Zack looked at Kharon and Freya as he asked, "Isn't this a bit too much? If he doesn't manage to stop that meteorite then he will be flattened. The Room of Trials is meant to give achievable trials isn't it?!"
Looking indifferently at the descending meteorite, Kharon answered, "The fact that this is his trial means that he can do it. The room won't give you something you can't achieve."
"But what if he is delusional?"
Kharon's lips curled into a smile as he remained silent. Zack nervously turned towards Freya who looked unfazed by the situation. In the now broken city, Philip was still struggling against gravity. His legs had sunk into the concrete ground, forming a little crater. The area around him was filled with rocks and broken shards of glass.
'He has to use arcana and enhance himself. Considering his intelligence, he must know that using his abilities isn't an option. Especially because none of them can work on inanimate objects. If he can create a runeweave then he could amplify his strength and stop the meteorite... Now that I think about it, this trial requires both strength and wit. Could it be that the room is giving him two trials at once...?'
Philip looked up at the meteorite as he lifted his fingers one at a time. A faint stream of energy slowly flowed as he began drawing strange symbols. His fingers quivered and creaked under the immense pressure. With painstaking accuracy and finesse, he completed his tapestry of runes. The weave quickly flew into his chest as he began moving out of the little crater he had formed.
He took slow, steady steps as he left the crater. The ground beneath his feet seemed to stand still despite the trembling in the surrounding areas. Philip slowly made his way to a building as he reached for the cracks in its walls, scaling it slowly.
Freya crossed her arms as she smiled before looking at Kharon. Their eyes met as they nodded at each other. With bewilderment, Zack stepped closer to Kharon and asked in a timid voice, "What is going on? I am a bit confused. Why is he walking so slowly when the meteorite is fast approaching the ground?! Shouldn't he just jump onto the roof of the building and stop the meteorite?"
"That would result in him failing the trial. The aim of the trial is to stop the meteorite from hitting and fully destroying the city. But Philip also has to make sure he doesn't destroy the city. He has enhanced his strength and isn't under as much strain as before. But that doesn't mean that gravity isn't working on the surroundings."
Zack's eyes slightly widened as he nodded and answered, "If he jumps, then the whole city may be destroyed because of how much energy would be released. The sheer shockwave would flatten at least half of the city. I don't know how I didn't realise..."
Philip carefully felt around for little crevaces as he climbed higher. He was already halfway there as he found the best hand and footholds. As he walked on the building's roof, he felt it slowly crumbling with each step he took. He let out a long sigh as the meteorite inched closer.
Closing his eyes, he raised his right hand and with his forefinger, touched his forehead, lips and heart. Upon doing this, he seemed to gain a bright spark in his eyes as he began creating a runeweave. His hands flew in all directions as hundreds of runes began floating and spinning in unison. They all seemed to share one goal as they connected together.
A massive tapestry was created as it flew upwards towards the meteorite at great speeds. As it made contact, the towering object began to shrink and slow down. Kharon watched as Philip maintained the effect with a continuous stream of foreign runes as they formed a long line.
'Just as I thought. He can use a few ancient runes. I will ask him about them later. For now, I must say his performance has been exceptional. He has shown his strength and intelligence with this display. All that is left is the trial of trust, or the trial of character.'
The meteorite had gone from the size of a city to being no bigger than a building. As it was merely ten meters away, Philip drew his final rune before raising his hands. The meteorite pushed him downwards with great force as the building's roof fell under the pressure, but as he was about to fall, Philip jumped before punching the meteorite. The entire building collapsed as the giant rock slowly cracked and crumbled into pieces.
Philip landed on the ground as a huge crater formed under his feet. His clothes were torn and his body was covered in bloody bruises. He looked up at the sky as he smiled cockily, revealing a row of bloodied teeth. Kharon smiled as well as he snapped his fingers. The ruined city began to shrink as the sky folded in on itself and all the dust and rubble began to vanish.
In its place a clean, white room appeared. There were many different luxuries such as sofas, rows of food, different changes of clothes and more. Philip analysed the room as he looked at himself. His wounds were quickly healing and his tattered robes began mending themselves. He smiled as he walked towards the long buffet of meals. He quickly picked up a plate as he loaded it with different meals.
As he ate, he spoke up as he asked, "Did that trial count as two? It required more than just brute strength and endurance."
A white crystal suddenly appeared in front of Kharon who was silently watching Philip's little feast. He spoke into the crystal as he answered, "Yes. That was a double trial. You only have one more to go. Once you complete it, you will become one of us. This trial will be a lot different from the one you just had. So prepare yourself."
Philip quickly finished his meal as he said, "I am ready to start."
Kharon once again snapped his fingers as the white room began to morph and change. A bright light came from the ceiling as Philip found himself inside a room filled with mirrors. He looked at each one carefully as he slowly spun around. All he could see was himself. As he walked towards one of the mirrors, he noticed a subtle movement as he turned around to see someone. It was him.
The replica's lips curled into an eerie smile, whispering something indecipherable. His lips moved but no sound came out. Just as Philip was about to speak, he heard an overwhelming shrill sound in his ears. The mirrors in the room began to shatter one by one as he looked around. His hands clutched at his bleeding ears. He could no longer see his replica, but a voice was constantly whispering in his ears. As he looked around, he saw several people lying on the ground, barely breathing.
Above them was him, holding a knife. He heard voices screaming at him as they chanted, "Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!"
As Philip closed his eyes, he opened them in the next second as he felt the cold, hilt of the knife in his hands. He began trembling as he looked at the two people beneath him.
"Kill them and the pain will stop. Kill them and you will be free."
Holding the knife high, Philip was about to plunge the knife into the defenceless people's bodies. But a soft, delicate voice whispered in his ears, "Don't do this. Revenge isn't the way. Move on without me, brother."
Red drops began flowing from Philip's eyes as he cried. The knife slipped from his hands with a clank as he knelt down. He looked at the two figures in anger as he stood up and said, "You aren't worth my time. You may have killed her, but I won't let rage and hatred consume me. Just you wait. You will get what you deserve very soon."
Philip walked past them as he touched the wall in front of him. He felt its slick, cold texture as he moved his hand around it. After a few seconds, he punched it as he walked into a blinding, white light. Once he opened his eyes, he found himself in the white room with food and luxurious items. Standing before him were three distinct figures. A man with long black hair and pale skin. He towered over Philip who was of average stature. The man's cold eyes seemed to stare directly at his soul.
"You are the Architect."
Philip slightly bowed as he looked at Kharon. The other two figures introduced themselves as, "The Enforcer and the Warden." The tall, pale man stepped closer to him as he said, "What name will you choose, Philip Graystone?"
Philip stood still as he thought about it before smiling as he said, "The Flamekeeper."
"Welcome, Flamekeeper."
Kharon reached into his bag as he handed Philip a ring. Philip looked at it for a few seconds before outstretching his hand. Then, as he took the ring, he smiled and whispered, "This is the beginning of something big. Isn't it?"