After completing the Trial of the Heart, the remaining candidates were led into a spacious hall where Lirael Dawnlight stood alongside a group of academy professors. Each professor wore robes embroidered with symbols representing their respective disciplines: combat, elemental magic, alchemy, and strategy.
"The second trial will be the Trial of Talent," Lirael announced, her gaze sweeping across the candidates. "We will evaluate your practical skills in a hostile environment. Remember, cunning often outweighs brute strength."
With a gesture, Lirael activated a magical circle on the floor. A black door covered in ancient runes materialized at the center of the room, radiating an intimidating aura.
"Each of you will be sent to a personalized trial dimension," Lirael continued. "There, you will face challenges designed to assess your potential. The trial will end when you demonstrate mastery over your innate abilities or find a way to overcome the barriers presented to you."
Kael felt his body pulled toward the black door along with the other candidates. Upon crossing it, the world around him shifted abruptly. He now stood in a dense forest, illuminated by sunlight barely filtering through the canopy above. Beside him, a glowing mark appeared in the air, forming into a floating golden sphere.
"Candidate Kael Ashborne," an ethereal voice emanated from the sphere, "in this trial, you must prove your ability to adapt to a hostile environment. Survival alone will not suffice; you must use your skills to overcome obstacles and complete the assigned objectives."
Before he could respond, a map appeared floating before him, showing three markers scattered across the forest. The objectives were clear: collect an Arcane Crystal, defeat a magical beast, and activate a sealed obelisk.
Kael frowned. He knew time would be limited, but rushing in without a plan could be fatal. His knowledge of the game provided a distinct advantage: Arcane Crystals were typically guarded by magical traps, magical beasts had predictable attack patterns, and obelisks required solving puzzles to activate.
"First, the Arcane Crystal," he muttered, adjusting his cloak and preparing to move.
The path to the Arcane Crystal was anything but easy. The forest seemed alive, with roots emerging from the ground as if trying to ensnare him. Kael unsheathed his sword and used his shadow affinity to detect hidden traps. The dark energy he had awakened during the Ceremony of Awakening allowed him to sense fluctuations in magical flows, a talent that saved him from triggering explosive runes more than once.
At last, he reached a clearing where the Arcane Crystal floated in the air, surrounded by a circle of glowing magical symbols. Kael carefully examined the area and noted that each symbol represented an element: fire, water, earth, and wind.
"An elemental puzzle," he thought, recalling a similar mission from the game.
Focusing, he combined his magical knowledge with his shadow energy to manipulate the symbols. In the game, solving such puzzles required balance—using too much of one element would destabilize the crystal. After several minutes of careful maneuvering, the circle lit up, and the Arcane Crystal descended toward him.
Kael grasped it carefully, feeling the pure energy pulsating in his hand. The golden sphere reappeared, signaling that the first objective was complete.
As he headed toward the second marker, where the magical beast awaited, Kael mentally reviewed the skills he had developed so far. He knew the beasts in these trials were designed to exploit the candidates' weaknesses, which meant he should expect a brutal encounter.
"If this trial is modeled after the game, the beast should be a Shadow Manticore," he murmured to himself.
The Manticore was a formidable foe: fast, cunning, and armed with deadly venom. Kael recalled that in the game, the venom could be neutralized using a specific plant that often grew near the Manticore's habitat.
Focusing on his surroundings, he quickly located the necessary plants, gathering a handful before continuing toward the confrontation.
After preparing, Kael stepped into a dark clearing where the trees seemed to recede, as if afraid of what was about to unfold. A low growl reverberated through the air, and two yellow eyes gleamed ominously from the shadows.
"Here we go," Kael muttered, adjusting his stance and readying his sword.