“So, how long will this trial to awaken my soul take?” Almond asked.
“Half a day? One day? It depends on you. The trial’s sole purpose is to push your soul to awaken. You will enter hell, and you will fight without giving up. Your will is strong, so it’s just a matter of time before you win and open your eyes to the new scenery you will see with your soul awakened.”
Madam Ruby pointed her finger at Almond as a dreamy white string emerged and extended towards Almond’s forehead. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
“Off you go.”
Almond nodded, and then the string entered his head.
…
Gloomy flowers colored red, purple, yellow, and blue lit up the forest. With the visibility from the flowers’ lights, Almond saw black trees that looked like they were made of tar.
‘Huh? I can’t use my skills? Wait, I can’t use Mana at all. I can’t feel it,’ Almond frowned. ‘What kind of trial is this?’
*Rustle…*
‘What was that?’ Almond turned around as he heard the rustling sound behind him, but nothing was there.
Suddenly, something seemed to bind his feet and he fell before getting dragged away.
“Fuck, fuck,” Almond cursed as he struggled up while getting dragged and saw a black vine dragging his feet. He saw the vine coming from a ghastly dim orange inferno with black liquid whirling, at a tree’s base tens of meters away.
‘No, not there!’
He struggled to break the vine by moving his leg and putting strength in it. His hands dug into the ground which soon resulted in his nails getting broken, bleeding, and fingers mutilating.
But he couldn’t stop himself.
‘Stop!’ Almond endured the pain and entirely tried to dig his hands inside and grounded his leg to slow down.
Suddenly, he saw a wooden stick going past him and quickly reacted as he grabbed it.
Getting up with his teeth grinding, Almond’s eyes focused as he slashed towards the vine.
“CUT OFF!”
His perfect swing, accompanied by his will, turned the stick into a sharp blade as it cut off the vine and he finally stopped, just a mere two meters away from the creepy inferno phenomenon.
Almond dragged himself back before standing and taking a deep breath while the inferno whirlpool vanished, turning into motes and disappearing.
“The fuck was that?”
Almond sighed and looked at his hands as they trembled, feeling burning and stinging pain. He could even see bits of his bones exposed on his fingers and it was hellishly painful.
But such a pain wouldn’t affect his normal functionality, his will was strong.
‘I have to get out,’ Almond looked around, but everywhere was the same, so he picked a random direction based on his gut and began moving.
He kept the wooden stick as it was his only weapon and walked cautiously while focusing on noticing the danger like that vine.
Ten minutes passed by, but Almond didn’t encounter anything.
After moving for another ten minutes, Almond saw the end of the forest and the outline of a town based on the light coming from it.
His eyes lit up and he increased his speed, but the last black tar tree suddenly glowed eerily before it wiggled and formed a mouth on its trunk that grinned at him.
Almond stopped, feeling goosebumps. “What the fuck…”
His grip on the stick tightened and his eyes focused, ready to fight.
Suddenly, the mouth widened and something shot out of it straight toward Almond.
Almond swung his stick without hesitation as it clashed against whatever the thing was, but he was pushed down while something scratched his shoulder, even making a crack in the bone as he fell down.
But he quickly got up and turned around, holding the stick that was now broken and shortened.
Almond saw the thing, and it was a black tar wolf, except that its mouth opened like a goddamn flower with spiraling teeth all around it.
‘Am I in a fucking horror movie?’
*Greeee….*
The creature made a creepy sound as it slowly walked as if circling, its six eyes with crimson glow looking at him.
Almond’s heart raced like never before as he felt profound danger of death even though this wasn’t supposed to be real.
‘Wait, is this real or did she really send me here?’
The moment Almond produced that doubt, his fear increased and his heart pounded quickly.
‘I am not fucking dying here!’ Almond’s grip tightened, his expression twisted slightly, becoming ferocious as he glared at the creature.
“You creepy shit,” Almond muttered, his eyes intense and focused on the creature. “Come here and die.”
*Swoosh!*
The creature pounced at him with its mouth widening enough to devour him whole, but Almond dashed and ducked before slashing the branch at a perfect angle to behead the creature.
*Slash!*
*Duch..*
The head fell and plopped as the creature turned into a puddle of tar while the black tar tree that produced it also vanished.
“Haah…haah…” Almond took a few breaths and calmed himself before walking out of the forest.
“I feel as weak as shit, damn it.”
Almond reckoned his stats were like 10 in all, no Mana, no skills, no nothing except for his knowledge, ability, functioning mind, and will to refuse to give up against whatever fucked up things he’d encounter.
“Well, let’s go to the town first.”
*Grr…*
“Great, so I also feel hungry here. Should’ve gotten some berries from that creepy forest…or actually no,” Almond wryly smiled as he turned around, but was taken aback and almost fell upon seeing the scenery.
The black forest…was gone. There was nothing there except for the plains of grass and ground, not a single fucking tree.
“Fuck this shit,” Almond turned back to the town, but then his heart turned cold.
The town…had vanished.
“It was just there…a couple hundred meters away,” Almond muttered under his breath as there was nothing in front of him.
Just plain ground and a night sky with the moon giving dim illumination of night.
Almond closed his eyes and took a deep breath as nothing was making sense.
But when he opened his eyes again, he found himself right in front of the town’s gate, with a guard staring right at him just several inches away.
This startled him, and he fell on his butt. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck.’
“Are you okay, kiddo? You’ve been blank for a minute now.”
Almond looked at the guard and slowly nodded, “I am fine.
“You need to get treated fast. Those fingers look nasty and painful,” the other guard said with an uncomfortable expression. He turned to the town and pointed his finger before saying, “There’s a clinic on the second main street. Go and help yourself.”
“Ye-cough, yeah,” Almond nodded, feeling a scratch in his throat as he coughed again.
Almond walked and arrived on the second main street before finding the clinic that looked like a witch’s abode, with flowers and vines outside around the dome-like front structure.
The door was open and a few were sat on the couch inside.
But as soon as he entered, the four people of varying ages looked at him and smiled before scattering away.
“Come in. It appears that you’ve stumbled somewhere you shouldn’t have.”
A voice echoed from the inside, past a door.
Almond gulped, feeling trepidation, but walked towards the door nonetheless because that voice sounded like it knew about the trial.
‘Fuck it.’
Almond opened the door.