Chapter 246: Kaida

As the silence lingered, the crowd hesitated to approach Mara and her lover, still reeling from her devastating failure in the second test. They stumbled away, her body still trembling, her face contorted in a mixture of sadness and defeat. I watched her go, feeling a pang of regret in my heart. Mara was a promising student, and it was unfortunate that she couldn't overcome her deepest fears.

A small disappointed sigh escaped my mouth. After a while, The spectators grew silent, each lost in their thoughts until someone finally gathered their courage and stepped up to face the challenge. But one by one, they all failed. Most could not solve the riddle, while those that did were unable to conquer their inner demons. Despair started to spread among the crowd, and I could sense their disappointment.

'Was it really too hard?' I wondered as I scanned the crowd. I did not believe it was impossible to pass the second test, but it seemed like my expectations were rather high. Most of the people broke the second they found themselves inside the illusion. Almost none of them made the effort to face their fears, at most they would try for a second before breaking down completely. Truly, a disappointment.

Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, and I was considering my next plan, an unlikely challenger took the stage. It was a young demon girl, barely over ten, with bright red hair and curious golden eyes. She stood there, her small form looking almost comical compared to that of those that surrounded her, yet her expression was serious, and determined.

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this unexpected turn of events. The girl looked too young and inexperienced to pass my tests, yet there was something about her that caught my attention. Perhaps it was her bravery, or maybe her unwavering spirit.

As the young demon girl stepped up, I looked at her with skepticism. She could not have been over ten, and I wondered what chance she had against the trials that had already defeated so many others.

"And what is your name, young one?" I asked her.

"My name is Kaida," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"And why do you think you can succeed where so many others have failed?" I questioned her.

"I have nothing to lose," she said, her voice filled with fierce determination. "And I believe in myself."

I nodded in response, impressed by her bravery.

"Very well," I said, accepting her challenge. "Let us begin."

As she stepped closer, I resummoned the water dome, and Kaida glanced around with curiosity and awe. I waited for her to settle before presenting her with the first riddle;

"I will give you a riddle and you must solve it to pass the first test." She nodded to indicate her understanding, before I continued.

"I am always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I touch will soon turn red. What am I?"

It was a classic riddle that required some creative thinking to solve, as the answer was not immediately apparent. But it was not as hard as the one I presented to those before her.

Kaida listened carefully before confidently giving the answer.

"That's easy, it's fire! Isn't it?"

I was surprised, but I could see the determination in her eyes, and that's when I knew she was not one to be underestimated. A smile extended across my mouth as I nodded.

"Pretty smart for your age, little one. Correct, you pass the first test."

"Yes! Thank you, great dragon!" She said with a wide grin.

"Now, now. The second test is a lot harder. You will have to face your deepest fears and must overcome them. Many of those that came before you failed here. Are you ready?" I gently asked.

Kaida nervously gulped before nodding her head with unwavering determination.

"Good."

I slowly reached out to the young girl and pulled her inside my soul space. And soon, everything about her was laid bare before me as I began to weave the perfect illusion for her.

Kaida's parents were both powerful mages that fought for the demon's freedom. Although their intentions were praiseworthy, their search for more power led them to attempt an experiment with a powerful spell, unfortunately, however, they lost control over it, causing destruction in their village. Kaida who was playing in the outskirts at the time survived unscathed. And though she had nothing to do with it, she was still shunned and cast out by her own kind for being related to the mages responsible for the disaster.

Although still young, her heart was already quite burdened. The little demoness tried so hard to distance herself from her parents' actions, to prove that she was not like them, but it seemed that the stigma of their actions had followed her wherever she went.

The world before her slowly changed as she once again found herself standing in the ruins of the village destroyed by her parents' spell.

The young girl gasped at the sight before her, completely lost inside the illusion. She watched her parents standing before her, their faces filled with regret and sorrow as they attempted to control the spell that had gone awry.

A surge of anger and fear rose within the young girl, threatening to overwhelm her senses. She was afraid, but most of all she was mad at her parents for being so reckless, for leaving her all by herself, for letting her carry the burdens of their actions. For a long time, she convinced herself that she hated them, that they were nothing but despicable people. That's what those around her continued to make her think... But deep down, Kaida knew the truth, she knew that they were not monsters, that they were simply driven by the urgency of their situation, by the attacks of the humans to the north, and south.

She knew, and after they had passed she understood, but she could not help but be resentful. Why did they have to carry that burden? Why did she have to carry it as well?

Her knees buckled as she fell to the ground weeping. As I watched the scene unfold, I inwardly shook my head. 'Was it another failure?' I muttered.

Just as I was getting ready to end it, however, Kaida suddenly stood up. To my surprise, she did not walk away from the scene of her parents struggling, nor did she avert her gaze from it. Instead, she began to walk toward them, her eyes were red, stained with tears yet she continued her slow approach.

My illusion shook lightly as the young girl reached her parents and tightly embraced them.

"I'm sorry. I don't hate you, I love you- I miss you... And I-I forgive you-"

I watched the scene unfold in surprise before the illusion began to crumble. The young girl found herself on the ground with tears staining her face.

"You did well, little one."