Chapter 52 - The Final Trial

Lily and Aiden kept following the funny-looking old man for quite a while. They walked in silence behind the feathered crazy looking hermit, watching his every move, every gesture. Both of them were on high alert. After all, for what they knew, he could be a part of the test.

After a while, they arrived at the end of the road, which ended at the ledges of the mountain. Standing there they could see almost the entire pocket world in all its glory. Ahead of them, just a step further, 2 black masses of energy swirled in the air. They were similar to the Gate they used to get here. Aiden looked at the old man braking the silence that engulfed them all the way here.

"What is this? What should we do?"

The hermit looked back at Aiden with an expressionless face and answered with the same raspy, stuttering monotone he greeted them before.

"Test… Entrance. One for…. each of you… You have to… pass it... alone…"

"We have to do this test alone?!" Lily cried out loud. So far they could face every challenge together, so for them to be separated was a really sudden and unexpected change.

Aiden's creased his eyebrows, thinking, analyzing his words. After about a minute, he spoke up.

"Yes, it must be part of the last test. We have to have confidence in each other, trust each other that we have the strength to pass the same hurdle. Prove that we are equals."

Hearing his response, Lily balled both of her fists. Raising the right one into the sky, she exclaimed, reminiscent of her younger days.

"Yosh! Let's do a competition brother! Let's see who passes first!" A slight blush appeared on her cheeks as she continued. "The winner... can ask something from the loser!"

Smiling, Aiden nodded his head.

"Sure, sounds fine. But make sure that your main concern is your safety, don't rush into danger headfirst, okay?"

"Yes, brother! Still, be prepared to fulfill my wish because I will win!" With that said, she gave Aiden a cheeky smile then stood in front of one of the swirls, before looking back and speaking up again. "Come on now, what are you standing there for?!"

The reason Aiden went silent wasn't just because he was listening to his sister's shenanigans, but because the system gave him a new notification, he actually received a new quest!.

It surprised him because he hasn't had any ever since he arrived in this pocket world. So, to suddenly see the familiar notification was quite a surprise, to say the least.

[Primary Quest: Cries in the Dark

Difficulty: D-A

Objective: Banish the Nightmare Spawns (0/???)

Optional: Fix the vision by cleansing the nightmare

Reward: ???

Failure Condition: Being pulled from the Pocket World, Defeated by any Spawn

Penalty: Death, Soul returned to the Wheel of Life and Death]

'What the hell… Enya, why can't I see parts of the description on the quest?' asked Aiden inwardly while he slowly made his way towards his gate.

[Unfortunately, I do not have any information on that for you Aiden. Most likely the reward is either something of extraordinary quality or something related to a system function you have yet to gain access to. Either way, you will know more if and when you complete this trial. Judging by the information you gained from the system, most likely you will have to fight nightmare-spawns, products of very high-level illusion class magic. Be prepared, and steel your mind.]

Listening to Enya's reply, Aiden looked at Lily, and before they would step in, he said. "Be very careful inside Lily. Most likely we will face our nightmares, alone. Steel your heart and remember, that whatever you will face there, it will just be a product of your magic, it is just an illusion, a vision. Even if I can't help you during this test, just remember, that I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS stand by your side. Okay?"

Lily slightly blushed while listening to Aiden's exclamation. Still, she exhaled to calm herself down, and regain her focus, while she nodded and answered her brother.

"Don't you worry brother! Nothing can scare me! I'm not that little girl anymore! I have… you!"

Their hands met halfway, and with one last smile towards each other, they stepped into their respective portals, only to be swallowed up by it, transported to some unknown place…

---

It took a few long seconds for the 'light show' to cease. She hated this type of travel, Lily had her eyes closed for the entire time, not willing to look into the nauseating swirling of lights and energy waves. When she finally felt the hard ground under her feet, she slowly opened her eyelids and was immediately stunned by what she saw. She was back in the forest, in a vaguely familiar section. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling she was here once in the past…

It was seemingly night time, and apart from the occasional hootings of the owls, the night was quiet. If she focused, she could faintly hear the rustling of the leaves, the bushes, the sounds of various predators embarking on their nightly hunts.

She could see a faint light flickering in the distance to the north, and with no other point to guide herself, she quickly decided to head that way. Keeping her bow ready, she made sure to watch and listen to her environment, just like she always did when they went hunting with her beloved brother.

Thinking about her brother, brought the blush back to her cheeks, and a smile crept up at the edges of her cute lips.

'Ehehe... Wonder what brother is doing now, where could he have arrived?'

Shaking her head to clear all distracting thoughts, she made her way towards the source of the only point of interest, the flickering light in the distance.

---

Meanwhile, as Aiden opened up his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar white ceiling. Sitting up, as he was in a modern-looking one-person bed, he looked around. He was in a small modern-style room. Next to him, on a cupboard was a small framed picture with 3 people in it. On the left was a middle-aged brown-haired woman, on the right a similarly aged man with short dark brown hair and a similarly barely visible mustache. They both were hugging each other with 1 arm and had their other arm resting on the shoulders of the unfamiliar young man in the middle.

The young guy in the picture seemed to be in his early twenties, with dark brown neatly styled slicked-back hair. One thing that was interesting was her yellowish eyes. Aiden didn't know who these people were, but strangely, the longer he looked at the picture, the more intense his head ached. Grabbing the back of his head, he closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

(A/N.: The hairstyle is worded deliberately that way, the 'slicked-back hair' is a real one, you can search for it if you are interested in how it really looks. I figured this would be a better method to showcase the looks, but if you are against it just let me know. :) )

'What is this? Why does my head hurt so much? Enya do you know something?' he asked inwardly.

However, there was no answer from Enya. Slight panic engulfed his heart, he didn't know what happened. Remembering that he needs to stay calm, he exhaled some air, then closed his eyes once again, and focused on his soul space. The system was still there, and he could also feel Enya's presence, albeit faintly.

'Enya, what is the matter, why are you not answering? Did something happen to you?' he asked.

Hearing the worry in his tone, Enya sighed, then finally, after a few seconds of silence, she answered.

[I just can't… Sorry Aiden, but what you are currently seeing are your memories. That person in the middle of the picture is you, and those two next to him are your parents.]

Aiden was confused. This whole place is strange. The bed was comfortable, but the fabric was not something he recognized. Also, the whole room looked simple, yet so modern, so uniquely designed, but still, it had this familiar feel to it. As Enya mentioned, Aiden started to feel some familiarity with this environment. Apart from the bed and the cupboard, there was a white wooden desk, with a comfortable looking padded chair, and at the opposite end of the room, a series of shelves and a cabinet.

The shelves were filled with books, from all kinds of subjects that Aiden doesn't have any knowledge of. Sciences, Mathematics, even some thin books with drawn pictures of people wearing capes and costumes.

Closing his eyes again, he focused on Enya to gain a bit more understanding of his situation. From her earlier words, he understood that this whole place is a vision created by this so-called 'Nightmare'. This whole situation is his trial. To be able to pass it, he first will need to gain more understanding, some direction to find his footing.

'What do you mean this is my memory? What is this place exactly?'

[This, Aiden is a day from your previous life. This was your very last day!]