Finally, the day of... reckoning had arrived. Cyrus lay on a bed, in the academy's hospital situated underground. Beside him on another bed, lay Aria. She spoke, a tone of fear could be heard in her voice.
"Here we go"
She gulped.
"Cyrus, remember this. If we get separated, which we probably will, try to find someone of our class group. Ask... beg them if they would be kind enough to let you could tag along. If they are reluctant to help, simply wait where you are, find somewhere you think or feel is safe enough. I'll come get you." She said speedily, her voice raspy. Then she continued:
"It might... take a while, but I promise to come get you. Based on my calculations, we shouldn't be placed too far away from each other."
"If you get transported to Ashen Hollow in the south east, I'll be sent to Blightwind plains in the north east which stretches all the way to the entirety of the east, which is... relatively close by. If you get sent to Ember scar at the west I'll be sent to Cinderfall in the north west. It's the same for other locations in Shattered Halo." she paused for a bit.
"Fervent Mountain is the most dangerous place, but we're less likely to get transported there." the bright girl finished.
"And how sure are you that... this calculation of yours is correct?" the blind boy asked
"Trust me, I'm extremely smart," she bragged
"Also, I have my sources. Most of them used the exact same calculations when they got transported into the Rift for their trial, and every single one was correct." she finished.
"Alright then. I'll... trust your words," Cyrus muttered, his fingers tightening around the bedsheet.
Despite being blind, the blind boy could somehow tell that the bright girl was grinning from ear to ear.
He sighed.
A long silence lingered in the air. Cyrus thought deeply. His throat felt dry. His breath came in short. His heart hammered painfully against his ribs. His entire being was filled with fear. It was enough for people to notice. That's probably why Aria said all she did. She was trying her best to calm him down.
It worked... a little. The fear of dying a gruesome death haunting his mind.
Suddenly.
The feminine mechanical voice of the Sage Script spoke.
[Commencing transport into the Rift]
[3... 2... 1]
"Oh, and Cyrus, I for—" the bright girl was about to say something, a sense of urgency in her voice —a warning or another piece of advice, who knows.
The girl's words were cut off as Cyrus was already being pulled in by the Sage Script — it felt more like he was falling into an endless void.
Sound collapsed into silence.
His body felt like it was being stretched apart. The warmth around him disappeared
'Is this what death feels like? It's... cold'
Cyrus' ears rang:
[Destination: First Layer of Hell — Shattered Halo]
[Initializing: Trial of Manifestation]
Cyrus' body slammed against the hot ground.
A sharp grunt left his mouth.
The atmosphere was hot, but bearable. The smell of sulfur filled the air.
'What the—'
The voice of the Sage interrupted:
[Welcome to the Trial of Manifestation, Cyrus]
[In order to survive, you must find your way to the nearest Gateway]
[The trial begins now]
[Good luck, Clad Cyrus]
'Where the hell am I? It's so hot, I'm scared'
'The smell of sulfur, the heat, I'm definitely on Fervent Mountain — the center of the Shattered Halo.'
Of all the places Cyrus could have gotten transported to, Fervent Mountain was by far, the worst place. It is located at the center of the First layer of hell — known as Shattered Halo.
What made Fervent Mountain the most dangerous of the other parts of Shattered Halo, is the fact that the most dangerous monsters of the first layer were located there. Type-2 hellspawns.
With a bit of struggle, Cyrus managed to turn his body. His back now turned to the sky and his belly facing the hot floor.
He crawled around gently, away from the loud shrieking, the loud banging, and the heavy footsteps that shook the ground. They were definitely being made by hellspawns.
After several tense minutes of crawling, Cyrus managed to find his way to a small and narrow opening close to a wall... probably the side of a raised ground.
Luckily, the opening was big enough for him to crawl into and hide.
His nose picked up the smell of blood that lingered in the air. The scent drifted from somewhere to his right.
Since entering the Rift, his hearing, smell, and sense of touch had sharpened, slightly increasing his rate of survival.
At least he hadn't come here empty-handed.
A loud scream could be heard. The sound came from close by. The continuous loud scream accompanied by a loud crunching noise ripped through the air.
Someone was being eaten alive by something monstrous.
Cyrus' body trembled with fear. The thought of ending up the same way as the unfortunate soul haunted him.
'How the hell can I survive this place?! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!'
Frozen in fear, Cyrus suddenly felt something brush against his hand.
A long fleshy, but slimy creature had crawling up on his body. It felt like a serpent, but longer. Its body was hot — unnaturally hot. It also felt thin, but strong.
Before Cyrus could react, the serpent curled up around his body, tightening it. Squeezing the life out of Cyrus.
Its hiss sounded right beside Cyrus' left ear. The blind boy tried to struggle but a sharp pointy object immediately pierced his shoulder, ripping through his skin.
A loud scream escaped Cyrus' mouth. He felt intense pain. A few seconds later, he lost the energy to scream, let alone struggle. It felt as though the blood in his body was drying up. The serpent with its head still attached to Cyrus' shoulder, sucked out his blood at an incredibly fast pace.
'Is... is this how I die? The old man, will he miss me? So this is where my revenge ends.' Cyrus thought, life slowly leaving his body.
Suddenly, something surged through Cyrus' body — violent and desperate.
With the strength he could muster, the blind boy turned his face towards the shoulder where the serpent's head was.
His mouth stretched wide and he bit into the head of the serpent.
The serpent gave out a loud hiss as the boy's teeth sank into its head. Using all his strength, he bit down harder — until he felt bone give way. His lower face was covered with the creature's blood and his mouth filled with it.
Cyrus' head became extremely fuzzy. He was on the verge of fainting due to extreme blood loss. Then the Script spoke, its tone almost... excited:
[Congratulations on your first kill, Clad Cyrus]
[You have slayed a Blood Serpent]
[You have received a relic]
Upon hearing this, Cyrus' body gave out.
'Am... am I... dying?'