"Kneel." The being before Noah ordered. With a thud, he got down, the sand shifting beneath his knees, green, wool-woven pants covering them. Dusting his pants, Noah looked up, the statue rising above him. From his location, the statue towered so tall it seemed to melt into the sky above, its aura making him feel like the heavens themselves bore down.
With soft movements, the Deer moved up beside him, on the right, standing tall and proud, its antlers reaching far and wide. "Praise thy gods, child, and touch the statue," Mark now stood on the other side of Noah, a respectful light streaking across his eyes as he eyed the monument before them.
"I shall be the one to receive and interpret thy Prophecy, child," Mark's voice changed to match the wisdom of his master.
A slight tremor ran through Noah's arm as he stretched out towards the statue's base, the sleeve of his black cloak sliding back; revealing a green-toned tunic. Grabbing the leather glove covering his right hand with the left, he slid it off, naked skin kissing the cool air.
The tips of his fingers pressed against the cold stone; the feeling of otherwordly energy rushing through his body sending a shiver down the spine. The feeling was the same as when he stepped into the destroyed glen. With slight effort he managed to put the flat of his hand on the stone; another, wilder rush of energy flooding over him. His eyes drifted to a close as his back arched, hairs standing on edge; darkness flooding his senses.
When he opened his "eyes" darkness continued to reign, Mark and the Deer still besides him. The statue however was gone, endless black expanding right before his "eyes".
"Where are we?" Noah spoke quietly, fear overtaking his feelings, hands trembling.
"Inside the statue," Mark answered, his speech back to normal. "This is the connection between mortals like us and the beings of higher worlds," he continued to explain, the sound muffled and quiet.
Suddenly, light began shining above them, very far away, their beams lighting up three paths before them. Taking a step, Noah entered the path of light, the road stretching outwards into the darkness.
Behind him, Mark began moving as well, his eyes locked on the star above. 'The path of stars...' he thought.
The Deer slowly walked behind the two, its thoughts unknown.
Following the progression of the trio, new stars lit up in the "sky", their light extending the path before the three in a multitude of colours.
During their travel, the otherwordly energy surrounding Noah slowly condensed in his abdomen, a comfortable warmth spreading from therein. Diving into his psyche, Noah could feel the ball of light like a lightbulb in a dark room, its red colour painting the black canvas. Coming to his senses, he noticed Mark standing on the road to his left, a curious light in his eyes.
"Your Energy Core has formed," he said. "What colour is it?"
"Red." Noah answered.
"So it's an Infant Beginner stage," Mark hummed to himself.
"What does that mean?" Noah asked in confusion.
"That is a matter to be told another time. Continue walking," Mark ordered, suddenly stern. Obliging, Noah began walking again, following the path ahead.
After a set of time, Noah stopped again. Before him, swirling into existence was a spark of a flame, bits and pieces breaking off and drifting away. Settling, the orange colour of the flame shone brightly, its surface uneven and unattested and rupturing in small waves. Looking towards Mark, Noah silently inquired about the matter, watching the flame in the corner of his eyes. Mark nodded in response, still humming to himself, the melody nothing Noah had ever heard.
Turning to the flame, Noah raised his hand, palm upwards. The flame shot forwards, landing in his palm. With what looked like a breath it began sinking down, absorbing itself into Noah's hand. Closing his "eyes" and entering his mind, Noah could see the flame materialising over the Energy Core, its light reflecting on the red surface.
"Congratulations, you have a Fire Affinity," Mark spoke, waking Noah from his trance. "You will learn more about this when we get out. For now, continue walking, your path has not ended."
"What is this place?" Noah asked hesitantly.
"This place exists within every statue of every god, it serves both as trial and opportunity." Mark explained, motioning with his hands for Noah to go on.
"My disciple is lackluster in his explanation, as he is in other aspects of life," the Deer's voice reverberated throughout Noah's mind, Mark halting beside him; shooting daggers at his master. "What he means to say, child, is that this place tests thy perseverance and willingness to achieve greatness. The gods appraise thy fate and makes thee wander in this realm of between, the elements appearing before thee like the flame just now. The higher an element is, the harder it is to claim. Soon, child, pain will overcome thee."
The clarification ended with a pool of water emerging from the path in front of them. Without missing a beat, and no hesitance, Noah stepped into the pool, allowing the cold liquid to embrace him fully. At the contact with the water, the fire above his core stirred; streams of warm energy beginning to flow through his veins. Slowly the coldness resided, the pool heating alongside it.
A typical clash between the two elements unfolded: the water boiling while simultaneously dissolving into Noah's skin, taking the fight to the flame's homeground.
Outside the pool Mark and the Deer watched as the water dissipated, both by steam and Noah absorbing it himself. When the water dried up, Noah was left standing at the bottom, warm and cold now clinging to his core, repeatedly trying to subdue the other. With a flash of starlight, he once again stood on the path, clothes and cloak dried.
"Congratulations, you have attained water affinity," Mark said, something akin to proudness painting his face.
Catching his breath and getting used to the new organ suited in the abdomen, Noah rested for a bit. "For how much longer do I have to do this?" He asked, the question aimed for both beings on separate roads beside him.
"Until you've mastered every grade of Blessings," Mark answered.
"Do everyone go through this?" Noah pressed on, a tense look in his eyes.
"No. The trials are connected to the fate you have been bestowed upon birth," Mark closed his eyes. "They are easy and hard. Yours follow the path of the stars, so naturally it's more challenging than others." Taking a breath, he opened his black eyes, "Now let us not waste too much time. Please, go on."
Over the next amount of unknown time, Noah passed through two more trials. One for earth and one for wind, both cleared as easy the ones before. Now, in his core, there circled specks of dirt, gliding along emerald-green streaks of wind. Beneath them a clashing sea of fire and water rested on top of the red globule, the core pulsating rhythmically like a heart.
With what felt like a longer amount of time passing between the wind trial and the next, Noah stopped in his tracks, eyes wide open and gazing at the abyss of wild flames raging before him. Standing at the edge, Noah could not differentiate an end nor a bottom of the pit. Only a blend of red and orange stretched out in front, inviting him into an embrace he knew would sting, a lot.
With deep breaths, he settled his wildly beating heart. Giving Mark a nod and the Deer a bow he jumped, receiving the hot hug promised by the dancing flames.
Soon, a muffled scream resounded in the dark realm.