Ascending up the last bit of the stone steps in front of her only seeing what the light of the lasso attached to her belt hits in front causing a small golden shine to erupt glancing around the darkness finding herself inside of a pitch dark room unraveling the lasso from her belt raising it up high as she looks around to find herself inside of a large cavern with numerous carvings yet again traced across a couple of stone walls turning to her side finding an torch hanging up against the wall reaching out just as her fingers come within inches instantly Diana pulls her hand back as she watches the torch light up along with countless others scattered all around the chamber.
Torches that reveal a very large chamber. Larger than she had ever seen before. Only this one was different.
This one was not only below her as she stands on the edge of a stone platform looking down but also completely flooded. Completely flooded with an enormous amount of water.
Water that has almost risen up to where she is standing now. Water that shines a bright blue almost twinkling at her.
A sight that she would have called beautiful if not for what she sees down below in its depths. Bones of fallen warriors. Scattered remains of armors and swords resting deep down on the stones below.
Things that shouldn't have been possible in her mind. Shouldn't have been possible due to none ever making it through the first trial. Unless….
Snapping her head to look back over her shoulder finding her entrance into the chambers once again lost into darkness with her eyebrow raised slowly Diana turns her attention back forward.
Unless every warrior's path is different.
Staring down into the abyss shaking her thoughts taking a few steps forward until the ends of her sandals are off the end of the platform that she is on placing the lasso back around her belt just as she takes a step feeling a wind breezing through the air coming from behind instantly coming to a stop the faintest of whispers can be heard coming from behind.
The very same whisper she had just heard coming from the latest chamber. A voice she couldn't quite figure out if it was coming from a man or a woman.
Face your fears.
Unable to keep the look of confusion from coming across her face glancing over her shoulder finding nothing but darkness behind her turning her head back forward to look back down into the great depths of water below her taking a deep breath instantly Diana dives off from the platform landing down hard into the water with a loud splash.
A splash that could be heard echoing through the chamber. A chamber that suddenly starts to darken as a golden glow shines deep within the depths of the abyss.
An golden glow that slowly starts to dive deeper and deeper into the abyss exploring the flooded chambers down below.
Chambers that were truly massive in her eyes. Chambers that seemed to keep going on and on. Chambers filled with monuments.
Monuments of the gods that temple had been dedicated to. Monuments so large that almost required a chamber by themselves to hold.
Statues that she slowly swims around taking them in with a sense of awe. Taking them in with a sense of wonder seeing truly what the gods looked like in real life.
Statues that she could swear were watching her as she slowly swims past them and down towards an open doorway in the dark depths below her.
Depths that only seem to be getting deeper by the second. Seemed to be never ending. Seemed to continue to go on forever like a bottomless pit.
An bottomless pit that seems to be calling out to her with the faintest of whispers. The very same whispers that she had heard inside of the last chamber. Only this time they were louder.
Only this time they seemed to be closer. So close as though they were right next to her.
A sudden thought that causes her to snap around only for her eyes to widen when she sees skeletons one after another floating just behind her staring directly at her with lifeless eyes.
Eyes that she can feel following her as she backpedals away from them before in a twirl she continues her pace back forward into the abyss.
Swims through the darkness seeing only more lifeless eyes staring at her from the darkness. Lifeless eyes of the fallen. Lifeless eyes that continue to be revealed through the abyss.
An abyss that reveals a large stone cavern that she swims easily through until the faintest of lights coming from above causes her to ascend up through the water to a small opening.
An opening just big enough for her to fit through. An opening that with every passing second she sees the light getting closer and closer until within seconds she lets out a breathe as her head emerges out of the water.
A breathe that she treasures before she opens her eyes to find herself staring directly at a well lit room.
Well lit by numerous torches all around her. Torches burning with bright blue flames. Flames she can feel from her spot in the water.
Flames that burn just as bright as her lasso. Flames that she is drawn to as she emerges out of the water to only stop glancing at the nearest torch when she catches sight of it.
The armor of the gods. An armors that shines brightly at her. An armor that was more beautiful than what the legends spoke of it.
A red and gold breast plate bearing a golden eagle. A matching gold belt firmly attached to a dark blue skirt.
A suit of armor that makes her lips curl up into a slight smile as she slowly approaches the armor. Slowly approaches the armor feeling numerous eyes upon her.
Feeling as though she was being judged with every single step that she takes. Steps that continue to echo off of the walls. Continue until she comes to a stop to graze the breastplate gently with her fingers.
Graze feeling the cold steel of the armor. The legendary armor. The armor that would now become her own as slowly she strips off her toga and the rest of her clothing leaving her bare naked before slowly she applies every ounce of the legendary armor firmly to her body.
Armor that felt light. Felt so light. Made her feel so light. Made her feel as though she would be even faster in combat. Made her feel powerful.
Made her feel almost invincible. Invincible as she applies the last of the armor in the form of a pair of silver bracelets that match the armor perfectly.
An armor she can't help but smile at in her reflection as she stares back down into the water seeing the breastplate shining brightly.
Shining brightly until instantly her smile vanishes and an alarmed expression comes across her face when the torches go out engulfing the room into total darkness.
Engulf into darkness other than the light coming from her lasso. A golden shine that as she turns her head to find herself staring into the lifeless eyes of a woman that had thought of to been lost so many years ago causes her to fall down to the ground and back up slightly.
A woman that she had watched die. A woman that had first started her journey to become a great warrior despite her mother's wishes.
Her dead aunt. An aunt that stares lifelessly at her. An aunt that she can't help but keep staring at in shock as she makes her way up to her feet.
An aunt that she sees getting closer and closer to her despite her backpedaling seeing the true damage of the woman's last battle.
The clear cut of the slit throat she had received. She cuts delivered all across her face causing deformed skin to hang off from her face.
A sight that was appalling. A sight that she didn't want to remember this woman by. A sight that makes her take out her sword as she sees this deformed woman making her way over with her own sword in her hand.
A sword that she watches instantly be swung her way causing her to quickly bring up her sword to block the incoming attack.
An attack that is followed by another. An another as she continues to block slash after slash coming her way. Coming from her way by this thing. This thing that looked just like her aunt.
Looked just like her former mentor. Just like her former teacher. A teacher she can't help but to stare at as tears start to form in her eyes.
Tears that she would not allow to fall. Tears that she suppresses the best of her abilities as she continues to block strike after strike before instantly as though feeling a burst of strength radiating through her in a sudden move Diana sends a slash of her own cutting her aunt's deformed hand completely off causing her sword to fall down to the ground with a clang.
A clang quickly followed up by a thud as the deformed head of her aunt comes crashing down from a quick slash that lands clean straight through her neck.
An sudden attack that only makes her eyes widen at what she had just done as she watches her aunt's lifeless body come crashing down to the stone ground.
An lifeless body that stares up lifelessly at her before as though her legs were giving out on her causes Diana to come crashing down to her knees before slowly a few tears trickle down her face to the cold ground below.