" You have passed the trial"
Tanvir stood there, gasping for breath, his heart still racing from the intense battle with the monstrous Minotaur. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the motionless Minotaur, the very same creature that had turned the arena into chaos.
As he continued to observe the fallen beast, a sudden cracking sound shattered the stillness. The ground beneath the Minotaur's body collapsed like sand without a foundation
Tanvir, clutching his katana tightly, remained on high alert, waiting for any sign of movement. However, there was nothing but silence. He sensed that the gate, the very one he had entered through to escape the statues earlier, had reopened.
With a sigh of relief, Tanvir realized that the danger had passed, and he couldn't help but acknowledge his partner, the sentient weapon vibrating in his hand. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have been in serious trouble. You were awesome," he said, trying to catch his breath.
Tanvir felt the sentient weapon in his hand vibrate, acknowledging his praise. It wasn't arrogant, and that was to be expected, considering the sacrifices made by his fallen comrades.
He remembered the moment when, one by one, the glorius weapons started cracking one by one.
The sun was setting, and a gentle wind blew, carrying away the sands from where the Minotaur had met its end.
In that moment, Tanvir felt a mixture of emotions. Gratitude for the weapon that had aided him, sadness for the broken comrades left behind in pieces. He sighed, realizing the weight he was bearing, and headed towards the room.
The room had been replaced by another box, this time gleaming in silver, and the door closed on its own. The old wooden box had vanished, replaced by a new, mysterious one.
Unconsciously, Tanvir looked at the necklace hanging around his neck. He had forgotten about it amidst the chaos of battle. Thankfully, it hadn't broken or fallen off during the intense combat.
Slowly, he opened the silver box, revealing a worn-out page folded in half. Carefully, he unfolded it to reveal a map of an unknown place with four marked locations.
"Is this a treasure map?" Tanvir thought as he examined it more closely. The map was grey in color, lacking details except for a huge river and a small island on the left side. Two crosses marked the island, and the other two were in the middle of the river, which might be an ocean. The scale of the map was really big he realized.
The more he looked at it more he realized its really a treasure map.However, Tanvir realized that he had no idea where he was, nor could he confirm whether he was on the map. The descriped landscape could be anywhere.
Tanvir decided to store the map in his ring, taking care not to damage it, and planned to make a copy if he found the means to do so. As the door closed and the silver box disappeared, he could see that the arena had reset, with no trace of the previous intense battle.
With a sigh, he realized that this could only mean one thing - another challenging trial awaited him. But he felt a newfound courage. Clutching his katana, Tanvir looked ahead and calmly stepped through the door.
As he examined his surroundings, he noticed that the stone statues that had once threatened him had vanished without a trace, leaving only empty platforms. The eerie feeling of their disappearance sent a chill down his spine, hinting at further challenges to come.
And, as expected, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble, and a swirling vortex of dust formed in the center of the arena. From within this vortex, a colossal figure began to take shape. Two enormous, glowing eyes appeared, fixated upon him.
Just seeing those dreadful eyes looking at him, Tanvir became sacred. His body started trembling uncontrollably.
He began to back away, muttering to himself, "I have to run, run, run, or I will die..." Those words echoed through his mind.
A haunting, humming sound escaped from the colossal figure, intensifying his fear. He quickly retreated, but in the next moment, something in his hand vibrated, and warmth spread across his chest.
Suddenly, he found himself coming out of his fear, and the once-intimidating tornado seemed to lose its grip on his mind. The dragon's eyes still glowed, but now it appeared as though it wasn't that dominaring anymore.
As he glanced behind, he realized that the door had disappeared, leaving him with no option for retreat. He turned his attention back to the colossal figure forming within the swirling vortex. It had taken on the appearance of a dragon.
The dragon fully emerged from the vortex, its wings stretching wide, casting a shadow over the arena. It let out a thunderous roar that shook the ground beneath him once again.
This time.the roar was more stronger.Tanvir felt his ears bleeding as the walls of the arena crumbled and began to float towards the dragon, forming a circle around its head, resembling a vortex of rocks.
Reality itself seemed to warp and crack around the dragon's heads, revealing dark voids with an immense suction force. Tanvir could feel the pull of the void trying to draw him in. The dragon, still looking at him, took a deep breath, causing dust to fill the arena.
In the midst of the dust and chaos, the dragon's voice resonated throughout the entire arena, asking, "Mortal, what do you desire?"
[ To be continued...