Soon they walked at a slow pace through the garden while at the end of the road a temple of illustrious appearance began to draw near, vines of blue roses fixed themselves and climbed the right pillar of the temple while on the left pillar red roses did the same.
Ryan slowly observed the surroundings, his mind had never been well suited to the idea of safety, he even considered himself paranoid, therefore whenever he entered a store or any kind of establishment he would look for escape routes or other strategic points.
But that was before being thrown into the meat grinder that was this Unnamed game.
At that moment his mind was creating a thousand and one plans to kill the guardian, to destroy Eden, to drag every abomination from the Uriel mountains up here and let them reap the life of every innocent little rabbit and squirrel that lived here in peace.
His thoughts now could only be described as demonic.
This game had planted an evil seed in his heart.
But when he asked himself whether he had become a demon, curiously his answer was the opposite.
'It is not that I am a demon wanting to destroy paradise, but that this paradise is in truth hell itself. It is a privileged vantage point from which to witness the violent deaths of countless people and animals while living inside a warped utopia. They are the demons.'
Ryan soon clenched his teeth, understanding the nature of that place a little better.
"Here we are." The giant stopped abruptly, letting his shadow fall over the group. The temple before them was now truly immense, inspiring a certain feeling of reverence. But what came next did not surprise Ryan, even though it should have stirred fear in any observer.
The giant pushed the temple doors open with both hands in one overwhelming motion and turned to face them, gesturing inside. "Come in, this is where the trial will be given." He said, then walked forward as natural light flooded into the temple, illuminating it entirely.
The interior of the temple was peculiar, in the same way that Eden was. And that peculiarity was the statues. The temple was like a great cathedral, large enough to hold thousands of people, yet there were no people, only statues in their place, thousands of them.
Statues of angels and demons were abundant, Youkais were abundant, mythological creatures were abundant, demi-humans were abundant. Beasts that could not be named were abundant. All of them were statues scattered throughout the place, all so lifelike that they betrayed the very sense of what was real.
Ryan questioned whether they were truly statues.
One thing in particular caught his attention, several dozen of them stood around an altar at the center, with a strong beam of light bearing down on that spot. Ryan again furrowed his brow and began planning how to get out of there. His instincts were not screaming danger, but his mind was not foolish enough to ignore that something was wrong.
"I have heard many stories about the Legacies..." The apothecary said but was promptly cut off by the guardian.
"You certainly have." He said without turning to face her, in a sharp and dry tone. "Everyone does."
The apothecary swallowed hard, feeling an unexpected hostility directed at her, and then spoke again. "This peculiar setting never fails to impress me, even when one expects it to be somewhat magical, it still manages to surprise. Even so, it did not strike me as a fitting place to test strength, intellect, or any other praiseworthy, admirable, or simply honorable quality. So I found myself wondering what our trial will be?"
"And what would you know about honor?" The giant said rudely and abruptly while standing with his back to the group, and suddenly opened his mouth, exhaling heavily, releasing a hot vapor capable of melting rock. Slowly he turned around, trying to maintain the same dignified posture as before. "But, to answer the earlier question."
"There is no trial." He said with eyes glowing in crimson tones from behind the visor, in a tone of voice so suspicious that it immediately put Ryan on alert. "At least, not for you." He said again, taking a step forward and making the ground tremble. His eyes took on a bluish hue.
He stopped one step away from the group, displaying in full the contrast between his size and strength and that of each of them. Ryan could only see the giant's radiant eyes and the abyssal shadow that was cast over them.
"He will be tested, he will have the glorious chance to receive a Legacy so noble. As for you, consider yourselves honored to witness and to be used for this moment, despite your lack of honor. To ask for more than that would be improper on your part." Everyone's expression darkened as a silence settled for a few moments, but soon the apothecary clenched her teeth and spoke with burning fury.
"I don't think I understood what you said, my ears have been a little deaf lately, you know? How about you repeat yourself and maybe be a little clearer this time?" They exchanged intense looks for a few moments and then the giant simply snorted, releasing burning vapor, and said plainly and directly:
"The two of you are not worthy of taking part in the trial, in any way, however you have shown the qualities necessary to serve as part of the trial itself. Think of it like a game of Chess, only the King truly matters, but the pawns also have their role, even if only to be used and sacrificed for the victory of their ruler. A glorious fate." He then paused before continuing: "But if even that is not enough for you to understand, then allow me to clear up your doubts," He stared at the apothecary and then said:
"From here on I will be as pleasant as possible. I have heard a great deal about you, treacherous spirit, no… I am lying… in truth I saw your very first steps through these lands stained with the blood of the fallen, blood you yourself spilled with a smile on your face for various reasons, each one more petty than the last." He said arrogantly.
"I have known you since you were nothing but an innocent little thing, all the way to the day you committed your first sin and then all the others that followed. It is forbidden to speak of it nowadays but I remember well the time they started calling you the Devourer of Men." Disgust filled his voice.
"I remember as though it were yesterday the day you were called by that name for the first time, I remember wondering how you felt... It is fascinating to see you so grown after all this time, so many years later, I even feel compelled to ask whether you have married and had children, even though I know that no one would ever want you as a partner... after all, they only see you in one particular way, do they not?" He laughed with sadism "Everyone know! You're only good for one thing, aren't you? You're only good for that."
Still, He continued.
"But well, that is a digression of mine, I have spent far too long alone after all. But what truly matters is this! Do you consider yourself worthy of anything? You stand among angels in heaven and still had the audacity to walk in here with your head held high. A demon among demons wishes to inherit a Sacred Legacy? Do not make me laugh! Know your place filthy thing!"
"..."
The apothecary snarled with fury unlike anything before, her entire being united to express a single emotion so intense that Ryan had never seen like it, and yet it was ignored by the others as the guardian shifted his focus.
He then looked at the slave. "As for you, poor child of summer, you got lost in frozen lands and were then carried into a deadly region where even the sweetest fruits are watered with the viscera and blood of the weak." Solemnity filled his voice.
"Weakness here is a crime paid with death, and unfortunately you have already been found guilty of that sin." Soon intense disgust gave way."You only survived here because others took pity on you, they committed a capital sin just to keep you alive. You tainted them."
The giant looked like he was about to vomit from sheer disgust.
"You are a disgrace to your ancestors, one who should have their name erased from their very gravestone. You too are a lost child of summer, but you are so weak and small that your spark will soon go out, you are worth nothing." He said loudly
"Why would anyone grant such a precious power only for it to fade alongside your spark? To be forgotten forever in the amalgam of stories. You are useless, small, and weak. An inferior and flawed version of what your companion is..."
He concluded.
But then added.
"The only good thing you can do for the world and for your companions is to die. Die as soon as possible and erase your shameful existence. Honestly, I don't understand how you haven't killed yourself yet. If I were like you, I would have done it a long time ago."
"..."
The slave began to tremble, trying to hold back the tears that soon began to fall like a fountain as he clutched his own clothes tightly. And then he fell to his knees with his head bowed. Stifling a cry that came from the soul.
"..."
"..."
"What..." Ryan murmured."What was... WHAT!!!!" His eyes bloodshot.
He looked at the giant once more...
This time he seemed so small...
It almost looked like Ryan's fist could reach it.
"What did that motherfucking bastard say?!"He screamed with all the strength he had and didn't have. "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to destroy you! You damned vermin! Don't you dare speak of them like that! I'll give your flesh to the dogs! Your Eden will burn before your eyes! Your skull will serve as a cup! You are fucking dead!"
For the first time in his life, Ryan felt his heart break as his companions fell apart one after the other. He immediately turned to them and ran. His heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to explode.
He quickly wrapped them in his arms, surprising them both. "Don't listen to his nonsense... please, don't listen... all of this will be over soon... just endure a little longer... soon he won't have a tongue left to speak." Ryan clenched his teeth and glared at him. Slowly feeling even the apothecary settle, her fury giving way to deep sorrow beneath his embrace.
Ryan exhaled in the firm embrace of his companions.
"I've never killed a giant. But as they say, there's always a first time."