[You have failed your first trial, aspirant.]
Lucian found himself back where he had started, his breaths heavy and ragged from the shock of being stabbed. He looked around in confusion, his eyes taking in the familiar surroundings.
He rose from the sandy ground, his gaze falling once again on the majestic castle that loomed in the distance. Confusion and frustration creased his brow as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.
"Am I back at the beginning? No!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with frustration and disbelief.
He watched the people he had seen upon his arrival, all moving with weary, lifeless expressions, as if trapped in an endless cycle of despair.
"What the hell happened? I was holding the crystal and then…" His eyes widened as the memory came rushing back. "That guy… that guy… he stabbed me."
Then he remembered what Chief Karigal said. He explicitly warned them not to trust anyone, that everything in the Ethersphere was an illusion. He had fallen for the Ethersphere's deception.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath. "And here I thought I was smart, that I had my wits about me. But it turns out I have nothing."
He blinked, taking in his surroundings once more with a frustrated expression. With a few steps, he found himself inexplicably standing in front of the castle again, as if the space itself had warped around him.
'This must be what Chief Karigal meant when he said the Ethersphere dances to a different tune,' he thought. 'Time and space seemed malleable here, moments stretching or compressing, and reality itself twisting unpredictably.'
Suddenly, a hand pulled Lucius away from the intense gaze of the guards, who had been eyeing him suspiciously.
"You look different,"
Lucius gasped, turning to see the person who had spoken. His initial shock quickly morphed into a glare as he recognized the unknown man.
Then something dawned on him. 'Am I… I'm repeating my trial? Chief Karigal never said one could repeat his or her trial after failure. Do I really get a second chance or is this my prison now?"
[Repeating a trial is impossible, aspirant, but you've found luck. This is your second chance in your first trial. Defeat Lord Sorrowshade.]
Lucius let out a relieved chuckle. "Wow."
"Wow, what?" the unknown man asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Despite his relief, Lucius couldn't shake off the glare he directed at the man, struggling to keep his emotions in check.
"Art thou alright?" The unknown guy asked with a raised eyebrow. "If thou wishest not to be caught by Lord Sorrowshade, I implore thee, follow me."
The unknown guy dragged Lucius away from the castle and toward the bustling society of the inhabitants.
Everything wasn't new to Lucius this time, though he wondered if truly the Shade Crystal was what was draining the happiness of these people.
It had to be an important object of Lord Sorrowshade, but what Lucius didn't understand is… why would the unknown guy kill him for the crystal.
Irritated, Lucius jerked his hand free from the man's grip. "Who are you, really? Tell me!" he demanded, his voice edged with frustration.
The unknown guy swiftly turned around, a stern expression silencing Lucius with a cautionary "Shhhh!"
He scanned their surroundings before offering a deferential bow to the nearby armored sentinels who had taken notice of them.
One of the guards approached them, and Lucius knew what was gonna happen next. When he gets to the mountain this time, he will make sure to succeed in claiming the crystal.
'I will have to prevent this guy from following me there this time,' he thought.
"Pray, what dost thou both there?! Go hence and assist in catching a fish for Lord Sorrowshade, or employ thyself in some other task!" the armored figure commanded.
The unknown guy immediately nodded in compliance, bowing respectfully before walking and dragging Lucius with him.
'Why does this guy keep dragging me along as if we're friends?' Lucius mused. 'Come to think of it, he never left for a reason. He appeared out of nowhere and has been sticking close ever since, even getting himself in trouble for me. His goal must have been the crystal all along. But who is he? Could he be one of the departed?'
Lucius's gaze darted left and right as he remembered Chief Karigal's warning. How could he have been so stupid? This unknown guy has to be one of the lingering echoes of the departed here to mislead me or better yet use me to get the crystal for himself.
As they reached the river, the surroundings shifted and Lucius found himself among other men engaged in the task of catching fish.
The unknown guy casting a cautious glance at Lucius, uttered a solemn warning, "If we fail in our labors, the punishment that awaits us is more gruesome than death itself. Here, death is deemed a luxury."
WHIP!!
A resounding crack echoed through the air, causing a collective flinch. An armored figure, wielding a whip, mercilessly lashed an elderly man who had inadvertently dropped a fish onto the sandy ground.
"How darest thou be so reckless?! To let fall Lord Sorrowshade's fish is an offense most grievous! Bind him forthwith and dispatch him to the mountain!" the armored enforcer bellowed.
"No, I beseech thee, have mercy! Spare me, I implore you. Condemn me not to the mountain. I am an old man, frail and —"
The old man's plea was cut short by another cruel lash, sending him crumpling to the ground. Lucius winced, fear coursing through him.
He was still scared even though he had lived through it. If he could get the crystal, would he be liberating these people from their sorrow?