The new Haven was different from the first one. The purple ground felt harder under me, and the silver sky seemed to shimmer with tiny stars. Blobs here moved with purpose, their colors more vibrant and patterns more complex than those we'd seen before.
"Second-tier Haven," said a passing blob with swirling patterns of blue, green, and purple. "Only those who pass the Pressure Chamber reach this level."
I looked at my new form again, still fascinated by the orange veins that now ran through my blue-green body. When I moved, they pulsed with energy.
"Let's find the Practice Fields," Viridian suggested. "We should test our new abilities before the next trial."
We rolled through the Haven, noticing how other blobs watched us with interest. Many had dominant colors-mostly red, blue, or green-but few had the balanced mixture that I had.
The Practice Fields here were more organized than the previous Haven. Different sections were designed for different abilities: strength testing, speed tracks, flexibility challenges, perception tests, and more.
Sapphire immediately went to the speed track. Their deeper blue form now moved with incredible grace, leaving ribbon-like trails behind. I watched as Sapphire raced against other blue blobs, winning easily.
Viridian found the perception area where blobs were identifying distant objects and navigating maze-like structures. Their yellow-green form glowed as they spotted details others missed.
I wasn't sure where I belonged. With my mixed colors, I had several abilities but mastered none. I decided to try the adaptation zone-a section where the environment changed randomly, forcing blobs to quickly adjust.
As I entered, the ground beneath me shifted from solid to liquid, then back to solid but with a different texture. Temperature changed from hot to cold. Light levels flickered from bright to dark.
To my surprise, I handled these changes well. My blue gave me speed to react, green helped me adjust my form, yellow let me perceive changes quickly, and the new orange seemed to help me resist damage.
"Impressive adaptation," said a voice behind me.
I turned to see a blob unlike any I'd seen before. It was mostly silver with rippling patterns of every color flowing across its surface. Not mixed or muddy, but perfectly organized, like a living rainbow.
"Rainbow," the blob introduced itself. "Completed thirty-six trials."
"I'm Luck," I replied. "Only two trials so far."
Rainbow's surface shimmered with what seemed like a smile. "Yet already showing remarkable balance. Most choose specialization-all red for strength or all blue for speed. Balance is harder but potentially more powerful."
"What's the Acid Plains like?" I asked, getting straight to what concerned me most.
"Challenging," Rainbow replied. "The ground dissolves your form unless you develop resistance. Pain is... significant."
I felt a wave of worry. "How do we prepare?"
"You can't, completely," Rainbow said. "But knowledge helps. The acid affects different colors differently. Red resists best at first but burns out quickly. Blue flows with the acid but can be washed away. Green adapts but slowly. Yellow senses safe paths but lacks protection."
"And orange?" I asked, touching the new veins in my form.
"Orange is resilience. The ability to recover from damage. Useful, but not complete protection."
Rainbow moved closer, studying my pattern. "Interesting. Your colors are distinct but harmonious. You're not just mixing randomly. Your form has... purpose."
Before I could ask what that meant, a bell sound echoed across the Haven.
"The green portal activates soon," Rainbow said. "A word of advice: in the Acid Plains, the ground is your enemy, but the air holds salvation. Remember that."
With these cryptic words, Rainbow rolled away, leaving me puzzled.
I returned to find Sapphire and Viridian waiting for me.
"The portal will open soon," Sapphire said, their blue form pulsing with nervous energy.
"Did you learn anything useful?" Viridian asked.
I shared what Rainbow told me about the different colors and acid resistance.
"So none of us is perfectly suited for this," Viridian concluded. "We'll all struggle."
"But together we might complement each other's weaknesses," I suggested.
We made our way to the green portal, which glowed brighter with each passing moment. Other blobs gathered too, some confident, others clearly nervous.
Crimson appeared beside us suddenly. "Prepare yourselves. The Acid Plains change everyone. Pain teaches like nothing else."
"Why do you care if we succeed?" Sapphire asked suspiciously.
Crimson's red surface rippled. "I don't. But watching new ones evolve... interests me. So few show genuine potential."
The bell sounded again, louder this time. The green portal flared to life, its surface bubbling like boiling liquid.
"Portal entry beginning," announced the system voice. "Acid Plains Trial now accepting participants."
Blobs began entering one by one. Some rushed in eagerly, others hesitated until the last moment.
"Stay together if you can," I told my friends. "But if we get separated, keep moving forward."
Sapphire and Viridian pulsed in agreement.
Crimson went ahead of us, pausing at the portal entrance. "Pain is temporary. Failure is forever." Then Crimson disappeared into the green light.
Our turn came. Viridian went first, then Sapphire. I followed, bracing myself for whatever came next.
The green light engulfed me. It burned immediately, a stinging sensation covering my entire form. When the light faded, I found myself in a nightmare landscape.
The Acid Plains stretched before me, a vast expanse of bubbling green liquid with occasional solid patches of dark rock. The sky above was yellow-green and filled with thick clouds that occasionally dropped acidic rain. The air itself felt caustic, making my outer surface tingle uncomfortably.
Sapphire and Viridian were nearby, both already showing signs of distress as the acid ground began eating at their undersides.
"It burns!" Sapphire cried, rolling quickly from one spot to another.
"Keep moving," Viridian advised. "Staying still makes it worse."
I felt the pain too-a sharp, constant stinging where my body touched the ground. Moving helped, but not much. Every part of the plain was covered in some amount of acid.
"Welcome to the Acid Plains," the system voice announced. "Here you will learn to endure and adapt to continuous damage. Reach the Neutralization Chamber at the far end to complete the trial."
In the far distance, I could see a faint white structure-presumably the Neutralization Chamber. But between us and it lay miles of bubbling acid plains.
"How do we cross all that?" Sapphire asked, their blue surface already showing small pits where acid had eaten away at them.
"One step at a time," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
We began moving across the plains, searching for the least acidic path. Viridian's yellow perception helped identify slightly safer routes with less concentrated acid. Sapphire's speed allowed quick crossings over particularly dangerous patches. My adaptive abilities let me adjust my form to minimize contact with the ground, rolling in ways that reduced exposure.
But the acid was relentless. No matter how careful we were, it ate away at us bit by bit. I watched in horror as small pieces of my blue-green surface dissolved, revealing the layers beneath.
"The pain..." Viridian gasped. "It's hard to focus."
All around us, other blobs were struggling too. Some had already failed, their colors dissolving until they faded back to white and disappeared. Others pressed on despite visible damage.
I noticed Crimson ahead of us, moving steadily through the acid. The red blob's surface sizzled and smoked where acid touched it, but Crimson seemed to ignore the pain, pushing forward through sheer determination.
We'd covered perhaps a quarter of the distance when the first acid rain began to fall. Droplets hit my surface, each one burning like fire.
"Cover!" Sapphire shouted, pointing to a nearby rock formation.
We rushed to the rocks, finding slight shelter from the rain. Other blobs had the same idea, crowding under any available protection. We found ourselves sharing space with a yellow blob with orange spirals.
"The rain is worse than the ground," the yellow-orange blob said. "I'm Citrus, by the way."
"I'm Luck. This is Sapphire and Viridian."
Citrus studied us with interest. "Balanced colors. Unusual strategy."
"Not really a strategy," I admitted. "Just felt right."
"Well, it's working for you so far," Citrus said. "Almost halfway through my third trial, and I'm doing well with my yellow-orange combination."
The rain intensified, forcing us to press deeper under the rocks. Even here, occasional drops found their way through, each one causing fresh pain.
"Rainbow mentioned something about the air holding salvation," I remembered suddenly. "What did that mean?"
Citrus's yellow surface brightened. "The vapor! Some areas have green vapor rising from the acid. It stings at first, but it can form a temporary protective coating."
This was valuable information. As soon as the rain lessened, we began looking for areas with rising vapor.
We found a patch where green mist rose steadily from the bubbling acid. It looked dangerous, but Citrus's advice gave me courage.
"I'll try first," I said, rolling cautiously into the vapor.
The mist stung worse than the ground at first, making me want to retreat. But I forced myself to stay. After several seconds, the pain began to lessen. The vapor was coating my surface, creating a thin barrier between me and the acid.
"It works!" I called to the others. "But it hurts at first."
Sapphire, Viridian, and Citrus joined me in the vapor. They all flinched at the initial pain, but soon we all had protective coatings.
"It won't last long," Citrus warned. "But it helps."
With our temporary protection, we made better progress across the plains. When our coatings began to dissolve, we sought out more vapor patches.
The journey was grueling. Despite our best efforts, the acid took its toll. Parts of my surface were permanently damaged now, the colors altered or missing entirely. Sapphire's blue had faded in spots. Viridian's patterns were disrupted.
We were about halfway to the Neutralization Chamber when we encountered a wide section with no visible vapor and highly concentrated acid.
"We'll need to cross quickly," Viridian said, their perception revealing the full extent of the danger.
"I'm not sure I can make it," Sapphire admitted, showing signs of serious damage.
I looked around for alternatives and noticed something strange. Some of the rock formations weren't sitting on the acid-they were floating slightly above it.
"Look," I said, pointing. "Those rocks aren't touching the ground."
"Floating islands," Citrus confirmed. "Very rare and temporary. They sink eventually."
"But they could help us cross this section," I suggested.
We changed direction, heading toward the nearest floating rock. It was small but large enough for one blob at a time. The challenge would be getting onto it from the acid ground.
I remembered how I'd stretched my body in previous trials. With effort, I extended my form, reaching up to the edge of the floating rock, then pulled myself onto it.
The relief was immediate. Being completely separated from the acid ground felt wonderful.
"I'll help pull you up," I told the others, stretching down to offer assistance.
One by one, they joined me on the floating island. The rock dipped slightly under our combined weight but remained above the acid.
"We need to jump from this one to the next," I said, pointing to another floating rock about a body-length away.
What followed was a precarious journey, jumping from one floating island to another. Some rocks began to sink as soon as we landed on them, forcing us to move quickly. Others were stable enough to rest briefly.
The acid below bubbled menacingly, occasionally splashing up near us. Each drop that touched us brought fresh pain, but it was far better than being fully immersed.
We were nearly across the dangerous section when disaster struck. The rock we were on suddenly tilted, dumping Citrus into the concentrated acid below.
"Help!" Citrus screamed, their yellow-orange surface dissolving rapidly.
Without thinking, I stretched down, extending my form to reach Citrus. The acid burned terribly where I touched it, but I managed to grab hold of the struggling blob.
"Pull!" I yelled to Sapphire and Viridian, who were anchoring my other end.
Together, we hauled Citrus back onto the floating rock. The yellow-orange blob was severely damaged, parts of their surface completely dissolved.
"Thank you," Citrus gasped. "I wouldn't have survived much longer."
"We're not leaving anyone behind," I said firmly.
We continued our island-hopping strategy until we reached safer ground, where the acid was less concentrated. Citrus was struggling now, moving slowly due to their injuries.
"Go ahead," Citrus told us. "I'll only slow you down."
"No," I said. "We stay together."
Sapphire and Viridian agreed, though I could tell they were worried about our chances.
The last quarter of the journey was the hardest. The acid seemed to increase in strength as we approached the Neutralization Chamber. Our protective coatings failed more quickly. Pain became our constant companion.
Some blobs around us gave up, letting the acid take them. Others pressed on with grim determination, their forms badly damaged but spirits unbroken.
Crimson was still ahead, now moving more slowly. Even the red blob's powerful resistance was failing against the relentless acid.
When the Neutralization Chamber was finally within reach-perhaps a hundred lengths away-the system threw one final challenge at us.
"Purification Wave approaching," announced the system voice. "Seek elevation immediately."
I didn't know what a Purification Wave was, but it sounded dangerous.
"There!" Viridian pointed to a tall rock formation. "We need to climb!"
We rushed to the rocks, helping each other climb as quickly as possible. Citrus struggled the most, their damaged form lacking strength.
"I can't make it," Citrus said, slipping back down.
"Yes, you can!" I stretched down, forming a rope-like extension for Citrus to climb. Sapphire and Viridian did the same.
Together, we pulled Citrus up just as a massive wave of concentrated acid swept across the plains below. Blobs caught in the wave dissolved instantly, their colors washed away in seconds.
From our high perch, I could see the Neutralization Chamber clearly now. It was a white dome-like structure that seemed to repel the acid around it.
"We're so close," Sapphire said. "But how do we get there with these waves coming?"
"The waves have patterns," Viridian observed. "They come every few minutes, then there's a calm period."
"So we time our final run between waves," I concluded.
We waited, watching as another wave swept through. As soon as it passed, we descended and began our final push toward the chamber.
The ground was more damaged than ever after the waves, the acid deeper and more concentrated. Every movement brought fresh agony as our already damaged forms continued to dissolve.
"Almost there," I encouraged as the white dome grew closer.
Fifty lengths... Forty... Thirty...
"Wave coming!" Viridian warned, their perception detecting the danger before the rest of us.
We were too far from any tall rocks. There was nowhere to climb.
"Run!" I shouted, pushing my damaged body to its limit.
We raced toward the Neutralization Chamber, the acid wave building behind us. Twenty lengths... Ten...
The wave was gaining on us. I could feel its caustic spray on my back surface.
Five lengths... The chamber entrance was right there!
With a final desperate surge, we reached the doorway. I pushed Citrus through first, then Sapphire and Viridian. I was last, diving through just as the wave crashed against the chamber walls.
Inside, cool white light surrounded us. The pain stopped immediately. I felt a soothing sensation as the chamber began repairing our damaged forms. The dissolved sections began to regenerate, but not as they were before.
Where acid had eaten away my blue-green surface, new colors formed. Green became more dominant in some areas. The orange veins grew thicker. And something new appeared-patches of acid-resistant purple spreading across my form.
When the regeneration finished, we all looked different. Sapphire's blue had developed protective clear layers that refracted light in beautiful patterns. Viridian's yellow-green had darkened to a more forest-like shade with purple highlights. Citrus had transformed the most, their yellow-orange now showing significant red and green elements where the worst damage had occurred.
I examined my new form with fascination. My surface was now a complex pattern of blue-green with purple patches and orange veins running throughout. Where I had once been smooth, I now had varied textures-some areas hard and protective, others flexible and flowing.
"Third trial complete," the system voice announced. "Advancement achieved."
A green doorway appeared at the far end of the chamber, leading to the next Haven.
"We made it," Sapphire said, their voice filled with relief and wonder.
"Thanks to all of us working together," I added.
Citrus rolled closer. "You saved me. I won't forget that."
"What happens now?" Viridian asked.
"We rest, recover, and prepare for the next trial," I said, looking toward the green doorway.
Crimson appeared from another part of the chamber, looking significantly changed. The red blob was now darker, with black flame patterns and new gray sections that looked like armor.
"Impressive," Crimson said, studying our transformations. "You're evolving faster than most. Especially you, Luck."
"Is that a good thing?" I asked.
"Good? Bad? Doesn't matter," Crimson replied. "It's just... interesting. The system notices unusual patterns."
With that cryptic comment, Crimson rolled through the green doorway, disappearing to the next Haven.
"Should we be worried about what Crimson meant?" Sapphire asked.
"Maybe," I admitted. "But right now, let's just be happy we survived."
Together, we moved toward the green doorway, ready to see what waited on the other side. As I passed through, I felt myself changing again-not physically this time, but mentally. Each trial taught me something new about myself and this strange, colorful world.
The acid had eaten away parts of me, but what grew back was stronger. More complex. More capable.