The previous Training Ground disappeared. Now Saito and Ariel found themselves at the mouth of a Cave.
"Your second Trial is the Purification Trial. Your goal is to make it to the centre of the Cave where you will find a Fountain however, there will be obstacles in your path. These obstacles can be likened to curses. When dealing with such recall this simple rule of thumb 'not everything that glitters is gold and not everything unassuming is worthless'" my Dad said.
Saito and Ariel entered the Cave. Initially, their journey was without incident till they made it to the first split in their path. One path led to the left and the other to the right.
"Let's try the left path" Saito suggested.
The two siblings took the left path and followed it. It led to a wide chasm that couldn't be crossed.
"It's a dead end. Let's double back and retrace our steps" Ariel suggested.
So the two girls headed back to the split in the road and this time they chose the right path. This path led to a crossroad. The left and right paths in the crossroad were paved. The central path however was rugged.
"Where now?" Saito wondered.
"Hmm…I wonder" Ariel thought.
"What?" Saito asked.
"I'm going to send my Blaze down each path" Ariel said and shot Blaze down the left path.
The entire path collapsed. She shot her Blaze down the right path. The same happened. When she shot her Blaze down the Central path however, the dust melted to reveal precious stones etched into the Walls. Now the two girls found themselves standing on a narrow path over a wide chasm.
"Whew, good thing you decided to check before we chose a path this time or we could have been crushed" Saito pointed to the collapsed paths.
"This is how most curses work. They're often concealed behind objects most people won't give a second thought about trying to claim. The true path was concealed behind unassuming materials. See? When I put off my Blaze, the precious stones on the walls reassume their dusty form" Ariel said and let her Blaze drop.
The precious stones on the Walls were completely concealed.
"However, when I activate my Blaze, the layer covering them is burnt off and they're revealed" Ariel said and activated her Blaze.
The precious stones etched into the Walls were revealed.
"Let's keep going" Ariel suggested.
Saito and Ariel followed the path. Initially, there were no obstacles in their path however after walking for about half a kilometer, a thorny barrier suddenly materialized in their path.
"Don't touch the thorns Saito…they're not normal" Ariel cautioned.
"What do you mean?" Saito asked.
"You can try burning them with your Flame Of Fortitude, you'll see" Ariel said.
Saito obeyed. Immediately, Saito's Flame made contact with the thorns, the thorns began to expand and regenerate.
"I see…it's like getting caught in a Spider's Web. The more you struggle, the more entangled you become" Saito realized.
"Yeah, the Blue Flame Of Fortitude is ill-suited to this task…however…the Golden Blaze Of Purification isn't!" Ariel roared and set the thorns ablaze.
With a loud shriek, the thorns immediately shriveled up and were burnt to ashes. Saito and Ariel followed the path of concealed precious minerals whose brilliance could only be revealed by the Golden Blaze Of Purification while getting rid of the cursed thorns in their path. Eventually, they found the Fountain at the centre of the Cave.
"Congratulations, Saito, Ariel. The Purification Trial is now complete" my Dad's voice sounded.