In the darkness of a dimly lit room, a person lay on the bed in the center of the room, his chest rising and falling in time with his heartbeat. His bare torso was covered in bandages down to his abdomen, and the silence in the room was broken by the sound of his breathing.
After a while, the person lying there painfully opened his eyes. Those blue eyes seemed to shine in the dimly lit room.
Dazed by his situation, he didn't know how long he had been in that place, nor how long he had been asleep. As he tried to sit up, a flood of memories flooded his head.
He remembered Felix's ambush and betrayal, the dragon's attack, and being pierced, and the last memory he had was his fall into the red river.
The person sitting in this room was Harsh. He could be recognized by the red mane on his head. He tried to stand up but fell. His feet were weak and couldn't support him. He didn't know how long he had been inactive, but he knew he had to get out of this place. He managed to get up, forced his legs to walk, and then arrived at the door. He managed to open it but faced a long corridor dimly lit by torches that were placed at regular intervals.
Harsh leaned against one of the corridor's walls and began to move. He didn't know how long he had been walking, but he had to move forward because he didn't want to worry the others unnecessarily. As he walked, he passed through countless corridors. He felt like he was in a maze, but he only followed his instincts. Then he arrived at a door, the first door he'd seen since leaving the room that served as his bedroom.
Without hesitation, he opened the door. The room behind the door was vast and, unlike the corridors, it wasn't lit. But thanks to his good eyesight and the fact that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could see a throne and vaguely make out the features of a man sitting on the throne.
"So you've woken up?" the person said.
The man's voice was calm, a mixture of calm, authority, and power, and it sent shivers down Harsh's spine.
"Don't tense up, I don't mean you any harm," the man said, then muttered under his breath. "After all, you've come this far." But Harsh couldn't listen to that.
Then the man snapped his fingers, and the room they were both in was flooded with light.
As Harsh's eyes adjusted to the light, a majestic view unfolded before him. The room was made of white marble from floor to ceiling. The pillars were made of marble and gold, and the throne, which was elevated above, was made of white marble and had shades of gold and dark blue. Apart from the throne, the entire room was empty.
The man sitting on the throne was tall and had an imposing build. He resembled a warrior who had trodden many battlefields, and an impressive aura emanated from him.
He had similar white hair that fell down his back, and his eyes, like a barely controlled whirlwind, were purple, giving him an unearthly appearance. He wore a red shirt topped with a blue jacket and black pants with black shoes.
Although intimidated, Harsh mustered his courage and addressed the man in front of him, saying, "Where are we?"
"We are in my temple, also known as the Temple of Trials," he replied.
"And how did I get here?" Harsh asked, as he didn't understand how he had arrived in this place.
The man replied with a smile. "You came here all alone."
"What do you mean!?" Harsh replied in surprise.
"You'd better watch and you'll soon understand," the man said.
Then he snapped his fingers and the air rippled, and suddenly the atmosphere of the place changed, and Harsh was reliving the moment he fell into the river.
The current was strong, but despite his efforts to get out, he couldn't, and he lost consciousness. After surviving several waterfalls, his body arrived near a clearing. Just then, while unconscious, his body began to move as if moved by a superior force.
After walking for a while, he arrived in front of a cave, which he entered before collapsing once and for all.
Then they both reappeared in the white room.
"So that's how you got here."
Then he added, "You must have an impressive body to have survived this situation," the man said.
"Thank you, I'm told that often," Harsh replied.
"Then after that, I found you and treated your wounds," the man added.
Harsh was amazed by everything that had just happened, because he didn't understand how the man in front of him had been able to access memories that even he couldn't recall, and how his body could move while he was unconscious.
Then he asked him, "How did you gain access to my memories?"
"I used a technique that allows me to delve into the last few days of your life with precision," the mysterious person replied.
"I see," Harsh said.
"Aren't you surprised?" the man replied.
"Just a few weeks ago, I was attacked by a dragon, so that won't surprise me."
Then he continued and said, "Although I find it odd that someone is searching my memory."
"So you were attacked by a dragon?" the man asked, intrigued.
"Yes, me and my group," Harsh replied.
"So they're back!?" the man whispered, out of Harsh's hearing.
Then Harsh said, "I'm grateful for the care you've given me." he said.
After a moment of silence, he continued, "But it's time for me to go home."
"You can go home if you want," he said.
Then he continued, saying, "But I think you've come this far for a reason. You have the qualifications to receive my teachings, so do you want to leave and ruin your potential, or stay here and learn how to use this energy that has just awakened within you?" the man said.
Harsh remained silent for a moment, deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons.
Then he said, "What is this energy you just spoke of?"
"It's spiritual energy. Unlike mana, which is an external energy source that must be absorbed, spiritual energy is an energy that lies dormant in every living being. However, it is difficult, if not impossible, to awaken because humans have lost the ability to use it. But you are different because it is this energy that brought you here."
"If I stay here, will I become strong?"
"You'll be so strong that even if you wanted to lose, you wouldn't be able to," the man replied with a smirk.
"Okay, I see, but I'd like to know your name," Harsh asked.
"I'm Albion," he replied with a smile.
"So when do we start training, Albion?" Harsh asked, excited and happy to have a chance to become strong and improve.
"When you're fully recovered," Albion said.
"But I feel fit," Harsh replied.
"This place, as I said, is called the Temple of Trials. You will be tested again and again, and your body will reach its limit many times over. So for you to train in the right conditions, you will need to rest and be in better shape than you are now," Albion said.
Then he snapped his fingers, and an armored being appeared and said to him, "Take him to the bathroom so he can take a medicinal bath."
And he addressed Harsh, saying, "During this month, you will take medicinal baths to restore and strengthen your body, because the training ahead will be tough."
"Okay, I understand," Harsh replied, then left with the armored newcomer.
After he left, Albion smiled, for he had been waiting centuries to meet someone as special and worthy of his teaching as Harsh.
And so Harsh began his training with Albion. And he would spend many years training and mastering his new abilities.
But what he didn't know was that through this training, he would reach such a level of power that it would shatter established norms and human understanding of the world.
A/N: I know I said this chapter was supposed to be posted last Sunday, but I changed my mind because I'm going to be on a break for a week or two, so I thought I'd update it this week.
Regarding the hiatus, it's not a withdrawal or anything like that; it's just a temporary hiatus, and it will allow me to recharge my batteries, gain better ideas, and read other works that might inspire me. Regarding the length of the hiatus, as I mentioned above, it will last between a week and two.I'm just saying this in case, but if we reach 5000 reads, I'll post 5 new chapters.
Thank you for reading Rise of the Invincible Warrior. I hope you'll still be here for the rest of the work.