The entire team was in a state of shock. No one knew what was going on and didn't have the stomach to ask.
The voice they heard didn't only send chills down their spins, it also shook the surrounding area.
Out of the five farmers here, it was only Aegon who didn't feel that much pressure, after all it was his first time.
However, the others felt the pressure. They knew this wasn't supposed to happen, entering the Abyss was chaos already, but a voice?
Aegon stood and stared at the team, they were all in depth of fear, their expressions like they had seen a ghost.
Aegon didn't know why they had such expressions, but from what Nyra said after the gate disappeared, it was nothing good and he needed more information, then he asked:
"What is that matter?"
The words left his lips but there was no response. Seeing this, he walked to the front of Nyra and asked again.
"Hey, tell me what has happened?"
Nyra raised her head and gazed at Aegon. Her expression could tell everything, but within a single breath time she regained her composure.
"Something is wrong." She said, "I don't know what it is, but this is now how the Abyss is supposed to be."
"What do you mean?" Aegon asked.
Just as the question was asked, the familiar thunderous voice spoke again.
[You have entered the Playground of Grimharrow, and have been selected as the few who would participate in the Challenge…]
The voice shook the surrounding area, as the entire team listened. It was as if the Abyss itself was speaking.
"C…Challenge? What's it talking about?"
Sheila leaned closely to Nyra, her hands shaking while holding her staff tightly.
At this moment, Nyra, Aegon and the others all had their heads raised to the heavens. There was nothing up there, only white.
Their entire surroundings stretched far and wide completely in white with square corners.
With this, the voice spoke again.
[Prepare for the coming challenge as your skills would be tested. Those who die will be no more, those who survive will see another day!]
As the voice finished speaking, the whole team was still under confusion when suddenly the ground shook as well as the entire space, and in the blink of an eye their surroundings changed.
"W…Where are we?"
Natsu, one of the members of the party, stuttered as he tried getting the words out of his cold lips.
Before the Farmers was a vast tundra of snowy and ice-covered region stretching about five to eight miles, it was as if they were at the peak of a mountain top.
"What the hell is this place?!!" A strange voice yelled.
Upon hearing this, Aegon and the party who knew the voice wasn't amongst them turned around and before then a great multitude appeared.
There were about five hundred people in this region including Aegon and his team.
"What is going on?"
At this point, this was what every single person was thinking. These people didn't know where they were and began looking for answers.
Nyra, who was beside Aegon took a look at him and saw how calm he was, then she gazed back at the people amongst them saying:
"Everyone here is a farmer. I'm guessing they were also caught up in this turnout and dragged into this."
Just as she was about to speak again, a voice from a distance called her name.
"Nyra!"
Hearing her name she turned and to her surprise, a familiar face was running towards her.
Aegon also turned around and saw two people running towards them.
"Sinon!"
Sheila called out and ran towards the lady who called Nyra'sname.
Upon reaching them, Sinon, who was wearing a black armor with a sword sheathed to her left, asked.
"What are you doing here?" She took a look at the group, and her gaze landed on a 6' 1 man with jet black hair, it was Aegon.
Immediately, she took her gaze off him and back to Nyra. They both met each other before Nyra responded.
"After we entered the Abyss we heard a strange voice speaking and before we knew it, we appeared here."
Nyra and Sinon spoke about what had happened to them and it was exactly the same.
The thing is, every single Farmer in this region had all experienced the same thing as Aegon and the party.
It was an uncommon event which had never happened in the history of the Abyss. Many heads tried to come together to get an answer, but there wasn't an accurate conclusion.
It had already been over two minutes since they all appeared in this region. There were no clouds, therefore it was impossible to know the time.
A cold and chilly wind blew, taking with it dust of snow; entering the body of every human here. One moment the temperature was bearable but suddenly the temperature had dropped to about -13°C to -16°C.
In other words, it was extremely cold or deep freeze.
Every farmer who was talking before had already stopped, and now held their body for warmth.
"Are we going to die here?" A voice yelled.
As if the voice was heard, the familiar thunderous voice spoke and everyone felt its tremor more than the cold.
[All challengees have been gathered, the challenge will commence shortly, but here are the rules!]
[You are currently standing on a single ring out of seven rings stacked in a single spire; from lowest to largest!]
[They are seven rings, the first ring which you are currently on, the second blow, the third below, and so on until the seventh!]
[The rule is to stack each ring accordingly from the top being the lowest, to the bottom being the largest as it is currently, all moved from the first spire to the last spire!]
[Only then would you pass the challenge. To move a single ring you would have to find the Pedestal Crystal located somewhere in the said region!]
[However, a big ring cannot be placed on a small ring, for if that is done the small ring will crumble and everyone will perish!]
The voice paused for a second as if it was looking at the people it was taking to, to know if they were listening.
There were. All the Farmers were silent, their heads up high, listening to the voice, then it spoke again.
[If the first ring is not moved before twenty-four hours, the ring will drop by a meter into the void and everyone will perish.]
As the voice spoke, two images suddenly appeared, floating in the sky.
The first image displayed the three spires; the first spire was stacked with seven rings, each ring having their own distinct Biomes, then there was the second spire, the third spire having a golden door on it; the exit.
Outside of the spires was the void, a complete dark mist that had an infinite end. If a person were to fall, they would fall for eternity and die in the process.
The second image displayed the time they had to move the first ring; 24:00 hrs. But it hadn't yet started.
"What's this nonsense, I didn't sign up for this!"
A voice yelled out as a male farmer came to the foremost of everyone claiming he didn't want to have any take in the challenge.
[If no ring is moved in fourty-eight hours the entire ring will drop to the void and everyone will perish!]
[With this I leave you. The Challenge may now begin!]
The voice faded but the images were still displaying, as the second one had already begun the time; 23:58 hours remaining.
"I will not take this!" the same man yelled out, his expression filled her anger and fear.
Aegon walked out of his party as Nyra's eyes followed him.
He moved ten steps away from his initial spot, then spotted, afterwards he bent down and used his right hand to pick up what looked like a white fur.
Nyra's eyes shrank upon seeing what he had picked up.
"Is that…"
Aegon rose up and walked back to his group of seven now; added by Sinon and the other that was with her.
Upon his arrival, Nyra walked to him in a hurry and touched his hands to see what he was holding.
"A fur?"
The words left his lips.
Suddenly, a scream echoed in the ears of every single person and every Framer turned their attention away from the man in fear to where a certain person was pointing at.
In a far distance, covered with the most of the snow a shadow was seen. And for every breath drawn the shadow moved closer.
After about ten breaths the shadow emerged from the mist and before them was an Arctic White Wolf standing three times the normal height.
Every farmer stood silent and shocked at the outrageous size of the beast before them.
Their time ticking, indicating the journey from here on wasn't going to be easy.