The Planet was engaged in conversation with everyone on the ship. The humans all received the same offer.
"Welcome to Delphi, you have been judged and deemed a suitable candidate for the trial of Pythia. Succeed and you will be granted an audience with the all-knowing Oracle Pythia, fail and you will pay with your life. Do you wish to continue"
To any logical person, the choice seems obvious. The risks far outweighed the rewards. It was unlikely Pythia was all-knowing and the parameters of the trial were unknown. Despite all of this every human agreed to proceed with the trial. They each had a gut feeling that this was important.
Soon as they agreed they were all teleported to the surface of the planet. Each member of the party found themselves naked and in a separate room. The voice from before continued with its explanation.
"The Trial of Pythia is a trial of wisdom, Only those that know themselves will have the wisdom to process knowledge of the future. Answer all questions honestly "
Littleman received a completely different message than the humans. "Congratulation on taking the first step to liberation. In your current condition, you have been deemed unsuitable for the trial. The humans will take it in your steed. If they are successful you shall be granted a vision of your true self please remain in orbit." It seemed that the humans would be by themselves.
The initial room felt like a steel box, the lighting was muted with dull lights coming out of the walls at waist height. The room was filled with plain-looking items that you would expect to find in any good antique shop, except each of these items gave off a powerful aura that revealed their powerful origins.
"The first challenge is to choose an item that fits your true self. Listen to the items and make your selection. Select wrong and you shall fail."
There was only one item that spoke to Jania she knew instantly that It was the item that match her true self. Jania walked over and picked up the Scythe of Thanatos.
"The Scythe of Thanatos used by the god of death. You see yourself as the Reaper of Souls. It is your job to follow orders. You believe yourself to be merciless and iron-hearted towards those that are your target. If you agree with this assessment you may move to the next room." A door on the other side of the room opened up and Jania moved forward and headed to the second room.
Lisa was not having an easy time many items were calling to her. She currently had two items in front of her. Fabulinus book of words, used by Fabulinus the god that taught children to speak and The Spear of Knowledge the weapon of Minerva the goddess of wisdom. She weighed up her options and remember the warning to answer all questions honestly.
"The Spear of Knowledge used by Minerva the goddess of wisdom. You see yourself as intelligent and a seeker of knowledge. You believe that you should be ready for violence, but violence should only be used in defence, If you agree with this assessment you may move to the next room." A door next to her opened up and Lisa moved to the second room.
Chris was attention was instantly caught by a bamboo stack of boards. He moved towards the item to investigate. The item turned out to be the original copy of The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Chris knew he had found his item.
"The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Earth first military strategy masterpieces. You see yourself as a leader, a master military strategist. You believe with proper planning and intelligence you can win any battle. You also believe you are destined for greatness. If you agree with this assessment you may move to the next room." A door on the left side of the room opened up and Chris moved to the second room.
Null was unlike the others, no single item called out to him. He was struggling. He believed he knew himself but it was apparent that he was wrong. He couldn't decide what or who he was. Was he a warrior? A crafter? A mage? maybe a researcher. All of those things were important to him, he couldn't just choose one.
He also wondered how much of his true self revolved around the system or his fusion materials. Null spent an hour walking around the room and investigating each item. He decided it would be best to take a break and meditate for a while. While in mediation he had an epiphany that he was overthinking everything. He decided that he would just let his gut choose the item.
"Apollo Lyre played by Apollo. You see yourself as the wielder of the voice of the universe. You use your unique knowledge to bring harmony to the voice. You believe you are an instrument of the universe. If you agree with this assessment you may move to the next room." A set of stairs open up underneath him and they headed to the second room.
Each member had moved on to the second room. The second room appeared to have been carved out of a solid piece of white marble. The walls were smooth with no visible joins. The was only one light source in the middle of the room emanating from an empty pedestal
"Place your chosen item on the pedestal, you shall now be judged"
They each placed their chosen item on the pedestal and waited for judgement.
They each felt pressure in their head as they were being scanned. It was clear that with one wrong move the pressure could easily grow until their heads explode. Luckily it didn't come to that, after about 15 seconds of scanning the pressure slowly eased allow everyone to relax.
"Congratulation, you have succeeded in the trial of the mind" all of them had passed the first challenge. They had shown that they held wisdom when it came to understanding their minds.