I stumbled, catching myself just before I fell. My vision dimmed, but I forced my legs to keep going. I could feel my body weakening as the urge to collapse was nearly overwhelming me.
My mind protested, urging me to rest just for a moment. But I knew if I did, I might never get back up.
That was when I saw a glint of water just up ahead, sparkling and clear. Relief flooded through me. I picked up my pace, nearly running toward the shimmering pool. The closer I got, the brighter it seemed, its cool surface inviting me closer.
But something was wrong. The water felt… off. I slowed down and stopped just a few paces away, staring down at the pool. I could see my reflection there, staring back, but it didn't look like me. The figure in the water was worn, gaunt, with shadows under its eyes and a haunted look that sent a chill through me.
I wanted to turn back, but the parched burning sensation in my throat seemed to squeeze it shut. I couldn't even swallow my saliva.
"I can't go on like this!"
"Since I am here, let's just give it a try."
Frustrated, I bent down to take a sip, but my hand touched hot shifting sand instead of water.
"ARGHH!"
I stepped back, watching the water ripple and distort what appeared. It was another illusion.
"A mirage," I muttered, stepping around, refusing to look back.
For a moment, I even thought of giving up. A burning raw sensation seemed to permeate down my esophagus and reach toward my gut. It even made my mouth hard to operate.
If possible, I would have even drunk my piss, but nothing came out despite trying.
Thinking of an immediate solution, I pulled out the dagger and cut my palm. Blood seeped out of it, and I inched closer to suck the blood.
The liquid, though it didn't alleviate my thirst, played a role in moistening my throat.
"I need to get out of here," I muttered and picked up my pace.
The thirst clawed at me, fiercer now that I'd seen the water, but I kept walking, willing myself to ignore it. My body felt brittle, on the edge of breaking, but I couldn't give up. Not now.
[Why keep going?] Another voice, low and mocking, drifted through the air. This one was different, colder, carrying a weight of doubt that burrowed into my mind.
[You're weak. You won't make it through this trial. Turn back.]
I stopped, feeling my hands clench again, that familiar urge to quit surfacing with a vengeance. But I pushed it down, forcing myself forward, relying on my blood.
Cuts had formed all over my body with long gashes that I kept on sucking.
"I'll make it," I said, my voice a hoarse whisper.
"I'll surely make it to the end of the trial."
SWISH!
My voice faded, and the landscape shifted again, growing even more desolate. The air seemed thicker, pressing down on me with a weight that made it hard to breathe. My legs felt like lead, each step a battle. But I kept moving, dragging myself forward, step by step.
Somewhere ahead, I knew, was the end of the wasteland. All I had to do was reach it. The thought became my anchor, the single point of focus in a world that seemed intent on breaking me. I wouldn't give in. I wouldn't let this trial defeat me.
And then, in the distance, I saw a faint line on the horizon, the edge of the wasteland. I didn't know how far it was, but just seeing it gave me a surge of strength I didn't know I had left.
I pushed on despite my vision blurring, my body screaming in protest, but I didn't stop.
I stepped on until my legs faltered again and fell down due to a momentary collapse of vision, but as I opened my eyes...
The surroundings seemed to have changed.
"This…"
The twisted forest loomed ahead, shrouded in a damp fog that clung to the air. Shadows flitted through the mist, barely seen before they vanished, leaving whispers that seemed to echo from all directions. I took a deep breath, tightening my grip on the dagger at my side. I had survived the wasteland, endured the scorching sun, but this was different.
A tension hung in the air, prickling my skin and filling me with dread.
'The first test might have been of my tenacity, and it went on until my body collapsed while my mind remained firm.'
'Now, what is the second test?'
I glanced wearily. Then, I noticed that the wounds on my hands had disappeared.
"Thirst… I am not feeling thirsty anymore."
"My condition has also returned to normal."
The fog thickened around me, swallowing the path behind until it was as if I had never walked there at all. Soon, the trees became shadows, looming shapes that seemed to breathe with the mist. I could hear whispers threading through the fog.
"Why does the voice sound familiar?" I squinted my brows and focused on the voices, wondering what this trial was about.
Then I heard her voice.
"Why did you leave me?"
I froze. The words cut through me like a blade because the voice was eerily familiar.
Then, a figure emerged from the fog, her silhouette barely visible, but I knew her. My heart twisted as I recognized the gentle face of my mother, her eyes filled with sadness.
"Mother?" I breathed, disbelief flooding my voice.
She remained silent, just watching me.
My eyes flickered as memories rushed back pertaining to her warm laughter, her gentle scolding. I thought I had moved on. But here she was, a haunting reminder of everything I had lost.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Is this how you greet your mother, or are you thinking of leaving like before?" she asked again, her voice soft yet accusatory.
"I didn't leave," I managed, my voice hoarse.
"It's you who left me…"
My heart clenched. I had asked myself that question a thousand times, but hearing it from her cut deeper than any wound.
Why did my parents die early and leave me alone while others had joyful childhoods?
"You left me all alone."
"No, I didn't…" Her voice hardened as she stepped forward. In her hand glinted a dagger, the same style I carried. I felt my own hand tighten around my blade, realizing this was no longer just a memory.
SWISH!
A sharp dagger cut through the air.
"Mother…" My voice trailed off as she lunged, her dagger flashing toward me. I barely raised my own in time. The clang of metal rang out, and she attacked relentlessly, mirroring my own movements with uncanny precision.
"Disappointing!"
My heart fell as she scoffed.