Chapter 5: The Second Challenge…Climbing

"Max…Max…wake up!" a male voice ordered as a hand shook Max from his deep sleep. Max opened his eyes and looked toward the intruder. He frowned when he saw Eddie's face hovering above him.

"Wha…what?" yawned Max.

"It's the second challenge, you need to get up – you have a hard climb ahead of you," Eddie told him before he left the room. Max groaned as he got up from his bed and headed over to the shower so he could wake up more fully.

Max made his way out of the hut that he had been supplied with and moved over to River Dog, who nodded when he saw Max and led the way into the jungle where Max would face his next challenge. The others followed them, armed with their hunting spears. River Dog explained that there were many dangers in the jungle and it was better to be prepared than to be left unaware.

They finally reached the mountain, or to be more exact, a volcano that Max was expected to climb. Max just looked up at the high volcano and looked at River Dog.

"Let me guess, if I choose the wrong item, the volcano will erupt as the guardian's wrath?" Max asked and River Dog nodded. Max sighed as he gave a short nod. "Let's hope I pick the right one then." River Dog just chuckled in amusement as Eddie handed Max the stuff that he would need to make his way up to the top of the volcano.

Max strapped the tool belt around his waist that had a pick axe, a pocket filled with white dust that made clinging easier and prevented sweat from making his fingers slippery. They also gave him water that had vitamins in it so he wouldn't dehydrate too quickly.

Once they gave him a check and made sure that he had everything that he needed, they nodded and stood back so they could watch Max start his next challenge, the climbing challenge which took him to the top of the volcano where he was to select an item that would help him get to the next step closer to his goal.

Max dipped his fingers into the white powder and started his climbing up the volcano. He had asked for the rules and he wasn't allowed to use any rope. He had to go on good faith that he would make it to the top without falling and without the fear that he would fall…it was only then he could achieve what seemed to be the impossible.

It was hard work climbing the volcano, especially with the sun rising high in the sky causing him to strip off his top and tuck it into the back of his shorts before he moved on, trying to reach the top. More than once he had nearly slipped but through sheer determinedness and a lot of work out, he had managed to keep a hold of the ledges and pull himself back up.

He couldn't help but let out a breath and shake his head before smiling, his heart was pumping and adrenaline was racing through him, he couldn't help but love the feeling that it was giving him…it was like he was pure human and that he had no care in the world but reaching the top just to stake a claim on it.

Unknown to him, the Seer had been watching him through her Crystal Ball and she would clutch her chest every time he slipped before she would relax and mentally scold the young man for scaring her. She didn't understand why she was so attached to the young man, why she felt like she knew him but her soul seemed to call out to him and it scared and confused her…he held the answers to her past which was another reason why she needed him to pass all the challenges…she needed those answers and she needed to know why she felt like she knew him.

Max reached a small ledge and sat down on it so he could drink some of the water before he pour some of it over his head to cool himself down before looking at his shoulders when pain stung and smiled wryly to himself when he saw they were sunburn. Good thing he had healing powers otherwise he would have been in for a very painful night. He tilted his head back and sighed with relief when he realised that he was nearing the top, he was nearly there to finishing the challenge and would see if he could pass the challenge.

He sighed to himself as he stood up after relaxing a little bit longer, dipped his fingers into the nearly empty packet of white powder and started climbing once more…he was nearly there, he just had to prevail a little bit longer and soon…he would be one step closer to finding out his true path and destiny.

Max reached the top of the volcano and hauled himself up so he could stand on the thick ledge and looked down at the side to see the lava flowing at the bottom before looking around and spotted a small nest.

Frowning to himself that there was a bird nest on a volcano, he moved closer only to see that there weren't any bird eggs in the nest but rather a rang of things that were usually found other places, he saw there was a gold cup filled with clear liquid. A sliver framed mirror. An egg that seems to shone with fire within it. There was a large shiny red apple.

The chalice was golden with ruby encrusted around the edges. The liquid within it seemed to glow an unearthly colour. It seemed to beckon him to pick it…to take a sip of the secrets that held within it.

The Mirror was unnatural, Max could sense that the second he looked at it. The frame was sliver with snake like patterns along. The mirror itself seemed to ripple whenever a reflection passed over it. Max dismissed it as the item that would bring him forward…there was something about it that set him on the edge.

The egg was a fiery red colour and it seemed to glow within…like it held a heartbeat and it was beating in time with his heart. He couldn't help but be drawn to the egg but held himself from touching it, he was also drawn to the chalice and either one of them could lead to the end. He turned to the last item.

The apple was a dark red colour and it was shiny. It looked so mouth-watering tasteful that Max had a hard time not drooling over the anticipation of how it would taste if he bit into it.

He reached toward the apple only to stop when he felt something pass over his mind…it was a warning that if he touched the apple…something bad would happen before he recalled the story of Snow White – when she bit the apple, she fell into a deep sleep and he recalled the story of the Garden of Eden, how the snake tempted Eve into taking a bite of the apple then she tempted Adam into taking a bite.

With that in mind, Max dismissed both the apple and the mirror as it had snake patterns on the frame and he wasn't willing to risk it. Looking toward the two that was still in play, he tried to decide which one would be better before he made up his mind.

He lifted a hand and reached down into the nest and smoothed his palm over the smooth surface of the egg. The glowing started picking up like a heartbeat getting faster before he brought down his other hand and cupped it around the egg, picking it up.

The second Max picked up the egg, the egg started to glow and Max was enveloped in a fiery red glow and there was a roaring sound in his voice when it suddenly died down and the egg faded from Max's hands.

Max opened his eyes to find himself floating, surrounded by red and orange cloud. He looked around before he looked toward the front and he could see a female figure outlined in the cloud before it slowly faded, replacing itself with a blood red dragon with gold eyes and gold patterns and spikes.

"Seeker of the Seer, welcome," greeted the dragon. "You have chosen correctly and passed the test. But do not be over confident as you have many challenges to face before you will face the Seer herself." Max bowed his head in understanding. "Tell me Seeker, why you not use your powers that you were given?"

"I was under the assumption that using my powers was cheating," Max admitted, frowning as he lifted his head to meet the dragon's golden stare. "I thought I had to go on faith."

"Ah, but you have a hard time believing in God because of the way you were created…how can you have faith?" the Dragon asked, wisely. Max opened his mouth to say something only to shut it when he realised that the Dragon had posed a good question.

"My faith can let me down when I need it the most…especially when it comes to understanding how I really feel. I want to have the faith that I will follow the path that I'm meant to be but I have so many conflicting emotions that clouds me," Max whispered, admitting one of his fears. The Dragon nodded in understanding.

"You are more like the other man who came before me that you realise," Max looked at him, confused. There was only one man that he knew of. "He too was conflicted about his path. Not of his love for the young woman, no, that was the one thing that kept him grounded but of the confusion that other people had brought forward to cloud his judgement." The Dragon looked at Max once more. "You are allowed to ask me questions, the Dragon of water did tell me that you are a polite one." There was amusement in its voice and Max could feel his cheeks flush.

"What would have the other items have done?" Max asked as he looked up at the Dragon.

"The Cup would have poisoned you – that was the sin Greed, you were drawn to the gold and the memory of the chalice that held the life of immortality. The Mirror would have turned you to stone – that was the sin Vanity. It is in the legend that Medusa was once a beautiful young woman who had became so obsessed with her looks that it changed to reflect her inner beauty. Her gaze had been reflected back to her via a mirror and turned her stone. The Apple would have brought force the wrath as it was Gluttony – that Apple is the most dangerous one of all as it links back to the Garden of Eden where Eve had tempted Adam into taking a bite," the Dragon explained. Max nodded, understanding what each one meant now.

"Is there anything else?" The Dragon asked and Max nodded as he looked at the Dragon once more.

"Is the Seer well?" Max asked. The Dragon tilted its head to the side, curious to where Max was going with this. "River Dog had explained to me that she had a big heart and would help everyone if she could but it takes a lot out of her…for some reason, I get this feeling that there is something wrong…call me paranoid but I rarely get this feeling." The Dragon chuckled.

"I can assure you that the Seer is well but thank you for your concern, I can feel that it wasn't just to assure you that she would be well enough to see your future but as a concern to her and if she should continue the business of the Seer but unfortunately, she has no choice but to continue being a seer till the new one is called," The Dragon explained before it snapped its head when he saw that Max was going to ask another question and a red glow shot up around Max. "It is time for you to go back."

Max arched his back as the red glow brightened even further and he disappeared, leaving the Dragon along with its thoughts. "Interesting…he is connected to our Seer."

The seer slumped back onto the bed, panting as sweat dripped down her body. It had taken a lot of energy to put that thought into his mind and to keep her figure invisible to his gaze. She was worried, each time she used her powers, it was slowly draining her and she could only hope that he wouldn't need her help for the next challenges otherwise he would miss out on seeing the seer as she would be…dead.

She slowly got up, wincing as her body fought her and moved over to the crystal ball, hearing the fire dragon's voice in her head.

"He's getting good – he has passed two challenges but the next one will prove his faith…can he find the animal he is meant to hunt?" The Dragon asked.

"He will…if he follows the trail," the Seer whispered as she waved her hand over the crystal ball and a vision of Max appeared in it. "The moonlight is near, once he has passed this challenge, he will need to focus on his faith even more…I'm more curious if he can keep his faith or if he will lose it when he needs it the most."

Max sighed to himself as he laid back on the bed with his hands tucked under his head and gaze up at the star lit sky. The roof had a small hatch that could be opened so he could look up into the sky.

For years, since he found out what he was, he had always looked up at the stars, wondering where he had come from and if there was anyone waiting for him back on his planet but since arriving on the island, he had all but forgotten that he had a home planet. That there were people depending on him and that he had an enemy he had to take down.

For the first time, he was thinking about himself and his future. He frowned as he thought about the girl that he kept seeing. She had long flowing brown hair and dark brown eyes…ones that reminded him so much of melted chocolate. She always wore different clothes.

But the one thing that stood out the most…was the way she asked for his help. She looked like she was in so much pain and had a hand held out to him. He kept trying to reach for her hand but she kept drifting further and further away from him.

Max shook himself out of his thoughts; it was the stories of the other man that had been here that was getting to him. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be in love with someone else only for his family to tell him that they couldn't be together as he was meant for someone else.

And just when he got the news that he could be with the woman that he loved, she had been killed and he felt it. Max turned on his side, using his powers to shut the hatch as the rain started to fall down.

There was something in the story that seemed so familiar but he couldn't pin point it. Shaking it out of his mind, he closed his eyes and went to sleep, he needed to concentrate on the next task – that would bring him even closer to the Seer and get the answers he so desperately sought.

TBC

There's something to chew on *Grins*