Arion and Elara entered the door with anticipation not knowing what they were expecting. As soon as they entered the door, they were faced with two staircases, one to the left and one to the right.
“Let’s go together,” said Elara as she definitely didn’t want to face what was ahead on her own.
“Absolutely,” confirmed Arion.
They approached the staircase on the right together and as they both took a step forward, an invisible force pushed them backwards.
“What’s this?” Elara questioned. A disembodied voice whispered through the breeze,
“Only one,” it commanded.
“Ah,” grimaced Arion.
“I can’t do this on my own!” quivered Elara, gripping Arion’s cloak. He turned her around, staring into her eyes,
“You can do this Elara, remember what I said, you’re stronger than you think.” He kissed her forehead and swiftly turned around and headed down the left staircase.
With Arion’s words echoing in her ears, she faced the staircase on the right and with a sigh, took her first step towards the challenges ahead.
Down the staircase, the lights down the passage turned red and black, with an ominous glow. Taking each step down further and further, she came to an arch way covered in moons and stars.
The dark mist just beyond the archway obscured her view, allowing her to discern only the beginning of a long passageway ahead. It cast an aura of mystery and trepidation over the path that lay before her. Observing the dark mist ahead, there was an ethereal property to it that made Elara curious.
Inching into the mist, it was warm to the touch but didn’t permeate her eyes or her mouth. There was a calm that washed over Elara making her way through the mist that felt familiar within her heart but she couldn’t place it. Coming out the other end of the mist, she could see shadowy figures lining the passageway still as statues. The figure came in to focus slightly as warrior of old, clad in armor that seemed to flicker and fade like wisps of smoke. The outline of the helmet atop his head reminded Elara of the warriors of Sornen, its angular features with a long protruding strip, casting eerie shadows in the dim light.
The soldier's shoulders were adorned with large protruding pauldrons, their edges sharp and menacing as they jutted outwards like the wings of some ancient avian predator. In one hand, the spectral warrior wielded a massive claymore, its blade glinting with an otherworldly sheen as if forged from the very essence of darkness itself. The weapon seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy, its presence casting a pall of dread over the mist-shrouded battlefield. His massive shield, emblazoned with a bold crescent moon surrounded by three twinkling stars.
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Elara stayed within the mist, assessing the corridor in front of her. With a shallow breath she stepped forward and out of the mist. The statue closest to her lurched forward and slammed its sword downwards, aiming for her head. Jumping backwards, back into the mist, Elara panted, her heart almost beating out of her chest. The statue seemed to look around and went back to its previous stance, slumbering as it had done so for eons once more. “How can I get past if I’m just going to be attacked?” she thought. She wondered how she was going to test out the limits and movement of the soldier, until an idea formed.
“Let’s see,” she mused as she put her arm out of the mist into the view of the soldier. Instantly it moved towards the appendage as if anything that emerged from the mist was instantly classed as an enemy regardless of the situation. She pulled her arm back into the mist, the soldier returned to its previous position.
“Next will be sound,” she thought. She took a deep breath and shouted. She realised her mistake as soon as she let out the noise but there was no reversing it now. All of the statues started to move towards the mist swords outstretched as Elara stepped backwards further and further into the mist. The statues lined the mist and began to thrust their swords into the dark with impudence. This time, they didn’t stop and she was now unable to continue onwards. “Great, how am I meant to get past now!” She thought angrily to herself. “I’d need to be invisible to get past that!”
She slumped against the corridor walls, annoyed at herself and in despair at her situation. She began to count the swords she could see as she contemplated how many she would need to dodge if she was to charge through. “What?” She exclaimed, as the finger she was counting on suddenly became see through. “What the hell is going on?!”
Her entire hand was now translucent, the rest of her body becoming more and more invisible. Realising that her prayers had been answered, she checked her hair that was over her shoulder, now as misty as the dark surrounding her and thought of her next move. “Under the legs would probably be the safest option, but I’ll have to be quick and as quiet as possible.” She dropped to her hands and knees and crawled along the corridor floor, thankful that there was nothing but stone slabs beneath her.
Navigating through the swirling mist, Elara approached the swords that pierced the veil with a cautious determination. She observed the nearby soldier, his stance wide with legs planted firmly, shield raised to safeguard his upper torso. With careful precision, she targeted the gap beneath the shield, where the soldier's legs stood exposed. Aware of the perilous nature of her situation, she breathed shallowly, her movements deliberate and calculated. Inch by inch, she crawled beneath the shield, keenly avoiding any noise that might betray her presence and aware that one swift movement would be the end of her.
Out the other side, the soldiers were still stabbing at the mist, so she stepped as quiet as a mouse to the other side of the corridor they were guarding to the next test of the Trial.