Sacril struggled and eventually stood up, limping at a moderately fast pace as fast as he could away from the gargantuan falling blade.
however it was no use; the shadow of the blade was so massive that all light was blocked out, and his surroundings were now pitch black.
The crashing and snapping sounds of the chains above him were getting closer and closer. About 15 seconds passed by, and he finally stopped and looked up in despair.
"Well, I tried to make it out, but there was no hidden way or anything I could find; it seems this really is impossible after all."
His lips curled up in a faint smile, and he held up his arms
"If this is how I have to die, then so be it, im done struggling, damn that world anyway."
He closed his eyes, and the blade crashed through the last of the chains, which had never stood a chance either.
*CuCHUNK*
A blinding light made its way through Sacril's closed eyelids. A moment later, he tentatively opened them.
Two massive, radiant golden chains were actually managing to hold off the falling blade; strangely, they had definitely not been there before, as there had definitely been no light in this place moments before the blade had been about to crush him and the entire landscape.
"Could this be the way out? but... how?"
But just as he wondered this, a crack formed in one of the chains.
"Oh."
Just as fast as the chains had appeared, they were blown apart, and Sacril didn't even have time to feel disappointment before being killed by the massive falling blade.
.
.
.
cold stone lay beneath him.
He shot up, clutching at his head and frantically patting down his body, which had just had the very unfortunate sensation of being crushed to death inflicted upon it.
A few moments of gasping for air in a panic later, he looked around, his vision still a blur; he was just able to make out that he was in an ornate stone room.
Some time later, he shakily stood to his feet, noting that not only was he fine, but even the injuries from when he first arrived were gone, his body felt stronger and full of vitality.
Looking around, he saw that one wall had some markings on it, another had a door, and the other had a window.
He walked over to the window to see what was outside of this strange place.
There wasn't.
That is to say, the window was there, but outside, the space simply ended.
There was not even blackness outside, just a strange nothing that made sacrils head hurt immensely and forced him to turn away.
He quickly headed over to the other wall and looked at the strange markings.
They began glowing moments later, the light floated into the air and formed words he could understand.
[Greetings, newborn. Welcome to the place where you will learn about your new life. This language should be understandable to you, but once you enter the world, you will likely have to create your own. This place will not teach about such things, only the basics of your existence.]
Sacril shuddered as he read, feeling as though this message wasn't originally intended for him; nevertheless, as more light floated to form new messages, he continued reading.
[What you are exactly, I have no idea. however the upcoming tests should be able to tell you a lot about yourself. Please receive what is given to you at this time.]
A flash of light alerted Sacril. On the back wall, where there had previously been nothing, there was now an armor stand; on it was a helmet, a set of armor, and a sword.
Hearing no further instructions, he walked over and placed a hand on the armor.
With a flash of light, the armor equipped itself to his body, the helmet did the same, and the sword simply allowed itself to be picked up without much resistance.
All this surely would have been too much for Sacril's previous malnourished and skinny form. Well, he was still thin; he had new muscles that barely showed through on his form ever since he had come to this place.
He noted that the armor was of a strange design, definitely not something he would choose to wear; it was bronze, heavy, and patterned with two golden lions on the breastplate. The helmet was also of the same shape.
He took a moment to think to himself, many questions in his mind, but no one to answer them anywhere near him.
'Was that not my Materialization? I should be dead, so was that something else? Why am I still here?'
He shook it off and headed for the door. A ball of light followed him and once again formed words before him.
[The way forward will test your skill, your attributes, and your adaptability.]
Opening the door, Sacril entered the hallway. He sighed as he heard a closing sound behind him and looked back to see that the door was gone.
looking forward. His eyes met those of a small, strange man, who was sweeping the floor of the hallway.
He stared at the man, who shrank back, in evident terror.
Sacril's mind raced.
'What the.. I thought the trial would be a fight between me and some kind of monster. What am I supposed to do with just this small guy here?'
"Uh... sir? Is s-something the matter?"
Sacril continued staring in utter confusion.
'Sir? Do I even look like a sir? What is this and how do I fit into it?'
The man was visibly trembling and had a gleam of sweat on his forehead. Sacril suddenly took notice of this and improvised a line on the spot.
"No, of Course not, do carry on."
With that, he walked past the man. A few seconds later, he heard the soft thud as he fell to the ground, finally unable to keep himself upright.
Sacril had a little theory about where he had been sent, and was now deciding to test it out for himself.
As he walked down the hallway, more and more side paths appeared, until finally there was a door, and outside the door was light.
He paused just outside of it and stared.
He was, in fact, no longer in the strange stone room.
Taking a step outside, he marvelled at the unbelievable view before him.
an ancient city of stone, its walls almost as tall as the third city that had been his wretched home for so long.
But this was a marvel of ancient architecture, towers, cathedrals, and the building that he stood in was the centerpiece of all this, a massive castle, separated from the rest of the city by a moat as well as a smaller set of walls, with four draw bridges on the four cardinal directions.
The familiar ball of light popped up beside him at that moment, and for some reason, a chill ran down his spine.
[The Golden Kingdom: Roikos]
[The Siege of Roikos 23:58]
As he stared at the second line of text, the ominous chill turned into a cold hand grabbing him by the heart.
[23:57]