Thomas floated motionless in a black, empty space
There was no sound, stars, or light.
Just an unconscious body floating like gravity didn't exist
His mouth was partly open
His breath hitched as if he were struggling to breathe
The moment he inhaled through his mouth, his breath got cut off
He did this three times before gasping loudly
Eyes twitching, before opening
The void was gone
He was standing on a black floor that looked like it was melting
Something kept vibrating under the floor
It slowly got warmer
There were cracks in the ground where lava shot up like geysers
The land was vast and empty, ash filled the air.
A strong scent of smoke lingered
But Thomas didn't cough
He stood still and quiet in the empty, burning land
"You're gonna fail," a low voice whispered.
The words echoed a few times before vanishing
"You're gonna fail," it said again before chuckling
Even its laugh felt like a whisper
The faint hot air carried the voice, circling around Thomas.
Thomas clenched his left hand while scanning his surroundings
He shook it a few times
No flames appeared
"Hurry up and fucking work," Thomas grumbled
Suddenly
A deep growl could be heard coming from straight ahead
Thomas looked
At first there was nothing until—
Smoke
It slowly formed into a four-legged beast, gaining color
The first thing Thomas saw was its yellow eyes, like that of a tiger
Then teeth, long canines stretching from it's mouth
It had red fur, with black patterns.
Its ears swept back on its head almost like horns
Its tail swung from side to side, flame burning at the ends.
It exhaled smoke as it got closer
It was as tall as Thomas
Thomas started stepping backward.
The creature had its eyes locked onto him.
Almost daring him to run
The voices came back
"You're gonna fail," it repeated
Despite the heat, a cold chill ran down his spine
He tried to move, but his legs buckled
Trembling as he fell to the floor
"Get up and run," the beast said. "Don't be a pussy."
It spoke yet its mouth didn't move.
It's tail swayed slowly
Thomas moved
He turned and ran
The beast watched, its tail swaying faster
Thomas ran fast, dodging a lava geyser
Then he felt it
The ground was moving
Instinctively, he stopped
The beast burst through the lava-filled earth
Lava spilled upward as it landed
Thomas took the right, panting as he ran
The area he ran through was filled with smoke
The deeper he went, the thicker it got. His lungs began to burn
Soon, all he could see was a thick haze surrounding him
It didn't take long for him to spot it
Yellow eyes getting closer
Then
It vanished through the smoke
Thomas turned left
No beast
Right, no beast
Just then—
A burning slash ran across his back
It felt as if his wounds had been ignited by flames
"Aaaagh!" he shouted, turning around.
The beast stood behind him, breathing in and exhaling smoke
Thomas threw a punch
POOF
His fist hit smoke. The beast vanished
Thomas didn't wait
Blood leaked from his back as he limped onward
He spotted a huge black rock and limped behind it
Wincing softly
For some reason, his wounds seemed to be getting deeper
Like it was still burning
"Feed the flame, and it shall rise. Give it the world, and it shall consume it."
The hot air carried those whispering words
"You've already failed, Thomas," the whispering voice said.
"You've failed," the voices chanted.
"Failed," the voices overlapped
Thomas covered his ears. They didn't stop.
"Failed. Failed. Failed."
Thomas clenched his fist
"Failed at what!?" he shouted
No answer
The hot air washed over him. Even his burning wound cooled
The geysers were silent
"Failed at living," a voice answered
Thomas turned
The beast formed from smoke, jaws open wide
Thomas couldn't move
The last thing he saw was a light inside the beast's throat, generating intense heat
CRUNCH
The sound of bones could be heard, followed by another loud crunch
Darkness
...
Suddenly, light.
It pulsed slowly, each pulse getting faster
It was the crown lying on the ground
Then, it slowed
A small thud could be heard, like a dying heartbeat
Each pulse grew weaker than the last
It vanished
Darkness reigned once more
The system popped up
THE DESIGNATED PLAYER HAS MET THE REQUIREMENTS
SPECIAL EVENT: EMBERS IN THE SNOW
ACTIVATED
The system vanished
End