With his stats memorized and his mind prepared, he closed his menu and began his hunt for the Origin. Maester Theodore told him it was within fifty feet, but Edward had no idea which way it was hiding. Was it in front of him? Behind him? Was it hiding in some rock next to his feet or perhaps it was hidden in a crevice on the ceiling?
Edward had no idea, so he didn't know how to start. So, without any other plan, he placed his helmet on the place he was teleported and began to walk around it. He traveled in a circular path as he traced everything surrounding the helmet. His eyes scanned the ground and the ceiling as best he could, but his progress was incredibly slow. He only moved forward a step once he was sure his section was clear— which sometimes took several seconds.
Of course, fifty feet wasn't that far of a distance to cover. Within five minutes, he found what he was looking for. A few yards away from the helmet was the opening of a small tunnel. The tunnel was only large enough for a single man to walk through while crouching, but Edward had no problem with it. On the other end of the tunnel was a large iron door with the design of a winged creature upon its front.
Edward didn't recognize the creature, but he instantly knew that he had found the Origin's location. He put his hand against the door's doorframe as his eyes scanned its surface. There, just a few inches above the center of the door, he found a small paragraph inscribed into the door itself.
"Lies before you the trial of Draconis. Only those worthy enough may succeed and be granted his boon," Edward muttered.
'Makes sense. I can't just be handed a powerful Origin right off the bat,' Edward thought to himself as he pushed the door open, 'I'll have to work for it. I wonder who Draconis is?'
As the door swung wide open, the opening to another hallway revealed itself. This hallway didn't match the cave's environment, however, as the walls were straight and built out of stone bricks. The hallway didn't have any torches or other sources of light, but Edward had no problems seeing several yards of clarity before him.
"I bet only a single percent of the players even thought about the potential of more Origins. Most of them likely grabbed one as soon as they saw them," Edward spoke softly as he began moving down the hallway. He kept the grip on his sword tight as he walked forward, his eyes darting from left to right as he searched for any sign of movement, "Even less of them will be able to complete the trial set before them. I have to be one of those people!"
After a minute or so of walking, Edward finally noticed that the hallway was curved slightly to the right and led him down a slope. He was likely walking in a spiral ending directly below the cave where he was teleported. After another minute of walking, his assumption was proven correct.
As the hallway ended, Edward arrived in a large and spacious room. It was circular and had a transparent ceiling. Edward saw his helmet resting on the one—way ceiling above him, almost directly above the center of the room. Most of the room was covered in benches and chairs, like some sort of circular theater. This theater dropped into the ground until the lowest point met with the center of the room.
There, set upon a wooden circular table, were eight glowing vials. Edward immediately walked up to them and began to inspect them. The vials were each the size of a shot glass and as bright as miniature stars— save for one that was as dim as a dying ember. Strangely, every single vial was filled with a liquid as red as a giant star, though the dim orb had a touch of yellow.
As Edward walked around the table, he noticed a small pedestal opposite the main door. Atop this pedestal was a note describing the eight orbs before him. Edward quickly began reading it, hoping to gain some insight into the mystery before him.
"Just as the great one was faced with great challenges, so must the chosen of our Order. The Trial of Draconis replicates the challenges our great founder faced and turns them into mental manifestations of the mind. These eight elixirs, combined, create the Origin of Draconis. Consume each of them and overcome the trials they set upon you. Then, with the eighth elixir, become like him," Edward read. Then, as he set the note back onto the pedestal, he looked up at the vials, "I just have to drink these? Hmm. It's a bit inconvenient to drink them one at a time. I think I'll mix them up and down them all at once."
Edward immediately looked up, to where his leather helmet was waiting above him. An idea flashed across his mind as a snicker formed on his face. A few minutes later, after Edward had gone up top to collect his helmet, he found himself standing before the table once more. This time, he held his helmet like one would hold a bowl.
"It's a bit gross, but it's not like germs will matter in a video game," Edward shrugged. He began to pour all of the elixirs into his helmet and was surprised to find them mixing with no problem. Edward was expecting each of them to be a slightly different density from the others, but only the yellow elixir proved to be a bit of a challenge. Then, after all eight elixirs were safely poured into his helmet, he turned his 'bowl' until he was faced with a flat edge and began to drink.
The consistency of the elixir was similar to water— only slightly thicker. The temperature was hotter than water but not hot enough to burn his tongue. Luckily, each vial was small enough to hardly take any room in his helmet when combined, so Edward only had to drink a little over one cup of liquid.
Oddly enough, he couldn't taste anything when the elixir touched his tongue. 'At least it doesn't taste bad,' Edward thought to himself as he pulled the empty helmet away from his lips, 'So? Is that it?'
Edward put his helmet on the table and waited patiently for a status screen to pop up in front of him, but nothing happened. Almost an entire thirty seconds passed in silence. For a moment, Edward feared that he had ruined the process by consuming all of them at once.
'Oops. Was I supposed to drink them one at a time?' Edward thought to himself. Then, before his thought even finished, he felt a stinging pain in his head. The pain was sharp and quick. From its source, Edward assumed his brain had been attacked, somehow, but he wasn't sure how. As soon as he felt the pain expand from the center of his head, Edward's thoughts became muddled and unclear. He felt like he had drunken several gallons of alcohol and was now suffering the consequences.
Edward screamed out as his legs immediately buckled underneath him. Then, as if a car had been dropped on top of him, Edward fell to the ground. His consciousness faded away as his eyelids dropped over his dark eyes. His scream evaded his lips as Edward's mind grew dark.
Then, there was silence.