The three hours lasted for what seemed like days, leaving the boy and the woman weary and exhausted by the time the third phase was over, they both lay on the ground, struggling to catch their breaths and sweating all over.
"I—I never thought it'd be that difficult to do something like that." Jacob said wearily as he lay on the ground, his outspread arms dripping sweat onto the marble floors.
"Neither did I." Xenia responded, huffing and puffing like she just ran twenty miles.
"Congratulations! You have both passed the defense test." The Sage's voice rang through the four corners of the small room.
The room immediately blurred out and Jacob and Xenia found themselves back in the real world, laying on the sand covered earth. The first thing they heard was the noises, the rustling of leaves, the birds chirping rhythmically, the distant roars and the sound of wind moving in all directions.
Then came the smell, the faint smell of damp moss, rotting wood and rich soil.
