Asher stood in the center of the Roman-style arena, feeling out of place in his everyday clothes while Luna and Celeste floated above, their wings casting divine shadows on the arena floor. The atmosphere felt thick with anticipation. He glanced up at them, the fierce look on Luna's face contrasting with Celeste's softer expression.
Luna's voice rang out, clear and commanding, "Prove that you're a warrior, Asher. Prove you can fight."
Celeste nodded in agreement, though her voice was gentler. "We need to know if you're truly capable of what's to come."
Before he could ask what they meant, the ground began to rumble. From the far end of the arena, large stone creatures, golems, began to rise from the earth. Their bodies were made of jagged rocks, their eyes glowing with an eerie red light. One by one, more emerged until the arena was teeming with them.
Asher's heart pounded in his chest. He had no weapons, no armor—just his wits and his reflexes. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, one of the golems lunged at him. Instinctively, he ducked, barely avoiding a massive stone fist that slammed into the ground where he had just been standing. The shock of the moment froze him in place, but then something deep inside him—a primal instinct—kicked in. Muscle memory, perhaps, or some dormant power within him awakened. He wasn't sure. But whatever it was, it told him to move.
The next golem came at him from the side. Asher dodged again, his body reacting faster than his mind could keep up. He threw a punch at the creature, and to his surprise, it connected with a satisfying crack. The golem staggered backward, and Asher used the opportunity to leap onto its back. He grabbed onto a jagged piece of rock protruding from the golem's shoulder and used it to swing himself around, delivering a kick to the creature's head.
He landed on his feet, panting. The other golems began to circle him, closing in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something glinting in the sand—a sword. Without thinking, Asher dove for it, rolling across the ground and coming up with the blade in hand. It felt right in his grip, as if it had been made for him.
The first golem charged again, and this time, Asher didn't run. He parried the creature's stone fist with the sword, the blade cutting through the rock like it was butter. The golem crumbled to pieces, but there was no time to celebrate. Another was already coming at him.
Asher spun, slashing through the air. The sword hummed as it cut through golem after golem. His movements were fluid, almost graceful, as if he had been trained for this his entire life. He ducked and dodged, jumped and rolled, using every trick he could think of to stay one step ahead of the stone behemoths.
At one point, he ran towards a wall of the arena, three golems hot on his heels. As they closed in, he kicked off the wall, flipping over their heads and landing behind them. Before they could react, he drove his sword into the back of one, then spun to slice through the other two. The pieces of the golems fell to the ground around him like broken statues.
But they kept coming. For every golem he destroyed, two more seemed to rise in its place. Sweat dripped down Asher's face as he fought, his muscles screaming in protest. He knew he couldn't keep this up forever.
Then he had an idea. Glancing around, he noticed that the broken pieces of the golems were piling up around him. If he could get high enough, he might be able to reach the platform where Luna and Celeste were watching.
With a determined grunt, Asher started piling the golem parts on top of each other, creating a makeshift ramp. The creatures continued to attack, but he fought them off as best he could while stacking the debris higher and higher.
Finally, the pile was tall enough. Asher took a deep breath and sprinted towards it. He leaped onto the pile of stone, using it as a springboard to propel himself upwards. As he soared through the air, time seemed to slow down. He could see the platform above him—the royal box where the king would sit during gladiatorial battles.
With one final burst of energy, Asher landed on the platform. He drove his sword into the ground with a powerful thrust, the blade sinking deep into the stone floor. He stood there, breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. The arena fell silent, the remaining golems frozen in place as if acknowledging his victory.
Asher stood atop the platform, his chest heaving as the adrenaline pulsed through his veins. The silence in the arena felt deafening after the chaos of battle. He slowly pulled the sword from the ground, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. His mind raced with questions and confusion. Why had they made him fight? What was the point of all this? Why was this happening to him?
He turned his gaze towards Luna and Celeste, who were now standing on the platform with him. Luna remained expressionless, her gaze as sharp and cold as ever, while Celeste wore her usual bright smile, though her eyes held a hint of concern.
Asher clenched his fists, the anger bubbling up inside him. "What the hell was that?!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the empty arena. "You just threw me into a fight with no warning, no explanation! I could've died!"
Luna didn't flinch at his outburst. She remained still, her piercing eyes locked onto him. "You needed to be tested," she said simply, as if that justified everything.
"Tested?" Asher scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tested for what? You could've at least told me what the hell was going on before throwing me into an arena full of rock monsters!"
Celeste stepped forward, her hands raised in a calming gesture. "Asher, please, just listen—"
"No!" he interrupted, his frustration boiling over. "I'm done listening! Ever since you two showed up, my life has been turned upside down! Portals, fire, now this… You expect me to just go along with it? I don't even know who or what you are!"
Luna took a step forward, her voice cold and firm. "We don't have time for your tantrums. You survived the trial. That's all that matters."
Asher's anger flared at her dismissive tone. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter, his knuckles turning white. "Tantrum?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low. "You think this is a tantrum? You drag me into some insane fight, give me no answers, and expect me to just accept it?"
Without thinking, Asher raised his sword, the anger and confusion clouding his judgment. He swung it towards Luna, intending to strike her down and end this madness. But before the blade could make contact, Luna moved with inhuman speed. She blocked his attack effortlessly, her own sword appearing in her hand as if by magic. The two blades clashed with a loud ring, sending sparks flying through the air.
Asher's eyes widened in shock. Luna was strong—far stronger than he had anticipated. Her expression didn't change, but there was something in her gaze now, something unsettling. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes glowing with an eerie light. The movement was so unnatural, so unnerving, that it made Asher freeze for a moment. She looked almost… otherworldly.
Fear gripped him, but his anger was still there, burning just beneath the surface. He pushed harder against her blade, trying to overpower her, but she didn't budge. It was like trying to move a mountain. Luna's strength was terrifying.
"You don't know what you're dealing with," she said in a calm, almost detached voice. "You think this is about you? About your life being disrupted? This is much bigger than you, Asher."
Celeste, who had been watching the confrontation with wide eyes, finally stepped between them, her voice pleading. "Please, stop! Both of you! This isn't helping."
Asher's breath came in ragged gasps as he stared at Luna. The fear he felt only fueled his anger further. "I don't care what this is about," he spat. "I didn't ask for any of this!"
He pulled back, breaking the clash of swords, and lowered his blade, his heart still racing. He glanced at Celeste, her eyes full of worry, and then back at Luna, whose face remained emotionless, like she hadn't even broken a sweat during their brief confrontation.
"I'm done," Asher muttered, shaking his head. "I'm done with this."
Without waiting for a response, he turned away from them and stormed towards the portal that had brought him here. The glowing doorway pulsed with an inviting light, and he didn't hesitate to step through it. He just wanted to be away from all of this, away from them.
When he stepped out on the other side, he was back in his room. The familiar sight of his bed, his desk, and the faint glow of his digital clock was a stark contrast to the chaos he had just left behind. He let out a long breath, his body finally relaxing as the adrenaline began to wear off.
But his relief was short-lived. A soft voice called out to him from behind.
"Asher…" Celeste had followed him through the portal, her expression gentle, concerned.
Asher turned to her, his anger simmering just below the surface. "Go away, Celeste," he said quietly, his voice tired. "Just… go. I need some time to think."
Celeste opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it again, nodding slowly. "Okay," she whispered. "But if you need to talk… I'll be here."
With that, she stepped back through the portal, leaving Asher alone in his room. The silence was deafening, but for the first time in what felt like forever, Asher was grateful for it. He dropped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but one thing was clear: his life was never going to be the same.
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That concludes Chapter 6. What do you think?Asher stood atop the platform, his chest heaving as the adrenaline pulsed through his veins. The silence in the arena felt deafening after the chaos of battle. He slowly pulled the sword from the ground, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. His mind raced with questions and confusion. Why had they made him fight? What was the point of all this? Why was this happening to him?
He turned his gaze towards Luna and Celeste, who were now standing on the platform with him. Luna remained expressionless, her gaze as sharp and cold as ever, while Celeste wore her usual bright smile, though her eyes held a hint of concern.
Asher clenched his fists, the anger bubbling up inside him. "What the hell was that?!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the empty arena. "You just threw me into a fight with no warning, no explanation! I could've died!"
Luna didn't flinch at his outburst. She remained still, her piercing eyes locked onto him. "You needed to be tested," she said simply, as if that justified everything.
"Tested?" Asher scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tested for what? You could've at least told me what the hell was going on before throwing me into an arena full of rock monsters!"
Celeste stepped forward, her hands raised in a calming gesture. "Asher, please, just listen—"
"No!" he interrupted, his frustration boiling over. "I'm done listening! Ever since you two showed up, my life has been turned upside down! Portals, fire, now this… You expect me to just go along with it? I don't even know who or what you are!"
Luna took a step forward, her voice cold and firm. "We don't have time for your tantrums. You survived the trial. That's all that matters."
Asher's anger flared at her dismissive tone. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter, his knuckles turning white. "Tantrum?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low. "You think this is a tantrum? You drag me into some insane fight, give me no answers, and expect me to just accept it?"
Without thinking, Asher raised his sword, the anger and confusion clouding his judgment. He swung it towards Luna, intending to strike her down and end this madness. But before the blade could make contact, Luna moved with inhuman speed. She blocked his attack effortlessly, her own sword appearing in her hand as if by magic. The two blades clashed with a loud ring, sending sparks flying through the air.
Asher's eyes widened in shock. Luna was strong—far stronger than he had anticipated. Her expression didn't change, but there was something in her gaze now, something unsettling. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes glowing with an eerie light. The movement was so unnatural, so unnerving, that it made Asher freeze for a moment. She looked almost… otherworldly.
Fear gripped him, but his anger was still there, burning just beneath the surface. He pushed harder against her blade, trying to overpower her, but she didn't budge. It was like trying to move a mountain. Luna's strength was terrifying.
"You don't know what you're dealing with," she said in a calm, almost detached voice. "You think this is about you? About your life being disrupted? This is much bigger than you, Asher."
Celeste, who had been watching the confrontation with wide eyes, finally stepped between them, her voice pleading. "Please, stop! Both of you! This isn't helping."
Asher's breath came in ragged gasps as he stared at Luna. The fear he felt only fueled his anger further. "I don't care what this is about," he spat. "I didn't ask for any of this!"
He pulled back, breaking the clash of swords, and lowered his blade, his heart still racing. He glanced at Celeste, her eyes full of worry, and then back at Luna, whose face remained emotionless, like she hadn't even broken a sweat during their brief confrontation.
"I'm done," Asher muttered, shaking his head. "I'm done with this."
Without waiting for a response, he turned away from them and stormed towards the portal that had brought him here. The glowing doorway pulsed with an inviting light, and he didn't hesitate to step through it. He just wanted to be away from all of this, away from them.
When he stepped out on the other side, he was back in his room. The familiar sight of his bed, his desk, and the faint glow of his digital clock was a stark contrast to the chaos he had just left behind. He let out a long breath, his body finally relaxing as the adrenaline began to wear off.
But his relief was short-lived. A soft voice called out to him from behind.
"Asher…" Celeste had followed him through the portal, her expression gentle, concerned.
Asher turned to her, his anger simmering just below the surface. "Go away, Celeste," he said quietly, his voice tired. "Just… go. I need some time to think."
Celeste opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it again, nodding slowly. "Okay," she whispered. "But if you need to talk… I'll be here."
With that, she stepped back through the portal, leaving Asher alone in his room. The silence was deafening, but for the first time in what felt like forever, Asher was grateful for it. He dropped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but one thing was clear: his life was never going to be the same.
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