"No!"
A scream shattered the suffocating silence on the road. With movements as fluid as water but explosive as fire, Noah shot up from the ground; hand stretched in front. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he clasped the air, his fingers enclosing nothing.
"No..." His voice was but a mere whimper as he rested on his heels. The stretched arm relaxed, falling to a rest on the boy's thigh; tears still streaming. Bending forwards, he slumped onto the ground; cloak flowing over his crooked back.
Mark and The Deer stood in silence, watching as the child went through a trauma unbeknown to them. Mark kneeled at Noah's side, placing a hand on his back. Feeling the ragged breathing, a sting of pain lit his eyes. He knew what Noah went through. The trial tested the limit of ones psyche. And it showed no remorse, ever.
"Why... why did I see that..?" Noah asked, pain lacing his words.
"The trial aims to test you. You have trauma related to water, it seems. The trial wants you to break, so it uses that." The Deer spoke, its head dropping to nudge Noah's sulking figure. With slow movements, he rose, first to his knees and then fully. When facing the pouring light of the distant stars, his pale skin shone whitely; hiding the streaks of dried tears.
"Will every water test be like that?" He asked, fear radiating from his wide eyes. He is still a child after all.
"Yes." Mark said with tense seriousness, worry painting his face. To his surprise, Noah just nodded and patted his slightly wet pants before deciding to start going forwards again. The bright red light from a distant star illuminating a path before him. Fear still clinging to his body like an evil spirit.
Mark beckoned for The Deer to go on, and followed closely behind himself, keeping a worried gaze on Noah's back.
After some time, a mountain began to rise from the path, its peak too high to differentiate through the screaming winds. Racing against its slopes, green gales of wind struck the mountain continuously, sending rocks far up in the air. Catching them, the rocks got swept up by the winds, landing in an orbit around the stable mountain.
As the two humans and a deer got closer, a winding path could be seen starting at the base of the mountain. Snaking around the sides, the path was bombarded from both winds and falling stone, making it seem like a suicide mission to even attempt the approach.
"I suppose I have to cross the mountain on that path?" Noah said monotony, tiredness seeping into his voice. Even though he looked tired, Noah felt full of vigour. He actually felt better than he ever had. Despite the oddness of his demeanour, the mental fatigue was no joke, especially after what he went through during the last water trial.
Mark just nodded at Noah's statement. With no further words, Noah entered the path, beginning the slow rise to the top, and whatever lay beyond. Deciding to sit on the illuminated path, Mark watched Noah's back as he walked into the distance, slicing gales of green wind already trying to make him falter.
"Why is it that the greater earth and wind trial is assimilated?" He asked his mentor, The Deer, who it itself stood proudly, its brown irises radiating softly.
"That child's destiny is still in the making," it answered, "we have no control over this trial, as I had with yours."
Without notice, a bright beam of light descended from above, enveloping them both. When it cleared, Mark and The Deer was nowhere to be seen.
The sound of rustling gravel drifted through the turbulent air as Noah persevered. The winds was not that bad, so far. The one danger he was on the lookout for was constantly falling rocks of all sizes. Crossing a small gap in the road, Noah arrived under a small cliff, temporarily shielding him from the natural airstrikes. Having walked for who knows how long, his "legs" started getting tired, the fatigue creeping upwards.
Sitting with his back to the mountain, Noah rested for a while. As he watched the falling rocks and sweeping winds right before him, he though about the peculiar world he was in.
After all, this was not his physical body, more a manifestation of his mind and soul. Therefore, any tiredness he felt in his limbs was actually his fatigued mind playing tricks. Coming to this realisation, Noah rose to his feet, a determined look painting his face instead of the previous painful. Stepping out from the shadows of the overhanging cliff, he looked up. Seeing that there were not any stones endangering his path, he began to half sprint: rushing up the slope before him.
With his newfound knowledge, Noah separated his mind from his "body", not daring to think about any fatigue that might be accumulating. Noticing that he did not feel any tiredness despite the pace of his travel, he picked it up even more, coming up into full sprint. Running as fast as his short legs could muster, he cleared a large distance before feeling the winds pick up.
Furious, the winds descended all around him, using everything in their power to disrupt the rapidly ascending figure. As if they had a mind of their own, the winds began focusing on the boy and the boy only, bombarding him with gales sharp as razor blades and hard as the rocks falling around him.
Noah's speed diminished greatly when he felt the winds slicing into his skin, tearing through his cloak like it was paper. Fear laced his eyes as he watched what he thought to be harmless streaks of wind rip deep into the mountain at his side, ripping off large chunks of rocks.
Throwing himself to the ground, he dodged a vicious gale aimed at his neck, before rolling to dodge a gale descending from above. Watching as a whole part of the road tumbled down the mountainside, he scurried to get to his feet. With his right arm hanging limp and "blood" flowing down, Noah broke out into a sprint, heading towards the slowly approaching peek.
Twisting and turning to dodge both gales and rocks, he once again cleared a large distance before yet again having to stop for the increasingly dangerous winds. Now, they raced forwards at speeds incomparable to before, striking with vicious precision and the strength of a martial artist. Having separated his mind, Noah felt no pain or fatigue as he continued to ascend, stopping here and there to dodge larger chunks of rocks.
After what felt like an eternity, Noah finally reached the peak, his gaze landing at the marvellous dual orbs of wind and earth. Spinning around each other like two stars in orbit, they guarded the centre of the peak, a churning sea of molten lava beneath. Coming to an abrupt stop at the sight of the two orbs, Noah did not see the approaching gale which struck him from behind, severing both legs at the knees.
With a scream of pain, he fell forwards, his separated mind snapping into place; pain filling every inch of his body. Rocks cut through the skin of his face as he lifted his face. Stretching his left hand forwards, he began to crawl, mustering all the power he could. Feeling the fire from his core rage through his veins, he shouted: both in agony and defiance.
Slowly approaching the edge of the centre pool, Noah bled from everywhere. During his crawl hot rocks and sharp winds had cut into every part of his body still with him. The bleeding from his two severed legs had stopped, hot rocks now embedded in the exposed flesh, sizzling sounds rising into the steaming air.
With a last push of strength, Noah tumbled over the edge, submerging himself in the molten lava.