Chapter 7: First Step

As night fell, Li lay in his bed, rereading the contract for the twentieth time. 

"Is it really that simple?" he thought. 

The content of the paper was quite limited. Only one paragraph adorned the white sheet. In golden letters, the document read: "Do you agree to fight to protect the population and the world of Erebus on behalf of the gods who protect all races?" At the end of the text, a small line required the contractor's signature. 

"Damn it!" Jihan signed his name impulsively, then set the paper aside, disregarding Michael's warning about preparing, and drifted off to sleep on his bed. 

Darkness enveloped the night. Amidst the darkness, raindrops fell. 

KABOOM 

A thunderbolt lit up the skies and woke the boy. 

"Hm… What happened? I thought I left the lamp on," Li muttered, looking around in confusion. His hands brushed over unfamiliar textures. "Earth?" he mumbled, feeling disoriented. Another thunderbolt illuminated his surroundings. 

"MAY THE…!" Another boom drowned out Jihan's exclamation. In front of him, all he could see was dense jungle. 

"How did I end up here?!" 

RING RING 

Li felt a vibration in his pocket. It was his cellphone. On the screen, an unknown number flashed. Without hesitation, he answered. 

"Who is this?" 

"I see you've signed the contract!" A voice, easily recognizable, came from the other end. 

"Michael? Where am I? How did I end up here?" Jihan bombarded the caller with questions. 

"Relax, rookie! This is just the first test!" The calm tone soothed him a little. "Now, describe what you see." 

"Nothing! Just plants and trees!" 

"So, everything… You said, 'plants and trees'? Are you in a jungle by any chance?" The calm tone disappeared. 

"Didn't you hear me?! Yes! Exactly that!" Jihan tried to describe the environment as best as he could, emphasizing the tall trees and the lack of light. 

"That's strange…" 

"Of course, it's strange! Just a while ago, this was my room!" 

"No, not that. Look, you have a golden contract! That means you could skip the first conventional test. In fact, it started a day ago and would end the day after tomorrow. That's why I gave you such a short deadline." 

"A test? If I understand correctly, does that mean I'm a day behind everyone else here?" 

"You could think of it that way… but you could also see the positive side!" 

"What the hell is the 'positive side'?" 

"Anyway, I don't have much time. When the time comes, you'll understand what I meant; but first, I need you to do something." Michael hurried him. 

"Okay, what do you need?" 

"Your backpack should be nearby. Inside, there should be two spheres. You'll need them, break them, it's a bonus from the golden contract." 

"Break them? Alright, I can do that. Anything else?" 

"Well… try not to die." The call ended shortly after. 

"That bastard. What does he mean by 'try not to die'? Doesn't he know, saying that kind of thing in these situations is bad luck?" 

Li felt around the ground again and, after a short time, found his backpack. Opening it, he found two spheres emitting a faint golden light at the bottom. 

"That must be it." 

Jihan grabbed the first sphere and squeezed it in his hands. It was slightly larger than a snowball and burst as if covered in a thin layer of ice. From inside the globe, a dazzling light expanded, illuminating the jungle. After a few seconds, the light dimmed, and a glow shot out like a laser, hitting the boy's face. 

An excruciating pain followed. 

"What the heck is this?! I thought this was supposed to help me!" The boy's brain pulsed, but as his head became accustomed to the sensation, the agony gradually subsided. Looking at his hands, expecting a magical power, he was somewhat disappointed. 

"Nothing changed." 

All he felt was a lightness in his thoughts. Li had always had difficulty with memory problems. His mental condition made him remember everything; but it wasn't easy. His thoughts became tangled, like a ball of yarn. He could have access to everything, but looking for something specific was like finding a needle in a haystack. 

Now, his mind seemed clear. It was as if they had replaced the processor of an old computer with a state-of-the-art one. Deciding to experiment with this new machine, he tried to select separate memories, from the most distant and isolated ones he could remember, to the most vivid and detailed experiences he could recall. 

"ARGH" The pain returned to his brain, like a needle piercing it. Well, he was still an old computer. "Looks like I still have to train my mind to handle this ability better." 

"Speaking of which…" Li grabbed the other sphere and broke it without a second thought. Unlike the other one, the orb didn't emit any light. It just disintegrated like ashes, leaving a small round pearl in the middle. 

"And what would this be?" The item, at first glance, didn't seem special at all. Just that with each passing second, it emitted a pleasant smell, growing stronger each time. Suddenly, a strong sensation of hunger overwhelmed Jihan's mind, causing him to instinctively swallow the pill whole, almost choking on its size. After a few seconds, nothing had happened yet. 

"Should I have eaten it?" Regret came almost instantly; but as if his mind rejected the idea of being wrong, he quickly composed himself. 

"Incredible, it's like I'm always focused…" 

ARHG 

Li choked. The temperature of his body rose rapidly. The thought that it could be poison crossed his mind but was quickly dismissed. After all, if it really was, he was already condemned, so it was pointless to think about it. Falling to the ground, the pain increased. It felt as if his skin was being peeled off and his organs torn apart, Jihan writhed on the ground. 

His brain quickly processed what he could do. He tore a piece of his shirt with all the force he could muster and put it in his mouth to prevent any accidents and to disguise the pain. Trembling and sweating, with his eyes almost bulging out of his skull, Jihan resisted the pain as much as he could. 

"I can't pass out." His head reminded him of the dangers of being unconscious, where he didn't even know where he was. As dawn approached, after six hours of suffering, the pain ceased. Still without strength, the boy got up from the ground, leaning on whatever he could to stay upright. 

"I need to find a place to rest." He thought. 

His body, sweaty from the burning, struggled to move. Staggering, Li managed to see a cave in the distance. After much effort, he reached the foot of the cave and, just a little beyond the entrance, collapsed against the rocks. Fast enough not to notice the woman in the darkness. 

The sun rose high, illuminating every corner of the vast forest. Eyes blinked, trying to open. Fatigue still gripped Jihan's body, but his instincts fought to protect himself. When his Fortitude finally won the battle, his mind was confronted with another surprise: his hands and feet were tied. 

"Ever since I met that damn Michael, my life has been going downhill." 

Ignoring his own brain, alerting him of his attempt to deceive himself, Li questioned himself: "Now, how am I going to deal with this?" On the other side of the cave, a woman sat staring at Jihan with a certain disdain. Black hair, pale skin, clear eyes, and… 

"Pointy ears?" 

"Good morning, miss! I think you've made a mistake; I'm just lost!" 

The woman refused to budge an inch. 

"I really don't know who you are, is there no way we can resolve this amicably?" 

In a language Li didn't recognize, she replied. 

"Excuse me?" 

"She said that's exactly why you're trapped. Stupid human!" From the darkness, a man revealed himself. The same pointy ears, though a little older, but with skin and hair as dark as the night. 

"And you are?" 

"I don't introduce myself to those near death!" 

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but I'm just here to finish a test! I don't even know what it is yet." 

"We're here for the test too," he mocked. "Ha, it's so typical of beings as arrogant and ignorant as your kind not to know that all races can attempt the challenge of the gods." 

"Challenge of the gods?" Li's genuine reaction of disbelief even made the older man question himself. 

"Does he really not know?" Turning to the woman, he asked. 

"He's not lying," she replied silently, and Jihan obviously didn't understand a word. 

Staring at Jihan for a few seconds with a pensive expression, the man finally said something. 

"Kid, I believe you!" he affirmed. "That being said, I still can't be sure of anything, so I have a proposal!" 

"What kind of proposal?" 

"I need your help dealing with a problem…" The man smiled. 

"A problem?" 

ROARRRRRRR 

Far away from the cave, a roar echoed throughout the forest. 

"This problem."