The grass was once again knee height, allowing a clear line of site to her destination. At first she noticed only a few other souls, but the closer she drew to the tree the more of them seemed to appear out of nowhere. A few ran full tilt, stones clenched tightly to their chests, but most set a steady pace wading through the grass. There had been no mention of a time limit and she figured they wouldn't proceed till everyone returned anyway so she felt no reason to rush.

  If she was being completely honest she still wasn't sure if completing the test was the right choice. While it still was likely the best option for her to try and find a way home the uncertainty of it all still had her worried. That was likely the reason she continued at a languid pace, watching as more travelers passed her by. Some looked excited, others nervous, and she even spotted one in particular who wore an anxious expression as they muttered to themselves.

  Watching them she couldn't help but smile. While she didn't enjoy seeing others upset, it was oddly comforting to know she wasn't alone in her uncertainty. The sound of rapid footsteps echoed from behind her and before she had a chance to look back someone collided with her. The impact clipped her right shoulder, knocking her off balance and sending her face first into the dirt. Looking up, she caught site of the person who shoulder checked her as they made a beeline for the tree. They cast a glance back at her and smirked before they took off.

  “Asshole,” she muttered to herself, she supposed death didn't help some people's disposition. Still on the ground she made a move to stand up when a voice called out to her.

  “Are you ok?” the voice was male and looking to her left she saw another soul, he looked the same as everyone else, but his expression was concerned. He extended a hand toward her and she gratefully took it.

  “Ya, I’m ok. Some people right?” her new companion laughed as he helped haul her to her feet. Once face to face she saw that while he looked almost indistinguishable from the other souls, there was something about him the stuck out to her. She wasn't quite sure what it was. His expression? Or maybe his voice? He felt familiar somehow, but she just couldn't place it. The feeling was like trying to remember someone from when you were little, you could feel the memory, but you couldn't quite grasp it.

  The man coughed in that polite way, the one where you’re trying to tell someone something without the embarrassment of saying it out loud. It took her a moment to realize he was referring to the fact she had been staring at him for several minutes and had yet to let go of his hand. She quickly released him, awkwardly taking a step back.

  “It looks like they’re waiting on us. We should get going,” with that he turned and headed toward the tree. She followed behind him quickly, grateful for her now red skin, as she was fairly certain she was blushing. Ahead the others were milling about in the clearing, and in front of the tree was Ignis. A gnawing feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored it and pressed on.

  A few minutes later the pair entered the clearing. As they did many of the souls glanced at them, some appeared annoyed at having been kept waiting. She shifted uncomfortably under their stairs. Public judgment was without a doubt her least favorite experience. But the attention was drawn away from her as Ignis spoke.

  “Welcome back my children. It appears you have been successful. Well done,” he smiled broadly as he looked them over. His eyes settled on someone near the back of the group, they looked pensive and a little scared. Ignis extended a hand to them and beckoned them forward. The soul hesitated for a moment, then walked up to the towering man, hunched and uncomfortable. When they reached him Ignis knelt down so he was eye level.

  “You look upset my child. What bothers you so?” his voice was gentle yet somehow still managed to fill the space. The soul hesitated, wringing their hands and refusing to meet Ignis’s gaze.

  “I-I couldn't get the stone,” they finally mumbled, sounding on the brink of tears, “What's going to happen to me?” they managed to look Ignis in the eye. He placed a gentle hand on their shoulder and his smile was one of reassurance.

  “Do not be afraid child. You will return to the path and make your journey again,” then he frowned slightly, “But understand that every action has a consequence. A vessel was already prepared and named,” the soul wrung their hands and furrowed their brow as they gazed worriedly at Ignis.

  “What's going to happen to them?” their voice was quiet and she could hear the guilt lacing their words. Ignis smiled again, this time it was sad.

  “They have already been deemed to enter the world. But they will not have a vaettir. And one can not live without a vaettir. The life planned for them will be cut short,” silence was heavy in the air as the soul before Ignis hung their head. “Let this be an encouragement to you for when you next take your test,” he gently squeezed their shoulder before standing and with his left hand made a series of complex gestures.

  In a glimmer of golden light Nardi appeared, no longer clad in his armor and flaming wings gone. Ignis extended his hand, gesturing to the other man, and the timid soul cautiously approached Nardi. He smiled kindly at them and held out his hand.

  “Come child of Ignis. I will guide you back to the Mother Tree where you can start again.” they placed their hand in Nardi’s, and together the two made their way into the grasslands once more. Ignis watched them for a moment, the expression on his face unreadable, before he turned back to the group. He clapped his hands together, the crack of it like thunder, causing them all to jump and he chuckled.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “Now my children, please line up and present me with your stones,” the group scurried into a makeshift line. A few began to argue and shove each other, attempting to get closer to the front. But a stern look from Ignis quickly squashed all conflict and they quietly filed one behind the other. She took her place near the end of the line and attempted to peer around the body's to watch the procession.

  Things transpired much the same from person to person. A soul approached Ignis and handed them their stone. Ignis said a few words, none of which she could quite make out, before the soul took back the stone. They would stare off at nothing for several minutes before their whole body glowed and they winked out of existence.

  A few of the souls looked apprehensive, but most seemed unaffected by the display and eagerly awaited their turn. She could only assume that was them being ‘reborn’, at least she hoped that was it. Suddenly the thought that this was all a lie permeated her mind. What if they were actually being sacrificed or sent to some weird torture dimension? Any attempts to quell that line of thought only made it blaze like wildfire, and she was contemplating an escape plan, when she found herself face to face with Ignis.

  He seemed to sense her apprehension as he knelt down before her. The smile on his face was gentle and warm, it reminded her of her late grandfather somehow. Her fears quieted as he held his hand out to her.

  “You have completed your task. Well done. May I see the stone you retrieved?” his words resonated with pride, as if he was genuinely happy for her success. Doubt pushed far from her mind she placed the stone in Ignis’s hand without hesitation. While fist sized when she held it, it looked more like a pebble in the massive mans hand. Ignis examined the surface of the stone, brow furrowed as if he were reading something intently. Then he nodded, turning his gaze back to her and smiled.

  “You are a very clever child. Intuitive, compassionate and resourceful. Those traits will be invaluable to you. The world may seek to quell you, but do not let go of your fire. This world will not change you. You will change it,” he spoke with such confidence she couldn't help but believe his words. He extended his hand to her once again.

  The stone now hummed slightly, as if it was alive, and her fears and uncertainty came flooding back. Was this the right choice? What if Ignis was lying? What if Nardi had been lying? Could she really trust them? Her mind drifted back to the shadow that attacked her. It had been a malevolent presence, she felt it in her bones and Nardi had protected her.

  The truth was she didn't know anything for certain. Except that she needed to get home. She steeled herself, there were no other options. If she wanted to return to where she belonged she needed to do this. Not letting herself mull it over any further she took hold of the pebble. A beeping sound rang out.

  Initializing deployment.

  The stone vibrated in her hand, glowing with a blue light before bursting into fractals. The light twisted and condensed into an ornate rectangle floating in front of her. Looking closer she saw it had text scrawled along it.

  You have successfully completed your path. You have received a boon! All rewards will be applied after soul deployment.

  She blinked at the window. Somehow, despite all the weird things she had seen in this place, this still surprised her. Taking a moment to read it again, it confirmed she had completed the path. It also said she had earned a boon. That was like a reward, right? Just as quickly as it appeared the window closed then reappeared. This time much larger and filled with a list of texts.

  Rak Anubslayer

  Godi Havenraider

  Malkadian Bloodstorm

  Makadian Bloodstorm

  Idika Bloodstorm

  Takar Bloodreaver

  Abdul Bloodspear

  Abi BloodFeast

  Batu Lionbreaker

  Altan Battledrinker

  Ulgan Battleweaver

  Umay BladeEater

  Please make your selection.

  She read through the list in front of her. They sounded like names. Really weird and kind of violent, but names all the same. She thought back to when Ignis talked about the ‘vessel’ that had been prepared. Was that who these were? Anxiety crept in at that thought, what if she made the wrong choice?

  Taking a deep breath she read over the names again. She noted that a good chunk of them had the word ‘blood’ in them, was that significant? The name ‘Bloodstorm’ stood out to her, three of the names listed shared it. Did that mean they were related? Would that make a difference? Did the violent sounding names indicate a violent culture? The path of Pyrak seamed to lean into violence, so maybe that's what she wanted?

  There were so many names to consider she had no idea what was important or what was her overthinking. And that was just considering what appeared to be family names, she had no clue what the first names meant. After reading the list for the fifth time she was just as stumped.

  It was now that she noticed most of the names looked grayed out. Was that because they had already been picked? There was no way for her to know what the right choice was. In situations like that she usually just went with her gut. Steeling herself she touched a black name and the screen shifted.

  Selection logged. Idika Bloodstorm.

  The blue window winked out of existence. Then she felt a tingling sensation in the hand she had used to select the name. The tingling quickly spread up her arm, across her torso and down her legs. When the sensation reached her head something strange happened. The world around her turned fuzzy, her brain tinggled and it felt like it was trying to escape her skull. Memories started surfacing, the day she learned to ride a bike, graduating from school, her first kiss. It was like flipping through a photo album of her life.

  As the images flooded her mind she noticed something was happening to them, they were growing dark around the edges. The dark spots grew, blotting out part of the image. The memory of learning to ride a bike blackened and shriveled like a piece of paper thrown in a fireplace, and disappeared. Just like that it was gone. She couldn't remember the day she rode a bike on her own. Terror gripped her as she realized what was happening.

  In her mind she desperately grasped at the images, trying to smother the flames consuming them. But her efforts were in vain, all she could do was watch as her memories withered away. Gathering around the tree on Christmas morning, losing her first tooth, the time she fell from a tree and broke her arm. Her parents faces. Childhood friends. Nick. It all burned away leaving an empty white void in its place. But the feeling of loss persisted.

  Ignis stared down at her, his kind face filled her with rage. She didn't know what he took from her, but she knew it was invaluable and left a gaping hole in her chest. Her attention was drawn away from the man as the world around her distorted. The sprawling landscape fell away, like a house of cards had toppled over. Ignis’s form blurred and distorted before fading away all together. Leaving her alone. As the ground disappeared she plummeted into darkness once again. Then the sound of beeping resonated in her ears.

  Deploying soul. Deploy- Error. Error. Foreign entity detected. Risk of soul corruption: High. Please resol-

  The voice distorted, becoming garbled before being cut off, and the ever persistent beeping finally stopped. She floated there, suspended in the blackness, the silence was so heavy it felt like a physical weight. What was going to happen now? There was no way to move around much less find an exit. Would she just float here forever? The air grew cold making her shiver. There was no change to the darkness, no sign of movement or a single other soul in sight, but despite what she saw something in her gut said she wasn't alone. Something moved in the dark and it was watching her.