Chapter 7 — Sand and Broken Inheritances
Adrian looked at the cave in front of him and thought:
"This is where it all begins."
Then he started pulling out equipment from the ring to prepare himself.
"I'm just an ordinary person... If I want to pass this test, I'll have to be really careful."
— "Here we go," Adrian said as he stepped into the cave.
As soon as he took the first step inside, the light around him distorted. The ground beneath his feet trembled, and before he could react... everything disappeared.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the cave.
The sky above looked cracked, as if it had been torn into pieces. All around was a desert with no end in sight, filled with ruined castles and broken homes. At the center of an old destroyed city square stood a giant cross, split in two.
Adrian looked around, confused.
— "Where is this...?" he whispered.
Clang... Clang...
— "What was that noise?"
Adrian turned and saw two soldiers. They marched slowly, and once they spotted Adrian, they charged at him.
He dodged the sword by inches and fell clumsily to the ground. Rolling, he grabbed a fallen sword and struck one of their legs. At that moment, the cross-shaped amulet he wore glowed. The knights screamed and dropped to their knees, weakened.
Adrian quickly got up, grabbed the sword, and cut off the head of the nearest knight. Then he approached the other to finish him off—but as he lowered his guard, the enemy grabbed a sword and slashed deep into his leg.
Adrian collapsed, crying in pain. The knight crawled toward him. Adrian could see the rotting face under the helmet as it approached.
"I'm going to die here..." he thought, panicked.
"No... I'm not dying here!"
In pain and desperation, Adrian turned, grabbed the sword, and drove it into the soldier's head. The body dropped lifeless beside him.
He looked to the side, breathing heavily.
— "Hah... hah... hah..."
Clang... Clang... Clang...
— "This is bad..."
When he turned with difficulty, he saw ten soldiers staring at him.
"The sound of the fight must've drawn them in."
With a bitter smile, he muttered:
— "Perfect timing... With my leg like this, there's no way I can run.
That just leaves one option.
Even if the chances are close to zero... it's still not zero!"
Staggering in pain, he shouted:
— "Come on, you bastards! I'll defeat every one of you and take that inheritance! I'll protect everyone at the orphanage!"
Just then, a blinding white light shot through the soldiers, exploding them in a blast so intense it threw Adrian two meters back.
— Cough... cough... cough...
The dust settled. He heard a voice:
— "Hey, hey, are you okay?"
Adrian raised his head with difficulty. A little girl stood over him, smiling.
— "Hi! My name is Cordelia," she said.
Adrian couldn't take it.
He passed out.
— "Hey...? Hello...?"
Well... he fainted.
— "Let's get out of here," she said, grabbing Adrian and vanishing from the place.
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