Trials

"As I was saying, for the mental trial, it depends on what trial you get. I'm not really sure on how you've coped with your trauma so far but depending on the trial you face, your past will either be your downfall or the key to your rise. If I had to give you advice, I'd say whatever you go through during that trial, just keep pushing."

"There's light at the end of the tunnel."

Hearing this, Adonis solemnly nodded.

"As for the trial that'll test your intelligence, on this, I really don't know. It depends on how much of your father's intellect and your mother's meticulousness you inherited."

"These two together were a fucking nightmare." Added Uncle Seth as a shiver ran down his spine and old memories resurfaced.

"Also, lastly, choose the mortal difficulty. It's the best option for you."

With this, Adonis took a deep breath in and readied himself.

"I need a weapon."

***

In another room, Uncle Seth and Adonis stood in front of a grand steel gate containing a portal of swirling gold, white and blue essence. The aura it gave off reeked of majesty and wonder as Adonis couldn't help but stare in awe.

With a light smack on the back of his head from Seth, he woke out of his thoughts and his gaze steadied. He tightly gripped his spear and without fear, walked into the portal.

"Good luck, nephew."

***

As soon as he entered, Adonis found himself blinded by a bright light before he was plunged into a world of endless darkness.

Below him was a sea of darkness he could somehow stand on as all around him, nothing could be heard or seen.

[Analysing possible True Heir…]

Adonis heard a voice and at the same time, an illusory screen appeared in front of him, but this didn't shock him. He was prepared.

[Greetings, Adonis. Please choose the difficulty of the trials you'll face.]

[The trial difficulties are; Mortal Difficulty, Saint Difficulty, Immortal Difficulty, God Difficulty and lastly, Sovereign Difficulty.]

Adonis took a moment to gather his thoughts and his courage as inwardly, he made his choice.

'This is the first step.'

He smiled.

"I choose the Sovereign Difficulty."

***

In the grand hall Adonis had appeared in, Uncle Seth sat at the same table, watching a holographic projection that showed Adonis.

He didn't seem surprised that Adonis had directly ignored his advice and chosen what seemed to be the highest difficulty.

'As expected.'

Unlike what Adonis had thought, Uncle Seth hadn't recommended the Mortal Difficulty because it was the easiest, he recommended it because it was the least complex.

Something that needed to be known was that calling them difficulties was misleading. It was more appropriate to call them Trial types.

The Mortal, Saint, Immortal, God and Sovereign difficulties were just as difficult as one another. The only thing that diverged was their purpose.

The mortal difficulty purely seeked to test the True Heir so that he could gain ownership of the boundless mansion.

On the other hand, the other difficulties didn't test anything, in fact, they built.

The Saint, Immortal, God and Sovereign difficulties shaped and trained the foundation of the true heir.

While that sounded good, it made what would happen next infinitely harder and unlike the mortal difficulty, Adonis wouldn't be able to give up until he passed each phase flawlessly.

'Hopefully he doesn't break.'

***

The world around Adonis rippled and reality itself seemed to twist and crumble upon itself as he found himself in a totally new world.

Around him, a grand and vast plain lay, a vibrant blue sky hanging above it as the soothing winds of the world reminded him of his childhood house.

The echo of passing birds, crashing waves from the nearby ocean and galloping animals hit Adonis all at once. He'd truly forgotten how beautiful nature was.

"It's peaceful, isn't it?"

As soon as he heard this voice, Adonis tensed and turned around, his face twisted into a frown as he realised his spear had vanished.

Behind him was a young woman, most likely in her late twenties. She had long dark hair and deep violet pupils.

She wore large white and gold robes as her aura was one of empress' and her beauty surpassing that of a goddess'.

"H-hello…?"

The woman chuckled.

The winds gathered around her and two sitting mats as well as a marble table appeared. Sitting cross legged on the mat behind her, she waved at Adonis, signalling to him to come and sit.

Not sure of what was going on, Adonis indulged.

For a while, the two just sat there, listening to nature and allowing the winds to caress their skin.

As this happened, for some reason, Adonis felt his heart squeeze and his emotions go wild as an untamed flame, fuelled by unbearable and deep rage, bloomed within his mind.

"This place is called the Plain of Sadidah. Do you know why?" She asked, seeing Adonis' eyes redden under the fuel of his own emotions.

He took a deep breath in, attempting to calm down, then spoke with a strained tone.

"The story of the Wood Princess. She was born with the ability to define anything she could understand on an emotional level so in quest for power, she travelled the nine worlds and explored all there was to explore about the nature of the self."

"In the end, she created this place as a legacy to be passed down to her descendants."

The woman smiled.

"Good, it seems you're quite cultured, aren't you?"

"I used to read a lot of books when I was younger. That's all I could do and frankly, that's all I wanted to do."

A cup of tea appeared in the woman's hand.

"Interesting. Do you know why the Wood Princess thought this place was precious enough to be passed down as a legacy?" She asked as she took a sip.

Adonis began to tremble, struggling to control the burning inferno within his heart.

He couldn't understand what was happening. Where were these emotions coming from? Why was he only feeling them now? Why were they so intense?

He took a breath once again and spoke.

"The Heart."