The Trial

Aelius was in his thoughts when suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small black ball coming from above him.

And in a few moments, that black ball of light appeared in front of Aelius.

"What is this?" Aelius exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.

Seeing the mysterious black ball suddenly open its eyes, Aelius was so taken aback that he forgot about his pain for a moment.

The ball had a mysterious aura to it, and its ruby-red eyes seemed to be staring right at him.

He was mesmerized by the mysterious black ball and felt the urge to reach out and touch it. Its eyes were like two burning red rubies, and Aelius felt as if they were looking directly into his soul. He was drawn to the ball and felt compelled to try and connect with it.

Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and reached out to make contact.

The Black Ball observed Aelius's hand, hovered around it for a while, and then sat down in the palm of his hand. Aelius felt a tingle of excitement.

Looking at the black ball of light, Aelius smiled and asked, "Are you also roaming here alone?"

Aelius was filled with awe as he watched the ball of light respond to him with a nod. Intrigued, Aelius reached out and gently touched it, and a calming warmth spread through his body.

"Gee..."

That black ball of light suddenly made a strange sound, and its entire body began to darken and emit dark light.

Its shape began to morph and change, and its dark light seemed to gradually consume everything in its vicinity. As it became brighter and brighter, its dark light seemed to be creating a vortex, as if it were trying to absorb all the energy around it.

The black ball then completely transformed into dark energy and entered Aelius's body.

"Huh!?"

Aelius began to examine his hand, then his body, but there was no trace of that black ball of light anywhere.

"Where did it go?" Aelius asked Confucius, and then at once, all the things around him began to disappear into the darkness.

Aelius wondered if the black ball of light had something to do with this strange phenomenon, but he couldn't find it anywhere. He watched in amazement as everything around him slowly vanished into nothingness as if it were all a dream.

It took some time, but Aelius's vision was darkened. He was perplexed about what was happening to him, but he couldn't resist it no matter how hard he tried.

He lost consciousness after experiencing yet another bout of helplessness. But, before losing consciousness, he promised himself that if given another chance, he would not let himself feel this way again.

***

When Aelius opened his eyes again, he had a sharp pain in his chest, as if he had been punched.

"Where am I?" He could hear a strange hum, echoing through the darkness, and smell something metallic in the air. He was not sure if he was alive or dead.

He looked around to find some clues about his situation, but it seemed like he was in empty space.

Eventually, he noticed that he was standing alone in a dark place where there was no sign of anything far and wide. The surface on which he stood was covered with a thin layer of black water that reflected his image.

He has shoulder-length abyssal black hair, slightly pale skin, and two shiny purple eyes. His wavy hair frames his angular face, and his eyes seem to pierce anything and everything. His soft skin gives off a subtle glow, and his eyes are a captivating shade of purple.

And through that reflection, he saw an electric sparkle in the distance above.

It was a heavy fog that seemed to emanate from the sparkle he noticed, and it felt like an invisible hand was guiding him toward it.

He felt a mysterious gravity that was drawing him in, and he was compelled to follow this invisible force as if it were a hidden path that had appeared out of nowhere. He couldn't see the fog, but he could feel its presence, and it seemed to be calling out to him.

He had never experienced this feeling before, and it was both unsettling and strangely exciting.

Suddenly, some runes started to appear in front of him, glowing brightly in the fog as if they had been written with a powerful spell.

[Welcome to the trial of the Book of Gods!]

[The trial will start on 10, 09, 08...]

As Aelius saw the floating runes, two drops of tears fell on his cheeks as he realized what was going on.

Aelius knows he can train his body however he wants, but he cannot reach his full potential without magic.

He was well aware of the trial of the Book of Gods and the power that it contained. It was something he had heard about, but he never imagined he would experience it himself.

The trial of the Book of Gods is normally given to people when they are 15 years old. But Aelius was long past that age, and he had never received the trial of the Book of Gods.

He was baffled and wondered why he was being granted this trial so late.

He did not know why this happened, but he could guess that it had something to do with the black creature that he had met previously.

"Aelius~"

Aelius suddenly heard a deep whisper in his ears.

He had been in a trance-like state, but the sudden sound of the whisper disrupted that state and caused him to become aware of his surroundings. He felt a shock throughout his body, bringing him back to reality.

Startled, he spun around to see what had made the noise, but there was nothing there.

He could feel a chill in the air, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt as if he was being watched, but he couldn't see anyone. He was sure he had heard a voice, but he couldn't tell who, or what, it belonged to.

He quickly glanced around the area, trying to spot any movement, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He was still uneasy, and he was sure that someone, or something, was still watching him, hidden in the dark fog.

Suddenly the fog began to clear, and he could see a figure standing in the shadows, watching him intently. He felt a chill run up his spine and he froze in place, not wanting to make any sudden movements that might give away his position.

"Who are you?" Aelius asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Taking a deep breath, he stood still, feeling the figure's gaze burning into him. He knew he had to stay calm and wait for the fog to clear further before he could make a move.

The figure stepped forward and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"I am your destiny." a voice echoed in the empty space.

"What?"

Aelius was confused, he felt something different, something that he had never felt before. He felt a strange connection to the voice as if it was telling him something.

"Your fate is in your hands," the figure said confidently, "It's time for you to make a choice."

"What in the-" Aelius's sentence was cut off by the figure in the shadows.

"Shhh." The figure put his index finger in front of his blurry head. And suddenly disappeared from his place, leaving Aelius in utter confusion.

The area was suddenly engulfed in pin-drop silence. It was so quiet that Aelius could hear his own heartbeat.