Serena staggered as she landed in a dense, foggy forest.
The trees loomed high above her, their twisted branches forming a canopy that blocked out the sky.
The system's voice chimed in, startling her:
[Welcome, User 201: Serena.]
[Main quest: Get to the safe zone beta before the timer elapses or die.]
[Sub-quest initiated: Trial of the Gloomwood.]
[Objective: Reach the Heart of the Forest and retrieve the Sigil of Clarity.]
[Time Limit: 20 minutes.]
[Failure condition: Mental collapse or death.]
[Reward: hidden]
Serena froze, her heartbeat accelerating. Mental collapse?This was nothing like the previous trials. She hasn't even fully come in terms with combat now a mental battle?!
Just great, she muttered.
The implications of the trial hit her like a slap, but before she could dwell on them, the system continued:
[Additional Conditions Unlocked: Due to your latent ability, illusions in the Gloom will adapt to your emotional state.]
[Recommendation: Maintain control of your emotions.]
[Quests are updated based on your skills, levels, and abilities.]
Her breath caught. The forest would adapt to her fears, her doubts. It would weaponize them against her.
Anxiety bubbled beneath the surface, threatening to spill over, but Serena clenched her fists and forced herself to exhale. Stay calm.
She has managed it for years and this shouldn't be an exception.
A faint path appeared before her as the fog shifted, barely wide enough for her to walk without brushing against the looming, twisted trees.
Their branches reached out like skeletal fingers, and an eerie silence pressed down on her, broken only by the soft crunch of leaves beneath her boots.
As she ventured deeper, the oppressive atmosphere thickened.
The whispers began as faint murmurs, but with every step, they grew louder.
"Why are you here, Serena?" hissed a voice that sounded disturbingly like her mother's.
"You're not strong enough for this," mocked another, its tone dripping with scorn.
"You'll fail. Just like you always do," whispered a third voice, soft and venomous.
Her heart pounded as the whispers clawed at her resolve.
Her nails dug into her palms, drawing faint crescents of blood.
They're not real, she reminded herself, her voice trembling in her head.
This place is trying to break me. I will pass this time around, I am not a failure,she said as she made her way forward.
Suddenly, the whispers stopped, replaced by a deafening silence that only made her pulse thrum louder.
A figure emerged from the mist ahead. Broad shoulders, familiar dark hair…..it was Elias.
Relief flooded her, and she took a step forward.
"Elias! Over here!" she called, her voice trembling with hope.
Did you enter the portal after me? Guess I was wrong after all, let get through this together.
He turned to face her slowly, and the relief in her chest froze into dread. His eyes….normally so steady….burned an unnatural, pale yellow.
His face twisted with malice, and a cruel smirk spread across his lips.
"I knew you'd fail," he said, his voice distorted and layered with an otherworldly rasp. "Just like always."
Before she could react, the figure lunged at her, unnaturally fast and feral.
Serena barely dodged, rolling to the side as clawed hands swiped through the air where her throat had been.
"Elias!" she cried, her voice breaking. "You're not real!"
The creature let out a guttural snarl, its body flickering like a broken hologram.
It lunged again, and she didn't waste any more time.
Serena's dagger flashed as she slashed upward, cutting into the figure's chest. Instead of blood, it exploded into black mist, swirling into the fog and disappearing.
[Illusion Neutralized. Aura Integrity: 82%. Proceed with caution.]
Serena staggered, her breathing ragged. She looked at her hand mortified!
That wasn't real, she repeated to herself, gripping her dagger tighter. But the dread lingered, its claws wrapped around her mind.
The deeper she went, the worse it got. The forest twisted her memories into cruel emotional weapons.. It brought up old wound and insecurities
She saw her younger self, small and trembling, abandoned in the dim light of her childhood room.
She saw classmates sneering, their laughter echoing through the places. She saw her parents walking away, their faces cold and distant.
Each vision tore at her mind, chipping away at her resolve.
Her Aura Integrity plummeted with every emotional wound, dipping dangerously close to critical levels.
By the time she reached a clearing, the system chimed again:
[Aura Integrity: 63%. Warning: Prolonged exposure may lead to collapse.]
The system's sarcastic voice came again; I know you will fail, just give up and die.
She wiped sweat from her brow, her hand trembling. In the center of the clearing stood a massive, ancient tree.
Its bark was blackened and split, oozing a thick, tar-like substance.
Its roots clawed into the ground, twisted and gnarled. At its base lay something which was glowing faintly.
The system notification chimed again
[Ding!]
[Sigil of clarity identify]
[
Her target.
But as she stepped closer, the ground beneath her feet shuddered.
The tree groaned, its branches creaking as they twisted unnaturally. A deep, guttural growl rumbled from its core, and then it moved.
From the shadows of the tree emerged a towering creature. Its body was a grotesque blend of bark and shadow, its limbs jagged and unnatural.
Its eyes burned with a sickly green light, and its breath came in hisses that smelled of rot and decay.
The system chimed:
[Forest Guardian Detected. Threat Level: Moderate.]
[Defeat the forest guardian to obtain the sigil of clarity]
[Note: Illusions may be used during combat. Stay vigilant.]
The creature let out an ear-splitting roar, shaking the clearing.
Serena barely had time to dodge as one of its massive limbs slammed into the ground where she had been standing, leaving a deep crater.
She rolled to her feet, her dagger drawn. "You're not stopping me," she growled, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her insides.
I don't have much time any longer
The guardian charged, its massive body tearing through the clearing. Serena sprinted to the side, weaving between its attacks.
Each swing of its limbs sent splinters flying, and the ground trembled with every impact.
She slashed at its side, her dagger scraping against the bark-like skin.
It didn't even flinch. Instead, it swiped at her with one of its shadowy limbs, catching her in the side and sending her sprawling.
Pain flared through her ribs as she hit the ground, her dagger skittering out of reach. The guardian loomed over her, its glowing eyes narrowing.
"Get up!" she hissed to herself, dragging her body across the dirt.
I can't beat this thing in an head-on fight, think. Serena ,think.
Her fingers closed around a sharp rock, and as the creature swung down, she rolled to the side and drove the makeshift weapon into the joint of its limb.
The guardian roared, a thick, black ichor spilling from the wound. It staggered, giving Serena just enough time to retrieve her dagger.
This time,her latent ability flared to life and she saw the glowing cracks in it's barks.
she aimed for the glowing cracks in its bark, plunging the blade deep into its chest.
The creature let out a deafening screech, its form flickering and dissolving into shadow.
[Forest Guardian Neutralized. Aura Integrity: 48%. Proceed to objective.]
Serena collapsed to her knees, her chest heaving.
The Sigil of Clarity lay just ahead, glowing faintly amidst the chaos.
She stumbled forward, every step a battle against the exhaustion threatening to consume her.
When her fingers closed around the sigil, a surge of warmth flooded through her, and the oppressive fog around her began to dissipate.
But she couldn't celebrate…..not yet. The system's voice echoed in her mind:
[Objective complete]
[Sigil of clarity obtained]
[Return to the starting point before the timer elapses.]
The timer blinked in the corner of her vision. Six minutes left.
She gritted her teeth and began to run. The trial wasn't over yet.
It was a race against time now