"What's going on?" John couldn't help but ask as he rushed over towards Iris, who was gazing up uneasily at the clouds above.
"I'm not sure," Iris replied, his voice slightly hoarse and unsteady from her battle. Her eyes shifted color as she gazed into the clouds above, her actions only serving to stir the clouds into an even greater frenzy. An astral eye formed behind her, as Iris used the full extent of her visual talents to peer into the clouds. Her eyes widened as she gazed within the clouds.
"Leave…you need to leave," Iris hastily instructed John.
"Why? What's going on?" John asked, as he could tell Iris had seen something.
"My…my tribulation isn't over, and it's only going to get much much worse," Iris replied after a moment of silence. Her voice had become unsteady, and John could see fear contained within her eyes, although she did her best to hide that fear. "You need to leave, before you're caught up in this."
"I'm not just going to leav-"
"Leave! Now!" Iris firmly instructed, interrupting John. "You can't do anything to help me, and for some reason I can tell that you being next to me is making the heavens even angrier."
John stared at Iris in silence, unsure of what to do. While he knew her words were most likely correct in that his presence was making things worse, he could tell that the clouds had gathered in strength once more for Iris alone. The fear he could see hidden deeply within her eyes told him one thing; that she was not confident in being able to pass this next round of tribulation.
Iris's words seemed quite harsh, but John could tell that she was saying such things out of concern for him, as she did not want him to get caught up in what was about to occur. His concerned gaze lingered on Iris, who smiled after noticing his concern.
"Don't worry about me," Iris replied, doing her best to smile and seem confident. "It's just another round of tribulation. I'll be fine. Now go!"
After a moment of hesitation, John placed a hand on Iris's shoulder. Although he wanted to help her at the moment, doing so might not be the best thing for her. A heavenly tribulation was a challenge with one's life on the line, but also a blessing if one could withstand the tribulation. The heavens would bless the tribulator based on the difficulty of the tribulation, with those withstanding the most difficult of tribulations getting the best rewards.
If Iris could pass this next round of tribulation, the heavenly blessings received would be beyond imagining, transforming her completely. John did not want to take away such an opportunity from her.
"Good luck. I'll be close by, so just go all out and leave the rest to me," John said to Iris before quickly moving away. Iris watched John leave, before her gaze shifted back to the clouds high above. The pair of lightning eyes that had formed stared down at her, before the clouds began to churn once more, its power growing by the second. Before long, its power was beyond anything Iris had felt before, and the world turned white as the first blast of lightning pierced down directly towards her.
…
High in the sky above the Jade Dragon Empire lands, a figure hovered, gazing down at the lands below. The figure wore a hooded robe, the arms of the robe seemingly torn off. Two powerful arms crossed over his chest as his gaze lingered on the tribulation that was occurring before him.
He hovered near the blackened clouds, clearly not restricted by the flight restrictions within the Jade Dragon Empire trial lands. Although the clouds were only a short distance away from him, he acted as if they didn't exist.
Like this, the mysterious figure watched Iris's heavenly tribulation unfold, his expression calm the entire time as if he had seen such a thing a million times before. The tribulation continued for some time, before he watched Iris successfully pass her tribulation.
"Not bad," the man said, his voice deep and commanding. "She would have made for a fine warrior," the man continued, his gaze shifting to John who was running over to Iris. The man's gaze suddenly shifted once more, peering into the tribulation clouds that he hovered next to.
His eyebrows raised slightly, an action that would have stunned anyone who knew of this man. A look of surprise was a reaction rarely if ever seen on his face.
"Hmm? What's this?" the man mused as he watched the clouds begin to shift once more. The lightning eyes quickly appeared in the sky, catching his attention and once more etching a small amount of surprise on his face.
"Heaven's eyes?" the man said, before his gaze shifted back down to Iris below. He noticed the change in her eyes as they shifted colors, and slight surprise appeared on his face once more as he noticed the pair of astral eyes appear behind Iris.
"So that's what it is," the man said, finally understanding the reason for the change in the tribulation. "The Eyes of Heavenly Truth! How long has it been since they last appeared?"
The man carefully studied Iris, before a sigh escaped his mouth.
"A pity. The Heavens bestow this girl with a portion of its sight, only to take it and her life away during her ascension. If this girl had been born before the calamity, or on another world, she may have raised her strength to a level to be able to withstand this tribulation. Upon passing their tribulation, ones carrying the Eyes of Heavenly Truth are destined to soar to incredible heights, but with her current level of strength, she has no such hope. The Heavens truly can be the pinnacle of cruelty at times," the man mused out loud.
The clouds next to him rumbled, as the man felt a portion of its power lock onto him, warning him to not interfere. He scoffed at the action, completely ignored the warning the heavens were giving him due to his words.
"Hmph, there's no need to threaten me," the man said out loud, not concerned at all by attracting the heaven's attention. "You may be a bastard at times, but your actions are a necessary evil."
The heavens churned for a moment longer, before it ignored the man once more. The man's calm gaze shifted back down to Iris and John, as he watched the first lightning beam strike down to the ground below.
