Chapter 20: The Divine Trial

It was mid-afternoon as the sun began to fall toward the horizon. He then arrived at the castle and gazed at its now restored grandeur and headed inside. He walked inside and headed to the throne room. He looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary but then saw one of the wall panels behind the throne move to the side, revealing a hidden walkway. He knew the Maiden of the Lake was leading him there so he walked through and found a hidden great room with four other rooms connected to it but it resembled a training ground rather than a castle. At the far end of the great room was a large door with four locks keeping it shut. Around the great room were four suits of armor holding their swords up in front of their helmets.

Before Roland could investigate, the Maiden of the Lake appeared before him. "It's you again," Roland said.

"Welcome, young Roland," she replied with hear smooth, clear voice.

"I'm here, so now what? How do I find out where X-Calibur is?"

"Before you can find those answers, you must pass the trial set before you. This room was built as a final trial for all the knights of Crealot and was first cleared by Artheo himself. It is known as the Divine Trial. Your trial is to unlock that door and pass the challenge that awaits you there. There is a switch in each of the four rooms you must activate to unlock the door."

"I see," he said.

"Be warned: to get to each of the switches, you must pass through the obstacles that will be set before you and dangers will lurk around each corner."

Roland shuddered and his left hand began to shake.

"I brought you here to overcome the fear that is plaguing you, but you still have a choice: you can go back or face the challenge before you."

Roland hesitated since he was scared about having to fight again. He thought about his sisters and about Yang. I...need to be strong, he thought to himself. If I don't step up, who will? He took a breath and said, "I'll do it."

The Maiden of the Lake smiled. "Very well, let the Divine Trial begin!" she said. "I will await your arrival at the end." She then faded away like mist. Roland then took another deep breath and began to walk around the great room, deciding on which room to attempt first. He started with the nearest room on his left and walked through the door.

He followed the corridor and came upon a room that had circuits along the wall with the wires disconnected at several spots. At the end of the room was a button on a pedestal behind iron bars blocking the doorway. Roland looked and saw a core at the second level of the room that generated electricity along one of the wires but stopped at one of the gaps. There were metal blocks around and Roland deduced that he had to put the metal blocks in the gaps to complete the flow of electricity to the doorway to where the switch was. He picked up the metal block nearest to him and walked upstairs, grunting as he did since the block weighed about 50 pounds.

He set it down for a minute and looked at the wires and noticed that they all went to different places: some dead ends and others were to other gates that contained who knew what. Not wanting to find out, Roland walked around the room and carefully examined each wire and found the one that would unlock the right gate. He then put the metal block in the second of four wires and saw a platform lift it up to where the electricity was flowing. He then saw the wire light up as power flowed through it and the glow stopped at the next gap. He saw from earlier that the next gap led to different areas like before but he knew which gap to choose. After some heavy lifting, he completed the circuit that led to the right gate. As power flowed through the wire to the gate, it opened, revealing the switch Roland was looking for. He then activated it and heard cranking noises from afar as the first lock on the door opened.

He then left the room and noticed that the first lock on the door had opened. He then proceeded to the room directly across the great room. As he entered the room, he noticed that there were pools of water all over the room the led under walls, indicating that swimming was the only way forward. After he looked around, he dove into the water and started to swim. He swam under the wall and then to a corridor that was on the other side. As he got out of the water, he walked forward and tripped a motion sense of some kind as he heard a beep and a click. He stopped to see what was going on, and then spikes emerged from the walls around him and began to slowly close on him. He had no choice but to run and dove into the next pool of water, since there was nowhere else to go. The next pool was wider and forced Roland to swim to his right and then to his left as he swam under two walls this time. He got up onto the next corridor, triggering another motion sensor that set off another wall of spikes. He ran down the corridor and noticed that it was longer this time, and dove into the next pool of water.

Roland felt a current going against him this time and a wall of spikes appeared behind him under the water this time and began to slowly follow him. He swam as fast as he could but began to struggle, almost hitting the spikes that followed him. He looked behind and saw them right behind him, giving him the motivation to swim faster and he reached the other side. He hoisted himself out of the water and heard another motion sensor go off, triggering the next series of spiked walls. The corridor wasn't as long as the last one, but the walls closed in faster. Despite being out of breath, Roland had to run, reaching the edge just in time.

The next pool had a whirlpool with several rooms around the pool, one of which contained the switch. Roland tried to look as long as he could while he swam, but he was too tired to swim against the pull of the whirlpool for long. He grabbed onto the nearest ledge and pulled himself out of the water. He stayed on the floor to catch his breath but another motion sensor was tripped, causing the wall at the end of the room to move towards him after more spikes emerged. Roland watched the wall, catching his breath for as long as he could and he jumped back into the water. Having caught his breath more, he swam for a bit longer and located the room with the switch and swam to it once the current carried him there.

Once he hoisted himself out of the water, one final sensor went off, revealing more spiked walls on both sides that closed in. Roland ran with as much energy he could spare and made it to the switch in time. He pressed it, and walls returned to their original state and the second lock on the door opened. A small table then came out of the ground that had a small bottle on it that contained a drink of some kind. Roland eyed it cautiously but opened the bottle and drank its contents. He felt his stamina return and a corridor then revealed itself as the wall before him moved out of the way. The corridor led him back to the beginning of the room, and he returned to the great room.

Roland then went across the room to the last one on the left. He then found a simple room before him with no obstacles around, save for a gate to a room that had the next switch. There was single tile on the floor that was different than the others positioned in the center of the room, so Roland went to investigate. As he stepped on the tile, a sensor went off, and the walls changed, revealing several cannons and an hourglass. After the walls finished changing, the canons then began to fire energy shots at Roland and the hour glass flipped over. Roland dodged the first shot that came at him, but two more were fired soon after. As he dodged those, more shots were fired, and Roland deduced that he had to avoid every shot that came at him until the time was up.

As Roland dodged eight shots, ten quickly came at him, and one managed to hit him, causing the timer to reset as well as the pattern of shots. He then got out his shield and thought that he could block all of them instead of avoiding them. As he blocked the first shot, the timer reset again, proving that he had to avoid all of them. He was cautious this time and avoided many of them, and he saw that the hourglass had a little bit of sand left in it. The final volley came as twenty shots came at him. He narrowly avoided the first few but was wide open to the next bunch of shots. He then fired a shot from Ember Celica and managed to avoid the last few shots and the hourglass was empty. The cannons returned to their original positions behind the wall and the gate that held the switch opened. Roland then proceeded and pressed the switch and heard the familiar clank of the lock opening.

He then returned to the great room and to the last room that he needed to clear. As he entered the room, he saw a single corridor that had a big stone block that barred his way forward. It was on an icy floor and Roland pushed it a little and saw that it slid forward with ease before sliding to a stop. He then gave it a harder push and he watched it slide until it fell into a hole perfectly made for it, revealing more of the corridor until another block was sighted. He carefully made his way across the icy floor until he got to the next block. This block was on the normal floor of the room, so it was more difficult to push this block. As he struggled a bit, he continued to push the block until it fell into another hole, revealing more of the corridor. He then found another block on what appeared to be a conveyor belt that wasn't moving at the moment. He caught his breath for a moment and began to push the block, but the conveyor belt activated and began to move in the opposite direction that he was going. This made pushing the block very challenging and it took a lot of his strength just to keep the block from going backwards. He continued to push himself and eventually got the block to the last hole, causing the conveyor belt to stop. He then fell to his knees to catch his breath and saw the switch and another drink that he had before at the end of the corridor. He walked over to the switch after he drank the drink, feeling his strength return, and he pressed the switch. He heard the final lock open and he returned to the great room.

As he returned, the door opened before him, revealing what appeared to be a sparring ring. He entered the ring and saw the pictures of Artheo and all of his knights who completed the trials he just completed on the wall, along with a replica of each of their weapons. He then saw the Maiden of the Lake sitting cross-legged on the floor waiting for him. "Well done, young Roland," she greeted him. "You have made it to the end."

"Thank you," he politely replied. "It wasn't easy."

"Each of those trials tested the essential elements to combat: strength, endurance, reaction, and strategy. Now you must use all four of them to defeat the foe that stands before you." Roland was shocked as he saw the Maiden of the Lake stand up before him, creating a lance out of water. "Shall we begin?" she asked.

Roland was speechless but stood ready. His left hand trembled as he held his sword but he had to fight. The two of them clashed and then separated, and the Maiden attacked with such grace and precision, forcing Roland on the defensive. It was like she was dancing but with deadly strikes mixed in. Roland blocked a strike and attempted to parry, but the Maiden avoided the strike with what looked like a dance move, and she retaliated a stab from her lance to Roland's chest, knocking him to the floor. He rolled out of the way of a stab to the ground and quickly got up. He retaliated at the opening but the Maiden quickly blocked his attack. He drew back, dodging a counterattack, and blocked the next kick and slash with his shield and sword. He then attacked with a wide slash followed by another wide slash to his left and a downward cut. All of his attacks were blocked and the two entered an exchange of several blows. Roland then blocked and deflected an attack from the Maiden, breaking her defense, and then landed a powerful frontal kick followed by a downward cut, knocking her to the floor.

"Impressive," she said, "but how will you handle what comes next?" She then clapped her hands and focused. Water rose up and formed two identical clones of her and the three rushed Roland. Roland was forced on the defensive of having to face three opponents. He managed to land a strike on one of the clones, and it immediately faded into a puddle of water. However, the puddle then quickly re-formed into a clone and Roland was right back where he started. He desperately blocked attack after attack, but took kick to the head, knocking him to the floor. "Is this the limit of your ability?" the Maiden questioned.

"Not yet!" Roland defiantly replied. He quickly got up and continued to fight, and he managed to avoid a simultaneous strike from all three of his opponents with a shot from Ember Celica. He then kicked off of the nearby wall with a shot, propelling him across the room with great speed as he cut down all three of his opponents. The Maiden fell to the floor and Roland leapt into the air for the final blow. The Maiden reached out and grabbed Roland with a giant hand of water and slammed him against the wall. Roland began to stagger to his feet, out of breath, and he watched as the clones re-formed themselves and they began to walk towards him with the Maiden. "You're beginning to tire," she said. "You cannot fight forever and you will die for your failure."

Roland tried to think of something, but this was an opponent he could not win against. "...You're right," he admitted. "All I can do is try as hard as I can. I can't protect everyone myself."

The Maiden then stood over Roland, raising her lance to kill him, and Roland simply got on his knees and bowed, accepting his fate. Roland waited, but felt no lance pierce his flesh. "Rise, young Roland," the Maiden said as she offered her hand. "You have passed the final trial."

"What?" Roland asked, as he took her hand and was helped up. "I lost, so how did I pass?"

"The purpose of this trial is to experience the fear of defeat in order to rise above it and that can only come by accepting defeat."

Roland was speechless.

"Tell me, where is your fear now?"

Roland didn't notice before, but he didn't feel as afraid as he was before and his drive to fight was restored. "It's not as bad as it was before, but I am still a little aftraid."

"That is natural. Artheo and all of his knights experienced the same thing as you just did."

"So, will you now tell me where X-Calibur is?"

"That, I do not know, however, I can grant you the power to find it. Take off your left gauntlet and show me your mark." Roland did as instructed and the Maiden of the Lake took his hand and touched his mark. He felt her power flow through it and it was as if a locked door within him opened. He then began to see all of Remnant and he quickly travelled to the continent of Anima, then down a path that led to some kind of camp in the wilderness. "Do you now know where the sword is?" she asked.

"It's...in a camp, probably a camp of bandits, in Anima," he replied. "How am I able to see this?"

"When you first took the sword, a fragment of your own aura was infused into it, thus allowing you to find it wherever it may be. It has become a part of you. I merely unlocked the ability for you to sense where it is."

Roland was speechless once again. "...Thank you," he managed to say after a bit. "Hold on, something happened to the sword during my last fight."

"I assume you are referring to its true power?"

"Yes."

"The sword's true power is unlocked when two conditions are met: it must be in the presence of true evil and a battle is fought in the defense of someone or something precious with the absence of any evil intent of its wielder. The sword then grants its wielder greater strength in its strikes, greater focus in battle, and restores the wielder's aura."

Roland then understood what happened in his battle with Adam and why the sword's true power activated when it did. "I have other questions for you," he said.

"And they will be answered in time," the Maiden replied. "This will open at the right time and grant you all the answers you seek." She handed him a book that had a lock with a seal on it. "Also, take this with you." The middle tile of the floor opened up and an orb about the size of a basketball came up from beneath the floor. "What is it?" Roland said as he picked it up.

"Return to your father and you will see. Now, I must depart. Your task is to now reclaim the sword. Its power will be vital for the survival of this world. Farwell, Roland..."

"Farewell, and thank you for everything," he replied, and the Maiden of the Lake faded away like the mist. Suddenly, the walls around him glowed as his picture was added to the wall of those who passed the trial. His picture went next to Artheo's and both now stood on either side of the replica of X-Calibur, since both wielded it in the past. Roland then left the castle and returned home.

Night had fallen when he returned and he found his father in the garage working on something. His father covered what he was working on with a tarp as he heard his son return. He didn't say anything and saw that his son returned with renewed courage and resolve. "You did it didn't you?" Dak asked.

"Yes," Roland said. As he approached his father, the orb he held began to glow and it faded, revealing some sort of engine part that was within.

"That's the part I was missing!" Dak happily exclaimed. "Give it here son."

"An engine part?" Roland asked. "What's it for?"

"Hang on a sec." Dak then quickly installed the part Roland gave him. After a few mintues Dak was finished. "Alright, done! Feast your eyes son!" Dake then pulled off the tarp and revealed a motorcycle. It was blue, save for the image of the brown horse on both sides of the fuel tank. It was about the same size as Yang's but had a more of a cruiser bike look to it.

"Dad, it's amazing!" Roland said.

"It's yours son," Dak said. "I built it for you. I found blueprints for it not long after you left for Beacon. I've been gathering the necessary parts since then and the last part you brought to me was the last one. Get on it and give it a try!"

Roland then mounted the motorcycle and sat on it comfortably, like it was made just for him. "Thanks dad. I love it!" he said with excitement.

"Happy to hear that son," his father replied. "What are you going to name it?"

Roland thought for a moment. "Hangroen, after Artheo's horse."

"I knew you'd name it something like that. I'll help you practice riding starting tomorrow. Now come on, your mother has dinner waiting."

Roland simply smiled and went into the house with his father.