My hometown is deep inside the stone chambers that are under this cursed mountain.
It is said that to get out, one must face the trials of the ancient ones and risk their life and the fate of the whole mountain.
If the ancient ones are displeased with the result, they will kill you, and the less they are pleased, the more damage your death will cause the mountain, meaning if enough people fail, the mountain will collapse and destroy all the chamber population.
The prophecy states that after the one with short hair, eyes of emptiness, and strength like one of the ancient. But my hair isn't short, I'm not strong, my hair is long and silky, and my eyes are filled with emotions.
I wake up to my mother calling me, "Airoh, your breakfast is ready". My mother calls.
I get up from my bed and get dressed, it's my usual black silk clothes, it's all we have in this small chamber. I rush downstairs to eat the food my mother prepared, it's steamed mountain drip, she made my favorite.
"Morning, Mom, where are Leo and Lack?". I ask.
" I believe they went out to gather herbs for the sheep". She replies.
"Oh, ok, also aren't the trials supposed to start today?" I ask her.
" I believe they already did, my dear. But may I ask why?" She asks with curiosity in her eyes
"Well, I was thinking about trying to apply," I said with carefulness.
"Absolutely not, not now, not ever. Do you understand me? Those trials can and will cause your death." She said with worry and concern
God damn it, she never lets me do anything fun, always saying it's too dangerous. "Fine, I'm heading out now."
"Be safe, darling." She said with relief.
I wander around our chamber, where I see Leo working. I wave to him and he waves back. I go lie by a tree and take out the piece of raw stone to draw on.
Raw stone is insanely thin; you can easily get cut by it, but it is the only good thing that we can write and draw on.
I try drawing myself in the robes of the trails, the robes are made of pure white silk, along with real gold for the lining. The robes are beautiful, and it is my dream to wear those robes and complete the trials.
It is said that the ancient ones will grant divinity to the one who completes the trials, but only for enough time to remove the chambers and set them free of the mountains' grasp.
I start drawing it, imagining in my head how I would look in those beautiful robes I always thought of if I were to go to the trials that I would ask for a prophet's cloth, it is a special piece of silk that is see-through, they wrap it around your eyes as if you were a prophet, so I draw and draw until I am happy with the result. I wouldn't call myself exactly a skilled artist, but I like drawing, so I don't care.
I draw for hours until nightfall and then stuff the drawings in my bag.
On my way home, I see a dim light behind the massive tree that stands in the middle of the chamber. I go to it, it's the trials, turned out they didn't start yet, I run as fast as I can to them.
"Hello, is it still possible to apply?" I say with a ragged breath and trying to hide my excitement
"Ay, little girl, you're right on queue." The guard says with a tired voice, he looks as if he is going to fall asleep any second.
I let out a sigh of relief while squealing with excitement inside.
"The trial clothes are inside. The people in there will prepare you for the trials and get you in the robes." Says the guard.
I enter the building, and it's magnificent. I never saw inside the trial's building, it's made of white marble with purple geodes as the light source, they appear to be emitting, so kind of light aura.
Two men greet me, they are big powerful men with bald heads, they are our priests, they take me to the dressing room where I put on my robes, they are just as beautiful on me as I imagined and far more comfortable, and I even manage to get the prophet cloth I dreamed of. " It fits my robes so perfectly, I almost squeal.
"These trials are extremely dangerous." The two men speak with powerful, intense voices inside the building; it seems as if their voices are making large booms.
"There is a high chance you will die, we do not deny that. We do not know what is in those trials, but we can confirm that it is our only hope to survive this next year. You are our last and final hope, so be not afraid, be proud of yourselves that you have tried to save your fellow Silerkians, "they say with sadness in their eyes. Or wait, is that guilt they think they will be responsible for our deaths? They think it's our certain doom.
The room fills with uproars and screams of encouragement, encouragement to remove our fear of what is beyond the massive hole we will need to jump into. All the people in this room, except for the large men, are around fourteen, like me; we are merely children. Why did I come here? I should have listened to my mother, but now it is far too late.
I am the seventeenth to jump down the hole. While falling, it seems like I am standing on air; the feeling is horrifying and amazing both at once. After a while of falling, I hear a voice in my head, "Choose one of the weapons," it boomed.
The weapons presented are a choice between a bow, a sword, a staff, and daggers. Why do I need a weapon? I'm just a girl, it's not like I would be able to do anything with one.
After a while of considering and checking each one out, I chose the bow. I have decent aim, and it isn't heavy.
I land on stone tiles. I am inside of a cave, and there is a path that is lit with torches on both sides. There appears to be moss on the walls and ceiling, along with insects. The place seems like it has aged for centuries without a soul touching it; just looking at it makes me feel eerie.
I move forward, holding my bow, preparing to attack anything that comes my way. I hear a loud voice speak in my head, the same one that told me to choose a weapon, "Thou art now in the presence of the ancients. We are the holy six. Thou shalt face the trials now, do not disappoint us."
The first trial is an endurance; they want me to walk on coals and freezing ice. Walking on them, the pain is insane. I haven't ever felt this much pain in my life, and it doesn't stop there. I get slashed and cut by swords shot by bows. I almost pass out from the pain.
"Please stop this," I sob. "PLEASE," I cry out in pain and desperation, and then it stops, and the voice in my head speaks again, "thou hast passed the first trial".
After the first trial, I get no rest, nothing to. help me with my wounds or pain. But even with the pain, I go on because I must for my family and chamber.
The second trial is one of force, where I must slay animals with my bow. This trial was easier than the last one, for it had nothing to do with pain, so it just takes a long time.
I try killing a sheep with my bow, but I just can't get myself to shoot It's just an innocent sheep. How can I kill it? I see in the tall grass that a wolf is approaching. "Oh no, it's going to kill that ship".
I get into position to shoot the wolf, and then I shoot, but it turns out my aim isn't as good as I thought it was, and I end up killing the sheep with one fell shot.
After that, I started killing the animals, for if I hadn't done it, the wolves would. And then I see him a massive wolf probably a dire wolf I try to hide from it but it picked up my scent it starts running after me I try to shoot it down I hit it but it doesn't even flinch, that thing is a monster there is nowhere to hide all I can do is run it catches up to me and bites my side "Aagghh!" I scream in pain and agony from the bite.
Without thinking, I just grab. an arrow and stick it up that monster's eye and then stick another in its other eye, and then it falls.
I skin the beast with my arrows, and dry them while they dry I try making a piece of cloth out of the grass. I fail miserably, so I just und up tying grass around my body to help cover the wound.
After the skin dries, I wear it as a cloak to keep my scent hidden and then proceed to kill all the animals left. It wasn't hard since all the wolves ran off after I killed their leader, and then I heard it again.
"Thou is remarkable, thou hast managed to pass once more"
The third trial is one of creation, all I need to do is draw, which I love, so I drew myself completing the trials, and wow, was this place relaxing, finally peace and quiet, I just draw for hours.
Unlike the other trials, I chose to stay in this one for a while. It's nice and relaxing, and when I go to the next one, I want to have energy and power in me, so after roughly 6 hours, I go on.
I enter the next trial, where I almost pass out in fear and shock, just by entering. My mother is being crushed by a burning tree. I rush to help her.
"Airoh, help me," she says in a weak, tired, dehydrated voice.
But then "Airoh i-is is that you? It is you, p-please help me." The one who just spoke is Leo, and he is also being crushed, but this time it's by a full house.
"A-airoh, help me please, I'm being crushed, I can't feel my legs anymore.
I should've known this would have happened; I shouldn't have rested because I rested instead of continuing. They are mad at me. "Why, why, why did I have to stay there!" I bang my head on the ground from frustration.
"Why would you make me choose? You monsters, I will kill all of you". I screamed in anger.
I'm in pain, I realize why am I in so much pain, all of my body is aching, I am in so much pain. My vision blurs, and I can barely walk or breathe. I stumble to my mother, and then I fall.
"Leo, is that you?" I am the one saying those words, but they seem so distinct. Wait, am I seeing myself?" I see myself heading to Leo, who is crushed by the building. I go to his lifeless body, and then I fall down.
The six holy then appear in front of me, mocking me, laughing at me for not being able to save either my mother or my brother.
"Thou hast failed in the trials, you have disappointed us very much with your death, the mountain will fall." And then they summon spears made of what appears to be pure light, and they throw them at me, killing me.
I wake up where I had fallen unconscious in front of me, the tree on my mother is gone, but she appears to be lifeless and dead, and for some reason, I do not weep. I want to cry and feel myself sobbing, but no tears come out. " My eyes are dry, my left eye is blind. "W-w-what is happening? Why am I blind in one eye? Why are my eyes dry? I try going to Leo, but he is dead, crushed by the house I fall down.
The six holy appear "Thou hast failed in the trials, you have disappointed us very much with your death, the mountain will fall."
The spears summon just like in my dream, I saw the future, I realize.
They throw the spears, but I manage to dodge them.
I grab a spear as they summon more I block them. I rush one of the ancients and stab the spear through his chest, all the while not realizing I'm screaming, and then all of them fall, and the mountains split open. I take the broken mask that fell off of one of the ancients and put it over my left eye to cover it. I grab a prophet's cloth from the other and wrap it around my eyes. I put the spear through my bow so it won't fall and go out of the mountain.