[Vol. 8] Chapter 128: The Trial of Heaven
The goddess’s voice remained calm and steady.
[The answer you seek is no secret to me. But the blessings of a god are never free. The “truth” is not something everyone can handle. Show me your worth, prove that you deserve to know. Child of Sinong, your journey is still long.]
“…Yes.”
The snow girl bowed respectfully and said nothing more.
The goddess then shifted her gaze once again, this time to the one kneeling quietly between Nolan and Farnell.
She was a blind girl from the Lightborn Tribe, holding a small wooden stick laid flat across one knee. She had made no sound or movement and almost seemed invisible.
[Elunie Light.]
“Ah…! Yes, I’m here, Goddess big sister!”
Her eyes, which should’ve been as bright as sapphires, were dull and lifeless. But among the three candidates present, she was the only one who could clearly feel the vast and holy presence of the goddess without needing to see.
For some reason, she looked a bit dazed. It wasn’t until the goddess called her name that she snapped back to attention and quickly replied.
[Tell me why you came here.]
“Why I came…?”
She got a question similar to what Farnell had been asked before. But unlike Nolan, she didn’t try to question or talk back to the goddess.
Looking like the weakest of the three, with no power, background, or special presence, the little girl simply rested her chin on her hand to think for a moment, then shook her head and answered honestly.
“Well, it’s not for any amazing reason. A few days ago, I had a dream… In the dream, a big sister’s voice told me that the world was about to change and that I should become some kind of chosen one of the gods or something… She also said a bunch of strange things I didn’t really understand.”
“After I woke up, I started to hear a voice calling me from far away. So I just kept walking in that direction, and thanks to a lot of kind people helping me along the way, I finally reached this city. And it turns out there really was a trial from Sister Goddess happening here! So I joined. Ehehe…”
“......?” x2
Hearing this somewhat silly answer, both Farnell Stephens and Nolan Sinong couldn’t help but blink in surprise. They looked at her with different expressions.
But the goddess, instead of being upset, fell silent for a rare moment. Then gave a soft, echoing laugh and didn’t ask anything else.
[It seems you and I are connected by fate. But fate is destiny. In the web of cause and effect, nothing happens by chance. Everything is meant to be. You… come forward.]
“Eh? O-okay!”
Surprised to be called, the Lightborn Tribe girl froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. She stood up, tapping the ground with her short stick to feel her way forward carefully.
She stepped up the stairs, nervously walking closer and closer to the goddess, so close they were nearly face to face. Because she couldn’t see, her sense of smell was especially sharp, and she caught a faint, lovely scent, like orchids.
Just as she was about to say something, a pale, smooth hand, white as jade, quietly reached out from the glowing light. The goddess gently touched the blind girl’s long, shining hair, which was unique to her people.
“Eh?”
Sparkling lights like stardust floated from the goddess’s palm, surrounding the girl like pure, holy spirits. They spun around her softly, and glowing threads of light slowly entered Elunie’s body. Especially around her dull, lifeless eyes. It seemed like some kind of mysterious and sacred ritual was happening.
After a short while, the light faded away. The goddess withdrew her hand again and waved gently at the girl, who hadn’t changed much, though she now looked a bit confused.
Then, with a gentle force holding her up, she floated softly back down and knelt once more on one knee.
“Sister Goddess…?”
[It was just a small test. You are a very special child, but you don’t truly understand yourself yet. Keep working hard. I hope that one day in the future, you can become the person I hope you’ll be.]
“Ah… okay. I’ll try my best?”
Elunie tilted her head in confusion. She didn’t really understand what the goddess was mumbling about, it sounded like a riddle.
But even if she didn’t get it, she knew she couldn’t just say, “What are you even talking about?” And she definitely didn’t have the right to ask a goddess to explain things to a normal person. She wasn’t as bold as a certain snow girl.
After speaking with and watching all three candidates, the goddess went quiet for a moment, then said calmly.
[The path of [Heaven] is not like the other five. My standards are higher, and my expectations are greater. What comes next, you can think of it as a test, or maybe a special reward. As for how much you can gain from it… that depends on your own skills.]
After saying this, the goddess didn’t explain any further. With a wave of her jade-like hand, the temple where the three stood slowly faded like a bubble.
The goddess and the divine guardian turned into streams of light and rose into the sky. The starry space disappeared completely. When the three of them felt the ground under their feet again, they were already standing on an altar that looked like it was deep in the mountains.
“Where… are we?”
The three, who had just finished meeting the goddess, stood up instinctively. They looked around at each other. Nolan and Sinong, the most alert and observant, immediately noticed a small figure standing in the middle of the altar, her back to them, hands behind her back. They both frowned slightly.
“Did we just… pass the trial?”
“Wow… no wonder she’s the goddess worshipped by the world’s largest religion. That pressure was insane, way more than my old man’s scary presence, probably like a hundred times stronger. Anyway, my lovely ladies, allow me to—hey!”
Now that the intense pressure from the goddess was gone, Farnell Stephens’s serious look began to fade. He casually flipped his hair, his flirtatious eyes sparking faintly with electricity, clearly trying to charm the two girls.
But before he could even finish his sentence, both girls completely ignored him and walked straight toward the center of the altar.
At almost the same time, the small figure standing in the middle turned around. She was a little girl wearing a fancy black dress. Her long golden hair flared like fire, and small dragon horns peeked from either side of her head.
She wore white bare feet with little bells on her ankles, exposed directly to the air. Her large eyes calmly looked at the three newcomers who had suddenly appeared.
She didn’t say a word. She just watched them in silence.
The proud and determined princess from the snow country stepped forward first. Even though she was technically higher in status, she quickly bowed respectfully and spoke with a serious expression.
“Greetings, senior. Please guide us from here.”
To be honest, Nolan had thought that the next trial would be hosted by the leader of the Three Saintesses, the noble and highly respected Lady Yuna of the Holy Empire. But clearly that wasn’t the case.
And based on what the goddess said at the end, it was clear that this trial of the [Gate of Heaven] wasn’t finished yet.
The goddess wouldn’t have sent them here for no reason. And for someone to be chosen by her to host this trial…
This cute and harmless-looking little girl might have a power or identity even scarier than the Three Saintesses.
So Nolan made sure to stay polite and cautious.
Elunie, on the other hand, reacted very differently. She tilted her head and let her unfocused blind eyes fall naturally on the figure that looked even younger than her. She looked confused.
“You’re… the sister from the plaza earlier? Hmm… you feel kind of different now…”
“Hey! Wait for me!”
Just then, Mr. [Thunderlight] came running from far away, clearly not realizing what was going on until now.
The blonde little girl didn’t answer any of the three. She just shook her head like a grown-up and looked calmly toward the sky.
Then, in the voice that belonged only to a “God”, she said something that sounded like an unchangeable truth.
[This is a special trial, only the three of you are allowed to take it. As for who I am… you may call me the Dragon God.]
“...Eh?!”