Aerendir slowly opened his mouth and said, "It seems I have finally reached the end of my journey." His lips widened into a bright smile, contrasting his previous sorrowful demeanour as though this was a pleasant moment for him.
Just as the scene was about to unfold again, it froze, and the scenes before them began to fall apart.
…..........
Somewhere within the vast space, Aegis of the Arctic Deity observed the scene with a dazed expression before abruptly shaking his head. "No, that's not him. This is merely a modifying version of my memories," he muttered.
Though he wouldn't be experiencing this surge of emotion right now if he had created a much simpler trial, one needed only to test their strength, character, and potential to determine who would be the most appropriate to inherit god Aerendir's Divine artefacts.
However, he didn't deem himself worthy to be the one to hand out god Aerendir's Divine Artifacts, believing that only god Aerendir himself was worthy to make such a decision, even if it was merely a memory of his actual self.
After a few minutes of being alone with his thoughts, Aegis of the Arctic Deity sensed that the children were beginning to awaken and shifted his attention towards them.
….......
As they all began to wake up one by one, including those who had died along the way, they found themselves on the rough, stony ground before the large-slitted golden gaze of Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity observed them momentarily before his gaze was fixed on Prince Alden and Princess Morgana.
"You both have done well and today, henceforth, are the wielders of the two Divine artefacts that god Aerendir had left behind before his demise: the 'Golden Threads of god Aerendir' and the 'Aquiluis Clear Water.' Fortunately, I don't need to tell you anything about what you will do with such immense power at your fingertips, as you have already been instructed by god Aerendir himself," Aegis of the Arctic Deity said.
"As children of god Aerendir, regardless of your royal bloodline, I hope you hold those words in great respect. Regarding utilising the Divine Artifacts, you need to be stronger to utilise them to their full capabilities. As you continue to grow stronger, the abilities of the Divine artefacts will unlock by itself until you are at the pinnacle of your hierarchy of power and can fully utilise them completely."
Listening to Aegis of the Arctic Deity's words, Prince Alden and Princess Morgna both wore serious expressions on their faces as they nodded.
"Having the chance to see the god Aerendir and witness the ancient records about how we made it into this world is an opportunity we'll never forget. As such, I've taken god Aerendir's words deep within my heart and promised to follow them every step of the way, one way or another," Prince Alden responded.
His eyes slightly widened as he observed several strings of golden threads, some of which were broken into small miniature pieces, floating around him until they flashed, turning into a golden stream of light and immediately disappearing into his chest.
Prince Alden winced slightly in pain before his expression eased, feeling the pain disappear. He pulled his shirt open and looked down at his chest, where he saw a miniature golden line of thread imprinted on it.
Beside him, a large stream of water appeared, floating around Princess Morgana, almost resembling a swirling tidal wave of the vast ocean due to her petite figure, before it flashed with a bright burst of light and flowed into her forehead, imprinting itself as a drop of clear blue liquid in the centre.
Princess Morgana felt only a slight pain before immediately returning to normal. Stretching her hand upwards, she touched the imprint, feeling its gentle texture and sensing its divine energy.
She then broke out of her thoughts and focused on Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
"I am also thankful for the chance to witness such an event. I will uphold god Aerendir's words and do everything I can to ensure that I don't stray too far from them or misuse the immense power granted to me," Princess Morgana responded, bowing towards Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity nodded with a satisfied gaze at them. "Very well, the trial has ended, so you can all leave and return to the surface," he said, opening a pathway at the side for them to pass through.
With god Aerendir's artefacts now inherited and finding their way to the Pixie race, he had nothing to say and could now ponder other matters.
Although some princes and princesses were unsatisfied with the results, especially witnessing Fourth Prince Alden as one of the inheritors of the Divine artefacts, they couldn't act on their feelings. They buried their anger deep within their hearts, kept their mouths sealed, and nodded in acknowledgement at Aegis of the Arctic Deity's words.
They bowed to him again before turning around and exiting through the passageway.
….........
The moment they exited the passageway, they were immediately greeted by a dark, eerie scene. The only light within their vision emanated from the fire torches surrounding the entire Divine Lake Essence, held up by hundreds of Pixies.
The Pixies had sensed their arrival as soon as the passageway emerged on the ground.
"What's going on? Why is everywhere so dark?" Princess Kelani suddenly asked.
She gazed at the sky but couldn't even see the stars, prompting her to realise that the night had not yet arrived. Instead, something was blocking the sky from shining down above them.
CRRAACKKBBOOOOM--- BBBOOOMMM!!
A lightning strike followed by thunder flashed through the sky, illuminating their surroundings in brilliant bursts of light before disappearing again.
Even Second Prince Bran, Fourth Prince Alden, Sixth Princess Morgna, and all the other princes and princesses looked around in shock and confusion about what was happening.
Suddenly, they all sensed several familiar signatures approaching and shifted their attention towards them to see High King Eldric, along with several High Elders and Elders, following behind him.
