The spider convulsed on the Slaughter's gain before finally giving into death's grasp. He extracted his blade and decided it was best to keep it on hand just in case.
His soul flame reserves were waning as he extracted the mark he had placed into the spider. He touched the spider's head and watched as his hand sank through and grabbed the stars that sat within its soul.
He removed them from the spider and let them float back into his own soul. He then proceeded to cut off one of the spider's fangs and kept it in his bracelet before he heard something fall.
Tai had collapsed on the ground with his body beginning to shiver as the bulge had now reached his left cheek.
"Tai, please hold on a little longer"
He helped Tai onto his shoulder and walked him out of the room, where another path, which did not glow and had no crystals.
Hal hastened his thoughts until he finally reached the next door, its crystals appeared like mirrors that reflected their images and had the picture of the red fang on it.
The image on it also had a depression for which the red fang could be fixed, and without further hesitation, he flicked his wrist and released the fang that he placed into its place.
A deep voice resounded from the door.
"You have successfully completed the first trial. Please administer this antidote"
The door shook as a small compartment on the door opened and revealed a small cup with a red substance inside.
Hal took the cup and hurried to Tai's side, and lifted his head from the ground.
"Hey, buddy, hurry up and drink this"
Tai slowly opened his eyes and allowed Hal to slowly pour the antidote into his mouth; his body began to shake violently.
Tai was sweating immensely, but Hal decided not to panic, as soon enough, his friend's body calmed down, and the red, bulging veins on his body began to disappear slowly.
Tai smiled at Hal in a mocking manner, although there was still pain in his eyes.
"Hey, blue eyes, stop worrying so much, I'm not dead yet"
Hal let Tai's head fall to the ground, and he stood up and left his side
"Let's not waste time and hurry up to the next destination"
The voice resounded again and spoke to the two raiders with a joyful tone, as if happy about their achievement
"Now you will face a more sinister foe, and just to give you time to recover, this monster has no minions of its own that you will fight along the way. Instead, it has something else to bring to the table. I hope you and your companions survive, son"
The doors opened and let the two of them pass, and as the voice said, there were no monsters waiting to ambush them and weaken them along the way
Hal was already low on soul flame, so encountering abominations along the way wouldn't be the most efficient
The path had crystals that covered the walls were not made of many colours like those they had met before, but instead all appeared like mirrors, making the path they walked upon a little eerie
They reached the next trial room, where they saw a huge serpent coiled on the ground. It stirred slightly when they entered the room, causing the two to pause for a minute and wait for it to calm down
The serpent had scales that looked like mirrors overlapping each other as they moved across the creature's body
The monster stirred once more before returning to its peaceful slumber. Tai whispered to Hal in a hushed voice that needed Hal to activate his ability and heighten his sense of hearing to actually hear what he was saying
"Let's slay it before it wakes up, you pass in front of it, and I'll pass behind it"
Hal agreed to the idea, and the two of them split up to slay the beast. Hal was careful with his steps as he tiptoed around the serpent
Hal turned on the Owl's eyes and stared at the serpent as he finally reached its head, only to see its eyes open; they were blue and mirror-like, as Hal saw himself in the reflection
He couldn't help but let out a chuckle as the creature smiled at him
"You little son of…"
The monster let out a hiss that pushed Hal back before it rose to reveal a head that had a frill with several mirror-like horns growing from it.
Its body was long and appeared almost serpentine, and four mirror scales covered its legs, which it used to climb up the wall and stare down at them.
The creature hissed and revealed a tongue that, just like the rest of its body, was a mirror. The creature had a long, powerful tail that let out a sound similar to that of shattering glass.
"Don't tell me, it's going to launch projectiles at us"
Hal had never been so distressed about being wrong because at a moment's notice, the abomination jumped down and struck at Tai with its claws and slammed its tail into Hal at full force
The two of them blocked, though Hal still found himself crouching to the ground. He stared up and saw Tai take on the beast
He used its sword to block before lashing out at the scales, causing them to fall from its body, but the creature always grew more. There must be a reason why
His legs trembled as he stood up, and he knew his soul flame reserves were already running out, but one more King's edge would surely turn this battle around
He began pumping soul flame into the dagger, but at that moment, he saw the creature turn its attention to him and leap towards him with great speed
He jumped up and dodged the creature's blows right before twisting mid-air to deliver a strike right on its forehead
Pieces of glass flew into the air, but the creature still smiled as it grabbed him with its tail and crushed him into the ground
Hal felt his body break as he struggled to catch his breath. His vision became blurred, and his body went numb. He heard Tai scream at him as he slashed at the beast, driving it away
He coughed up blood as he rose and gritted his teeth
"Only one choice left, I will mark you"
He rose from the ground and staggered as the creature once again left Tai and raced towards him. Tai screamed as he stared at the beast and tried to mark it.
Then he saw it; in every scale was a reflection of him, and each reflection was smiling at him with a sinister grin.
"Each scale is a spectre, and they have made me fall into their trap"
His lips twisted into a sinister smile, and the rest of his body froze. He resisted the control, but there were too many spectres, and the creature was just more powerful
But he managed to send one more message, he moved his eyes and stared at Tai, a sinister grin still on his lips
"Tai, circles, beware the mirrors do not stare into the mirrors like I have done twice now"
He moved his eyes back and saw the monster's jaws open in front of him. A part of him hoped Tai would save him, but he knew it was too late as the creature swallowed him whole
And the last word he heard was his name
"Haaaaaaal!"