I, the slave boy, awaken with the most potent seed!!

Chapter 56: First sacrifice

Aurelia's eyes widened as the bridge creaked ominously. She scrambled, her pouch overflowing with gold and gems. "No, no! This can't be happening!" she cried, desperately trying to fit everything back in.

"Forget the treasure!" Zafron shouted, grabbing her arm. "The bridge is collapsing!"

"No!" Aurelia protested. The bridge groaned under Aurelia's weight, splintering wood cracking beneath her feet. She scrambled to fit the jewels back into her pouch, her fingers trembling. "I can't lose these!" she gasped, trying to shove the overflowing treasures inside.

Zafron's eyes tracked the shuddering bridge. 'Each time she picks up more riches, the bridge shudders more,' he thought, his mind racing. 'Her weight is exacerbating the damage. If she doesn't let go, the bridge won't hold much longer.'

He watched her desperate efforts with a mix of admiration and concern. 'She's risking everything for these treasures, but we can't afford to lose both her and the riches.'

"Aurelia, we have to leave!!" Zafron shouted, watching helplessly from a safe distance.

"I'm almost there!" she insisted, her face flushed with effort. But as she continued, the bridge creaked louder, pieces falling away. She spotted her favorite jewelry, a gleaming pendant, slipping towards the edge.

"Aurelia!" Zafron shouted, rushing forward and reaching out instinctively. But it was too late. The section of bridge beneath her feet gave way, and with a terrified scream, she plunged into the chasm.

With a final, frantic gesture, she lunged the pendant towards Zafron.

"My lord, catch!" she shouted, tossing the pendant with a trembling hand.

He reached out and caught it just as Aurelia began to lose her balance. "Aurelia!" he yelled.

She glanced back, as she fell, clutching her pouch tightly. "That ... that is the key to true wealth!" she called out. As she fell into the chasm, her voice echoed, "Remember that!"

Thera's grip on Zafron's hand tightened painfully. "No!" she cried, her voice breaking. "We have to save her!". Zafron however held her back from following Aurelia. "We can't ...she's gone,"

But even as the words left his mouth, the remaining bridge began to disintegrate rapidly. Zafron pulled Thera close, shielding her with his body as they made a desperate dash for solid ground.

They collapsed onto the far side of the chasm, panting and trembling. Calista joined them a moment later, her movements still graceful despite the chaos.

As the dust settled and the roar of the collapsing bridge faded, an eerie silence fell over them. Zafron stared at the now-empty space where the bridge had been, his mind reeling.

"We... we left her," Thera whispered, tears streaming down her face. "How could we just leave her?"

Zafron felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He had made the choice to move forward, knowing it might mean Aurelia's doom. The weight of that decision settled on his shoulders like a physical burden.

"Her loss was... regrettable," Calista said, her voice calm and measured. "But it was necessary. Her wealth was weighing down the bridge. In the end, it was her attachment to material things that sealed her fate."

Zafron turned to look at Calista, surprised by her cold analysis. Her face was a mask of composure, not a hint of emotion showing in her perfect features.

'How can she be so unmoved?' Zafron wondered. 'Is this strength or callousness?'

Thera sniffled, wiping her eyes. "But... but she was one of us. We were supposed to protect each other."

Zafron put a comforting arm around Thera's shoulders. "We did what we had to do to survive," he said softly, trying to convince himself as much as her. "Aurelia... she made her choice. We couldn't force her to leave her treasures behind."

As they sat there, catching their breath and coming to terms with what had happened, the landscape around them began to shift. The lush meadow faded away, replaced by a stark, rocky terrain. In the distance, Zafron could make out the outline of what looked like a dense forest.

"We should move," Calista said, rising to her feet. "Standing still will get us nowhere."

Zafron nodded, helping Thera up. As they began to walk towards the forest, he found his mind racing with questions.

'Was this the right choice? Could I have done something differently? And what awaits us at the next gate?'

The journey to the second gate was markedly different from the first. The air grew cooler, and a light mist began to swirl around their feet. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the crunch of their footsteps on the rocky ground.

"My lord," Thera said hesitantly, breaking the silence. "What do you think the next trial will be?"

Zafron shook his head. "I'm not sure, Thera. But we must be prepared for anything. The peaceful appearance of the first gate was deceptive. We can't let our guard down again."

Calista, walking slightly ahead of them, spoke without turning. "The trials are clearly designed to test us, to force difficult choices. We must be willing to do whatever is necessary to succeed. See things as they are in their true beauty or their ugliest. However is the case... let's move forward,"

Her words sent a chill down Zafron's spine. 'Whatever is necessary? At what cost?'

As they entered the forest, the mist thickened, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. The trees loomed over them, their branches twisting into strange, almost threatening shapes.

"Stay close," Zafron warned, reaching out to take Thera's hand. He noticed Calista moving with confident strides, seemingly unperturbed by the eerie surroundings.

'She's either incredibly brave or dangerously overconfident,' Zafron mused.

As they delved deeper into the forest, Zafron felt a growing sense of unease. The mist seemed to whisper, carrying fragments of sound that were just on the edge of comprehension.

"Do you hear that?" Thera asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Calista paused, tilting her head. "Voices," she confirmed. "But not real ones, I think. This forest... it's playing tricks on our minds."

Zafron nodded grimly. "Stay focused. Remember why we're here. We need to find the second gate and face whatever challenge it presents."

They pressed on, the whispers growing louder, more insistent. Zafron found himself straining to understand, even as he tried to block them out.

Suddenly, the mist before them parted, revealing a clearing. In the center stood an ornate archway, shimmering with an otherworldly light. The second gate.

As they approached, Zafron felt a shift in the air, a buildup of energy that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"This is it," he said, his voice tight with anticipation. "Are you both ready?"

Thera squeezed his hand, her earlier tears replaced by determination. "I'm ready, my lord. We'll face this together."

Calista simply nodded, her eyes fixed on the gate.

With a deep breath, Zafron stepped forward. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the world around them exploded into chaos.

The mist swirled violently, forming into shapes that lunged at them. The whispers became screams, assaulting their senses. The ground beneath their feet began to shift and change.

As the second trial began in earnest, Zafron steeled himself for whatever challenges lay ahead. With Thera and Calista beside him, he faced the chaos, ready to make whatever choices necessary to survive and move forward.

The true test had only just begun.