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The day had come, for the very time that Arteria Blaze, the future heroine of the story, to go through the first and one of the tasks she will be tested on and try to pass to stay on and continue living with the group of freedom fighters so that she'll become a great fighter or warrior in the future.
Granted, Arty didn't know exactly when the day would have come even though she's been preparing herself for it. But nevertheless, it felt almost normal and human for her to be nervous about what kind of task that she's going to be partaking on and try her best to succeed.
She had been busy focusing on the training, that she was glad that she wasn't waiting around anxiously on when the day comes for the first task she'll be going through. She was approached by the leader of the freedom fighters and told her straight that it is time and Arty was a little surprised that she felt some small tension in herself when it's now time to face her first task.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and felt slightly ready to face whatever is going to come at her for the task she'll be tested for. The leader had led her to somewhere deep inside the thick forest they had been living in next to it on the grassy clearing they made their campsite on, and Arty wondered what could be in the forest for the leader to lead her on, and at first, she thought that she might face against and fight magic creatures or something in it.
However, she was a little relieved to see that it's not the case or the task she'll be taking on when the leader had gotten her to another clearing, except this one is completely fogged over with a thick smoky gray mist, that you cannot see everything ahead of you or all around.
She wondered why the clearing is like this with its gray fog mist and she didn't notice that the leader had stopped and she had moved forward subconsciously until she's now somewhere in the middle of the place she's in.
When she finally noticed that the leader wasn't beside her anymore, she turned around and looked back to see if he's there but almost to her alarm and sudden fear, she couldn't see him anymore for her whole surroundings somehow engulfed her all around with the gray misty fog.
But then she heard the leader speak aloud to her, and she couldn't discern which direction his voice is coming from.
"Your first task is to stay there where you're standing in this clearing of the Valley of Mists. With the weapons in your hands that you have now, you will not strike at anything that will come at you unless you can deduce wisely that whatever it is will not come to harm you. The task that you need to pass is that you need to know the truth between what's real or illusion, what is friend or foe--if you can solve this--then you have passed the test. You have only three hours to complete your task. Good luck, young one."
With that loudly said to her, Arty can easily tell that she's now alone with whatever threats or dangers might be that is in the foggy mist-covered clearing with her. She tried to figure out what the leader meant by what he said to her, but then she didn't have the time to think more about it when she was suddenly struck at something that was flying at her like a ghost or something.
She felt a passing hit and kick at her back, and she nearly fell face forward on the ground but she managed to stay on standing up her feet as she swiftly drew out her sword from her sheath and then turned around to face whatever it was that attacked her.
But she didn't see anything, nor does she see the attacker at all, and she was almost frightened until either by adrenaline rush or a sudden flash of inspiration in her head, she realized instantly what her first task is and understood what the leader had said.
This is not just some ordinary task she'll need to succeed nor is it an ordinary test she'll need to pass. She instantly realized that this is a test to discern the truth! A test of truth itself!
It means that Arty has to figure out whatever attacker might come at her, she has to differentiate whether it was real or an illusion, and also figure out whether the attacker is a friend or a foe.
And the task she has to do is not strike at anything that is an illusion and one who is a friend.
Now that she knows what she's up against, she used her keen and acute senses she managed to hone her skills on during her training and she was glad that she was focused on passing her test of this first task she's on that she got distracted a little and didn't take note how much time seem to go so fast and gone by.
By the time, she had passed the test and did not strike at any attacker which is both illusion and friendly that came at her, there was the familiar shout from the leader and everything stopped coming at Arty for the task is over and she had done it and succeeded.
Almost like magic, the misty fog dispersed and cleared the clearing she was on and she could see that it was some of the freedom fighters who were the ones that had attacked and tested her. And she was glad to see that she passed when she realized that she had to rely on her senses and instincts to discern the truth between the two things for the first task.
The leader approached her, gave her praise and congratulated her on passing the task and the test she was facing on. The freedom fighters that were there for her test also gave her more praises and congratulations, commending her and approving her with respect for succeeding in the first task. Arty smiled over this and just brush off the praises for she was only glad that she had passed.
After Arty had passed and succeeded the first task, test of truth which it is called and known for, she wondered what are the next type of tasks in the future that she will be tested on. And hopefully that once she passes them all, she will be worthy to stay among the freedom fighters and prove her place among them.
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