Rige pushed the door open. A chill raced to greet her, and she shivered. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room. It was large and round, a torch to her left and right. In front of her in the center of the room were five candles, all unlit. A basin of water sat next to them. Beneath the torches were doors. Rige walked forward and glanced at the water. She knew where it was from, and what to do with it. She dipped her thumb into the icy liquid and used it to draw small circles where each of the chakras was located. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finally, she took her glance to the five candles. "Spirit, water, fire, earth, and air," she muttered as she used a nearby match to light each of them. The room groaned and suddenly in front of her a third door appeared. That was her path.
Rige wasted no time in stepping forward. The Room of Meditation was a bit smaller than the room before, a velvet blanket spread out on the floor like a carpet. She knelt down on the red fabric and closed her eyes. A gentle quiet caressed her, and she allowed her mind to be emptied of all cares. Focus was needed in the trials ahead of her. She would stay in this room for as long as needed. She felt her body relax, every muscle unclenching. After who knew how long, Rige began to see, not with her eyes, but with her mind. She saw the candles in all four corners of the room, the shadows they cast, and the door in front of her. She saw herself, kneeling there with eyes closed. She felt every inch of her body in a slumber while her mind was fully awake, and the gentle rhythm of her breath.
When Rige felt prepared, she opened her eyes slowly as though coming out from a deep dream. She stood, and as she did her clothes shifted, becoming a black tank top and black pants. Rige took one last deep breath before walking to the door ahead of her. The trials would begin now. The first was the trial of water. She would need to swim to the bottom of the pool before her that took up three quarters of the room in order to reach the door. The pool was deep and though the water was clear she could not see the bottom. "Can you do it?" a voice asked. Rige groaned softly.
"So they chose you," Rige muttered. Beast chuckled.
"The trials aren't supposed to be easy. Do you think you can do it?" Beast replied. Rige nodded stiffly.
"Watch me," Rige dove into the pool. The water hurt her eyes which she had to keep open, but she pushed downward. It wasn't long before her lungs began to scream, and scaly hands reached out to her. Rige kicked them away, not looking back. She was so close to the end she could feel it. An inhuman screech wailed behind her as the hands tried again to pull her back. Rige kicked and fought, reaching forward. She urged the water to pull the creatures back to the depths from which they came. She begged the element to bend to her will, and like a weight lifted it did. She kicked once more and propelled herself forward. She grasped the edge of the doorway ahead of her and pulled herself through it, and swam up to the surface. As Rige hit ground, she gasped for breath, coughing intensely.
"Good job," Beast cooed. Rige glared. This room was a circle, the small pond of water at one end and a door at the other. In the center of the room was a pedestal with white flames in a large stone bowl. Rige pulled herself to her feet, water dripping. "This one may hurt a bit," Beast pointed out, staring at the flames. Rige glanced up at the door. It was metal, but wood bars covered it. She would need to burn the wood in order to continue. Rige closed her eyes and stepped towards the flames. She let them lick her finger tips and winced. It was icy cold and fiery hot all at the same time. Slowly she placed her entire hand into the bowl, concentrating on sucking up the essence of the flame. It soon was as though her veins were burning, and it took everything for Rige not to scream. Her pulse quickened and she gritted her teeth. She had to be strong. She opened her eyes, all the flames dancing around her instead of in the bowl, and she directed them ahead of her. The silvery white flames flickered as they shot across the room. Rige's body screamed in pain, but she stood still. She couldn't lose, not this early. She had three more trials. She could do it. She had to do it. The flames finally disappeared, the wood bars in front of the door gone. Rige collapsed to her knees, trying to catch her breath.
"I'm not as weak as you think," Rige growled to the spirit guide next to her.
"I'm starting to see that now," Beast muttered. Rige pulled herself to her feet, muscles aching. It was like she was still on fire, but still drenched from the water trial. She forced herself forward towards the door and opened it. A field of grass surrounded her. Vines covered the door. Oh good, Rige could rest a bit during this one. She sat cross legged in the center of the room and placed her hands gently on the ground, palms touching grass. She closed her eyes and relaxed. She envisioned the room around her, every blade of grass and every vine. She pictured the walls but soon drew them out of focus, taking away their cream color and replacing it with grey. She focused on that which was alive in this room, the earth around her. She could feel every blade of grass. Rige took that focus and brought it to the vines. She urged them to move, to free her way. They tried to argue, but Rige persisted. Soon they began to disentangle and point towards the ceiling, leaving the door bare. Rige kept that focus, standing with her eyes closed. She had to trust her inner sight. The second she lost it the vines would go back to their original position. She walked forward, a hand out reaching for the door knob. When the cool metal touched her palm, she sighed.
As Rige opened it and stepped into the next room, she opened her eyes. The room was filled with a dense fog so she could not see ahead of her. She couldn't tell how large the room was or how small. "Can you find the way?" Beast asked, suddenly beside Rige.
"It's all about the focus," Rige answered.
"You've done this before," Beast pointed out.
"I was a guide like you," Rige replied. She stretched out a hand and urged the air to move. Usually it would take a person much longer to complete this task, but Rige had an advantage. Her power was magic. She forced some of the fog in front of her to part, and using that force, she began to make her way through a maze. The air was cold, which made her shiver as she was still drenched. The fire in her veins still burned though and combated the cold. She used the focus she had gained in the last room to use that combating force to part the fog. That was the trick to the trials. Everything built on everything else. After a while, Rige reached the other end of the room. She brought her hand down again, much thankful to her arm, and used the other hand to open the door. She paused. This would be the final trial. The room was black as night, but she could tell someone was standing in the center of the room.
"You were a guide, just like me. The one you guided, will he forgive you?" Beast asked.
"I've made my choice," Rige answered.
"One must have their mortality returned, and a life must be brought back from the dead," Beast reminded her.
"I've made my choice," Rige repeated. Beast began to circle Rige.
"You will have to face him, and his wrath for what you chose. You honestly think this life will make it any better? He won't see it as selfish? He won't hate you?" Beast taunted.
"I've made my choice," Rige soundly replied.
"What about the other? Oh yes, you'll have messed all that up. He's done so much, and now it will go to waste," the spirit growled. It wasn't Beast.
"I've made my choice," Rige spoke, a tear running down her cheek.
"You left me. You knew I was going to die. He snapped my neck and laid me out for the man I love to see. You could have stopped it. It was your son who turned me in," Jenny cried.
"I've made my choice," Rige swallowed. Jenny faced Rige.
"You said you loved me, but it's all your fault. Now you'll ruin another life. He gave up so much to have this, and you'll take that away. How could you?" Jenny asked.
"I've made my choice. Take his immortality and return the life taken. I've made my choice," Rige growled. The figure disappeared and Rige faced Ria, Rayla, and their parents. Torches were suddenly lit.
"So it shall be. You have passed the five trials, Rige. Congratulations," her mother cooed. The room dissipated and Rige fell to her knees shaking. She was a demon again. She could feel it. Rige looked up, wiping away her tears. In front of her a girl was waking up.
"Welcome back," Rige muttered, standing. She picked up the sleeping girl, no older than 17. There was a scar on her wrists. Her blond hair hung in curls. Rige sighed. "May it be enough," she muttered, carrying the girl back to the car. "May it be enough."
A/N: A little break from plot here. So, Rige returns. We won't see her for a few more chapters I can say now, but all in good time. You'll have to keep guessing what exactly happened there. That last trial I've had planned for a long time. I should also explain. These trials take a lot of grounding in the pagan pentagram (five pointed star that represents the five elements and used as a symbol for magic in Wiccan circles. Yes I do my research) and the seven chakra (crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral, and root). Anyways, so Rige is a demon now. And Beast was her guide in the trials. Why Beast? I don't know. The presence of Jenny at the end was interesting. Also, who did Rige guide once? All to be explained... eventually. You will see a time gap bit of how things lay out. Rige was in the trials for a lot longer than it seemed, as we will soon discover. We will also eventually learn who it was Rige brought out. Any ideas on who that is? Leave a review!