One step at a time, each step a struggle, each additional step a feat. Life was like that and the place where Akin was currently was the same.
It was an incredible huge place, red colored, full of statues, without many fancy details but still possessed a subtle beauty, maybe it was incredible beautiful as well but it was up to the beholder. Then, there were the statues, from an artistic point of view they were all masterpieces but to someone with a little understanding they weren't not just the portrait of an outworldly battle nor the artistic materialization of a concept of war but also the opportunity to experience the battle and the concept by yourself.
This was a Temple of War and making justice to its name just trying to stepping inside was a battle to be fought. The place was filled with a huge formless pressure which would be applied to the deepest of your soul and every time you took a step your willpower and aspirations would be tested. The amount of pressure increase with the amount of steps and the difficulty of the test too.
With every passed test your understanding towards the ways of war would increased and the possibilities of experience what was masked in the statues too but if you were to fail just once, the pressure and the test would disappear. It was a path to defeat or be defeated, the victor would take everything and the loser nothing.
The distance between the temple entrance and Akin's goal was just a little more than 100 meters but it took him more than a month to cross such distance.Even when he was someone who lived in war for most of his life after being put in test for the first time inside the temple he realized how meager his understandings about war were.
War was much more of what he had experienced, after all he just fought conquer wars all his life and from Ashtarte mouth he heard about faith wars but never fought one before.
Just in mortal ways, there were conquer wars, defensive wars, extermination wars, racial wars, faith wars, principle wars and more. He never experienced most of those kind of wars and those califications were just following the cause of the war, there were still many other qualifications and type of wars . Then it was expected for him to spend a while just crossing the main hall of the temple.
'Sigh'.As Akin took the last step out of the main hall he took a deep breath, his body looked totally fine but he was tire as never before, the tireness came from the depths of his soul and extended across all his body if possible he would like to sleep for over a month. Akin smile faintly before his gains couldn't be considered small even though there was much for him to truly diggest and understand yet.
Inside his Soul Space Amon seemed sleeping, his should had earned a lot this time as well and as for Botis, Akin wasn't sure if he was sleeping or not, that fellow except when discussing when Amon just talked when he wanted to state something so people could admire his 'magnificence'.
Looking around the place was rather desolate, few beings were scattered here and there and most of them around the area where you could present your tribute and obtain a low level blessing. As for the Inheritance area, which was Akin's goal, there was no one but the one who should be the examiner.
As Akin intended to walk the path to power selecting the right 'blessing' was a must as it was the way of gaining power in this world.He wouldn't stop cultivating but cultivation needed time and great amounts of resources and he lacks both so he thought of using the blessing for making it up for it.
Almost three years ago when he was possessed by his blessing he came to understand also some of the basics regarding blessings and after learning about Intent he finally understood.
Low level blessings couldn't and didn't counted as real blessings, they were merelly an Intent left behind for the gods in order to change the mindset, body and soul of those attempting to receive their blessing making them truly suitable for it.
The truth blessings were what normal people called Inheritances and whoever was able to receive one would leave behind the mortal path to follow his own path to greatness or doom. Furthermore unlike low level blessing Inheritances were received just once and would evolved along with you, the stronger you become, the stronger your blessing would become.
Of course, there was another scope to blessing, and the reals blessing were those bestowed normally by the gods upon the inhabitants of the lower and middle realms. The blessings in Purgatory were about you following the path of the god which bestowed the blessing upon you, and in the Holy Empire terms it was the same as following the demon path.
As Akin moving close into the area of Inheritance he could watch that beside the examineer the only other thing around was a huge, odd shaped , rusty door which seemed made of spears, each spear was different to the others and seemed as if they had been used in battle for a long time. A faint red smoke was coming out of the door and from time to time seemed as if was shaped in skulls.
'Is the door related to the Inheritance?'. He wonder himself as in this part of the temple there wasn't an altar and the information he was able to get didn't said anything about the Inheritance process.
The closer Akin got the amazed he was as he couldn't felt any energy around the examiner nor even his instincts were telling him were the examineer was dangerous or not. But this temple didn't had any guards and it was rumored that the treasure held in here were far beyond more precious than those at the abbey from back then, so noone of the few working here should be normal in the slighty.
"Greetings" Conveyed Akin politely to the person standing beside the odd door.
"New blood, uh? If you are here to become an Inheritor just pass through the door if not then go back. Once you start there isn't retreat, there is not going back, its success or death." Stated the person in a emotionless tone without looking to Akin not even replying to his greetings.
"Then about the process-". Tried to inquired Akin.
"Just go through the door and you will know everything, i dodn't have any idea about the Inheritance process, my job is to protect the door and nothing else". Stated the person indifferently.
Akin looked once again to the person before moving to door, there wasn't any need to stay here lingering further he wouldn't obtain any information and his mind was set since long ago.
As Akin crossed the portal what he didn't knew yet he would know about it soon, what you saw, felt and experienced inside the temple was a reflection of your soul, and just the red color was a call to bloodsheed.
"Another one walking the slaughter path? Let see how far can you walk". Mumbled the door's protector as Akin figure disappeared.