The time to face the Trial had finally come.
They stood side by side, lined up in columns, waiting for the rifts to come. The room was silent—you could count every drop of sweat hitting the ground. Breathing became harder with each passing moment. The air was thick, the tension electric.
Then, the silence shattered—a scream. Then another. And another.
The rifts had begun to appear.
Fin's rift suddenly opened before him. It made no sound, gave off no smell. A blue aura radiated from it. Fin tried to look inside, but there was only darkness. He glanced at his friends beside him. They were doing the exact same thing.
"Don't you dare die," Ephi said, disappearing into his rift.
"Damn, I wanted to say something cool too," Deryn muttered before stepping into hers.
Fin was now alone, staring into the unknown. He had to cross—but he didn't want to. He wanted to go back to bed. He wanted a normal life. But that had never been an option.
He took a step, gulped, then another. He stopped just before the rift.
"No, I can't do this. There's no way!" he said, taking a step back.
But as the last word left his mouth, the rift pulled him in.
For a moment, the world was nothing. Fin floated in emptiness. He didn't feel anything—no sound, no sight, no body. He wasn't even sure he existed at all.
Then, everything came crashing back. A voice echoed through the void:
"Hello, young one. The Gods have clearly chosen to brand you—so now, I must test your worthiness."
Fin tried to speak, but no sound came out. It was as if there were no air at all. Before he could try again, the voice returned.
"What to do, what to do? Anyone have any ideas for this boy's challenge? No? You guys never help... Ah, what a terrible job I have." The voice sighed.
It was a surreal experience. Fin couldn't move, couldn't speak—he was trapped, forced to wait while a cosmic being decided his fate.
"Eureka! I know what to do with you, boy. I can see that life has never been easy for you—but I'm sorry to say, my challenge will be harder. If it's any consolation, my trials are always fair. You do have the potential to succeed."
The voice paused, as if savouring a moment of theatrical suspense.
"You will have to escape a very terrible place to succeed... but beware: you must not forget who you are."
Fin felt his consciousness fade more and more until it completely disappeared.
He woke up instantly but, he opened his eyes, took a deep breath and screamed. A wolf like beast was now standing in front of him. The creature stood two meters tall on all four and was so big that the earth trembled under his paws.
"Fu…Fuck what is this." Fin whispered in terror
"Move! Don't freeze!" Fin's instincts screamed
And he obeyed, throwing himself to the side just as the creature's claws tore into the ground where he'd been a second earlier.
"What the hell is this thing? Where am I?"
His heart pounded in his chest like a war drum. The wolf-like monster snarled, saliva dripping from its jagged fangs, each the length of Fin's forearm. Its eyes glowed with hunger—not anger, not defense. Hunger.
It wanted to eat him.
Fin scrambled to his feet, slipping slightly on the loose dirt. The beast lunged again. He ducked beneath it, feeling the wind of its massive body as it soared over him and crashed into a rock wall, shattering it like glass.
"I'm going to die—I'm going to die—I'm not ready"
No. No, he couldn't think like that.
He needed a weapon. Anything. He scanned the area. Just barren dirt, scattered stones, broken bones. Bones. He darted for a thick femur the size of a branch and gripped it tight.
"This is insane. I'm insane. I'm fighting a monster with a bone."
But adrenaline drowned out doubt. The creature roared and turned. Blood streaked its side where jagged rocks had cut it.
"It can bleed. There is a chance."
The creature charged again. This time, Fin didn't run—he sidestepped and swung. The bone connected with the beast's snout with a sickening crack. It recoiled, stunned, and Fin jumped back, lungs burning.
"That should've shattered my arm. How am I still moving?"
The beast growled low, pacing now, wary.
Fin's mind raced." I'm branded. This is the Trial. This is part of it. It's not just a monster—it's a test. So think. Think!"
He crouched, steadying his breathing. The pain in his muscles faded just enough to move. The fear was still there, heavy and sharp—but under it, something burned hotter.
The beast lunged one final time, mouth wide open.
Fin didn't dodge.
He dove forward, beneath its jaws, and plunged the bone deep into its throat with both hands. The creature shrieked—a high-pitched, gurgling scream—and collapsed. Fin was thrown to the ground, covered in blood and dust.
He didn't move. Couldn't. His arms trembled violently.
"I'm alive. I'm alive." He gasped for breath, shaking, heart racing.
And then, silence.
Fin stood up and pulled his arms out of the creature, his hands were red with blood. The adrenaline in his system was still kicking—he didn't let go off the bone thinking that anything could happen. And then something did—the belly of the monster suddenly started to glow deep red.
"It's going to explode!!"
Fin jumped sideways and crouched making his body as small as possible and waited for the explosion. But it never came. He stood up and examined the lifeless body, it was still glowing red so he decided to poke it. It suddenly bursted open, bowels, blood and digestive fluid came out of it, but what drew Fin's attention were two glowing stone that were poking out.