「Broken Compass」The Soterice Trials 「Trial I」

The Blade Of Thieves - Part 1-

Chapter 29 

The atmosphere grew denser as Hoku approached the edge of the shrine.

Stepping through the shadowed gap between two columns, his boots brushed the smooth stone with a dull scrape.

Though the silence was heavy enough to carry the fall of a pin, Hoku's instincts screamed of unseen dangers.

His fingers twitched near his compass, as a chill prickled his skin.

Suddenly, a faint vibration pulsated through the floor, steady like a heartbeat.

He froze and tilted his head to listen.

The rhythm had started to fluctuate, speeding up, then slowing into faint murmurs.

Without explanation, the lines connecting the 'stars' above had suddenly began unraveling into strands of liquid gold, dripping soundlessly into the water below.

These drops gathered, coalescing into a single point at the center beyond where he stood. 

Hoku locked a gaze onto the mass as it bubbled and expanded. Any color swiftly drained into a dark, resinous substance. 

It stretched upward, growing taller and more misshapen until it towered above him like a grotesque effigy with not a single human characteristic.

It had no proper limbs, nor, did it harbor any defined features.

A searing heat ripped through Hoku's core, and it became difficult for his lungs to release air. 

At the same time, a metallic tang rose from the smoke spilling off the monster, alarming Hoku more as he recognized it was the scent of blood.

The creature's lower half tapered into a smoky tendril that merged with the shadows. 

At its center glowed a single yellow eye, cold and unblinking.

Hoku's muscles tensed, he knew instinctively that this was no mere apparition. 

As he took a cautious step back, the creature tilted its head, studying him. The glow of its eye intensified, illuminating the space between them.

"You've come to take what isn't yours," a voice echoed, though the creature didn't move. It was intense and hoarse.

Hoku forced his breathing steady so that he could speak, "I want to leave this place."

The creature's eye flickered, and a low, grating sound filled the recess. 

Hoku's panic intensified in his mind, 'Laughter? Mockery?' It was impossible to decipher.

"Give up. If we let you leave freely, you will not prevail out there." the voice replied.

'We?' Hoku shuddered and swept his gaze around the monster.

The monster dropped with a heavy clunk, causing mist and water to billow around it.

Hoku staggered, and suddenly a low grinding of stones stirred from behind him.

He withdrew forward, gritting his teeth as he turned to peer inside the shrine. 

A stone mechanism had somehow rotated within the center of the star in the ground, slowly sliding back into place like a gear, as it revealed a symbol.

Hoku remained stiff as he quickly glanced over the character, recognizing that it was in his own language.

'Does that say—thief?'

Hoku's brow furrowed, however, before he could examine further, something else drew his attention.

Something was approaching, scuffling quickly in the distance.

'Are those human footsteps?' Hoku's eyes widened.

They were dull but deliberate and echoed from somewhere behind the creature. 

As they drew the distance further, another figure emerged. It was human, a welcome sight.

Hoku watched intently as a young girl emerged through the end of the creature. 

'She just walked through that—' he thought, feeling an edge of disbelief.

She suddenly stopped, standing directly before him, with her hands folded neatly in front of her. 

Her dress swayed slightly, its fabric muted and textured with faint patterns.

Her auburn hair was loose and windswept, framing a pale face that contrasted distinctively with the murky atmosphere. 

"Who are you?" Hoku demanded, his voice steadier than he expected.

The girl tilted her head just enough to break the symmetry of her posture, and her gaze locked onto Hoku's.

 Her eyes didn't waver, not a single trail betraying her intent, yet the intensity of her stare seemed to press against his own.

One hand unfolded from the other, her fingers gesturing casually toward the monstrosity.

"You can call me Lamb," she said. Her voice was steady, almost kind. 

Her hand returned to its place over the other as she continued, "As for Ollie…this is him. You needn't worry, though. He won't harm you."

A quiet relief settled over him, barely noticeable yet enough to loosen the tension in his shoulders.

"Not in this instant, anyway," she continued. "Not until I commence the trial."

Hoku swallowed and shifted his stance, forcing himself to stay still as a cold tremor ran through him.

His eyes anxiously darted between them, "What is this trial? I didn't come here to take part in this. It's a mistake."

Lamb's smile deepened, the expression appeared far too knowing for her youthful face. 

She drew closer to the shrine.

"Oh, but you did, Hoku. You've followed the trail unknowingly, and remained guided by the decisions of your own making."

His jaw ached. Hearing his name uttered in such a way sent a pungent sense of unease through him. "What are you talking about? How the hell do you know my name?"

"You are blind," she spoke thoroughly. "Lost in a labyrinth you do not even see. But I am fair. If you wish to find the way out, there is a cost—and a chance to gain something far greater."

Hoku's tensed more as he noted that her phrases weren't natural. 

He could feel the trap tightening around him, even if he didn't quite know its shape.

"Greatness? Can—could you elaborate?" Hoku asked, attempting to retrieve time to assess the exits from behind. 

Slowly, he began to edge back, inching toward the far side of the shrine. His hands stayed low, as he curled and uncurled his fingers. 

"Memories," she answered.

"Pieces of what you've lost—perhaps even personal beliefs. Fragments of each reside here for you, significant enough to matter. But whether you claim it as your own or let it demolish you will depend on the strength of your mind… and how much your body can endure."

The air felt colder as he moved, the space behind him waiting for what should have been a clear path. 

He had seen no obstacles when he entered—but as he retreated, his back collided with something firm.

'A column? No, that couldn't be right I just checked—' His eyes darted over his shoulder, but there was nothing there—only emptiness.

Tentatively, he turned entirely and reached out. It looked like nothing, yet his hand had unexpectedly met a strange resistance.

An invisible barrier rippled at the point of contact, unyielding, almost like thickened glass.

It wasn't glass, nor stone, nor any material he could name. 

There was no sound, and no visible sign of resistance. 

"What is this?" The words escaped him in a low whisper.

He pressed harder, then struck the surface with the flat of his palm.

The impact sent a dull vibration up his arm, but the barrier stood indifferently.

He shifted to another side, and continued to strike it with growing force before stepping back in frustration.

Lamb and Ollie offered no response toward his actions.

"This isn't real," he muttered.

He stepped back and threw his weight into a punch, yearning to shout a frustrated curse. 

"I told you this was a mistake. Who I am, what you want from me—it doesn't matter. I'm as lost as you claim. How am I supposed to make sense of any of this when everyone speaks as though I'm already in the know?" He spoke flatley, but anger hid behind a veneer of logic.

Lamb's smile remained, steady as the surface that caged him.

"Stories shouldn't be spoiled too soon, dear navigator. This is all I can do for now— anything more, and we risk dying for it." 

'Hah! This doesn't appear like any 'story' I've read.' Hoku frowned in puzzlement.

Lamb started walking backwards in smooth strides as she talked, "This Soterice trial is called the Blade of Thieves," she said evenly. 

"Its name, like all six—ahem, five—derives from the Elixirs and their associated material. A reflection of their dedication to the mantra."

Hoku frowned, catching the slip. "There are six trials?" His voice was low, but his mind immediately latched onto the number. 

'Six? I was barely standing after stumbling into one.'

Lamb's lips curved down slightly, "There were. Before one man intervened." Her tone carried a faint note of amusement, "He took the Whistle of Snakes, and claimed the ultimate prize."

The words struck a dissonant chord in Hoku's head. 'Snakes.'

His memories clawed their way back to the forest, and the snakes that had emerged from a black fog, summoned by the sound of something akin to a flute. 

His heart skipped.

"You mean a flute?" he asked, louder than he intended.

"A whistle, a flute…" She tilted her head. "Names are flexible. One of such a grade, like its owner, was a disruption to the Mantra."

Hoku clenched a fist as he confirmed his realization, 'That must mean Yu-ze was here!' 

Lamb stepped back, and her shadow stretched unnaturally across the water. "The conditions for each trial are unique," she steadily explained.

Hoku's other hand curled at his side, "What happens if I fail this 'trial'?"

She inclined her neck, and her expression appeared unexpectedly detached, but her eyes gleamed, "The Blade remains," she said. "You do not."

Suddenly, the water outside of the shrine barriers started to form large ripples.

Behind Lamb, Ollie expanded again. sinking into a discolored puddle. 

Its shape bubbled and reformed into something worse with each second.

"You must free the Blade of Thieves," Lamb said, overlooking the fear that had developed in Hoku's eyes. " "Do not dwell on what your mind holds. Cleverness may serve you... but this trial requires more than wit. It demands proof."

Hoku's palms began to sweat, "Proof of what?"

Lamb's gaze didn't falter, as she replied directly, "Of survival."

The burden of her words settled on him like a lead chain.

He glanced at the creature, its molten tendrils had already coiled back in anticipation from in the water. 

It taunted him how greedy this scenario felt. He bore no weapons and no clear path.

'This isn't a trial,' A bitter voice mocked him in his mind. 'It's the end.'

The ground shuddered beneath his feet, before the shrine's columns collapsed outward in a cascade of stone and dust, tearing the ceiling apart.

Hoku fumbled back, his foot faltering on the foundation. 

BOOM! BOOM!

Massive Chunks of debris struck the water with dull thuds that splashed water against his skin.

'What the hell is?!' The thought flared as he jumped back, barely avoiding a falling fragment that smashed where he'd stood moments before.

"The early stage begins," a guttural voice intoned, each syllable reverberating like a tolling bell.

"I don't even have a weapon!" Hoku shouted, as he steadied himself.

Lamb's expression didn't change. "You don't need one yet," she said simply. "Each strike endured will grant you temporary defense. Adaptation strengthens the mechanism."

As if to test her words, the first tendril lashed out. 

It moved faster than he expected, ripping the air as it cut toward him. 

Hoku's body jerked to the side, the movement as abrupt as it was instinctive.

The tendril missed by a hair, slamming into the floor with a hiss.

"Adapt," Lamb murmured, "Your body already knows what your mind refuses to accept."

Hoku clenched his jaw. "Adapt to what?" he answered after a harsh gasp. 

The second attack came without warning. 

A tendril shot toward him, faster, more precise. 

He twisted to avoid it, his foot slipping on the slick stone. 

His heart pounded in his ears, dulling everything but the rhythm of his own breathing.

The stars flickered and a peculiar warmth rose from the floor, crawling up his legs like steam.

He had barely any time to register the reaction before a tendril slammed into his shoulder, sending a lancing pain through his right blade. 

To be continued...