"Can't catch your own feet?" The wisp snickered seeing me come out of the portal almost falling. "Will it always be like that?" I asked taking unsteady steps.
"Well, it will probably be way different if you went through a more stable portal, but I manifested myself into a portal so it might've been a little unsettling for you, so I really couldn't say." The wisp explained.
"Anyways, unleash everything, those emotions of yours something should happen then!" The wisp stated excitement leaking from its voice.
Closing my eyes, I let the thoughts and emotions I had been suppressed surge forth. As they poured out, an unsettling sensation arose within me, as if something deeper was striving to escape. It felt as though a force, tightly coiled within my chest, was yearning to break free—my very soul struggling against its chains.
Pushing through the unwavering feeling, my eyes shot open as everything in our vicinity began to shift.
The darkness' home was then replaced with an arctic blue glow that became blinding.
squinting and covering my eyes from the light that almost subsided instantly revealing a vast expansion of snow.
"So, this is your first trial… intriguing," the wisp mused, swirling around as it scanned the same seemingly endless expanse. "Wait, trial? How do you know this?" I questioned.
"I'm not entirely sure," the wisp replied, stopping before me. "Perhaps you could call me your guide."
All around us lay an everlasting sea of snow, the sun dipping ominously below the horizon. As I exhaled, clouds of mist formed, my breath visible in the chilling air.
My body being to shiver from the sudden change in temperature.
"Your teeth are chattering already? Hm." The wisp then darted into my chest—where my core would be—as a warm sensation filled my body, and I quickly welcomed its embrace.
'Testing, testing,' That familiar voice rang inside my head violently.
'I can hear you loud and clear.' I replied, rubbing my temples fighting against the ringing.
'Good, good. Now, I'll make this explanation brief." The wisp then cleared its nonexistent throat. "There are three trials ahead; this trial will awaken your first intimate ability. With each ability you unlock, you'll find a piece of a crown above your head. Well, all three pieces will form a crown.' The wisp explained.
"That is if you actually manage to pass the trial before you wake up, I highly doubt you'll actually—.'
'So what am I supposed to do?' I cutoff.
'We'll discover that together. We make a formidable team, don't you think?' The wisp teased.
Guess I'll have to figure this out myself since the wisp is no help. I thought before taking my first step in the snowy land.
'I definitely can't hear you.' The wisps' voice quipped.
Suddenly, the sun vanished, swallowed by a looming full moon that climbed high in the night sky, a simple black line stretching about twenty meters ahead across the snow.
"What happened?" I asked aloud, confused.
'With each new occurrence, I gain knowledge,' the wisp stated, ignoring my question.
'You must cross that line before the full moon sinks; it doesn't seem too hard.'
Something so simple? I thought to myself, I have a hard time believing that I simply have to cross the black line before the full moon ends, but the only person I really have to help me here is this guy.
As I took a stride through the deep snow, my feet almost stuck to the ground. Time sped by.
The moon, which was at its peak , plummeted toward the horizon and the sky fractured, revealing a second moon. It emerged slowly, blackened and ominous, its limb aglow with a chilling blue light. This moon, unlike its counterpart, moved with unnatural speed.
The second moon then fully revealed itself; it resembled a full moon but was pitch black with a blue tint around its limb. The moon rested slightly below the full moon; however, unlike the typical moon, this one appeared to move at an unusually fast rate for a moon.
'This isn't good; we'll have to find a way to end this trial before that other moon sets.' The wisps voice housed worry for the first time.
'As your guide, it will be my duty to explain this. We have to find a way to travel to that black line almost in an instant; we'll have to travel at a speed that is faster than that of the moon.' The wisp continued, 'You'll have to use whatever mana you're capable of manipulating to try to propel yourself forward.'
Looking at that line, it now seemed so close, but yet so far. How was I supposed to travel twenty meters in an instant?
The ground around us began to vibrate violently, causing me to stagger towards the black line.
'Don't take a step!' The wisps' voice rang.
But it was too late, and by the time I'd regained my footing, the full moon shifted over the horizon, and the second moved like a ticking clock through the sky.
'We don't have much time; give it your all!' The wisps' voice sounded throughout my head.
'Use the little mana that you're able to manifest from your core and atmosphere and focus them on your legs!' The wisp ordered.
Listening to it without hesitation, I began attempting to draw mana from my core. My body was flooded with a gentle breeze as mana poured throughout my veins.
My mother taught me how to cast my first spell. She emphasized to me that, while I have an affinity for both wind and fire, I should only use wind for the time being because I haven't learned how to accurately sense the fire element that resigns within the environment and that I shouldn't overwork myself in order to avoid OD.
While I was able to form a small cyclone of wind, the way I formed it was still flawed. Though my mother still loved it.
I begged my mother to teach me more, but she only taught me how to control the mana that my core naturally exorbed; the mana that naturally flowed through the atmosphere was more unruly and unwilling to aid you, so my mother said I'd learn how to control it over time, but to not strain my body to focus myself to wield it.
As a result, my mana supply was extremely limited; casting more than a few spells risked endangering my core.
It looks like everything I've learned in the books isn't as easy as it seems. I thought to myself, reciting everything I've learned about how to manipulate mana.
Looking at the second moon, which had reached halfway to the horizon, I closed my eyes to attempt to enter a state of clarity.
The more I concentrated on sending mana to my legs, the greater the likelihood that I would actually succeed.
Everything I've learned so far has been from books, but this will be my actual first—second—experience.
As I felt the mana traveling to my legs, I could feel a gust of wind preparing to burst inside my calves, like if my legs were being cut from within.
My wind element swirled violently within me, the pressure swirling to a point where it felt as if it would slice through my legs from the inside out. Gritting my teeth, I understood that I had to embrace the fire within, despite the danger it posed to my core. I knew instinctively that without its power, crossing that line would be impossible.
I had to accept the consequences of using the fire element, but it was a choice I had to make if I wanted to cross that boundary.
As I sensed the mana within my core, my senses were instantly flooded with a breeze, signaling that the wind was responding to my commands, but I wanted to try my luck with fire.
My closed lids were overwhelmed with green particles as I probed deeper within my core for traces of a flame.
'I don't want to bother you, but the second moon is almost touching the horizon!' A muffled voice echoed quickly throughout my skull.
I could feel the ground beneath me rumbling, but I couldn't shift my focus.
I searched for the sensation I had experienced when my father tested my affinity, and after what seemed like years, I found it.
My senses were overwhelmed by the heat of a single flame. The flame was scorching, and I could feel my blood boiling. I attempted to make the flame follow my commands, but it barely budged.
I put my all into trying to make the flame burst into particles so I would be able to use its power.
"Come on!" I roared, then finally it moved.
The flame bursted into a swarm of bright, crimson particles.
My eyes shot open as I willed the particles down to my fists.
'I don't know what you're doing, but it looks like it's working!' The voice cried as my ears ranged.
My veins burned as the particles slowly made their way down my arms until they made contact with my palms, where they lingered until further notice.
I imagined the particles condensing into two squeezed balls of flame. As the flames intensified, my hands became firmer, my chest tightened, and my core felt to be at its limit, pleading with me to stop.
I pushed down the unwavering feelings sprouting from my core as I commanded the wind in my calves to propel myself forward.
As my feet rose into the air, time seemed to slow down.
"Now!" I screamed through the pain as I let the compressed balls erupt, propelling me through the air at alarming speeds.
My ears crackle instantaneously due to the sudden change in air pressure.
It was as if the full moon noticed me moving, its frightening eyes looking down at me. Before shooting across the sky, the moon quickly made its way to where the second moon was, then overlapping, creating the most magnificent thing I've ever seen that could only have come from nature.
In an instant, I plummeted into the frigid snow, my body throbbing as I strained to see if I had passed the black line.
Turning around, I saw the will-o-wisp emerge from my body and gazed at its floating body just above the line it could not cross.
I made it.
"Nice try; maybe next time." Those few words stabbed through my heart like a hot knife.
Everything shattered as the ground crumbled beneath me, plunging me into a void of darkness. I sought out for the wisp.
The moons shimmered beautifully, overlapping one another, yet I was compelled to believe they were mocking me.
"Until the next time, if I am still here." The wisp delivered its final words with a tinge of melancholy.
Plummeting through the darkness a heavy feeling overcame my eyelids, and I just gave in as I felt like I was entering an even deeper stage of my dreams.