Chapter 821: Trials of the cave
There are various stories in which individuals enter a cave and face a certain trial given by a higher power in that cave, or trials of the ancient past.
The individuals challenging these trials risk their lives for certain rewards that would help them on their own journey later on, and this ultimately results in a significant turning point in their lives as well.
[{ *Stories about unique rewards that would help the challengers of these caves in various points of their journey were an age-old tale.* }]
This time as well, it was going to be quite similar to those old heroic tales.
However, the only difference between the challengers of this cave, the cave governed by the ruler of these nine mountains, was the reward that the challengers of this cave would receive.
[{ "Can you hear me?" }]
[{ "Yes… seems like even divine interference doesn\'t affect this origin connection, hun?" }]
[{ Not quite.
If you could sense the divine presence like us, you would know that the owner of the mountains could certainly restrict any kind of communication if they wanted, however, since they find the presence of not one or two but multiple origin beasts in a single place interesting, they must be allowing this specific channel so that they could also listen in on us. }]
The cave resembling a chasm was not really a chasm.
It was a simple cave that just happened to look like a flat emptiness on the ground.
The passage that each of them entered through was a dark one, so they all had to rely on magic or artifact lights to illuminate their surroundings.
Even so, for some reason, the visibility of their surroundings was only a few feet from any kind of light they used.
Additionally… every single one of them found themselves alone as soon as they entered the cave.
They tried calling out to others, telling them to stop playing the pranks and not mess with them but, all of them soon realised that this was not any prank.
They had all been isolated, and it was the truth.
[{ "RayRay is right~! I can also tell that someone other than us is listening in on us! Hump! Bad person!" }]
Just like how each member of the hero\'s party was given an individual trial after entering the caves of trail, all of them had also received trials… or at least, they will receive their tails when they stop hesitating and start moving through the eternal darkness present before them.
-Swiiiiiiiiiiish…
They believed in the individuals that they followed after so they knew that they at least weren\'t going to die in this place, but as He had warned them, if they wanted to see that super special place, they had to finish this trial and reach the other end of it.
And since they were all by themselves, they will have to do it while having faith in their friends.
Most of them were certain that they could take on even a dragon after the snakes they had before entering the cave, but some of them were still hesitating…
[{ "Lizzy. It\'s alright. Don\'t be afraid and move… a source of light has no need to fear any kind of darkness." }]
[{ "W-what does… now what does that mean, Zoe?" }]
A clone of Celes was present with all of them, so Eon was keeping an eye on them.
And, as someone connected with him, Zoe knew well what was happening all over this mystical cave.
[{ "Just start walking, dummy. Everything will be alright." }]
Or perhaps not.
They had no idea what would happen to her in a place controlled by a divinity… she was a descendant of a demon king, descendant of a fallen and also a possessor of the power of Holevil.
She did not know about her parents so she had no idea that she was a half-angel herself and since a hell ruler was looking after her, they did not know how they would react when she was in a divine territory of another divine being.
But, from how much Eon knew about the \'Laws\' and the nature of both of the higher beings in question, he knew That One would not care about the presence of a local divine ruler while the owner of these mountains would not want to have anything to do with someone related to That being.
He also knew that the ruler of the mountains was a highly intelligent, wise being that would understand her situation instantly.
That was the main reason he had brought her with them as well.
Zoe was her closest friend, so They should know very well what could happen if they crossed any lines.
[{ "U-umm… ok. I\'ll go if… if you say so." }]
The trials that were given to the individuals by the caves in the lores were of great significance.
They tested their morals, their ethics, knowledge, and evaluated their qualifications.
These trails were of great importance to the character\'s development as well. However, since this was no lore written on the stone tablets, it wasn\'t necessary that they would face trials similar to the ones in those heroic tales.
[{ Master! Master! Look~. }]
Just like how even Eon was faced with the task of helping a few Gazelles out with their little logical predicament, everyone had received simple or at least simple looking trials that tested their qualifications to enter the place at the end of this path.
They were strong individuals, and most of them were smart enough to have almost found the solutions to their trials as well.
Some of them had received simple trials that tested their pure talents or their mastery with their specific abilities, so it was pretty much simple for them.
Even for Zoe…
"Hmmm…"
The puzzle that she had come across was something a divine creature of wisdom like her could solve pretty easily. But…
"You can do better than this, mister Ruler."
Just like the others, she could have also completed her challenge and went ahead. Instead, she chose to do something similar to what her dear big brother had done.
"You know what I am, then… Isn\'t a test of this level an insult to not just me, but ultimately to the divinity We possess as well?"
Eon had completed his trial as soon as he came across that family of Gazelles and it ended up giving the ruler no idea of the true capabilities he actually possessed.
And he knew the higher being wouldn\'t have known as much as they would have liked to from his success, so he respectfully asked for another trial. One that would be of an appropriate difficulty.
And he got what he wanted…
"Aren\'t you going to answer me? Should I call you by your Original name, mister?"
She looked in a certain direction in the darkness before her.
She did not need light to see in this illusionary darkness. She herself was a divine entity, a source of light that did not need another source defining her existence.
-Oooooooooooooooooong!
There was a smile on her face.
A smile that the ruler of the nine mountains couldn\'t possibly fathom, or ignore.
"Hehe, thanks~!"
She threatened a divine being… something she didn\'t find to be a big thing as a fellow divine being herself.
She knew they all were going to reach the end of this cave at the same time since she had already analysed and figured out this divine boundary.
She knew well how it worked and she knew she could create a better one than something like this, but she couldn\'t do it without proper materials or equipment since she yet could not control her divinity.
She was only a young phoenix for now, even though she was better than most normal divine beings present in this physical realm.
She still had to go through her true first awakening, but when she does go through that, she will become an unfathomable existence as the descendent of a High Phoenix, perhaps one of the few beings of that rank that had ever existed in this nature.
[{ "Don\'t overdo it, Zoe." }]
[{ "I haven\'t even started, big brother!" }]
She was having fun, and so were the others who had unexpectedly come to find their own trials to be something eye opening.
[{ *They never knew how capable all of them were until now.* }]
As people who mostly only surrounded themselves with masters and geniuses like the others in their group, they had forgotten they weren\'t the same as most of the other academy students.
Even if not all of them might be good with combat, they could do things that they were far better at than the rest of the group.
Some of them could create things.
[{ "Hey, I think I\'m done with this." }]
Some of them could fight exceptionally well.
[{ "Same. I\'m done." }]
Some of them were good at handling their weapons, skills, or the special abilities that they possessed… abilities like the power to handle money with the help of simple magic.
Or the ability to absorb things.
Or, the supernatural knowledge that they naturally possessed because of a special skill.
They were abnormal people.
[{ "Looks like most of you are done." }]
And these special trials aimed to test the things that they were best at unexpectedly made them realise this simple fact.
[{ "We should finish soon as well, big brother~." }]
Being better than someone else brings pride, and sometimes, pride becomes the reason for the downfall of a person.
That\'s why the presence of someone that even the best of them couldn\'t reach was necessary in their case.
As someone facing a Trial of the Divine, he also knew that fact very well.
But since he wasn\'t the summit that they all needed to reach, he wasn\'t any different from any of them.
[{ "Yes, let\'s finish." }]
He was also chasing after someone… or something.
And to achieve and surpass that, he very well knew the path that he needed to walk on…