An Awakening Trial

A feeble sixteen year-old boy, dressed in a plain black t-shirt and worn trousers rested atop a steep hill, his back perched against the trunk of a colossal tree as he peered into the distant, gloomy sky above. His gray eyes seemed to quiver under the view before him, as if the atmosphere above was a vivid reflection of his own emotional state. 

Against the gray canvas of the dreary sky, an abundance of shadowy clouds drifted elegantly, wandering without pause. Their moody appearance seemed to only deepen the boy's somberness, casting a shadow over him like the clouds above.

In fact, the entire space under the sky appeared as if it was enveloped by a long cloak of gloom, stretching over the land endlessly.

'Oh, June… you're truly doomed now…'

He thought to himself, sighing in exasperation.

The wind whistled around him, swaying the grass he lay upon, dancing through the air and caressing his pale skin.

With it, the gnarly branches of the colossal tree slightly trembled, causing the shabby lavender leaves to come floating down and drifting into the whispers of the wind.

Instinctively, he reached out with an open palm and watched as one of the leaves gradually fell onto his hand.

A moment later, he brought it closer and took a soft breath in before blowing the leaf away, watching it fly into the distance.

Oddly, everything felt convincing and tangible despite it being a different realm.

No, rather, a different existence of a world altogether.

June had been sucked into a place called the Ark.

To be fair, it was only a matter of time before an abandoned orphan like him — who was running around causing havoc — would end up with such a cursed fate.

However, being banished to the Ark wasn't exactly… normal. It was more of a natural disaster. 

See, back in June's world — the Mortal Realm — the Ark was sort of a problem.

No, actually, it was more than just that. It was a threat that could likely lead to the extinction of all humans, a deadly plague for humanity, so to say. 

Most even believed it to be a distant future of their world — Earth. At least, that's what he's heard.

Regardless, the Ark came into existence long before June was born, housing billions of unknown creatures and entities as well as powers and energies beyond human understanding. 

And that was barely scratching the surface.

Over the course of their history, it left lasting imprints on the world, dating back to the Interrealm War. It was something all mortals feared, and rightfully so. 

Luckily for June, he had yet to encounter even a semblance of the Ark's enigmatic force. He simply ignored its existence and the impending message it sent to the world he lived in, casually casting it aside while others dealt with it how they saw fit.

Until today, that is…

Matter of fact, his entire situation was quite peculiar.

For the past few years after being abandoned by his parents, he had been under the care of many. And by many, well, he meant many…

He bounced from one place to another, meeting all kinds of people that seemed inclined to take care of him… only to chase him away once they quickly realized he was just another mouth to feed.

This eventually led him to a humble orphanage. 

It was your typical orphanage, sheltering lost kids from the streets and providing a place to stay that other Districts typically forbid.

However, inside this innocent orphanage, a Breach had appeared. 

From what June knew, Breaches were a kind of portal that tore through the fabric of both realities, either pulling innocent people in or puking horrific creatures out. In this case, the former.

Which now brought him to his current predicament. He had been pulled into the Ark, and now he was lost within it.

With a heavy sigh, June stood up with a slight groan, stretching his limbs.

The wind caressed his face once more, his hair faintly swaying.

He didn't have a single idea of what to do next. Realistically, he was still trying to process it all.

As he did, his gaze wandered, staring out into the distance.

Nothing had changed since he had first appeared within the space.

Down the steep hill, a large expanse of hallowed land stood, thousands of skeletal bodies rotting on its surface like a web of death… all of them resembling forms of creatures June couldn't even begin to fathom.

Amongst them, several crooked trees stood limp, devoid of life as they withered under the gentle wind, threatening to crumble at any moment.

With a gulp, he shifted his gaze further, past the desolate land. There, under the brooding gray sky, large mountains were visible, their towering silhouettes stretching far into the horizon. 

Their peaks were obscured by the low-hanging clouds, however… June suddenly saw something. At least, he thought he did. 

Maybe he was mistaken.

For a split-second, it seemed to him as if he had seen something peeking back at him through the hazy veil of the shadowy clouds.

Shaking his head, June turned around and headed back toward the comfy trunk of the tree. 

He needed more time to think. 

He was just sucked into another realm without much thought, leaving him stranded with nowhere to go and no one to help.

Before long, he sat back down, falling into a state of contemplation.

Several questions were dancing at the forefront of his mind, which were rather annoying.

There was one in particular, though, that seemed to always return.

What was the point of living anyway?

All his life, everything he had done felt meaningless. 

So, in the end, even if he did live, what would be the point?

Was he supposed to just return to the Mortal Realm like nothing happened… and continue his meaningless life?

As June drowned in his own self pity, a sudden tremor jarred his senses. 

Flinching, he immediately scanned his surroundings in a somewhat shaken state.

'W-what…'

Not even a second later, a voice whispered into his ear — no, more like from within him.

[Preparing Paths…]

With scrunched brows, June grabbed his head, speaking:

"Who's this..?"

However, the mysterious voice didn't respond. 

A second later, it spoke once more, announcing:

[Paths Prepared. Proceeding To Commence Awakening Trial…]

'W-what are… what?!'

Suddenly, June peered into the distant mountains noticing something mind-blowing.

Somehow, a creature had appeared from within the hazy clouds, its form coiling around and rising into the depths of the sky.

Slightly craning his neck, June's jaw gaped as he took in its figure.

Some kind of colossal serpent had revealed itself, silhouetted against the distant horizon, reaching up towards the heavens as it squirmed around, creating a low rumble.

[Trial Commenced.]

With that, the serpent hissed loudly and its ear-piercing screech reached all the way to him, forcing him to cover his ears with his hands as he gritted his teeth.

[Trial Goal: Kill The Great Serpent.]

'W-what!?'