The Darkness Of The Fourth

"Ah actually I forgot to ask but did you happen to ask about any of the upcoming tests or the icicles that are in me?"

Pausing, that took Xelfia a second to think about it as they arrived in front of the path. However once it came to her she realized she hadn't asked two of the potentially most important questions. "I was in a hurry to leave too fast dammit. I screwed up." But she couldn't just lie to Xilo and tell him she did because she knew that wouldn't be fair to him instead she would have to own up to her mistake.

"Uhmmm about that....I kinda sort of forgot..."

"You forgot?"

"I really just wanted to leave there as fast as possible so the thought never crossed my mind, Sorry."

"No I get it don't worry. Besides if the dragon never mentioned it himself it probably meant we don't need to worry anyway."

Seeing Xilo not getting upset made her feel even more guilty but there was nothing she could do. "You really messed up this time Xelfia..." Scolding herself she tried to put it past her as she turned to the path in front of her and brought her hand up to it. She wasn't afraid of being sucked in randomly again since Azurin had already talked to her so it shouldn't happen again. With Xilo following along they both pushed and waited. With a few seconds of nothing happening soon a fire blazed on top of the path showing them numbers.

"One out of two it seems."

"So that means one of these paths isn't another test again."

"Guess we'll have to find out but at least this path seems like the last path."

"Our way out."

"Come on let's check the other two."

Moving on to the next door Xilo checked it as well but just like the path before he couldn't get through it. Not even Xelfia could this time so they were both forced to move on the very last path in the room that they both assumed was the last test. They were both a little curious as to what the other door led to but there was nothing to be done about it this time. Placing their hands on the path wall both pushed through to the other side and continued on their way to exit well preparing themselves for a fight. After that last test they wouldn't let their guard down. Arriving in front of the door the both looked at one another as they nodded and pushed through. However unlike every other time the room they were in now was filled with darkness everywhere leaving them blind unable to see.

"Xelfia."

"I'm right here don't worry."

XIlo could hear her voice but she sounded so far away all of a sudden as his senses felt restricted. He could barely even move his Astral Energy around the room. "this room feels empty..." Before he could finish that thought though a large stabbing pain crashed through his leg as he felt something lightly slice it. "What the." Trying to move he dodged and tried to find what had hit him as he tried calling for Xelfia again but no response was returned this time. "So we can't even hear each other now huh. It seems this test wants us to fight in the dark without any kind of help from anything, just our pure instincts. I hope Xelfia is okay." Xilo knew that wasn't an area she excelled in and if even he was struggling himself then she was bound to be in a worse position himself.

"Ouch."

However he didn't have time to worry about her as another thing attacked him again. This time he could feel his blood dripping from his arm as he struggled around in the dark with no way of knowing who or what was hitting him. "This is going to be tough." With pitch blackness surrounding him he figured it was probably best to find a corner of a wall. At least then he could have a whole area where he couldn't be hit but he had to find the wall first.

He felt defenseless at the moment without his sight or Astral Energy working the way he wanted it to. But his attacker didn't care as another blow landed again without him even knowing the direction it was coming from. He only ever felt the aftermath when pain ran through him. "I need to move." Trying his best he stumbled in the darkness alone looking for the wall of the room to help him out a little bit but no matter how hard he looked or how much he moved around the room he never found anything.

"What the heck is going on."

No matter what he did or tried nothing seemed to be working. He hadn't even bumped into Xelfia who probably was trying similar things to him. "It's like we aren't even in the same room anymore." But he had no way of knowing what exactly was happening. "If this isn't working it seems I need to try a different approach." If he couldn't find a wall or Xelfia then he had to take it into his own hands. His Astral Energy may be restricted but he could still use it a tiny bit outside of him at least and it seemed he could make full use of it still inside.

"So I just need to find whatever's attacking me and strike back."

Standing still Xilo no longer tried moving or dodging as he sat there and waited for the next attack to hit him but he still didn't sense it as it struck him once more. "So fast." Even concentrating he couldn't tell where it was coming from or when it had even hit him. "Don't get impatient though." If he did he probably would end up dead with no chance of passing this test. Ignoring the pain he slowly tried to calm himself even when he felt more pain adding up.