Greatest Fear

"It just doesn't make any sense." The one in the group that had not spoken up yet now talked. The leader looked at him.

"Normally, I'd yell at you, but I agree. How was the trial completely different for the two of them? How is it possible to even prepare for this? First it was countless swinging blades from all directions, then for Edwin, the floor just vanished and he fell to his death. Why did it change, and how was it so quickly?" The leader thought out loud.

"Poor Edwin. He was always so scared of heights." Guff lamented, in his scruffy voice.

Both the leader and the other disciple turned to stare at Guff. They spoke at the same time.

"He was?!" They practically shouted.

"Yeah. We talked about it yesterday." Guff explained, confused on why that was so important.

"Well, if he's scared of heights, and the trial gave him a fall, then it must reform based off of the greatest fear of whoever attempts it." The other disciple thought out loud.

"That's most likely why more than one person can't enter at a time. Well, can any of us think of our greatest fears? So we could prepare a little more?" The leader asked. "Maybe if one of us passes, we're all free."

"I've always been kind of scared of birds." Guff said, after much thought.

"I think it's going to be something more important than that, Guff, but we appreciate the effort." The leader replied. "Come on guys, nothing? What are you scared of?" He got right in the other disciple's face as he said that.

The other disciple stammered for a bit. Internally, he knew exactly what he was scared of, and it happened to also be telling the leader what it was. You see, he was terrified of disappointing his leader and paying like his other companions had. Telling the leader that that was his biggest fear would be a death sentence, no doubt about it.

"Listen, we need to work together on this shit if any of us want to live." The leader said, frustrated at the lack of answer.

"Oh, so now you care about more than just your own life!" The other disciple exclaimed. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. Talking back like that was a mistake.

There was a moment of stunned silence between the three of them, then the leader spoke.

"You have ten seconds to get your ass in there before I run you through with a blade." He spat out, each word riddled with venom.

The other disciple nodded, shaking in his stance. His worst fear was coming true, and he hadn't even entered the trial yet.

"Take the jade, dumbass. We need to see how you get through, if you can." The leader shoved a photographic jade into that disciple's hand.

The other disciple took it, nodded, and walked through the doors to the trial. The sounds were a little different this time. This time, they could hear the voice of the other disciple.

"Wait, wait, I'm sorry! Don't do this, think of how long I've been so helpful to you! I've risked my life for you, please don-" The voice was cut off by the sound of a blade unsheathing, and a thud of a body collapsing to the ground.

"He always was a coward." The leader said after some time.

"Wonder who he was talking to in the trial." Guff thought out loud. The leader just rolled his eyes. Wasn't it obvious? Guff really could be dense sometimes.

Devotion sucked in a cold breath. "This leader fellow is really too brutal. I can't believe someone on his own crew was that terrified of him." Devotion whispered to Ysmir.

"Who was that! Who's there! Show yourself!" The leader whirled around, unsheathing his blade. Clearly, Devotion had not been quiet enough.

"I'm right here, and I didn't say anything." Guff responded, confused.

"Not you, idiot, I heard someone whisper. Sounded like it was in the walls. There might be another exit here!" The leader began walking all over the room, raising his blade and inspecting every nook and cranny. Devotion was confused how he hadn't found where he was hidden yet.

"Don't paintings usually have secret doors?" Guff asked, looking straight at where Devotion was hidden. While Devotion couldn't tell from where he was, the nook he was currently hiding within was indeed behind a painting.

"Don't be stupid, that's only in stories." The leader replied. Guff shrugged and walked away.

"Be alert, Guff. I can't find anything, but there might be someone here. We need to be careful. Now, are you certain you have no other fears?" The leader asked.

"Not really. I just don't like birds that much. They don't freak me out too much, they just irritate me." Guff responded, after some intense thought.

"Well, maybe the trial will be easier for you since you don't have any intense fears?" The leader suggested.

"Works for me. Give me the jade." Guff said, walking towards the door. The leader shrugged and handed it to him. Guff was so agreeable. Shame that he would probably die to some primal fear he had never known he had. Still, maybe he was onto something. The leader prayed he could pass this and open the way for him. He did not want to face his fear.

Guff entered the room and closed the door behind him. Both Devotion and the leader listened intently.

"Nice bird?" Guff's voice rang out. However, while they both expected screaming, instead they heard laughter. "I've never pet a bird before." Guff said to himself, excited.

"What the fuck is going on?" The leader asked himself out loud. The two listened, and they heard footsteps go further and further away as Guff walked through the trial. Somehow, he had passed.

Devotion knew he had to take this opportunity to avoid a fight with this leader. How could he take an experienced Second Rank cultivator? Devotion pushed the secret door open, pulling his hood over his face, obscuring his features.

"How did he pass so easily? Damnit, I can't summon the jade while he holds it! How did he pass?!" The leader was going crazy.

"He passed from your failures." Devotion said, stepping out of the painting and making his voice deeper.

The leader whirled around, pulling his blade once more. "Who are you?" He asked.

"I think you know the answer. It's your worst fear. Your trial started when you came to this place. You've become so blinded by anger and power, you let the dullest of your subordinates succeed before you twice now. You've personally slain another subordinate, and sent the other two to their deaths. You've become the very thing you never wanted to be: a monster, just like your father was to you. You are inferior, and an embarrassment, just like you were always destined to be. The treasure within my halls is too great for someone of your stature. Leave this place, and never return, and I will show you the mercy you failed to give." Devotion said. The leader looked terrified. Of course, Devotion was making all of this up. He had no idea what this person was scared of, but if he guessed right, he would avoid a fight.

The leader stood their gaping, shaking in his very boots. "My god, you're right." He said, still unmoving.

"Of course I'm right. Now go! Leave before my patience runs thin, like yours already did many times!" Devotion shouted.

"I'm sorry, senior. This young one will try to be better." With that, the leader crawled through the painting, and climbed the ladder as fast as he could.

"Remember what you have learned today, junior. Let these words haunt the rest of your life." Devotion called up the ladder, before closing the secret painting door. He made sure to slam it shut, so it would sound like a permanent lock.

After ensuring that he could no longer hear the leader climbing the ladder, Devotion sighed in relief.

"Every asshole has a troubled home life or something. Lucky guess." It truth, Devotion was just saying whatever came to his mind to terrify that horrible leader. He was lucky that leader was so predictable, or that scheme could have blown up in his face.

"Well, I'm like Guff, I'm not really that scared of anything, should be fine, right?" He asked. Ysmir shrugged.

"Well, here goes nothing." Devotion said, pulling on the doors of the trial.