"Yo, you're already on the fourth and last trial." I turned to Elias smiling along with the other flowers.
"Elias, hello." I greeted with a smile. "Is something wrong?"
"On the last, you'll be tested by how much strength you have." Gregory said. "The trial itself is very simple."
"All you have to do, is face darkness of humanity. The despiar of the worlds." Evergreen said. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." I answered.
Suddenly countless people's lives played before my eyes. Their pains, they're darkness, their trials, all of it unfold before. The darkness of humanity and the despair it bears fills my mind.
I can barely maintainnmy sanity as I cry out in pain over what others have experienced throughout their lives. The despair that Braves have seen, the bloodhsed humanity has causes. The endless cycle of creation and destruction threatens to push me to my breaking point.
----
"Ahhhhh!" Arata shouted in pain. His face was pain and he broke out in a cold sweat.
"What's happening to him?!" Mitan exclaimed.
"The fourth trial is the trial of despair, to face the relaity of humanities darkness, master must be facing them now." Gnome answered.
"Arghh... Grr... Ahhhh!" He shouted pain trashing about in a fit of rage.
"Hold him down!" Theo exclaimed.
I grabbed him only to be pushed back and thrown aside. What is this? Arata has gained so much power.
"Lucas, trap him in a web." I suggested.
"Yeah." Lucas said as he used the strings to trap Arata in a web. "How about that?"
Arata stops moving for an instant before he burns the strings away. He resumes his rampage and destroys everything in sight.
"Use these." Sapphire tosses me a chain about an inch thick. "It made from an alloy of diamond, corundum and adamantine there's no way he can break it."
"Help me hold him down!" I shouted to the others who are trying to stop hik from moving.
We gang up on Arata and Ethan grabs him from behind and Liam and Theo immediately take this chance to hold him still and I tie the chain around him.
We back away and for a minute he stops moving. We think the worst is over when he suddenly destroys it in one go. The chain shatters like glass and Arata resumes his outraged state.
"How do we stop him?" Leon asked.
"I might have a way." Ethan said. "Adonis, Adele help me with this."
"Okay." The two answered her.
"First, get him to come to us. Adonis that's your job." Ethan told him.
"On it." Adonis siad as he played the flute and Arata was attracted to us.
"Next, Adele will make multiple copies of us in order to disorient Arata." He added.
"I understand. By the power the book bears I order you, create an army of clones for my purpose, Cloning!" She chanted.
"Finally, when Arata is distracted, I'll trap him." He said.
Arata was starting to get disoriented by the number of people around and that's when Ethan summoned his shield.
"What's that shield?" Liam asked. "I've never seen you use it before."
"That's the thing. I woke up this morning after a strange dream and this whole series was unlocked." He said. "I'll show you. Shield Prison!"
Arata was lifted into the air and inprisoned in a cage. He tries to trash about but is unable to break the prison.
"Is the cage special or something?" Lia asked.
"The Prison Shield." He answered. "The Prison Shield has the ability to create a prison only accessible by me."
"How did you activate it?" Liam asked.
All our weapons have special trees to the them. They seem to automatically unlock themselves whenever we grow stronger or when we meet an Elemental. Our Storm Weaver Series were unlocked when met Sylphid.
"That's just it. Last night I had this wierd dream about someone going into a fit of rage and this is what they did to stop him." He answered
"I see. You're connecting with the previous Braves of the Shield." Gnome said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The Sacred Flower is point where all Braves meet, I wouldn't be surprised if the Shield was trying to warn you that something might have or might be happening to the Sacred Flower." He answered.
"Arata did say that the Sacred Flower was the Primogenitor of all Braves." I said.
"Yes. I wouldn't be surprised if each of you would somehow be able to see the past of previous Braves." Gnome said. "It is similar to my power. The hardpacked earth which we have travelled is something very special. As we walk, the ground we wlak on becones hardened and becomes a path for others to follow."
"You're saying that we're following the footsteps of previous Braves?" Leon asked.
"Not entirely. It's my belief that each person has their own path to follow, but I do believe that certain paths intersect and join. All of you lived diffeeent lices and qlaked different paths but yet met under the same sky, correct?"
"Yeah. Because Arata brought us together." Alexis said and I looked at him now. Arat, trashing about as if he is in rage and that's when I realize it.
"Ethan free him." I said and Ethan nodded. "Arata, is afraid. Right now, he is facing the despair of mankind all by himself, even if we can't help him, we can at least reassure him that he is not alone."
"Yeah." The others nodded.
Arat is freed from the prison and I take his hand and hold it tight. One by one we all hold him.
"It's alright, we're here." I told him and he stops struggling.
No mater, we'll always be here for you. Which is why, you don't have to take it all one your shoulders by yourself.
-----
"It hurts!" I exclaimed.
The pain, the despair, everything humanity has hidden away from view is so destructive. This is the last trial... the trial that shakes a person to his very core.
As I'm facing the darkness of the people I realize something. Madness broight by it, Rage urged by it, Fear brought by it, all those who have become Apathetic to it, those who have become Passive to it, those who have seen it and are Disgusted by it, those who have fallen to the Despair through it and those who have been brought to Destruction by it.
Madness, Rage, Fear, Apathy, Passivity, Disgust, Despair and Destruction. That is the darkness of humanity. However, just as there is darkness there will always be light.
A warmth radiates frlm my chest and spreads to eevry end of my body and at that instant, everyone's lives plays before my eyes. Eveything we've been through together. The pain we've shared, the darkness we've all had, because we never gave in nor averted our eyes from it, we became stronger.
Everything stops and I'm back with the other Flowers in the Whispering Garden.
"You've found your hope and your answer it seem." Ivy smiled and I nodded.
"Yeah. I've found it." I answered.
"Take care on your journey. Only one piece remians." They said and I woke up in everyone embrace.
"I'm back everyone." I greeted them.
"Welcome back." They said with tears and I smiled.