Chapter 65: Second Test: Choice
By the fifth day, Baines had finally overcome the first trial of the haunted house, though he was unaware of the time that had passed.
Five of his allotted twenty days had slipped away, consumed by the relentless cycle of spirits, ghosts, and mummies.
Outside, the spectators grew restless. The house’s unyielding vibrations had frayed their nerves, and the group of frustrated guards, desperate to force entry, began striking the structure with bursts of aura.
Their blades, imbued with raw energy, met the walls with a defiant clang, but the house stood impervious.
Instead, their swords chipped and charred, the metal scorched as if the building itself were retaliating. The air crackled with the guards’ frustration, their efforts futile against the house’s enigmatic defenses.
Meanwhile, across the Darkan lands, a starkly different scene unfolded.
With only ten days remaining until the grand tournament, the civilians launched into a vibrant ten-day festival. The streets bloomed with color, garlands of wildflowers draped over archways, vibrant carpets unfurled along the roads, and lanterns glowing with soft, warm light.
Visitors and tournament participants, arriving from distant corners of the empire, were greeted with open arms.
The warmth of the Darkan people touched their hearts, and some, charmed by the hospitality, began to dream of staying beyond the tournament’s end.
Among the festival’s attractions was the recently cleared Mortuary Ruin. The forest surrounding it had erupted into life, its potential unleashed in a riot of strange, luminescent plants and energy-infused fruits.
Towering trees shimmered with leaves that glowed faintly at night, and vines curled around the stones, pulsing with vibrant energy.