Chapter 7: The First Test
Rini had walked into the dark forest full of determination and courage. But as she walked a little further into the darkness of these woods, she began to feel a little unsure and worried. She became even more worried as she heard wolves howling from far off again. What if they found her? But Rini was not about to chicken out at the last minute, and she continued to walk thru the woods. As she walked further, Rini began to think about Helios again. She pictured him once again incased in the dark crystal, which brought sadness into her heart, as well as bad memories. It reminded her of when her mother had been caught by the negamoon family and had been incased in a large, coffin-like, crystal. Rini was only five years old at the time, but she still remembered that vividly, even how she was sent back in time to the 21st century with her future parents in order to save her mother, as well as hide from the negamoon family.
As Rini remembered all of this, a thought struck her. "I was able to save my mother and my home when I was only five, so what's to keep me from saving my Helios from Damious. I just have to stay confident and believe in myself. But most of all, I must remember that Helios is counting on me. It's up to me to save him."
But suddenly, Rini was pulled out from her thoughts as she came upon a door. It was a strange-looking door. "Where did this come from?" she thought to herself. Rini stepped up to the door and tried to see if there was some other way around it, but there wasn't. The only way to proceed was thru the door. She examined the door and noticed that it was made of stone. As she looked at the top of the door, she nearly screamed with fright. There was a doorknocker and it was shaped to look like a skull, but with devil-like horn on the top of its head. "How very strange," she said out loud. Rini continued to stare at the doorknocker, with its empty eye sockets.
"What are you looking at?!" cried out the doorknocker unexpectedly.
Rini screamed, not believing at all what just happened. "Did you just talk?" she asked the doorknocker, fear showing in her voice.
"Do you see anyone else here?" it asked sarcastically.
"I guess not," she answered unsurely. "Please excuse me for screaming. I'm just not use to doorknockers talking, that's all."
"It's ok," he answered. "So what brings you here? I don't usually get visitors."
"I need to get to Damious' castle," she told him.
"Why would you want to go there?" he asked curiously.
"There is...someone waiting for me there," she answered, feeling a stab of pain in her heart at the thought of Helios. "So, if you don't mind, I would like to pass on thru."
"Hold on a minute there, lady!" he said suddenly. "You can't just walk on thru like that! You must first do something for me."
"Like what?" Rini asked impatiently, "Can't you see that I'm in a hurry?!"
"You just need to answer a riddle," he replied, "Then you may pass on thru."
"This must be one of Damious' tests," Rini thought to herself. "All right, tell me the riddle."
"What animal walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?" asked the doorknocker.
Rini almost laughed when she heard the riddle. "I know this riddle!" she thought to herself with glee. "Father told me this one when I was little!" Rini felt so confident now, believing she would save Helios in no time if all of the tests were this easy. She looked at the doorknocker with a look of pure triumph and answered the riddle. "The answer is man, since man crawls on four feet as a baby, walks on two feet as an adult, and uses a cane as a third leg in old age."
The doorknocker was taken completely by surprise at how quickly she answered the riddle. But she had answered correctly. Suddenly, the stone door opened for Rini, allowing her to enter at last. Rini felt so proud and hopeful as she walked on thru the door.
"Wait!" cried out the doorknocker.
Rini stopped dead in her tracks when she heard him again and turned around to face the doorknocker.
"You may think that this first test was easy," he started, "but be warned that the tests will get harder and will become more dangerous. Remember this as well, not everything is as it seems here in Hadesion."
With that, the door shut by itself and Rini was all alone was once again. But the words of the doorknocker still lingered in her head. "He said that the tests would get harder and more dangerous," she thought with concern. But she quickly brushed that thought aside, telling herself to keep on going for Helios.
Meanwhile, unknown to Rini, Damious was observing her progress this whole time through his mirror again. "She may have thought that was easy," Damious said, a smile spreading on his face, "but that was just a rouge, to throw her off guard! The next tests won't be so easy. She will fail, making her mine!" Damious laughed his horrible, maniacal laugh again, which echoed throughout the castle. Helios was watched this from his crystal prison. He could even see the mirror, thru which Damious was watching Rini. Helios watched his beloved Rini, touched by how she was willing to do this for him. He felt horrible for not returning to Rini when he had the chance. And all because he thought she had forgotten him. "I should have known better," he thought dismally to himself, "I should have know that my maiden would never have forgotten me. And now, she is coming here, for me. But I know Damious; he will stop at nothing to get his way. He will probably try to stop her from getting here. But I won't let that happen. I will protect her in whatever way I can. Damious may have imprisoned my body, but not my soul. If Rini should be in any danger, my soul will protect her." After he said this, Helios' body began to glow with a mysterious golden light. This mystical light was Helios' soul and he was prepared to send it forth at any time, to protect his beloved from harm.
AN: Please review and tell me what you think.
Dream Sovereign
Rini had walked into the dark forest full of determination and courage. But as she walked a little further into the darkness of these woods, she began to feel a little unsure and worried. She became even more worried as she heard wolves howling from far off again. What if they found her? But Rini was not about to chicken out at the last minute, and she continued to walk thru the woods. As she walked further, Rini began to think about Helios again. She pictured him once again incased in the dark crystal, which brought sadness into her heart, as well as bad memories. It reminded her of when her mother had been caught by the negamoon family and had been incased in a large, coffin-like, crystal. Rini was only five years old at the time, but she still remembered that vividly, even how she was sent back in time to the 21st century with her future parents in order to save her mother, as well as hide from the negamoon family.
As Rini remembered all of this, a thought struck her. "I was able to save my mother and my home when I was only five, so what's to keep me from saving my Helios from Damious. I just have to stay confident and believe in myself. But most of all, I must remember that Helios is counting on me. It's up to me to save him."
But suddenly, Rini was pulled out from her thoughts as she came upon a door. It was a strange-looking door. "Where did this come from?" she thought to herself. Rini stepped up to the door and tried to see if there was some other way around it, but there wasn't. The only way to proceed was thru the door. She examined the door and noticed that it was made of stone. As she looked at the top of the door, she nearly screamed with fright. There was a doorknocker and it was shaped to look like a skull, but with devil-like horn on the top of its head. "How very strange," she said out loud. Rini continued to stare at the doorknocker, with its empty eye sockets.
"What are you looking at?!" cried out the doorknocker unexpectedly.
Rini screamed, not believing at all what just happened. "Did you just talk?" she asked the doorknocker, fear showing in her voice.
"Do you see anyone else here?" it asked sarcastically.
"I guess not," she answered unsurely. "Please excuse me for screaming. I'm just not use to doorknockers talking, that's all."
"It's ok," he answered. "So what brings you here? I don't usually get visitors."
"I need to get to Damious' castle," she told him.
"Why would you want to go there?" he asked curiously.
"There is...someone waiting for me there," she answered, feeling a stab of pain in her heart at the thought of Helios. "So, if you don't mind, I would like to pass on thru."
"Hold on a minute there, lady!" he said suddenly. "You can't just walk on thru like that! You must first do something for me."
"Like what?" Rini asked impatiently, "Can't you see that I'm in a hurry?!"
"You just need to answer a riddle," he replied, "Then you may pass on thru."
"This must be one of Damious' tests," Rini thought to herself. "All right, tell me the riddle."
"What animal walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?" asked the doorknocker.
Rini almost laughed when she heard the riddle. "I know this riddle!" she thought to herself with glee. "Father told me this one when I was little!" Rini felt so confident now, believing she would save Helios in no time if all of the tests were this easy. She looked at the doorknocker with a look of pure triumph and answered the riddle. "The answer is man, since man crawls on four feet as a baby, walks on two feet as an adult, and uses a cane as a third leg in old age."
The doorknocker was taken completely by surprise at how quickly she answered the riddle. But she had answered correctly. Suddenly, the stone door opened for Rini, allowing her to enter at last. Rini felt so proud and hopeful as she walked on thru the door.
"Wait!" cried out the doorknocker.
Rini stopped dead in her tracks when she heard him again and turned around to face the doorknocker.
"You may think that this first test was easy," he started, "but be warned that the tests will get harder and will become more dangerous. Remember this as well, not everything is as it seems here in Hadesion."
With that, the door shut by itself and Rini was all alone was once again. But the words of the doorknocker still lingered in her head. "He said that the tests would get harder and more dangerous," she thought with concern. But she quickly brushed that thought aside, telling herself to keep on going for Helios.
Meanwhile, unknown to Rini, Damious was observing her progress this whole time through his mirror again. "She may have thought that was easy," Damious said, a smile spreading on his face, "but that was just a rouge, to throw her off guard! The next tests won't be so easy. She will fail, making her mine!" Damious laughed his horrible, maniacal laugh again, which echoed throughout the castle. Helios was watched this from his crystal prison. He could even see the mirror, thru which Damious was watching Rini. Helios watched his beloved Rini, touched by how she was willing to do this for him. He felt horrible for not returning to Rini when he had the chance. And all because he thought she had forgotten him. "I should have known better," he thought dismally to himself, "I should have know that my maiden would never have forgotten me. And now, she is coming here, for me. But I know Damious; he will stop at nothing to get his way. He will probably try to stop her from getting here. But I won't let that happen. I will protect her in whatever way I can. Damious may have imprisoned my body, but not my soul. If Rini should be in any danger, my soul will protect her." After he said this, Helios' body began to glow with a mysterious golden light. This mystical light was Helios' soul and he was prepared to send it forth at any time, to protect his beloved from harm.
AN: Please review and tell me what you think.
Dream Sovereign