Ivar looked at the robe of the commander, his robe was black with dark color on the edges. Looking closely, Ivar noted the logo of the demon sect same as the flag woven with dark red thread on the chest of the commander's robes. The logo was as big as Ivar's index finger.
The only difference between the logo on the flag and the man's chest was that the logo on the man's chest had a number in the pupil of the eye. It was the number '5'.
"Let me tell you a fun fact kid. If we hadn't kidnapped you, you would have exploded within a month or two." The commander said in a haughty tone.
"Died? From what?" Ivar questioned, although he already had his suspicions.
"The heartache you are having occasionally, I will explain more after you reach the hall at the top of the mountain. It is currently an hour before midday. if you don't reach there before sunset, I won't tell you anything." The commander warned Ivar as he flickered away.
Ivar turned his head to look at the tall mountain with snake-like stairs and the semicircular-shaped dot on the top of it."That… dot. Is that the hall?"
He looked at the team members of the sabertooth team who had already carried 7 people to the top. There were a total of 6 members along with the leader.
"Well, I don't think they will give me anything. I better start now." Ivar was also curious about his condition. If what that man said was really true then the demon sect might be a better place for him to stay and make his goal of being the strongest come true.
He took the first step and for some reason, he felt himself getting very slightly heavier.
'Was that just my imagination or is it fatigue?' Ivar curiously moved his body on the first step not feeling anything.
Ivar looked at the upcoming stairs. On an interval of about 20 stairs, there were two demon sect flags on either side of the stairs. The pattern continued until the end of the way, Ivar guessed.
'Why are they so obnoxious with the flags?'
Ivar didn't think much of it and kept on moving.
He kept walking and walking, his breathing became heavy and his weight, much to his dismay, kept getting heavier.
After continuously walking one-fourth of the way up, Ivar stopped and sat on the steps. His breathing was heavy and his clothes were riddled with sweat.
"Hah-hah- I am sure of it now! With every step I take gravity increases slightly. And I am only one-fourth way up, the gravity has increased by one-fourth! That means by the time I reach the last step the gravity will double!"
"How am I supposed to do that!" Ivar complained but as soon as he felt a slight tinge on his chest he continued walking up.
"No. I will solve this pain! I will find out the truth! It has only been one and a half hours! It won't take me long!"
Ivar reached halfway up. He had the posture of an old man on his deathbed as he slowly took one step after another ascending the stairs.
"Water-Food-" Ivar had a rough voice, the kind caused by severe dehydration.
Ivar looked at the ground and saw his sweat dripping down his nose. He saw his sweat. He saw his sweat-filled cloth.
"WATER!" Ivar took off his clothes and squeezed them above his mouth to drink his own sweat. But much to his dismay, he only got a few drops of sweat.
As he hadn't drunk water for more than half a day inside the chamber, his body barely produced any sweat.
"No. no. NO!" Ivar screamed in agony but he continued.
"If I stop, I won't be able to walk." Ivar had already realized that.
After reaching three-quarters way up the stairs. Ivar was silent. If he spoke he would lose energy. If he stopped, he wouldn't be able to continue. His legs and upper body muscles felt like they were cracked and from the cracks spread even more cracks like the tributaries of a river!
'No more. This gravity is crushing me. My legs are about to give out. How did the old man think this was even possible for me?' And to add salt to the wound, his chest started tickling' Not this time! No. Pleas- don't!"
The chest pain had started. It was even more intense than before. A red hot iron ball was put into Ivar's heart.
"KHUUUUUUU-" Ivar cried without saliva and tears.
With whatever energy he had left he punched his chest but alas the pain was too unbearable to handle for him. He fainted on one of the steps.
Ivar could only faintly feel the pain that was coming from his heart. The subconscious part of the brain had started putting all the focus it could muster on that area. The pain was spreading out like a sphere.
It "zoomed on" to the sphere. A sphere in a superposition of being physical and non-physical appeared in his "vision". The sphere was tightly filled with green energy. It was trying to escape.
It was slowly guided by the instinct of the subconscious brain. The green energy started to calm down. It slowly intertwined with the walls of the sphere. It dissolved into the walls like salt dissolving in water. Finally, it arrived outside in the heart!
Slowly guided by Ivar's subconscious instinct, It mixed with the blood in the upper left chamber of the heart. The energy dissolved in the blood goes to every organ and muscle all over the body. Ivar's body greedily absorbed the energy as only a small part of it was returned back to the heart.
The small part entered the sphere once again and the other larger part of the energy escaped. Like this, the energy started circulation all over his body as Ivar's breathing relaxed.
Ivar slowly opened his green eyes.
"What was that? I followed my instinct and that energy has now made me stronger?" Ivar smiled.
"So the commander was right! Demon sect might as well be the best place for me to say! I won't be accepted back to society because of the rumors about the demon sect members being fully controlled by the sect." Ivar noted.
Ivar looked at the sun. Dusk would arrive in an hour.
"Now then! Let's climb up shall we?" Ivar shouted vigorously. He took strong steps and quickly moved towards the top.
Just about fifteen minutes before dusk, A figure arrived, walking energetically, on the top of a mountain. He had violet hair and green eyes and looked incredibly flashy! That was of course Ivar!
"What's your name?" The commander slightly smiled.
"Ivar."
The commander was sitting on a chair in front of the stairs. As soon as Ivar took the last step, He threw the demon sect robe to Ivar and said, "Welcome to the demon sect, Rank 8 member, Ivar."
Ivar lightly bowed to the commander.