Before leaving, I walked into the trial tower, only to be greeted by a very joyful Venerable of Flames, the bastard manifested himself into the shape of a giant made of fire, laughing. It seems he had seen everything happening and was just enjoying the show, I bet he would had even been eating popcorn and all.
"Hahaha! You got beaten down, lizard." Laughed the Venerable.
"Name's Drake, gramps." I sighed. "Anyways, there are two girls over here that want to have a word with you over your responsibilities as an ancient venerable."
"Are you not even slightly concerned that such an ancient threat has appeared again?!" Suddenly, the manifestation of the Frost Queen appeared at my side. "Flame Venerable, you even allowed him to become someone that could inherit your legacy?!"
"Well, what was I supposed to do, frost lass?" Laughed the Venerable. "My trial is fair for everyone! Anybody can join, ANYBODY. I don't care if they were ancient threats or not. Even a monster like Pandemonium, which even us know so little about can be qualified."
"I remember that you used to be a protector of your people yet you let a monster like him get the chance to gain your powers, just so he can further destroy your home?" Asked the manifestation of Belle, the Fox Venerable. "Have you finally gone insane after being dead for so long?"
"Heh…" The Flame Venerable simply laughed. "I am not like you little kids. And I do not answer to ANYBODY either. You two are not even present here physically, you're just as dead as I am! Fate would never let us be alive right now, and you know it. Pandemonium is a being that goes beyond Fate, that can defy it with ease. Wouldn't it be beneficial to have him around now? The longer he goes around, the more Fate will weaken, until it can finally shatter and set us free."
"That's… certainly a good point but still!" The Frost Queen cried. "Ugh… So frustrating, I can't even do much myself…"
"…" Belle sighed, and then glanced back at me. "I guess this bastard's not going to do anything for us either… Unless you complete the trial and get his inheritance instead."
"Is that so?" I wondered. "Would you become my ally if that happened, gramps?"
"Hmmm… Well, I don't know. I don't particularly like lizards." He sighed. "But if you prove yourself enough, we could get into something. For now, if you want the trial to finally begin, go to the tower to the southeast, that's the only one left. You'll have to choose between that fire lizard, or the kid."
"I can't bring anybody else than just the two of us?" I asked. "What if I sneak someone inside? Do I get punished?"
"You can bring more people." He facepalmed. "You already did in the trial, didn't you?! However, there can only be one leader. And only the leaders can participate to obtain the treasures, the rest get compensation rewards or something. Though, the final challenge can only be done between the leaders." He suddenly smiled very devilishly. "It's gonna be a pretty good one when that happens. I can't wait to see it! So go already!"
"Hah, fine." I smiled. "I'll complete your stupid trial and win against that demon and the shadowy guy. I won't lose against lame-ass bastards like those guys. Ancient evil or whatever? I couldn't give more of a fuck. I'm gonna beat the shit out of him until I take away that cocky smile he got."
"Hoh, you're a bold bastard." Laughed the Flame Venerable. "If you were to know the horrors that guy brought to our world, you wouldn't be so confident!"
"It's not confidence." I smiled. "It's just faith."
I walked away after saying that, without needing to say another word any longer. The three Venerables stayed behind, glaring at me in disbelief.
"Heh, I guess there's no point in worrying." The Frost Queen smiled. "With such confidence and the strength to back it up, can I even get mad now?"
"He has sure grown a lot from when I first meet him…" The Fox Venerable giggled. "You wouldn't believe how clumsy he used to be! He was rather cute… But now, he has sure matured quickly into such a strong man, befitting of his Title."
"…" The Flame Venerable remained in silence, his blazing eyes staring at my back. "Let's see if you truly are as tough as you like to act…"
FLUOSH!
And with those words, he disappeared from the scene, and the two other Venerables unsummoned themselves as well, their consciousness traveling back to where their souls were truly stored, the Frost Queen's Tower and the Divine Dream World.
"What happened over there? It felt like it was a heated conversation…" Benladann wondered, worried.
"Nah, it's fine." I said. "I just made up my mind a bit more. Let's go back to the mountain to rest. I want to spend some weeks inside the Divine Realm, so we can relax and rest enough for what's to come."
"Hmm, sure." Benladann nodded. "I also need a break. The girls are already fast asleep inside my Divine Realm, haha."
"Good, let them rest, they worked very hard today." I nodded, giving my beautiful wife a kiss on her lips. "You too, thank you for being with me in all these times… Without you, I don't think I could had ever gotten so far."
"D-Drake…" Benladann blushed, smiling back at me. "Likewise, without you, I might had ended dead somewhere, or consumed completely by the power I couldn't control… I am the one that owes you a lot."
"I guess we owe each other a lot." I laughed. "I'm feeling like having some fish, how about it?"
"Nice idea! I've grown tired of the smoky smell of this entire continent…" Benladann giggled, holding my hand as I was in my humanoid form. "Let's go back~"
"Yeah, let's go." I nodded.
"Man, I'm beat…" Miranda yawned, appearing behind Benladann. "Huh? Why are you guys all so lovely? I also want some of that!"
