The mansion was in flames and I started the fire. To take the test of the first tower I had to find a way to slip out of my master’s grasp and run to the tower. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I never expected it to be that hard. Setting the fire had not been my first choice of distraction but when my plan to escape through the underground passage had failed, I had to do something. If I’d been caught they would’ve flayed me alive to set an example and quite frankly I look horrendous flayed. I’d been minding my own business, frantically making my way to the underground passage, when a guard spotted me. Through some quick maneuvers I managed to escape their grasp but I ended up in the wine cellar. That’s when inspiration struck. Unfortunately, turns out that wine doesn’t set on fire but luckily there was a stronger section of the alcohol I could try. I never intended to burn the whole mansion down, only to create a distraction so I could slip away into the underground passage. Unfortunately, once I set the alcohol on fire it quickly started spreading and at that point there was no hope in containing it. And that’s where I am now, frantically running for my life to get to the underground passage before I’m burned alive.

               “Fuck fuck fuck” I whispered under my breath.

               I was out of breath already and I wasn’t even there yet. My breath was jagged and short and I had scraped my knee. I kept running though because if I stopped there was no way I would be left alive. I ran past a group of guards who were gathering water to try and calm the flames. Idiots, the whole cellar was already alite, there was no way they’d be able to stop it now. I took a left into the guards sleeping chambers. The room was fairly plain with bunkbeds lining the room. There was a big hearth in the middle of the room that was aflame for heat. I headed toward the wall where the secret entrance was and started frantically patting it down to look for the trigger to the entrance.

               “What are you doing!” Someone behind me shouted.

Shit

It was a guard. I slowly turned around and faced him.

               “What are you doing, don’t you know there’s a fire that needs to be put out“ I asked the guard back.

He looked at me confused for a second and that was all the chance I needed. I charged at him and rammed him into the big hearth. His clothes and hair quickly set on fire and he started frantically screaming. I turned around and kept looking for the trigger to the entrance. I kept tapping in the area I knew the trigger was supposed to be when I heard a click.

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               “Ha, finally” I exclaimed.

The wall moved up and showed the opening to the entrance of a tunnel. Right as I was about to start running something tackled me to the ground. I struggled frantically against my captor but it’s grip one me was firm.

               “Where are you headed” It softly whispered into my ear.

I turned my head to look at it for the first time and I realized just how fucked I was. It was a hollowing. It had a powder white face and it’s thin lips were set into a smile. There was a streak of red going down its face for where Rahul had struck down the face of their deity. What scared me the most about it was it’s eyes though, it had tiny beady eyes and in the eye was the ring of god. It was common knowledge that whenever you see something with the ring of god that you have no other option but to run and hope that its not interested in you.

               “I asked you a question” the hollowing whispered menacingly.

               “To the first tower for my tribulation” I managed to yelp out.

               “Very ambitious for a man of your class. How about we strike a deal. I let you go off and in exchange you do me a little favor”

I had no choice, when one is offered a deal with a hollowing. You either accepted the deal of you died.

               “O-ok, I accept”

The hollowing disappeared like smoke and I felt a huge burden being taken off me. I didn’t have time to think on what had just happened though because the other guards had heard the screaming of the man on fire and had come to see what had happened. I ran away as fast as I could into the pitch black of the passage. I heard the guards screaming behind me to stop but luckily, I felt reinvigorated an was able to outrun them. I ran in that pitch black passage for what seemed like hours until I found myself coming out of it into a well lit room. I had finally made it into the safehouse that the passage led to. The safehouse was located at the outskirts of the city, about 10 minutes from the tower. I made my way out of the safe house and started running to the tower. The tower was huge, it dwarfed any building I had ever seen. Its tip was so high that it was among clouds. The whole tower was a deep hue of silver and it was hard to look straight at it due to the moonlight that was being reflected off. I started making my way to the entrance of the tower. When I was 100 paces from the entrance, I cut a deep gash into my hand. I slowly let it drip into a strange alien shape to announce to the tower that I was here for the initiation. I walked slowly up to the tower and finally I was looking at the swirling shape of colours that was the entrance. I tentatively reached out and touched it.

               “Are you sure you would like to participate in this tribulation” a deep voice resounded in my head.

               “Yes” I replied resolutely.

Then, I was sucked into the entrance.