For a while, no one dared to step forward. Although they might not know the exact details of the tests, they must have heard about what happened to those that tried before. The news of the failed mages from the tournament must have reached them already.
The demons whispered amongst themselves, some hesitated as they nervously glanced at me. After what seemed like a few minutes, the middle-aged female demon stepped forward.
"Great dragon, my name is Mara, It would be my honor to take part in your test," she said and gave me a deep bow.
I nodded and motioned for her to approach. The demoness glanced at the crowd, her eyes momentarily pausing on the figure of a middle-aged demon man before she nodded and came closer.
I waved my hand and created a water dome that surrounded and isolated us from the outside world. Mara's mouth widened in shock as she hesitantly touched the water with her fingers.
"With this, no one will interrupt us."
Mara nervously gulped and waited for me to start.
"First, I have a little riddle I want you to solve for me," I said with a smile before continuing,
"I am the breath of the earth,
Born from the depths below,
I bring both death and rebirth,
And with my power, life can grow.
What am I?"
Mara's face turned into a frown, as she muttered the riddle to herself deep in thought.
"You have three tries," I added with a smile.
"This- is it water, great dragon?"
I shook my head before answering, "While water can be thought of as the breath of the earth, it is not born from the depths below and does not always bring death and rebirth. Two more tries, Mara."
Her frown deepened as she took a deep breath to calm herself, she scratched her head deep in thought before answering hesitantly, "Is it, fire?"
"I'm afraid not, fire can certainly bring death and rebirth, but it is not born from the depths below and does not always facilitate the growth of life. Last chance, Mara, think."
Her face paled, as she began to mutter to herself, wind? No, it can't be... Born from the depths below..." She glanced at the ground with a deep pondering look on her face when suddenly, her eyes brightened up.
"From the depths below! Of course!" she raised her head and faced me with a firm gaze.
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"The answer is a volcano."
"Hoh, not bad not bad. Indeed, Volcanoes are the breath of the earth, born from the depths below, they can bring death and destruction to the surrounding area, but can also bring rebirth and renewal by providing new soil for plants to grow in. A fitting answer for the riddle," I spoke with a smile.
"D-Do I pass?" Mara asked hesitantly, to which I gave her another nod.
"You pass the first test, two more to go."
A sigh of relief escaped her mouth. She took a few seconds to steady her heart before she raised her gaze and faced me with a newfound resolution.
"I'm ready!"
"Good,"
I closed my eyes and easily pulled Mara toward my soul space. The plan was simple, in this world, I was a God, nothing could get past me, and I could do whatever it is I wanted to. This time, however, I wasn't planning on hurting Mara, instead, I would weave an intricate illusion around her, trapping her in a realm where her fears and phobias would come to life.
Nothing was hidden from me, in here I could read her like an open book. I watched her for a few seconds as she looked around, her eyes darting back and forth as she realized she was no longer in the physical world. I could sense her fear building up, the hairs on her arms standing on end. And then I began to shape the illusion, creating her worst nightmare.
Suddenly, her surroundings shifted, and she found herself standing in a dark, abandoned house. The creaking of the old wooden floors echoed in the silence, making it feel eerie. Mara looked around, trying to find a way out. But she was trapped.
Her eyes widened, as she glanced at the dead bodies of the two demons in front of her, and she began to hyperventilate. Human soldiers laughed as they desecrated the bodies of the dead. Mara glanced at her hands which now looked young, and tried to force herself to move, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. The laughter echoed in her ears bringing her back to a memory she locked deep inside of her, one she never wanted to face again.
As I watched over her, a part of me hoped she could overcome the illusion, to stand up to her fear, and not let it overwhelm her. Alas, it seemed like my expectations were too high. She was on the verge of losing herself, and so I had to intervene before she was overwhelmed by fear. I dispersed the illusion, and she quickly found herself back in the desert. Her breaths were quick and labored as she looked around, realizing she had failed.
I shook my head and spoke with a gentle voice, "Mara, fear is a powerful tool. You must learn to face it, to overcome it. Remember this experience, and use it to grow stronger," I said to her.
She looked at me with a mixture of awe and fear, her eyes were slightly wet as she lowered her head and nodded.
"Thank you for your advice, great dragon..." Her voice was soft as she turned around to leave, the dome disappeared allowing her to go.
The crowd began to whisper in hushed tones as they saw Mara leave. She paid them no heed and instead walked toward the middle-aged demon that greeted her with a smile.
"It's okay my love, you did your best," he whispered in her ear as he pulled her in for a hug.
She didn't move back, and instead buried her head in his chest and silently wept. The crowd gave them space, seeing the state she was in.
"W-What happened for Mara to be like that?!" Someone muttered in shock.
"Is the test really that hard?" another added nervously.
It seemed like the disqualification of Mara was a heavy blow to the confidence of those present, since no one dared to approach. Perhaps, I could have avoided going through all the trouble of creating these tests and instead straight away fill them with mana and see who survives, but this time, I was planning on doing things differently. The one to pass the test would at least have a higher chance of succeeding.