fight he killed quite a few enemies, but anything he did would not even be able to be called a dent in the total forces.
Eventually he heard horns sound from his side and soldiers began to rush in to attack the broken defensive lines of the enemy.
Coal fought alongside the soldiers, using his newly acquired equipment and skills to hold his own in the battle.
He was determined to survive and make it out of this war alive.
The battle was long and grueling, but in the end, their kingdom emerged victorious in this fight.
Battles like this one occurred again and again with the Death Squad’s being the initial attack and spearhead in every conflict.
Countless died, but Coal always found a way to survive no matter the wound and no matter the conditions.
In the beginning he tried to form groups with others to increase his odds of survival, but every single time all the people in the group would die except for him.
Scars filled his body, blood stained his hands, and uncountable battles were fought, and he persisted.
The ten year war finally ended, and Coal was now in his mid twenties.
For ten years he had known nothing but death, moving forward, death, retreating, and more death.
All the deaths were for naught, the kingdom not wanting an endless war agreed to a truce, but nothing was gained.
Loss was felt by both kingdoms, and it would take a while to recover.
During this ten year war, the king had perished and his successor had taken over.
This successor was now taking back the words of his successor and the criminals and slaves who had miraculously survived the war were not given their freedom.
All the death squad members were put into slavery to assist in helping the kingdom recover from all the loss caused by the war.
Coal was sent back to the mines and once again faced with those harsh conditions.
Five more years, Coal is in his mid thirties in the mines. He coughed while pushing a cart and though he struggled as much as he could, he collapsed.
Thinking him dead the overseer had other workers toss his body into a pit with other bodies.
He awoke in the pit, weak and coughing. No one else was around so he got up and left escaping the mines.
Making his way to a nearby village, people tried to chase him away, but the chief of that village allowed him to stay for a few nights, even giving him food in exchange for work.
Coal continued walking and eventually found where his village was originally all those years ago.
He built an orphanage there and raised kids that were thrown away and abandoned.
As those kids grew up and left, many returned and a new village and eventually a town was made where he made the orphanage.
One day while taking care of some kids Coal once more collapsed and he sadly died.
Coal is suddenly brought back to the crystal hallway he was walking in and a voice greeted him.
“You have passed the final trial! You have an unwavering and hopeful spirit and are worthy of being trained as a crystal guardian!”
Tears fell down his eyes as he thought about the entire life he just lived, and how thankful he is for the life he has now.