The next morning, a gentle knock is heard from the Babylon dorm entrance. Maria opens the door to find Brock, "Call everyone, you guys have special training today".
Brock then hands her some clothes and says "Take one and share the rest, meet me outside when you've all changed".
"Brock calm down, what's all the rush about??",she inquires.
Brock however just gives her a knock on her head before saying "Just do it and tell them to hurry up".
After a few minutes everyone rushes outside to where Brock is, "Great everyone is here, today's train…rather this week's training will be based on the spirit tree".
"For those of you who may not know, the spirit tree is a global relic…it's a giant tree about eighty metres in height and spans about thirty metres in diameter but the inside is made of complete spiritual energy".
"It had glossing golden leaves and any grass or animal which comes close to it begins to heal. People even say it was created by the Nature god, Gaia",he finally says.
"So it supplies us with spiritual energy??", Kean asks.
"In simple terms, yes but once you enter you go into a sub conscious state where the tree will drain you physically but most especially mentally", he explains.
He then makes a large portal and says"The physical pain one gets are hunger, pains at the heart as your spiritual energy is being rediscovered…but the tree will put you through mental battles as you sleep, all your nightmares, bad memories, fears, anxieties…it will come to haunt you".
"Jeez, seems very stressful", Maria states.
"The average person your age doesn't last in there for more than three day but there was this guy, a graduate from last year…they say he stayed in there for about two weeks", he says.
"He must be a real prodigy", Kinea says.
"Far more than that, even a soldier like me can't last two weeks…he was really crazy", he explains.
"What was his name?", Maria inquires.
Brock replied while gesturing for them to go through the portal "It was Andrew from the kingdom of Greece".
They made their way through and we're straight in front of the spirit tree, it's pure size was overwhelming and it's beautiful golden leaves shone brightly.
"Wow! It's crazy!", Kean exclaimed.
"Well, i have to get going…your mates are already in so you guys are actually a bit late", Brock states.
"So how do we enter?", Oscar asks.
"Just go to it, it will sense your soul and your spiritual energy and let you in", he responds.
"So who's going first?", Oscar questions but is met with an array of eyes pointing at him.
He sighs and slowly walks over to it and stood in front of it, then a portion of the tree opened and inside was just pitch black. No light, no people, just the void of which the tree us made of.
Oscar went in and the tree closed, Maria went and Rachel. The twins walk over to the tree but it didn't open.
"Why isn't it opening?", Kinea questions.
"Is the tree…rejecting them??", Brock wonders.
After about ten seconds of waiting, the tree slowly opens but the inside is a dark wine red.
They twins enter and the tree closes off, Brock still there watching thought "Why'd it take time to open, that's not normal".
Meanwhile back in Babylon, Tolo is talking with the king in their dinning area. "Tolo, I have a mission for you", he announced. "What kind of mission?", Tolo inquired.
"At Asgard, actually at the boys school on top…it's regarding the spirit tree and the dream you had when you were in it", he responded. "Oh, the one about the man who was talking to me?", he asks. "Exactly, do you still remember it?", the king questioned. Tolo raised his head and begun thinking to himself before explaining "Yeah, I was laying dormant in the void of the spirit tree then all of a sudden…I heard someone call out my name. It was a man's voice, it was kinda deep and assertive but above all it sounded like a snake's voice'. "The voice called me another two times before it roared out something weird, that after which made my nose began to bleed", he explained. "Can you remind me what he said?", the king asks. Tolo then responds with "Child of Thunder, Release me". The king slowly nodded his head and said "Well your investigation will be about that…but also keep an eye out for the boys, after this we have a lead on where their father may be". "Really? Where is he?", he asked. "I sent a couple soldiers to their home to investigate, as of now the house is abandoned and as for their school…they have now relocated and changed schools. Their house still has their stuff inside with all their games, clothes and even decayed food still in there but it seems no one has been there since that faithful night", he explained. "As for Dante's Inferno, it's currently housed in a secure location in the palace…we can never let the demons get their hands on it. It would give them access into the human realm and it's already hard enough stopping the ones strong enough to move between them at will".
"Speaking of that night, what happened to the cult which was doing the ritual", Tolo inquired. "Well after you escaped with the twins, Samson tried to take out the one in the black robe but he escaped…". Then the kings face changed from normal to saddened as he said "But as for the humans, Samson told me he looked back and all of them were lined up in a circle. They were standing straight with the hands holding one another but their heads were all ripped straight off their bodies". "Shit!", Tolo said with a look of disgust smeared on his face.
END OF CHAPTER 21