A young boy walks over black stone floor. His light footsteps echoing trough the empty hallways seeming to leave marks on these long abandoned walls. He takes one careful step after another, his alert eyes skimming the surroundings. About twenty feet in front of him there is a large hall, in it there is a slightly heightened platform with a pedestal on which a dusty orb about the size of an ostrich egg rests. Behind the orb he can only see smoke, he can't see the farthest wall, only distinguish it by the waves of smoke rolling off it.

He has almost entered the hall stopping just outside the entrance. His eyes flash back and forth as they go over the pattern on the ground. He feels slightly perplexed not understanding its purpose, he would like to take his time studying it, thinking to himself that an activated rune of this size will surely be powerful he kneels down to examine closer but just as he does he is disrupted by another echo coming from a passageway to his right. The echo mimics the one he made just minutes ago.

He rises quickly his whole body tense and takes a step towards the pedestal. The rune on the floor doesn't activate and his step doesn't echo the kid somewhat relaxes and steps again. He moves quicker now with absolute silence, heading right at the orb. He starts to hear the footsteps in addition to the resulting echo and he knows he is almost out of time, he grabs the orb, starts chanting the portal spell and dives towards the misty fog at the far side of the room. A blade flashing in front of him brakes his concentration failing his spell and cutting trough his earlobe.

The blade was thrown from the right tunnel it's flying arc was meant to cut right through his skull. Having badly dodged the first one now another flying dagger swishes towards the orb-carrying kid. He pushes himself up and tries to jump over the flying knife almost succeeding. The knife tilts at the last moment and buries itself deep into his left thigh. His movements have been locked, original plan of hiding destroyed, leaving him only the choice to fight with whoever comes out of that tunnel.

The steps that had previously stopped started again, soon a short hooded figure emerged carrying a sword on his back. He draws his sword and slowly closes in on the kid circling him. The child tries turning so to always face the figure but the heavy injury impairs even that simple movement, and blood gushes out. After ten or so circles the boy can no longer keep up and stops turning seemingly ready to accept death. The hooded creature moved as soon as he noticed him stopping not wishing to give him time to set up spells, with one swift motion he cuts off the kids head.

The child's eyes widen once more as his severed head turns to look at the orb and then his life leaves him.

***

With a shock the same kid wakes in a room of black stone with a single torch and a single entrance.

He thinks for a second and says,

'Not good, not good at all. They are really strong, and not stupid at all.'

He rises and stretches himself then takes a piece of bread and a waterskin from his backpack. He walks back and forth in this small room while stretching further.

'Hmm, should I try once more or is it too late. Better not risk it.'

He pulls a dagger from its scabbard on his belt and inspects its blade, his reflection catches his eye. He is dressed in all black linen, with black leather belt and boots. His hair is orderly, short and light brown. His eyes grayish blue with yellow strings near the dilated pupil. His face is symmetrical in construct and could pass, with some work, for handsome.

The double-bladed dagger is slightly dented and missing half the handle on one side. The other side is still in good condition and well guarded, with a sharp tip that can pierce chainmail. He sighs and sheaths it again.

He sits down, closes his eyes and readies himself to once again enter the Vision, having forgotten his decision. Just as his mind is being caught by the current, he hears a noise from outside his mind. His eyes shoot open and he turns towards the source, next to the torch a narrow batch of wall has fallen away, revealing the same black stoned tunnel from his Vision.

'So he is ready now', the kid had previously pulled the torch and then sat down waiting for the other tunnel to pull his so they could race for the orb. Sometime during the waiting he had drifted off to his Vision and tried out the trial. If the tunnel had opened while he was still inside, he would have been in deep trouble.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He quickly entered through the pathway and the familiar echo greeted him on his first step. He slowed down to lessen the effect but didn't stop moving forward. His mind quickly going over what he had seen last time, and the incantations he would need to fight that hooded figure. Halfway there he stopped. In front of him was a trap, if he took a few more steps two pairs of blades from both sides of the narrow tunnel would strike into his lower and upper body, third pair passing over his short stature.

He took a sprinting position and shot over the trap, it still activated with a speed inside his calculations. He should have been safe, but his speed in the dream had been higher and his body lighter. The blades slightly cut into his feet doing no real damage, but impairing his movement a bit, the pain could be ignored in battle but the blood might make him slip at a bad time, so he stopped and tied his leg with his shirt. He knew there were no more traps, though his Vision was far from perfect it still worked fairly well for inanimate objects.

He hurried along towards the hall with the orb and didn't stop until he once again reached the entrance. This time he could already hear the echo giving him no time to further investigate the markings on the floor, with a quick look to ascertain they were the same markings as last time he shot towards the orb, not even trying to move silently.

When he reached the orb he grabbed it and shot again towards the wall, but this time where he had previously dived he made a sharp turn and flung the orb with all his might towards the other tunnel. The creature in the tunnel dropped two metal objects and took a step backwards to catch the orb without damaging it.

Just as the creature had caught the orb and softened the blow regaining his balance. The initial attack was followed with a strong kick towards the orb he was now holding, the kick flung him backwards and his hood fell off his head, revealing a goblins head.

The goblin reacts quickly after the fall, leaving the orb on the ground as he rolls backwards and drawing a blade with one smooth motion. Then hurrying towards his attacker, the boy blocks with his dagger and then swiftly withdraws to the hall, the goblin grabs the orb and gets out his tunnel. His mission this time being easy, he has to kill the boy after which he would be teleported outside. The same goes for the kid, however if they take the orb they can use the teleporting spell themselves and escape having succeeded.

The boy looks at the goblin and slowly slides his dagger over his hand letting blood seep out. This surprises the goblin, his expression of surprise turning into one of understanding.

'It's an artefact, eh? So ye gonna bind it by blood, eh. Too bad I hold it. Try to get close if ye can. I promise ye, I'll cut ye like a pig' He taunts the kid while lowering the orb to the ground. Then also without braking his stance slightly cutting his leg with the tip of his sword. He lowers the bloody tip of his sword towards the orb while keeping a eye on the kid, who is now fuming with anger.

Just as his sword touches the orb a slight red light moves from it into the sword up the blade and into the goblins body. Then the rune on the ground activates and the all the energy in it concentrates on the goblin, incinerating him in seconds.

'Yes it was a blood artefact, too bad I bound both sides before you.' The kid talks to a pile of ash with his rage having turned to a grin. This was the insight he gained at the end of vision about the protective nature of the rune. When someone's except the owners blood touches the orb, the rune would attack everyone on the rune except of course the owner. He took a few quick steps towards the orb but before he reached it, his body flickered and disappeared into thin air. Soon afterwards the whole construction disappeared as well.

__________

AN: Let me know if you like it, I will keep it going as long as I feel like it.

PS. I know it's just chapter 1, of course you want more before you decide.

PSS. I pulled a Rowling with the chapter name there hehehehe, TIT hehehe, birds are funny.

PSSS. Any spelling error is on open office. Hit me with wording if you must. Oh and definitely with commas and semicolons, I don't know how to use them that well.

PSSSS. If there are any problems with flow then definitely let me know, that is the most important thing after all.