I had barely begun to comprehend the blinding white light when an overwhelming sensation gripped my body. My limbs turned rigid, unyielding to even the smallest command. I couldn't move. My breath hitched as a numbing chill seeped into every fiber of my being. But it wasn't the cold of ice; it was the soul-crushing chill of pure killing intent.
The air around me felt alive, oppressive, as if the slaughter intent itself had become sentient. It invaded me, not merely on the surface, but coursing deep into my veins. My body trembled violently as the unrelenting waves of intent seeped further. Each pulse felt like a blade slicing through my spirit. I couldn't scream; I couldn't cry out. My teeth clenched so tightly I feared they would shatter. The world outside my pain didn't matter anymore. There was only the chill, the agony, and the unbearable weight of slaughter invading my being.
I knew this was the next trial. My body was adapting to a new domain, the domain of pure slaughter. It was carving itself into my very essence, but at a cost I wasn't sure I could bear. Time ceased to have meaning. Seconds, minutes, hours, it all blurred together in a haze of pain. And suddenly, the pain stopped.
My breathing was shallow, and my body, though battered, felt oddly light. The absence of pain was disorienting, like a sudden void where chaos had been moments before. But I wasn't free yet. The world around me remained a swirling mixture of blinding light and oppressive darkness.
Then, a voice pierced the silence. It wasn't loud, but its tone carried an undeniable authority. "You didn't keep your word."
The words sent a chill down my spine, though the voice was not inherently hostile. I tried to move, to turn my head and locate the source, but my body remained immobile. All I could see was a blurry, giant white light pulsating in the distance, as though it were a living entity.
Before I could respond, another voice answered. This one was deeper, harsher, its presence a burning contrast to the first. "And is this your way of ensuring I do now?"
My heart pounded in my chest as I strained to make sense of their words. I still couldn't see the second figure, but this one manifested as a dark red light, glowing ominously. The tension between the two was palpable, as though an ancient, unspoken agreement hung in the balance.
The white light didn't answer immediately. Instead, an eerie silence stretched on, so thick it was suffocating. Then, finally, the red light spoke again. "Very well. Let's see if your chosen one can handle it."
Before I could even begin to process their exchange, the pain returned, but this time, it was different. It wasn't merely a river of killing intent coursing through me; it was an ocean, a boundless sea crashing into my very soul. My entire body convulsed as the intensity surged beyond anything I thought was possible. I wanted to scream, but the sound died in my throat, swallowed by the overwhelming force pressing down on me.
The cold was no longer merely numbing; it was annihilating. It felt as though my very essence was being torn apart and reassembled, over and over, each iteration more excruciating than the last. My mind screamed for release, for an end to the torment. Was this death? It had to be. No living being could endure such agony.
Yet, I didn't die. Time stretched endlessly, every second an eternity of suffering. When it finally ended, I was left broken, both physically and mentally. I could barely hear anything over the roaring silence in my mind, but a faint voice reached me, its words barely audible.
"It seems you chose well."
I didn't know which light spoke, and I didn't care. My consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion, the words fading into nothingness as darkness claimed me.