As the hour delay announced by the Emperor had passed, he, John, and the Prime Minister entered the trial room, where a host of nobles and priests were waiting for them.
"John, how are you now? Do you think you'll be able to take the test properly?" the high king asked, as he approached John with a note of concern in his voice.
John nodded resolutely, "Yes, Grandfather. I believe I can." He walked away from Galen and moved towards the center of the room, where a massive magic circle covered the diameter of the space. He stood in front of a crystal ball, with a priest standing next to it.
"Sir, High Priest, I am ready," John said, his gaze fixed on the old bearded man in a long white robe.
The High Priest gave him a kind smile, "Very well, Your Highness. Please place the palm of your dominant hand on the crystal and close your eyes. Once I start the prayer of the gods, your soul will be pulled into the divine realm. So please do not panic when you see it."
John followed the instructions and the High Priest began to chant a prayer:
"Oh, mighty gods of the pantheon divine,
We humbly come before you to entwine
Our hearts and souls with your eternal light
and wisdom to guide us through day and night.
We ask for your protection and grace
to bless our journey and light our ways…"
But the prayer did not finish. A blinding light pierced through John's closed eyelids, and a calm and soothing voice whispered in his ears, "Open your eyes, young child." When he did, he was met with the sight of three gigantic beings, each one looking ancient yet in peak physique.
The three beings observed John with great interest, their expressions full of intrigue and wonder.
"It is unusual for one so young to have such a unique connection with time and space," said the first being, Kronos. "Indeed," said the second, Kaelthar. "His aura is one of war and conflict, yet there is also a hint of great potential within him. It is truly intriguing."
The third being, Khaos, who appeared to be the leader of the group, nodded in agreement. "Yes, his connection to time and space is truly unusual, and his potential is undeniable. It will be interesting to see how he develops in the coming years."
They all stood in silence for a moment, lost in thought as they considered the mysteries that lay within John.
"Greetings, my lords. I am John von Eldrin, son of Eric von Eldrin. I am here today to take the trials you offer in exchange for a contract," John spoke confidently as he stepped forward pulling them out of their conversation.
"The kid's got balls of steel to interrupt our conversation," Kaelthar remarked with an amused smile on his face, turning to look at the boy. "So, who will be giving him the trial then?"
"All three of us want him, but I don't want to give up," said Kronos.
"Neither do I," added Kaelthar.
"I am of the same mind. However, if we were to give him all three of our trials, would he survive?" questioned Khaos.
"What do you have to say in this, mortal? Will you take all our blessings and take the risk, or just one?" asked Kaelthar.
"Wait, I get a choice?" John asked in surprise.
"Normally, you wouldn't. For only rarely do multiple gods want to take in one human so adamantly. However, your case is peculiar. Kronos and I are greatly intrigued as to why the space and time around you are so twisted. And Kaelthar is a crazy war maniac who doesn't like to give away things he likes," said Khaos.
"I'm not a crazy war maniac. I just like the aura the guy has. I think he will bring me a great degree of fun to watch," Kaelthar defended himself.
"Anyway, what do you choose to do? We won't mind if you choose the latter, for you will only be ensuring your safety," said Kronos.
"Umm, I choose to take all three of your trials," John said with conviction.
"May I ask why you have decided to tread on such a dangerous path?" asked Khaos.
"It's for my future. I need to get stronger. I know things in the future will be far tougher than they have ever been. The empire is on the brink of civil war, the demons are ready to throw the entire continent into chaos, and our armies are ready for neither. The nobles have greatly weakened our economy, and the citizens are starving due to the nobles selling food they don't have in the first place. All in all, I don't have a choice but to grow strong enough to handle the threats that point their swords right at my neck," John explained his reasoning.
The three gods laughed in unison at John's determination. Khaos, the god of space and chaos, was the first to speak, "That's the spirit, kid. We won't hold back just because you're a mortal. We'll push you to your limits and see what you're truly made of."
Kronos, the god of time, nodded in agreement. "If the boy is determined to take on the trials, then I have no objections. He must be willing to face the consequences of his actions."
The god of war, Kaelthar, stepped forward and placed a hand on John's shoulder. "Alright, John. I'll explain how the trials will work. We'll split your consciousness into three parts and each one of us will take one to administer the test. Don't worry about the passage of time in the mortal realm. The divine realm operates on a separate timeline and you'll return to the exact moment you left."
John nodded, taking in the information. "I have a few questions before we begin."
"Go ahead," Kaelthar prompted.
"What will the trials be? And how difficult will they be?" John asked.
Kaelthar shrugged. "The details of the trials will be revealed when you take them. As for the difficulty, individually they wouldn't be too bad, but since you're taking all three at once and your consciousness is split into three, it's going to be nine times harder than normal."
"I understand," John replied, a determined glint in his eyes. "I'm ready to begin."
The gods exchanged pleased glances, impressed by John's courage and willingness to take on such a difficult challenge. Kaelthar turned to the crystal orb in the center of the magic circle and gestured for John to approach it. "Place your hand on the crystal, John. When you do, you'll enter the trial zones."
John nodded, took a deep breath, and placed his hand on the crystal. With a blinding flash of light, his consciousness was pulled into the divine realm, ready to face the trials that would cumulatively test his strength, courage, and willpower.