Shaking his groggy head, Todd was still a little confused about what had happened.
Was everything just an illusion...?
Todd crawled to Rachel's side and checked the woman over, then breathed a sigh of relief after confirming she was unharmed.
"Wake up, wake up!" Todd gently shook Rachel, who groggily opened her eyes.
"Where am I?" Lying in Todd's arms, Rachel looked around and whispered, "I was just dragged underground by the vines."
Todd looked at the flowers swaying gently in the wind on the branches and seemed to understand something: "Everything we've seen might be related to these flowers, maybe it's pollen... Anyway, we must leave here immediately!"
The two helped each other and quickly left the strange place.
Walking on the cobblestone path, the mist in the air gradually thinned, and in the distance, hidden among the forests and mountains, a magnificent temple slowly came into view.
Looking back at the garden with lingering fear, Todd said to Rachel, "I understand the inscription on the stone tablet a little better now... The hallucination just now seems to trigger memories deep within the heart. If one's will is not strong, one may very well lie there forever in the flowers."
Rachel's face was still somewhat somber. She gripped Todd's arm and shook her head, saying, "There, I saw the nightmare I least wanted to see. If possible, perhaps we should talk about something else."
Todd nodded slightly and, using his "Eagle Eye" ability, gazed into the distance towards the temple mountain, where he saw the second statue of the goddess.
The two quickened their pace and arrived at the statue in ten minutes.
This stone statue depicts a goddess holding a spear and a round shield, with a lion-headed, scorpion-tailed beast under her feet.
Rachel tried to decipher the text again.
"The path...the guidance...the power...the trial...the gate of darkness"
Todd touched the bridge of his nose and speculated, "The inscription on the stone tablet earlier said 'will,' but this time it says 'power.' Does that mean we'll have to fight this time?"
After walking around the stone statues and through a long underground corridor, the two entered a building resembling an ancient Roman arena. The space was about the size of a football field, and when they stood at the entrance and looked to the other side, they couldn't see the end of it.
Walking a little further ahead, broken weapons and shattered shields are scattered everywhere on the ground, along with human bones and animal remains.
"Congratulations to the test-takers who have come from afar for passing the test of 'will'."
A clear, cool female voice echoed across the vast arena.
Todd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman with a mask on her face, wearing a robe made of raven feathers, standing on a high viewing platform, looking down below.
"The trial of 'strength' was supposed to follow, but it seems your trial subject was just killed by someone else." The raven-feathered woman looked towards the distant sky: "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while..."
There's no need for that.
An aged voice came from the other end of the arena.
An old man with a hunched back, accompanied by a young girl, slowly walked towards Todd, stepping on the bones beneath his feet.
Sabrina laughed and tossed the things she was holding to Todd and Rachel.
A bloody lion's head, about half a meter long, rolled to their feet.
Seeing the old man lift the hood of his cloak, Todd's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Clarence?!"
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