When I woke up, the environment was no longer what it looked like before. Its different. The redness is gone. The blazing heat and molten rivers of lava are gone. The lava that flowed down the mountain was now solid black rock. The land felt silent and still. The thumping beat of the volcanos is gone. The only sounds I can hear are those of my own heartbeat.
I got to my feet, and carefully walked toward the edge of the mountain with a deep inhale; I screamed into the emptiness, "I am Ethan, the God Slayer!" My voice sounded like a broken radio. "Vow before me". Only hearing the echo of my own voice. Part of me really wanted to hear someone respond, but nothing. I feel angry that I have to go through this.
Then,
The loneliness crept into my chest like a constant shadow, smothering me as it wrapped itself around me.There's no one else here but me. It's just me and the loud echo of my mind. Before I knew it, tears flowed down my face, making the already colorless world around me less clear. I felt like I was going to pass out as I stumbled to the edge of the mountain. The weight of it all crushed me. There was a huge, empty gap in front of me, and for a moment, I thought it matched how empty I felt inside
Every second that went by, the weight on my shoulders felt heavier. My chest feels empty,I couldn't scream or cry to fill the emptiness. It was like the world had given up on me. The world felt black and white. The more I thought about it the more hopelessness crept into my heart. My mind became uncontrollable, memories of my every mistake I made, the pain I felt flooded through me, until the weight of all crushed me to the ground. As I shook and curled up into a ball, I couldn't stop the flood of tears that soaked the ground below me. It hurt. The waves of sadness were too strong for my mind to handle. I stayed there for what seemed like hours, letting the crushing loneliness eat away, tear away the last bits of hope I thought I had left. Then, as I lay there in the dark, one thought broke through: my family. A small spark of joy, flicker of hope lit inside me when I thought of their faces, sounds, and the warmth of their love. It didn't take away the pain, but it was something I could hold on to. I held the knife so tightly that my knuckles turned white, and the blade shook in my hand. Through choked sobs and a voice that was hoarse from crying, I said, "System... open portal." I wasn't sure if it would lead me back to them, but the only thing that kept me going was the hope of seeing their smiles and feeling their embrace again.
System: Preparing Second Trial. Target:
Frostgandrith, The Eternal Glacier.
"Frostgandrith," I muttered, stumbling over the syllables. "Seriously? Who names these things? I'm just going to call you Ice Lizard. Way easier." It got frigid after the light went out. The change happened so quickly that it was like going from a blazing flame to a cold freezer. This time it wasn't the heat that hurt my skin; it was the cold wind that cut through the air like knives. When I fell hard on solid ground, the snow crushed under my feet as I tried to get up. An enormous area of ice and snow, seemingly endless, stretched out in front of me. In the distance, rough glaciers stood out like the towering columns of a frozen temple. The pale, cloudy sky made their surfaces sparkle. It was frigid outside, and the wind was howling through the icy wastes. I could feel the cold seeping into my bones. I wrapped my arms around myself, my body trembling as I struggled to take a step forward. The air was cold. I struggle to breathe; every time I inhale, it feels as if my lungs are burning. "Yeah, this is great," I muttered, my voice barely noticeable over the cold wind. "From boiling alive to freezing to death. Fantastic upgrade." As I walked forward, the cold wind got stronger and cut through all of my clothes. My fingers went numb, and the constant cold made it hard for me to see. I felt like giving up, and for a moment I thought this might really be the end. And then it happened. The molten energy that I absorbed by defeating the first trial—the Molten Core—reacted. A faint warmth pulsed from deep within my chest, radiating outward like a layer of protective barrier. The snow around me hissed and melted slightly in the direction I walked. I was like a living heater. The icy wind that had been tearing at my skin instantly evaporated, turning into steam smoke. "Okay, this is neat," I muttered as I stared at my hands, no longer cold but warm.
System: Trial Environment: The Eternal Glacier.
As I pushed myself forward through the snowy mountain. It was quiet. The whole world seemed to be holding its breath, as if something important was about to happen. Then above the top the mountain a giant serpent coil around a large ice pillar.
It was it, the second serpent Frostgandrith.
Its massive form coiled around the base of a frozen pillar , its scales glistening like shards of ice. Massive, sharp, crystal-clear wings spread out wide, catching the dim light and changing it into a rainbow of cold colors. Its sharp blue eyes locked on mine and held me still with its mean look.
As I reached the top, it uncoiled like a boss from a video game. As it uncoiled it self, you can tell how it is. It's so long that it can go around the whole pillar and wide enough to be bigger than anything I had ever seen; it could be bigger than the damn fire snake.
The top of the mountain was like an ice palace. Made for a king. The mountain was encircled by pillars of crystallized ice.
My eyes met the serpents eyes, It slithered towards me; in response, my Molten Core flared out. I could feel the heat fighting back; it was like a shield against the beast's cold energy. The serpent slowly slider back, than it roared. The cold breath cut through the air, sending me flying backwards. The serpent roared once again, its icy breath cutting through the air like a sharp knifes . The ground shook underneath me, cracks forming in the frost as its roar rippled across the ice. Its sharp blue eyes fixed on me, then it lunged with wide massive jaws. The serpent hit me with terrible speed, but I managed to lift my dagger right in time. Its fangs struck the blade in an explosive collision, sparks shooting from the impact. My arms shaking, the force of the strike sent me sliding backward across the ice as I battled to keep my ground. The serpent pushed more, its enormous power nearly crushing me. Trying to stop my momentum as I approached the edge of the mountain, I pushed my feet into the icy ground. The ice split under my weight, the pure plummet behind me causing a panic attack in my chest. I changed my weight at the last possible minute and jumped to the side, just avoiding the snapping jaws of the serpent as it landed.
My limbs feel heavy, my reaction speed slowing as if the cold had seeped into my muscles. Before I could fully recover, the damn snakes massive tail lashed out, whipping me on my rip case and hurling me into the nearest ice pillar. The impact left me gasping for air; my ribs are screaming in protest. I groaned, struggling to rise, but my body was sluggish—frozen. The serpent roared once more, and I felt the frost binding me in place crawling over my legs. My Molten Core started to blaze up, the heat pulsing outwards against the cold. The ice cracked and released me. Unstable and wild, the fire surged through my veins and gave me a brief confidence. Charging forward, the blade in my palm glowed dimly, and I swung at the huge bulk of the serpent. The blade only left a faint mark, causing slight damage to its crystalline scales.
Unimpressed, the serpent snarled, then whipped around again with its tail. I tried to avoid it, but I was too slow, so I ended up crossing my arms to block it. It was no use I was sent flying once again, slamming into another frozen pillars. My core worked overtime to repair the damage, but the frigid temperatures slowed the regeneration.
My body screamed in agony. I rushed to get up on my feet, my breath clouding in the cold air. The serpent loomed over me, its icy gaze sharp and calculating. I raised the dagger, willing it to react or to do something, but it remained lifeless in my hand. "Not now," I muttered through gritted teeth, gripping the hilt tighter. "Don't fail me now!"
The serpent shot upward. With its enormous wings stretched wide and shadowing the battlefield, its brilliant eyes fixed on me. Frostgandrith charged an enormous amount of mana, the power shimmering in the air like a coming storm. Realizing what was going to happen, my heart pounded.
It released thousands of jagged ice shards toward me. I dove behind one of the stone pillars dotting the battlefield. With thunderous power, shards broke the pillar into frozen fragments. I continue to hide behind pillars. I looked around desperately before I realized I had run out of places to hide. "I have no other options" i muttered to my self. Pulling every bit of power I had, I poured all my mana through my body. Heat shot through me, flames running out of me as I crossed my arms in defense. The ice shards melted right away when they crashed against my body. Still, the barrage of icicles was relentless. There is no end to it. My flames started to slip, the ice pushing through, it slowly overpowering me.
Then I felt a sharp, searing agony ran through my left shoulder as I was struggling to fend off the final wave of ice shards. An ice shard plunged through my shoulder. The pain was unbearable. It feels as ,the ice is shooting through my body and freezing me from the inside. My core shines brighter, trying to counter the effect. I grabbed the shards and pulled them out. The cold was so intense it left frostbite on my palm. My core getting hotter, brighter. My body began to radiate a smokey glow. My skin turned red like a boiled lobster. The serpent slithers down from the sky, widening up its jaw, ready to devour me. I dove into the right side to dodge it, but it was pointless. My movement has slowed so much that I wasn't able to see its tail striking me. I instantly wrapped my arms around its tail. I can tell the heat radiating from my body is hurting the serpent. I can tell it's hurting. The serpent enraged.
With me still clinging to it, the serpent flew above the sky and slammed its tail onto the ground. It slammed over and over. It slammed against the ground, shattering the pillar it coiled up on. Each strike hurts more than the next. I can feel my muscles tearing. I can feel like bone crushing. One last slam on the ground did the trick. I gasped for air, my grip on its tail loosened, and it knew it. The serpent whipped its tail upwards, propelling me through the sky.
As I flew through the sky, the serpent slid toward me, flying midair with its jaw open. My limbs are broken. My ribs are cracked. My muscles won't respond. I can't move. I can't react. All I can do is watch as the serpent's jaw closes around me.
Inside the serpent, it was dark,it was suffocating, the air thick with freezing mist and the walls of its stomach pressing against me. My body is freezing into a statue. It's dark; it's cold. I am dying alone, in a place where no one can find me. As I slowly closed my eyes, accepting my fate. Then a vision of my dying mother's face appeared. Reminded me once again that I was weak. my heart pound louder.
Thump nonstop getting louder each time. Getting faster every time. More aggressive. My body heating up. My eyes burning. My mouth feels like I'm about to shoot out a fire. I can feel my core going berserk.
My Molten Core blazed up with anger. The energy rushed through me with intensely. I couldn't keep up with how quickly the heat was rising. My core beat rapidly, overloading as it got to its limit. Like a supernova, the explosion tore through the snake from the inside out. Frostgandrith's body shook wildly as the heat tore through its icy insides and shattering it into pieces.
After the explosion, I fell to the ground so fast that I couldn't reset . My body felt weak. As soon as I hit the ground, the impact cracked the ground below me and turned the ice into steam. Somewhat cooling my burned body slighty.
The frozen wasteland around me began to slowly melt away. My muscles hurts. My lungs felt like its on fire. The heat inside me becomes painful, like a fire burning under my skin. I was being devoured from the inside out. It felt like lava was running through my blood and eating everything it touched. The pain was too much to describe. Not only was my skin burning, it was gone. With every move, every twitch, the raw, exposed, I screamed in pain. The cold air didn't help. The frost under my body turned into steam. There was no longer any cold to numb my senses. Instead, there was an unbearable heat that stuck to me like a second skin. Every nerve in my body screamed, and every touch of the hot, damp air against my skin hurt like hell. It hurt for every second, every breath, and every thought. I really wanted to scream, but even that felt impossible as the fire was burned my throat . It was painful. My vision started to blur.
Through the haze of pain and agony, I saw it: the serpent's core. The glowing orb pulsed. I crawled forward, reaching for it.
"I need the ice core to balance out the molten core within me" i whisper, while slowly crawled toward it.
The pain it gets worse by the second. I felt worse as I moved toward the core. When I got to the core, I reach it with last bit of strength I had left and bit into it without thinking. The energy rushed into me and mixed with the Molten Core's fiery power. As the two core tried to balance each other out, my body shook. The forces became stable and merged into a single force. My body stable and started to regenerate slowly. A sound I knew came back to me: The second trial is completed. Frostgandrith, "The Eternal Glacier," has been defeated.
System Notification:
•[Molten Core - "Ignis Core"]
Status: Core Obtained
•[Ice Serpent Core - "Glacis Core"]
Status: Core Obtained
I lay there and looked up at the ash-gray sky. I whispered, "Two down," and a weak smile tugged at my lips. "Five left." As I fall into the darkness.