“Really?” Urn asked as Asime skipped away from Urn, leaping from stone to stone gracefully. “You’re just gonna let me go? You sure you don’t wanna give it a shot?”

“What the- you want me to kill you?” Asime asked, momentarily stopping and studying Urn’s face, yet finding not even the slightest trace of fear; only exhilaration and barely contained excitement. What a weird guy!

“Of course not. But I’m just saying, this could be your last chance.” Urn wagged his finger at Asime playfully.

“Hm…I’ll think about it.” Asime said, leaping onto another rock and continuing to put more distance between himself and Urn. Urn, nearly slipping off the stone he stood on, tried to follow Asime, leaping onto a nearby stone and almost slipping off.

“Wh-wait! Hold up!” Urn said as he fanned his arms out, trying to regain balance. “You can teleport, right? Do you think you could do another solid and teleport me and my friend out of here? I need to get out of here as quickly as I can!”

“Sorry, no can do!” Asime called out to Urn, continuing to hop across the rocks until he reached one at the edge of the water, hopping onto the ground and taking a seat. “This entire forest is trapped within the magical space created by Banjoko. I’ll just be thrown back into the forest if I try to teleport out- trust me, I’ve tried.”

“Damn it.” Urn sighed, and Asime frowned at him.

“Don’t be too sad!” Asime said. “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer, after all!” Asime said with a smile, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small pouch. Emptying the pouch into his palm, five ball shaped bones rolled into his hand.

“What?” Urn said, and then nearly fell into the water as Asime proceeded to rapidly flick the tiny balls into each of the rocks surrounding Urn; despite their small size, they carried great force, obliterating each and every one of the rocks. “What the hell? What was that for?”

“Don’t you remember?” Asime asked, tilting his head at Urn. “You asked me if I wanted to kill you, right? I thought I wanted to let you live, but that’d be trouble for Alci, so I’ll kill you now.”

Urn’s eyes widened and he instinctively reached for his messer, but found that his pockets were completely empty. He tricked me! Urn inched towards the water desperately, wondering if he’d be able to get to dry land before Asime sniped him down.

“Uh-uh-uh!” Asime said, balancing Urn’s messer on his thumb playfully. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Take a good look at the water!”

A long fin rose out of the surface of the water, circling around the stone Urn stood on rapidly. Slowly, the fin began to rise into the air with every circle it swam around Urn, a thin, serpent-like shark rising out of the water and towering over Urn. Flapping the several pairs of things along its sides, it hovered just above the surface of the water and stared intensely at the locket hanging from Urn’s neck.

Urn grinned up at the beast and wiped at the droplets scattered across his forehead. “Zeadra! It’s me, Urn! I was the one that helped fight off those Epe warriors bothering you a few days ago!”

“Urn.” Zeadra recalled, its mouth unmoving despite its speaking. “So, you are the Locket Bearer. I thought I smelled its stench on you.” It turned towards Asime. “Epe Warrior. You did well to bring him to me.”

“Don’t sweat it.” Asime dug his hands into his pockets and waved at Urn. “Well, it was nice saving you Urn. It was pretty nice killing you too. Seeya.” And then Asime vanished without a trace.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Damn it! I forgot about the locket! Still, I have debt sharks! I can escape! Urn realized, summoning forth the debt sharks, who seemed like guppies in the presence of the great sea beast. “You owe me! Now then, don’t move!” Urn commanded, and Zeadra’s eyes momentarily flashed purple…before fading back to blue.

“A magic skill that manipulates others?” Zeadra observed, the fins along its sides flapping so hard they became blurs of gray. “Such a magic skill may work on inferior magical beasts. But I am a high-class magical beast, just like the ‘Master of Epe’, those lowly beastmen bootlick. Now do you understand?”

It didn’t work. Urn froze up as Zeadra flew faster and faster around the stone he stood on, summoning forth a great gust of rapidly spinning wind around Urn. The gusts of wind drew the water from the waterfall upwards, creating a pillar of rapidly whirling water around Urn, cutting off all angles of escape. He was trapped.

Urn couldn’t help but smile as Zeadra closed in, the pillar of water narrowing as the sea beast got closer and closer. I’m gonna die! Urn thought, his crazed smile growing bigger by the second. I didn’t think this could get any more exciting! I’m totally going to die! But it won’t be the end for me!

Grabbing his locket tightly, he closed his eyes and concentrated. When I first awakened, I was bursting with so much life energy! If I go through the spiritual ordeal and awaken at the exact right moment, I might be able to resurrect myself the moment I die! Or maybe I’ll just die!

Slowly, his surroundings began to fade, Zeadra and the spiral of water around him vanishing, drowned out by a vast darkness.

~~~

“Not bad at all.” A voice said. “Awakening before dying to save your skin! What a smart idea.”

Urn opened his eyes and found himself to be in a rather narrow cave, surrounded by darkness on both sides. Beside him, what looked like a shadow, yet three dimensional, stood on the cave of the wall as if it were the floor, smiling down at him with bright white teeth.

Urn quickly backed up, swiping a sharp rock off the cave floor and pointing it at the shadow, who’s smile grew wider.

“Don’t worry; I’m not your ordeal. I just came to check on you. This test will be very hard, you know. You got off lucky the first time, but not every awakening will be like that; especially this one.” The shadow said through clenched teeth.

“If you’re not, then wh-” Urn quickly grew quiet, as the sound of footsteps approaching filled the cave. To his left, a pair of yellow glowing eyes stared him down, and to his right, another pair of glowing eyes glowered at him, both getting closer with every moment. Urn picked up another sharp rock, pointing one rock at his left, and the other at his right.

“Well, good luck. If you die, I guess it just means you weren’t worthy enough to bear the Burden of Time.” The shadow said, before slipping through a crack in the wall and vanishing.

Bear the Burden of Time? What’s tha- Urn’s train of thought was thrown completely off track as a bony lion leapt from the darkness, baring its teeth at Urn as it swept it’s claws along his stomach, leaving deep gashes along it. Letting out a bark of pain, Urn slammed his hand against the wall in pain, barely able to keep himself right as the second lion leapt out of the darkness, tackling him to the floor. Barely able to keep its razor-sharp fangs at bay with the rocks in his hand, he thrust his legs into the thin lion’s belly, kicking it right off him. The beast retreating back into the darkness, Urn slowly pulled himself off the ground, clutching his side in pain.

Urn could see the hungry eyes of the two lions in the darkness; if he didn’t do something now, they would kill him in their next strike. Grunting, he summoned forth as much strength as he could muster and slammed the two sharp rocks into both walls of the cave, panting heavily as he waited for their next move. Promptly, the lions shot out of the darkness, baring their fangs and reaching for his throat with their claws. Urn quickly grabbed onto both sharp rocks and used them to pull himself into the air above the lions, who slammed into each other mid-leap. Then, yanking the sharp rocks, as he landed, he brought the sharp rocks down onto the beasts’ heads while they were stunned, killing them swiftly.

I did it…Urn thought deliriously, staring at his blood drenched hands as blood continued to cascade from his wounds. Wiping away at the blood over and over again, Urn’s movements became more and more frantic as he realized the blood wouldn’t stop falling. What? Why…

Why aren’t I waking up?