6 Trial (1/2)

Niko had a very complex look on his face. He had been walking for awhile and no traps were seen or activated. The orb had said that there would be traps everywhere, however, not a single sign of traps in this whole place.

The rusty gate led to another rocky tunnel that looked endless. The tunnel was glossy gray with lumps of stone through the walls and ceiling. Even though it didn't seem to be a light source anywhere, the tunnel wasn't too dark as if there was something making this tunnel less dark.

Niko had checked the time on his status which said that there were 20 hours and 09 minutes left. Niko was extremely pleased that he had already acquired a skill, in such a short amount of time, however. The skill wouldn't aid him in combat whatsoever, therefore, he was in need of something that would allow him to defend or protect himself.

¨Swosh!¨

Suddenly, a powerful gust of cold wind blew past him. The wind was making his whole body shiver as it took him by surprise.

Niko paused.

¨Damn! How can there be such cold gust of wind inside of this cave? Can it be that the exit is just ahead?¨ Niko asked himself as he continued walking. His black clothes flapped as the wind blew past, like flags raised high above the ground on poles.

Niko continued to walk forward, however, as he walked further and further, his steps were getting slower and slower and an ugly expression was evident on his face.

¨Swoosh! Swoosh!¨

The wind was becoming much more violent the further he went in. The wind was also getting colder and colder as if at the end of the tunnel was a snow storm..

Niko gritted his teeth as he raised his arm in front of his face. The violent wind was bombarding his body, and his face was taking a beating from it. He was shivering violently while at the same time struggling to move forward.

¨I need… To do… This… For my sister!¨ Niko told himself. As he thought about his sister and how power could mean finding her again, because of that he was able to find an extra bit of strength that helped him move forward. He had looked for her long enough. This was his chance to find her.

After thirteen hard steps, Niko´s eyes widened. There was a silver gate just ahead of him. The gate shined in a silver light as if it was brand new. The gate looked extremely clean and well preserved, however, the most peculiar thing about it was the faint green aura around it.

The green aura that was around it, possessed loose strands that floated out majestically towards Niko. The strands of the aura looked like loose fabric under a clear slow water stream.

¨The wind… Seems to be coming from there… I need to get to that gate...¨ Niko struggled to move forward. Moving his body felt like going against waves of water that tried to push him back at every second.

¨Arghh!!!¨

Niko pushed. He pushed not only for his sake but for his sister. He pushed for power. He pushed for whatever was on the other side of that gate. He pushed to survive.

Step.

The freezing cold became much colder as the wind became much more ferocious.

Step.

The Wind began to cut through his clothes, leaving small cut marks on his body.

Step.

The blood from the small cuts began to freeze as his body moved forward with persistence. Niko began to hear low whispers near his ears, however, these things didn't stop him from moving forward.

Step.

The cold seemed to have reached a limit as if continued to cut through his clothes, however, the persistent Niko continued.

Step.

The whispers turned to screams as he could hear mourning all around him. From children to women, screams were heard all around. Outlines of faces could also be seen coming from the aura that surrounded the gate. To anyone, this would've scared them senseless and ultimately made them lose the courage to step forward. However, this was Niko. Not only his life but the life of his sister, his only remaining family member relied on this.

He was one step away from the silver gate.

¨Come on!!!¨ He screamed.

Niko began to extend his hand towards the gate. His arms were trembling and as he got closer, the wind began to cut through the sleeves of his shirt and forming light cuts in his arms. Niko continued, until ultimately.

¨Swosh!¨

The ferocious wind suddenly stopped blowing and the gate slowly began to open. The screams disappeared as silence filled the cave. Everything that had just happened felt like an illusion. Niko then fell to the floor. He was weak and to his surprise, the light that surrounded the gate began to move and surround his body.

His body felt a warm sensation as the cuts on his body began to heal. He felt comfortable and extremely calm.

Relief then began to appear on his face as he was finally out of that hell of a place. It felt like fortune approaching the door, and thankfully he was able to make it.

¨This trial surely must have rewards!¨ His face grinned as though about becoming more powerful.