In the real world—Far from the forsaken world.
A figure has emerged from a silhouette that resembles an alluring woman. Her stance was elegant and graceful. Yet that elegance and race were radiating her calm resilience.
She wore intricate, flowing robes that whispered of wisdom and authority earned over a lifetime. A deep hood covered her head, and beneath it, her entire face was shrouded behind her veil which was a skin-tight black mask—so flawless and sleek that not even her eyes could be seen. It felt as if her identity had been wiped away , her features concealed in perpetual awe or mystery.
Her dark cloak was glimmering with intricate silver embroidery and adorn with patterns that resemble A Three Eyed Raven— showcasing her origin that she was no ordinary person, but someone with boundless and dept authority.
She stood before an enormous, ancient looking gate. On either side of the gate, two knights stood firm, clad in a obsidian-black armor which had silver veined like cracked stone. Their swords were pointed downward, tips resting against the stone floor, hands placed solemnly atop the hilts at their centers.
As the robed woman approached, the knights raised their blades in unison, then brought the tips crashing down against the floor with a resounding "Clang" that echoed through the chamber.
"Announcing the presence of—
Lady Elena Darksky Custos Secretorum
The Secret Keeper
Master of Ravens
Matriarch of the Great House of Darksky, requests to meet His Lordship,"
That announcement happened in perfect synchronisation.
With a silent wave, those massive gate creaked open,
With that she steps forward into the growing shadows, moving with her grace and elegance. As the shadows swallowed her form, she moved toward a grand, towering throne shrouded in swirling gray mist—it gave the impression that it was occupied, and the person who occupied it was not a simple man.
Without any hesitation, she knelt before it, lowering her head in reverence.
"My lordship… the young master has been founded," she said, with her voice calm and reverent.
Then it happened.
The mist didn't just fade—it vanished.
A wave of pressure burst out, from that grand throne it was not any ordinary pressure but a pressure of pure, suffocating authority that was filled with raw dominion and thunder. That surge of pressure declaring a presence—the man on that throne needed no introduction.
The fog cleared instantly. Darkness steps back.
And on that there were—two eyes glowing in white-blue colour like a thunderlight, peering down from the throne like twin bolts frozen in space. That was all she could see. No face. No armor.. Just those beautiful eyes and piercing eyes that were piercing her soul.
The man seated on the grand towering throne—, the current head of the Divine House of storm.
The king of Skyfall Sovereignty
The man known as Herald of the Storm.
"Where is he?" he asked, his voice like a rumble drawn from the very heart of storm gathering— it was low, thunderous, and filled with commanding authority.
The lady Elena stood up with unshakable poise, her posture straight and resolute. Her face was still completely obscured and flawless by the skin-tight veil; it was smooth as glass and dark as Midnight—no eyes, no mouth, no visible skin, the only thing that remained was her presence and the silence that was stretching, across the hall with thick with reverence, before her voice finally cut through—Absolute silence.
"Outer Region of Sector 4… Awakening Centre," she answered.
Once again the rumbling of Storm sounded and
said, " Take the six Cloudpiercer and four Silent Gale… Bring him back to the house. The six-month agreement has ended."
As those words left his mouth, the vast hall responded to his command.
From both sides of the hall, three knights emerged in total six knights through the dark stone walls—they were clad in obsidian armor adorned with many murals In white-gold. They stepped forward in unison, then dropped to one knee, heads bowed low in reverence.
Then, from the four corners of the chamber, the four shadows became alive. The Four figures wore a robe that was shimmering with strange energy, and their forms seemed to blur at the edges. It was not like a solid cloth, instead it was similar to a very dense fluid.They started slithered across the floor with unnatural moments and knelt before the foot of the grand towering throne in a perfect unison, bowed their heads in front of their lord.
Cloudpiercer and Silent Gale were the sides of a coin.
Cloudpiercer is the clean side which was composed of an elite order of knights at rank 6 Ascendant, known for their honor, unshakable loyalty, and swift justice.
Where as
Silent Gale is composed of people whose identities are unknown; they are notorious for their assassin skill and speciality clean and finding dirt.
After hearing this order Elina Darksky bowed her head deeply and said "As you ordered, my lordship."
She turned, her robes sweeping soundlessly over the floor as she departed from the vast hall with six cloudpiercer knights and four Silent Gale following her. Behind her, was the grand towering throne room gates which began to close. The sound of steel grinding against stone echoed in a single wave after that it started to reclaim its silence and mist.
The eyes of the Head Of Divine House Of Storm began to close once more.
Meanwhile…
In the Trial World.
A blur streak that was zipping across the sky resembling a shooting star—no, it was a predator that was flying in the sky.
A boy, shrouded in a dark cloak with black wings on his back, with a swift motion he plunged directly downwards towards the creature beneath him. His right arm missing, yet his left hand grip upon a handle of short sword, it was a simple looking blade gleaming with metallic luster.
With a savage cry, he plunges the short sword straight into the monster's neck, that impact echoes like a thunder strike. The monster tried to roar—but it was too late.
>Ding!
[You have slain a Wendor.]
He twisted the blade and began to take it out from the body of the monster, but that strike was enough he didn't need to twist the sword because it already tore it through as he took out his sword, blood sprayed into the air like crimson rain.
He lifted his head and gaze at the crimson rain and he muttered "The hunt season had ended."
It had been five weeks since he entered this world and two weeks since the Great Massacre Misfortune—the night he was on the edge of the gateway of hell.
The memories of the night were still haunting him, biting at the edge of his mind like a parasite. Now, he was seated beside the fallen monster that he just slain, wiping blood from his blade. The stench of monster fur and fresh blood began to clung on his body. After wiping blood he began to butcher his gain. His hands moved with calm and efficient motion—carving, peeling, salvaging but his thought was still stuck on the memories of that night. He was glazing in his memory. Breaking the silent surrounding he said "I nearly died that night."
"But I didn't die."
"I survived."
"And now, I am butchering and cleaning the monster." No emotion showing on his face, but his each motion was a testament to his resolve.
"And I will survive this Trial of misery and leave this forsaken world."
His death emotionless eyes began to shine with a gleam of confidence.
By the time he finished butchering, the sky had surrendered to dusk. Cold wind began to roll in, brushing against the raw edges of twilight.
He tied the useful part of the carcass and slung it over his shoulder and took to the skies once more, gliding through the open air. His destination was the Hollow Tree Den—the tomb where he currently lives and stores his gains.
He dropped the meat at the entrance where he had laid a hide carpet, after sometime he started carving off tender slices for his meal. Soon, the scent of roasting flesh began to mingle with the air. The fire was cracking and dancing, it was the only voice he could hear in a peaceful mind because the speaker of other voices only wanted to eat him.
Kael sat cross-legged, gaze distant.
It was the trial tab.
« Seeker's Trial of Misery »
Description: Escape if you can.
Time Limit: Infinity.
"It's been nearly five weeks since I arrived in this damned world," he muttered. "Still no clue how to return... and the trial shows no sign of ending."
His gaze drifted toward the horizon—toward the jagged tall Mountains which were clawing at the sky with an aloof demeanor.
He narrowed his eyes. "If the answers to my escape lie within those damned peaks… then I have no choice but to climb. Even if it means walking over my own corpse."
A long sigh escaped him. His hand ran through tangled hair.
"It's either that… or rot in this godforsaken place."
A pause.
Then he clenched his remaining fist.
"No. That's not how this ends. I won't let it."
After eating his fill, Kael cleared the area where he had cooked the monster's flesh. He gathered the leftover bones and useless scraps, tossing them far from the camp to avoid attracting monsters. And when inside the trunk hole laid himself down. The fire outside crackled low, casting dancing shadows into the hole.
His body was settling on the rough bed—which was made up of hide and leave; it was a bit itchy , but it kept him warm than the cold earth. His eyes stared upward into the dark curve of the tree's interior.
Exhaustion was still clung to him like a fog. His breathing slowed. Muscles relaxing.
The world began to dim.
And Kael begins to drift between sleep and the silence of the world while letting go of his burdens—just for a moment—as he sank into the deep embrace of rest.