Chapter 12

Nathan opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw, was a plain white ceiling. He was laying on something very soft, and his memory was a bit foggy.

'So, umm… I was with Lucy… then I called The Herald… and then he said something about the third trial… the third trial… the third trial!'

He suddenly jumped up from the bed and started looking around for an exit. He was in a small room, reminiscent of hospital rooms, except there was no window. The moment he saw the door, he dashed towards it as fast as he could, and when he opened it, he saw a beauty with amber colored hair, sitting in a some kind of lounge.

"Lucy!" she turned around, and when she saw him, her eyes brightened as she threw herself at Nathan.

"Nate!~" Nathan caught her firmly and hugged her tightly. Afraid of loosing her. The third trial showed him just how much he has become attached to this cute beauty.

"It's okay… it's alright… I'm here…" Nathan whispered into her ear as her ran his fingers through her hair, trying his best to reassure her of his presence.

"I was really scared! *sniff* I thought I would never see you again! *sniff*" She truly thought she would never see him again, as her choices were the same as his.

"Me too. But it's all in the past now. We're together again. That's all that matters…"

"Hmm…" Lucy nodded, but didn't let go. She was very clingy, and Nathan was enjoying every moment of it. Love is a magical feeling. It comes in moment or it may take a thousand years for it to arrive, as it has nothing to do with logic.

Nathan sat down, and pulled Lucy onto his lap, and they sat in silence, enjoying the other's company.

*Click*

Sometime later, they heard a door opening and saw another person come out of the many doors that were around the lounge. Nathan only nodded to him as a form of respect for passing all three trials, and he said nothing more. His entire attention was on Lucy.

The new boy who came in also nodded at him and sat silently in a corner, respecting their privacy.

As more time passed, more and more people emerged from the doors, until with Nathan and Lucy included, as many as seven people gathered in the lounge.

'From so many people, only seven remained… the tests are truly harsh in their evaluation. Also, from what I can see, the third trial was indeed an illusion, since I am still here, and I am indeed alive…'

As soon as the seventh person sat down, the light in the room dimmed a bit, and dark fog emerged from the walls. Everyone waited for The Herald to materialize.

"Congratulations, young ones. You have successfully passed the trials an untold number of people throughout the ages have failed. Now, I shall inform you of the purpose you were brought here for…" The Herald's voice was as low as a whisper, yet everyone heard every word as clear as day.

Everyone turned their full attention to The Herald as the upcoming information would be very important.

"Tens of thousands of years ago, our Path of Darkness was at the peak of its glory. Our name was feared and revered by all, and our foes were outmatched and hiding, like rats!"

"Our duty is to protect our Universe from any threat. Be it from within… or from the beyond…"

"On that fateful day, the full might of Darkness clashed with the invaders from the beyond and a great war ensued that swallowed the entire Universe in flames of agony and sorrow. Led by The Supreme God, we successfully pushed the invaders to the edge of our Universe, but our Path was stabbed in the back, and the tides of war changed. We were unable to hold them back as we had to fight on many fronts to fulfill our duty. In a final act of desperation, the previous Supreme God detonated The Core of The Cycle of Life-and-Death, and created a barrier around our Universe to protect it from the invaders, while also sacrificing his life to quell the rebellion inside. From then on, we were greatly weakened, and were forced into hiding, bidding our time and preparing for the day that we would rise again."

"YOU are the ones chosen for this task. I have monitored your thoughts, actions, desires and all throughout the trial, and only you are worthy of guiding the Path of Darkness to rise again, should you accept this role."

"The Barrier is already weakening, and the journey ahead is long and arduous, filled with pain and sorrow. You are not being forced. You may choose to leave now, but should you remain, know that only in death will you be able to fail to achieve our goals." And with that, The Herald awaited their decision.

Nathan, firmly held Lucy's hand and looked at her emerald green eyes with fondness. "There is no need for words, but I'll say it. Wherever you go, I follow. My home is here~" Lucy put her hand over his heart as she looked at him with love. Nathan gave her a sweet peck on the lips to show his appreciation.

"We accept!" Nathan declared.

"I refuse!" Unexpectedly, someone refused to accept the chance to grasp their destiny in their own hands after going through so many trials.

"Me too! I'd like to go back. I don't want to join any evil cult!"

The rest looked at each other, before one by one, they accepted The Heralds offer.

In the end, The Herald sent the boy and girl who refused, back to their bodies. Out of the seven who got here, only five remained.

"Come with me. There is someone you must meet, before we prepare you for your journey. And… our Path is not evil, we are neutral."

Everyone felt their vision distort, before finding themselves on a floating platform with an elongated octahedron shaped crystal in the middle.

"Your Excellency. These are our new chosen." The Herald bowed slightly before going silent.

The crystal shone slightly brighter, before it started talking, much to everyones surprise, "Hello there, young chosen. Allow me to introduce myself. I am The Heart of Darkness." 

Nathan got a closer look at 'The Heart of Darkness', and noticed it was filled with cracks that spread like spiderweb.

As if knowing his thoughts, she continued, "I was created by the previous Supreme God as a Guardian, to protect the Path of Darkness in his absence. After he detonated The Cycle of Life-and-Death, I was forced to take over, and maintain The Cycle personally, but I, too, have limitations, and these cracks are the consequences of trying to interfere in something I have no business in. It is also the reason why it took us so many thousands of years to set up the trial, as we are stretched thin. That is also the reason you are here. Your main goal is to re-establish The Eternal Cycle with the support of the entire Path of Darkness."

"Excuse me, but how can we be sure that others from the Path of Darkness would listen to us and help us, when as The Herald mentioned, the Path is severely weakened?" Nathan couldn't help but raise a valid point.

Lucy was secretly impressed Nathan could see through such a small yet vital detail so fast, making her feel proud.

The crystal stayed silent for a moment before answering, "You five shall be conferred with the title of Princes and Princesses of Darkness. Your word shall have absolute authority on the lower ranks, while having weight among the higher ranked members. Do not worry, although the first trial is only for selecting the chosen, every member of Darkness has gone through the second and third trial, with an additional trial that determines their absolute loyalty to The Path. Because our selections are so strict, our members are also few, but they are very precious and capable at the same time."

Nathan was really happy with the answer he received. He believed having capable people helping him would be the difference between failure and success.

"Before I confer you your titles, there is a matter I need all of you to agree upon."

Everyone looked at each other, surprised to be asked about their opinion. Even The Herald seemed puzzled.

"From this moment onward, you five are but one family. You are to help each other at all times. Share each others joys and sorrows, and push each other toward achieving your goals, but before I state my request, introduce yourselves to each other."

They looked at each other before simply introducing themselves,

"My name is Nathan Netherstar."

"His wife Lucy Winddream!~"

"I am Damon Lonefang."

"You can call me Vanessa Valentine."

"Hi everyone! I am Primrose!"

"Now that we are past that, I want every one of you to consider my request carefully." The tension in the air increased as everyone was curious of the crystals request.

"You will all be granted the title of Prince and Princess, but I would like to select one person as The Crown Prince…"

The Herald seemed surprised, but also expected such a situation but he still asked, "Whom do you have in mind, Your Excellency?"

The Heart of Darkness rotated slightly,

"You… Nathan Netherstar."