The forest grew darker and eerier as Adrian and Aiden ventured further in. The gnarled trees stretched toward the sky, their roots tangled and coiled like serpents. The faint light filtering through the dense forest flickered like a dying flame, casting strange shadows across the ground.
"Stay sharp," Adrian murmured, his daggers glinting faintly as he moved silently.
Aiden trailed behind, his hands flickering with faint sparks of fire as he glanced nervously at every shifting shadow.
"This place feels alive," Aiden muttered.
Adrian smirked faintly. "It is alive. Just hope it doesn't decide we look like a snack."
Suddenly, the sound of rustling vines filled the air.
Adrian froze, his sharp eyes scanning the area. A low, wet squelching noise came next, and out of the undergrowth slithered a creature that resembled a grotesque amalgamation of plants and flesh.
Its central body was a bulbous, pulsating mass, covered in slick green tendrils that writhed and squirmed as if alive. The tendrils glistened with venomous sap, their tips ending in razor-sharp thorns. Small, tooth-like protrusions lined its base.
"A Tendisil."
"That's… disgusting," Aiden whispered, his face scrunching in revulsion.
Adrian didn't reply. Instead, he crouched low, watching as the Tendisil's tendrils slithered across the ground, searching for movement. One lashed out suddenly, aiming for Aiden's leg.
"Move!" Adrian barked, and Aiden jumped back just in time.
The Tendisil screeched, its bulbous body quivering as it sensed their presence. Adrian darted to the side, slicing through a tendril with one of his daggers. The severed limb thrashed wildly before falling limp, oozing greenish sap.
"Keep it distracted!" Adrian called out, slipping into the shadows.
His figure melted into the darkness, disappearing from view.
Aiden stepped forward, summoning a burst of flame in his palm. The Tendisil recoiled, its tendrils flailing as the fire scorched its body.
Adrian used the opening to dart forward. Emerging from the shadows, he plunged his dagger into the creature's pulsating core.
The Tendisil let out an ear-piercing screech before collapsing, its tendrils curling inward as it died.
"Two out of ten?" Aiden scoffed, wiping sap off his trousers. "That thing was at least a six in grossness."
Adrian chuckled lightly, flicking sap off his dagger. "Get used to it. I doubt that's the worst we'll see."
As they continued, the forest seemed to shift, and the air grew colder. A sudden movement ahead caught their attention, and emerging from the shadows was a creature, its entire body made of reflective crystal.
A Shard.
Its surface shimmered and shifted like a mirror, and as the boys approached, the Shard began to change.
Its crystalline body morphed, taking on Adrian's form.
"Great," Aiden muttered. "A creature that can copy your face? That's not terrifying at all."
The Shard stepped forward, now an exact replica of Adrian, even mimicking his stance and the twin daggers in his hands.
"It's not just copying," Adrian said grimly, his eyes narrowing. "It's imitating. It can predict my moves."
The Shard lunged suddenly, its dagger slashing toward Adrian. He dodged, but the creature anticipated his movement and swung again. Adrian barely managed to block the attack, his daggers clashing against the crystal replicas.
"Aiden! You have to take it down!" Adrian shouted, dodging another strike.
Aiden hesitated.
"But it's you! If I hit it- "
"It's not me!" Adrian snapped, his voice tense as he blocked another blow. "Just do it!"
Aiden stepped forward, flames igniting in his palms. The Shard turned toward him, its crystalline surface shifting to mirror Aiden instead.
"Now it's me!" Aiden exclaimed.
"Then don't hold back."
The Shard charged at Aiden, its movements eerily fluid.
Gritting his teeth, Aiden launched a wave of fire at the Shard.
The flames licked at its crystalline surface, causing cracks to form. The creature screeched, its mirrored body flickering as it tried to reform.
Suddenly, Adrian reappeared behind the Shard, his daggers flashing. With a swift strike, he shattered the creature's weakened form, sending shards of crystal scattering across the ground.
Aiden panted, his hands still glowing faintly. "That… was horrible."
Adrian smirked, brushing shards off his jacket. "At least you didn't set me on fire."
It wasn't long before they encountered another beast. The air grew thick with a sweet, cloying scent as they ventured further and the two boys slowed, their steps cautious.
"Do you smell that?" Aiden asked, his voice wavering.
Adrian frowned, pulling his scarf over his nose. "Don't breathe it in. It's a-"
Before he could finish, a creature came out, and was unlike any they had encountered before.
It was massive, its body a mass of writhing vines and glowing petals that emitted a soft, psychedelic light. Its face was partially hidden behind the petals, but its eyes glowed with an unsettling, hypnotic power. The entire creature seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy.
Aiden staggered, his vision blurring as the spores took effect. He saw flashes of memories- Earth, Soleil, Blaze, the mysterious tree from his dreams. The images disoriented him, making it hard to focus.
"Aiden! Snap out of it!" Adrian's voice cut through the haze.
The Circe Trap's vines lashed out, aiming for Aiden. But before they could reach him, Adrian emerged from the shadows, slicing through the vines with his daggers.
"Aiden!" Adrian barked.
The urgency in Adrian's tone brought Aiden back to reality. He shook his head, summoning a burst of fire to burn away the spores. Together, the boys attacked the creature. Adrian's strikes were precise and deadly, while Aiden's flames scorched its core.
The Circe Trap let out a shrill screech before collapsing into ash.
As the forest fell silent once more, Adrian clapped Aiden on the shoulder. "Not bad, fire boy."
The dense forest pressed in on them as Adrian and Aiden fought their way through the trials, each one harder than the last. A voice announced minutes before of the time left.
50 Minutes Left.
The exhaustion was starting to settle in, but they couldn't afford to slow down now.
Along the way, most of the creatures they combatted were Tendisils. Though it was easy, they had wasted a lot of times killing that they took rests in between.
"Come on, Aiden, we've got this," Adrian urged, his voice steady despite the weariness in his voice. His jacket was covered in dirt and scratches, his usually flawless appearance disheveled.
Aiden nodded, his fire still crackling at his fingertips, though his body was beginning to feel the strain of the trials. His chest rose and fell with each breath, his heart pounding in his ears. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up, but he couldn't stop now. They were so close.
Suddenly, a massive roar echoed through the trees, shaking the very ground beneath them. Adrian and Aiden whipped their heads toward the sound, their eyes narrowing as the unmistakable thud of heavy footsteps grew closer. The underbrush parted, and from the shadows emerged a troll- bigger and more monstrous than any they had seen before.
This creature stood over ten feet tall, its skin a dark, weathered gray, with veins of molten red running beneath the surface. Its eyes were a fiery orange, glowing with an ancient rage. The troll's hands were huge, each finger like a gnarled tree branch, and it wielded a massive club, its end jagged with spikes.
"Great," Adrian muttered under his breath. "And we're almost near too..."
The troll roared again, its breath steaming as it swung its club down toward them, the air humming with the force of the blow. Adrian barely dodged, rolling to the side, while Aiden leapt backward, his hands flaring with fire as he attempted to hold the beast at bay.
The fire he threw out tickled the troll's legs, but it barely seemed to notice. With a deafening growl, the troll swung its club again, this time faster than either of them had anticipated. Aiden tried to block, summoning more fire, but the club connected with his side, sending him crashing to the ground.