The wind howled and whipped at their clothes as they emerged onto a flat, rocky plateau at the summit of the cliff. Below, the depths' canopy stretched out like a dark sea under the rising moon. Stars pricked the night sky.
Hafen, Stark, and Matteo stopped and stared in wonder.
The dense trees had always blocked their view of the sky. For a brief moment, the beauty of the night sky was a welcome distraction from the horrors they had witnessed.
Old Man Marcus walked to the edge and turned to face them. "This trial will test what you are truly made of," he explained. He took out a diamond-plated sword from its sheath and raised it.
The sword gleamed under the moonlight and hummed with energy. The ground suddenly trembled, and three pillars of steel rose from it. Each highlighted the names of either Matteo, Stark, or Hafen.
"On each pillar, you will find a chest, containing a unique weapon. There's one for each of you," Old Man Marcus explained.
Hafen, Matteo, and Stark gazed at the pillars with curiosity.
Stark's eyes narrowed. "You're already handing us the weapons," he remarked with a skeptical tone.
"It can't be that simple. He wouldn't have brought us all the way up here to give us freebies," Hafen deduced.
"Hafen's right. The trial is not about getting the weapons. It's about surviving with them," Pepe clarified.
Matteo gulped and asked, "Surviving what?"
Old Man Marcus pointed his diamond-plated sword to the moon and proclaimed, "You must survive up here until sunrise."
An immense screech, unlike anything the brothers had ever heard before, soon followed from the darkness.
"Get to your pillars. Now," Old Man Marcus ordered with urgency.
Hafen, Matteo, and Stark scrambled to their respective pillars and cautiously opened the chests.
Stark opened the first chest and found a massive, thick sword. He lifted it and marveled at the weight and size. "Whoa," he gasped. He stumbled back and forth.
Hafen accessed the second chest and discovered a long, curved sheath. The blade was thin with a circular guard.
Matteo uncovered the third chest and took out a slender, pointy sword.
In the distance, Pepe questioned, "What type of swords are those? I've never seen weapons like them."
Standing next to him, Old Man Marcus observed and responded, "There are only records of them from the far past. Stark received a great sword, a claymore. Hafen's is a katana. Matteo has a rapier." He paused and urged, "Let's go, Pepe. Their trial has begun."
Pepe and Old Man Marcus disappeared back into the cave.
Hafen unsheathed the katana, and it felt perfectly balanced in his hands. He turned to Stark and Matteo. "Guys, we need to work together," he reminded.
Stark hefted the claymore, and its weight settled into a comfortable, familiar rhythm. "Don't worry, Hafen. This is what I've been training for. I won't let anything happen to you or Matteo," he assured.
Matteo nervously held the rapier. The slender blade felt foreign and delicate like a brittle needle. "I'm not sure if I can fight with this. It's going to break," he stammered, and he swung it around.
Soon, they ventured into the high and humid forest.
Under a dense canopy, odd moss clung to the trees. It illuminated a green light
Stark led the way. With a grunt of struggle, he chopped through a thicket of thorny bushes. "Stay behind me," he commanded.
Hafen walked behind him and steadied his katana. His eyes scanned the darkness, and his ears twitched at every rustle of leaves. He heard Matteo's tense breathing. "Matteo, are you alright," he whispered over his shoulder.
"I'll manage," Matteo replied with a forced smile. He swallowed with a loud click and stared at the darkness.
A light caught his attention.
A small, deer-like monster with glowing antlers grazed peacefully on a patch of luminous moss. It lifted its head and looked at them with intelligent, curious eyes.
Matteo briefly forgot his fear. "Wow! What is that," he blurted out in awe.
The deer-like monster bounded away into the darkness. Its glowing antlers left a fleeting trail.
"Don't get distracted, Matteo," Hafen warned. He glanced at the moon's position through the canopy. "The night is still young. We need food, water, and shelter. Let's find a safe place to make a camp."
Stark pointed to a small clearing with a ring of large moss-covered rocks. "There. That will do," he suggested and chopped a path towards it.
Hafen and Matteo followed.
In the clearing, Stark used the claymore to hack at the base of a dead tree.
With a final, powerful swing, the tree toppled over with a loud crash.
"Let's get a fire started," Stark announced with a smirk.
Hafen affirmed and searched around the clearing. He gathered a pile of dry leaves and twigs.
Matteo's stomach rumbled. "I'll go find some food," he declared and scampered off into the darkness before his brothers could protest.
"Matteo, wait," Hafen called out, but his brother was already gone.
Stark grumbled, "He's going to get himself into trouble."
"Let's trust him. We'll prepare the fire while he's gone," Hafen suggested.
Stark nodded. He dragged a large log to the center of the clearing and placed it on the ground.
Meanwhile, Matteo sprinted through the woods, and he kept the rapier held high. He scanned the ground for any sign of edible plants or berries. He stumbled upon a bush with juicy blueberries. He remembered a similar-looking bush near their farm, and Adelia had made a pie from them. He picked a few and popped them into his mouth. "So sweet," he commented. He smiled and stuffed more into his pockets.
A rustling in the bushes behind him made him freeze.
Matteo spun around, and his heart pounded. He held the rapier in front of him with a trembling hand. "Who's there," he demanded to know. He warily took a step back.
A massive spider with glowing red eyes suddenly emerged from the bushes. Venom dripped from its pincers.
Taken aback, Matteo shrieked in horror, and he ran away. He leaped over a fallen log and ducked under a low-hanging branch. As he landed, he heard a loud click. He glanced down and spotted a hidden pressure plate.
All of a sudden, arrows swiftly flew from a cleverly disguised trap in the trees.
Matteo reacted instinctively and barely weaved between the flying projectiles. "That was close," he panted with his hands on his knees.
Instantly, a delayed arrow shot through the air and pierced into the back of his leg.
Matteo screamed in pain, and he tumbled forward. He crawled away and looked back.
The spider also scurried towards him.
"It hurts," Matteo, desperately pulling on the arrow, whined while grimacing. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.
Just then, a memory surfaced.
A younger Matteo had a sprained ankle. He sat on a log and cried.
Adelia rushed to him with a worried expression. She held a small pouch in her hands. "It's okay. I'm here," she whispered. She opened the pouch and took out some leaves. She crushed them in her palm and applied the paste to his ankle. "This will help with the pain and swelling," she reassured.
Matteo looked at her with teary eyes. "It hurts," he sniffled.
"I know, my son, but you are stronger than you think. Just believe in yourself," Adelia advised. She gently kissed his forehead and soothed, "Everything will be alright."
The memory faded, and Matteo's eyes snapped open. "I'm stronger than this," he whispered. With a burst of adrenaline, he pulled the arrow out with a gut-wrenching scream.
Blood gushed from the wound.
Matteo winced and grabbed a handful of leaves from the ground. He applied a paste of crushed leaves to the wound. He stood up and firmly held the rapier with a renewed sense of determination. "I will not die here," he declared.
The spider skittered towards him. It lunged, and its pincers snapped at him.
Matteo sidestepped and swung the rapier.
It barely sliced the spider's tough chitin armor.
Matteo gritted his teeth and murmured, "That didn't do much." He scanned for a weak spot and noticed its glowing red eyes. He took a deep breath and prepared to strike with the point of his rapier.
The rapier hummed with energy.
With a swift thrust, Matteo lunged forward and aimed for the spider's eyes. He ducked under a flailing leg and jumped. He effortlessly drove the slender sword into the spider's eye.
The spider let out a powerful cry and pushed him back. It thrashed violently, and it scurried away in a frenzy. Leaving a trail of its defeat, its blood splashed against the ground.
Matteo collapsed on his back and panted. He looked at the rapier in his hand and pointed out, "So, that's how you fight with it." He sighed and rested his arm above his head.
A rope, tied to a wheel on a high branch, shockingly caught his arm. It hoisted him into the air.
"Why me," Matteo complained and dangled helplessly. His head lowered, and his stomach growled in desperation for food.
The wheel rotated alongside the rope. It spun its captive around as more arrows shot from the darkness.
Matteo's screams of agony echoed throughout the forest.
Will Matteo escape the unforeseen events? Will he be able survive such a dangerous trap? What dangers await Hafen and Stark?