The air smelled of smoke and something else Leo couldn't quite name that made his stomach hurl.
The forest around him looked completely different now. The ground was blackened in patches where the fire had spread too far, leaves curled in on themselves, and branches still smoked faintly. It was silent, for now, who knew how much longer. Although it wasn't too different from when he'd arrived, the trees had always been sleek black, irrespective of his flames.
He was crouched in the middle of the dark forest, panting desperately. A metallic taste appeared in his mouth, and he spat a mouthful of blood.
He let out a deep breath, forcing himself not to fall over.
'I swear when I get outta here, I'm gonna deflower someone's daughter.' The thought brought a faint smile to his face, a new feeling of determination arising within his chest.
It remained quiet for a moment.
Then he heard something move, a faint rustle of leaves coming from somewhere behind him.
He flexed his wrists.
'Come at me, bastards.'
He slowly raised his hand.
Flames flickered back to life in his palms, bringing with them immense pain, this time stronger than before, as his body had given up tolerating the price at which he used his abilities in the crucible.
His jaw tightened, breath catching in his throat.
"Just one more," he whispered, red veins appearing on his thin arm.
The creature burst out of the bushes. It was a small creature with a hairy body, orange eyes glowing faintly as it launched itself straight toward his chest.
Leo forced the fire forward.
A thin bolt of flame shot from his palm, a bit small, unsteady, but fast enough. It struck the creature midair and sent it crashing back into the undergrowth with a dull thud. The flames vanished the instant the attack ended, leaving his hand trembling violently.
The pain was intense, like extreme heat tearing through his arm and causing every cell to combust spontaneously.
Leo stared at the spot where it had fallen, only one of the hundreds that he's had to kill. Although they weren't exactly strong, they were perhaps beasts that were just about to enter the savage tier, even though Leo was proud that he had managed to kill so many despite the flaw.
The creatures had started attacking him mere moments after he had arrived, disoriented. Luckily, they were easy to kill and even more flammable. The challenge had one simple goal: survive for as long as possible, using your powers.
Except with a flaw.
"Yeah," he muttered weakly as his back landed on the dark ground. "That hurt like hell."
The forest spun slightly around him. The sky above the trees blurred, the leaves blending into one dark shape as his breathing slowed against his will.
He tried to push himself back up.
His body refused to respond.
"…Great."
A faint golden glow appeared in front of him.
At first, he thought his vision was playing games on him, but then the light expanded, eating away the darkness.
He heard a resounding ding.
The mental screen appeared in his eyes.
Congratulations, you have passed the first crucible.
He read the messages with glowing eyes, excitement washing over him.
Until... One message appeared.
His mood instantly turned sour.
A door appeared in front of him, levitating a few inches above the ground. Biting back the aggression he felt towards the world at the moment, he took some time to gather strength and stood up. Leo pushed it open, a bright light shining on him. He looked towards the dark forest once again, made a small salute with his right hand, and went to the other side of the door.
'I hope Xade's had better luck!'
***
For a moment, he felt warmth. There was no darkness nor pain. No suffocating air. No tightness wrapped round him-just warmth.
Xaden blinked slowly, squinting his eyes against soft sunlight filtering through trees. Even the air was different-clean, almost calm. A weather that didn't appear often on Terra.
He was on the grass. Someone was also next to him.
His father.
Not the version whose mind was always riddled with worries, nor the one who seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He seemed calm, serene. Relaxed, like the world hadn't gone to shit.
The wind moved gently through the trees. From somewhere far away, something rustled in the grass, but Xaden didn't feel threatened. It was just peaceful, the kind that almost didn't exist in Sector 45.
He blinked, and the world flickered for the briefest moment. Darkness, danger, pain, so much pain. Xaden shook his head. He looked around at the scenery once again. The trees had now dried up, the grass shriveled and was now turning into ashes.
'What's going on?' He turned towards his father, 'Dad?'
"You're not done yet." He said, voice suddenly sounding sad and far-away, "You shouldn't be here."
Something cold crept up Xaden's spine.
He shook his head, "I don't understand."
His father turned towards him, looked at him, then quietly said two words.
"Wake up."
The world around him instantly vanished.
The pain returned.
Xaden's eyes snapped open.
The hot air hit his face first, then the smell of rotting things. His chest rose fast as his body tried to inhale as much air as possible, but something stopped him halfway.
He tried to move his body, but then discovered that he couldn't
Some pressure was wrapped around him.
'This is bad.'
He looked around his surroundings; it was dark, but not too dark as some light streamed in from an opening up top.
There were threads.
White ones.
Dozens of them.
His breath caught in his throat.
'Not threads,' he realized, 'webs'
As if to answer, a shrill cry came from somewhere down below, loud and piercing.
'Also not good.'
He forced his head to move slightly, ignoring the way something sticky pulled painfully at the side of his face when he did.
The web stretched in every direction.
Thick strands wrapped around his arms, his chest, his legs, layered so tightly that they looked more like white cloth than thread.
Some were stuck to the ground beneath him; stretching all the way up to the small opening where the light streamed through.
Others disappeared into the darkness above, stretching higher than he could see.
His breathing slowed for a second.
Then sped up again.
"…shit," he whispered, voice barely working.
Panic struck his chest like a hammer.
For a moment, his mind went completely blank. He couldn't move; he could barely breathe, and his body was fundamentally broken. What else was there left to do aside from wait for whatever creature had taken him to appear and finish the job?
As if in response, he felt the webs begin to slightly tremor. Something massive was moving through it. Xaden peered down slightly, trying for a glimpse of the creature. His eyes met nothing but darkness.
Was this how it ended? No answers. No respite. Nothing to show that he wasn't just another nameless candidate who had barely lasted a few hours before being defeated.
Something inside him snapped.
He took a deep breath; he couldn't give up. Not now, not ever. He just couldn't.
Xaden gritted his teeth. If his years in the slums had taught him anything, it was to never let go of the will to survive, even when faced with the most harrowing of difficulties, even when you had no idea where you were going to sleep that night or where your next meal came. Even if it meant risking heavy sanctions from sneaking out to the outskirts to hunt fresh game in the morning.
The web began to tremble again, warning him of the looming threat.
He had to think, forcing himself to focus past the pain and trepidation. What exactly could he do?
Then he remembered. The jagged piece of debris that he had grabbed earlier. Xaden had placed it in his pocket before heading deeper into the tunnel.
A new wave of determination washed over him.
"You're not done yet!"
Xaden was not going down helpless or without even trying.
He moved a bit, so he regained feeling in his arms, biting back the pain that arose from his right shoulder. Xaden slowly tried shifting his slightly trembling hand. Every movement slow, the web clinging to him tighter the more he moved.
"Come on..." he breathed to himself, quietly.