"Hmmm," Asher didn't say anything.
Initially, Asher harbored some skepticism regarding whether he could bring Rifir into the Trials Ground with him. However, the Trials Ground did not prevent him from entering with Rifir.
Nor did it separate them, as it did with other students, signifying that Rifir was considered an extension of Asher.
Hearing Rifir's voice prompted Asher to ponder the reasons behind Rifir's statements.
"What exactly is dangerous?" Asher inquired.
Rifir materialized, gazed at the gate, and tilted his head twice.
"Don't know...," Rifir responded.
Initially, it was the system, and now Rifir, both highlighted the need for Asher to exercise caution regarding something.
Yet, the specifics of this caution remained elusive for the time being.
[ An unknown language is present in the vicinity ]
The system alerted Asher to the runes adorning the wall, echoing a previous encounter in the Great Library.
"Those runes on the wall, what do they signify?" Asher queried, turning his head slightly.
[ Fate points cannot be awarded while the Host is within this location ]
[ Therefore, the existing fate points are the only resources the Host can utilize here ]
[ Do you wish to proceed? ]
"Do it," Asher stated, his gaze fixed on the black shadows in the distance.
[ Deciphering the Runes.... ]
[ Rune of Activation detected, initiating the formation... ]
Suddenly, the runes behind Asher illuminated and began to move in a specific pattern, but quickly ceased as the wall behind him began to crack.
Asher turned as the wall crumbled, revealing a plane mirror.
"Welcome, to the one who has arrived," echoed a voice as Asher's eyes locked onto the mirror.
A peculiar voice, belonging to a man, carried a slightly playful tone.
Soon, a figure cloaked in a robe, his face obscured, materialized within the mirror.
"The one who deciphered my words," the voice declared.
"Must have understood the meaning behind those words, for you have arrived here," the figure began, raising his hands and pointing towards Asher.
"If you seek what was once mine, you must prevail in the trial you discover," the figure articulated.
Crack! Crack!
Suddenly, cracks formed on the glass as the figure within vanished.
Asher turned around to see a strange glow emanating from the gates as the shadows began to shift their gaze towards him.
Asher drew his sword as he began advancing, and his steps quickly became more effortless.
He employed his movement technique, drawing closer to where the shadows remained fixated on him.
None of them moved, yet their gaze stayed locked on Asher.
As he approached the gate, its radiance steadily grew.
Asher extended his mana sense, questioning the reality of his surroundings as he could not detect anything through mana.
The existence of the black shadows seemed as illusory as the mysteries beyond the massive gates.
Upon touching the gates, the shadows raised their hands, forming a runic pattern before dissolving into the earth.
CREAAK!
CLOG! CLOG!
A loud noise ensued as Asher observed the gates opening on their own, revealing an area engulfed in dense fog.
"Step into the Endless fog," The voice echoed in the chamber as Asher looked back.
The shadows, having merged with the ground, arose to form a silhouette resembling the hooded figure in the mirror.
"You will find what you seek, but be aware..."
The fog began to envelop the area, encasing Asher, who stood motionless, his expression indifferent.
"The answers you tell, must be correct, or you will be lost in this snare,"
The figure wasn't visible anymore as the fog filled the entire space around Asher.
There was nothing but endless fog all around him, but instead of panicking Asher started walking forward.
Right now, the words that the hooded figure spoke were in Asher's mind, while he kept moving forward.
With each step Asher took, he could feel the temperature around him drop.
He kept walking on for hours in a single direction, without stopping.
With nothing but fog around him, and the temperature that kept dropping slowly.
But Asher kept walking forward, as his eyes were focused ahead.
It felt like this place was endless just like unknown figure said, but it didn't make Asher stop in his tracks at all.
But soon enough those steps came to a stop as Asher found an altar and another mirror in front of him.
"Diary of Lizare," Asher muttered as he found the same book in front of him.
It was the same book, or looked exactly like the one that was present in the Restricted Section of the Great Library.
Suddenly those word, 'Diary of Lizare' appeared in front of him floated just like the runes he had seen on the wall.
"Seek not in lines that straightly flow,"
The hooded figure appeared in the mirror as it spoke.
"A secret awaits where the roots grow."
"The key to lock, in reverse is found, Turn me over, truth will abound."
"In completeness, this book lacks, Seek the missing in the talent's tracks."
"Amidst the Creation of Runes, the finest art,"
"There you'll find the missing part."
The hooded figure repeated the riddle in his strange yet playful voice.
"It seems, the one who came seeking understood the meaning of these words," The voice asked.
"But who am I?"
Clank!
Clank!
Suddenly multiple swords made of rune appeared around Asher as they pointed around his neck, and it all happened in a single moment.
Asher looked around to see multiple, purple-colored swords made of runes, something he had never seen before.
But Asher's eyes remained unwavered as he looked at the mirror again.
"So, what is your answer" The Voice asked.
[ Warning! Unknown energy detected ]
[ Warning!... ]
As the sword drew near to his neck, the system notifications started erupting, but ignoring them Asher started recalling what he had found till now.
'Creation of Runes,'
'Missing part,'
'And the description of this sword,' Asher thought as his eyes looked at the black sword in his hand.
The moment Asher saw this riddle to this day, he had his own suspicions around the identity of the one that had written this diary.
'Lizare,' Asher thought as he looked at the name.
He raised his hands to touch floating letters and started rearranging them.
"....Raziel," Asher muttered,
Raziel, the anagram of the word Lizare, which was the name that was connected to the Trials Ground.
Raziel Kyrios, the one who was called the creator of Runic Art, and the Trials Ground, was the only answer that came to Asher's mind.
Suddenly the hooded figure tilted his head, as a smile made of purple sparks appeared, forming its mouth.
"Correct!"
"I, Raziel Kyrios, is the one that wrote that book,"
"Congratulations on completing your First Trial,"
The swords of runes disappeared as the book on the small altar started shaking and revealed it's true self.
Diary of Raziel, was what was written on the cover now.
"The one who seeks, although you have completed my little trial, but this is not what I arranged for you,"
"The true trial, lies behind this endless fog,"
Crackle!
The mirror started cracking as the smile on the hooded figure became bigger.
"Though, the one present there, isn't exactly like me,"
"After all, I am not the one who rules this place,"
"Be careful,"
The unknown figure spoke as the mirror shattered and the book that was in front of Asher disappeared.
The fog around Asher started moving in a certain direction, as he felt the wind flowing from behind him towards a certain direction.
Asher started walking in that direction and soon enough the fog started settling, revealing a huge place that had multiple golden pillars all around it.
A massive empty space, with multiple engravings of runes all around it.
The number of runes engraved here were hundred times the one Asher saw on the gates of the Trials Ground.
Suddenly the sound of chains clashing with each other started echoing in this whole place, as Asher looked above on the huge staircase that had waterfall behind it.
And on that staircase, from a golden crack in thin air, appeared another figure that was encased with a golden energy.
Wrapped with purple chains, the unknown figure looked like a prisoner, but Asher clenched his fist around his sword as, he could feel the immense power from the golden figure.
"Are you the one?" The figure spoke.
Suddenly the figure clicked his finger as the chains around him shattered, and the golden energy started melting.
It revealed the person wearing strange armor with a white mask that covered their face, but it did not hide their blond hair and sharp golden eyes that were peeking through that mask.
