Chapter Forty-Eight: The Test of a Hero
With dust falling from the lowering door Zain watched torch light illuminate the dark room revealing a large circular room with a large guild seal carved into the floor.
Walking in Zain looked around till he looked up to see blue crystals that floated high above slowly began to float down.
Looking around Zain watched as he was surrounded by the floating shards approaching one where he saw memories of ancient heroes.
"What are these?" Zain asked aloud walking through the gems and seeing each memory before halting when he saw Empress Tali in one.
Watching Zain saw a destroyed throne room with Tali and Percy standing before Logan and Adam who had used up their powers to bring down the Vexator.
Touching a gem, the blue gems all glowed and the room filled with voices the gems then began to all glow turning the room into a collection of moving memories.
Some were from what Gabriel showed him of his ancestors but one caught his attention, it was an unfamiliar town near the woods with a castle on the hill in the distance.
"Where is that?" Zain asked hearing the gems clicking together where he looked over his shoulder to see the gems began combining and forming into a Gem Warrior that pointed a sword at him.
Narrowing his eyes Zain slowly reached for the cutlass on his back stopping wide eyes when the Gem Warrior began to form a familiar shape and body becoming a look-a-like of his father Lion.
"Abii?" Zain gasped seeing the fake version of his father charge at him.
Bearly dodging several sword swings Zain drew the Heros Cutlass and blocked the third swing grunting to hold back the Gem Lion who pushed his blade against the other creating some sparks from the friction.
"Fight ibn, or perish," Gem Lion spoke shoving Zain and spun forcing Zain to block the attack that sent him skidding back.
"NGH!" Zain grunted shaking the feeling back into his hand and narrowing his brows, "taking on the form of my abii, that's just cruel, however, I refuse to die to some fake!"
Charging full speed Zain swung the cutlass several times forcing the Gem Lion to block his attacks, to change things up Zain kicked the knee of the Gem Lion before slamming the butt of his weapon into the Gem Lion's face forcing it to stumble back before bringing his blade down on the fake hitting the ground with a quick slice.
Remaining silent the Gem Lion sword fell and shattered to the ground while the warrior looked at its hand that began to crack.
"You've grown so much, ibn," Lion smiled.
"Wait..." Zain spoke dropping his cutlass, in shock "abii is that really you?"
Approaching his son Lion touched Zain's cheek watching his son trying to fight back his tears before hugging the gem figure, "I missed you much abii."
Hugging back blue orbs began to leak from the cracks that spread across his gem-made body, "I never left you or your 'iikhwa, I have always been with you, but our home needs you ibn."
Looking up at his father Zain began to notice the blue orbs that were leaving his father's body and flowing into his body, "Take all my experience, all of my Strength! It will be the first step to unlocking the potential that lies deep inside you."
Looking around the room Zain watched each gem drop a blue essence on the ground filling the massive seal on the floor with the blue magical energy that began to make the floor lower turning into a large elevator with the gems slowly floating back up.
"Do you think I can do this abii?" Zain asked seeing his father's arms starting to become a magic dust that began to float away the lower the floor went.
"I know you can, be the hero you are destined to be," Lion smiled before shattering into dust releasing the last of the experienced blue orbs that flowed into Zain's body making the floor glow brighter then suddenly stopping leaving Zain in the dark for a moment.
"Always be the strong, confident, brave, and kind young man I raised you to be ibn, and be true to what you believe in, and nothing will stop you from protecting the ones you love," Lion's voice echoed with Zain placing his hand over his heart.
"I will abii," Zain nodded looking up when the torches began to light circling the room.
'If the first floor was a test of Strength then that means this floor must be Skill,' Zain thought picking up his cutlass and securing it on his back before pulling out the Hero Pistol.
Looking around for the enemy Zain watched an orb suddenly come from one of many holes that lined the walls shooting out and hitting Zain in the chest knocking him over.
"Oooof!" Zain grunted rolling over to see the fast-moving orb vanish into one of the holes that lined the wall, "Min sijak?!"
Getting to his feet Zain narrowed his brows now on his guard slowly looking around and seeing the orb shot out across from him.
Pointing his gun Zain fired several rounds missing the orb that vanished into another hole making the prince swear, "yil'an that orb!"
Taking a breath Zain calmed himself down looking around and waiting for the orb to come out again, this time it shot out from behind flying towards the back of his head where he barely ducked, taking aim and firing again, missing the orb that vanished again.
'There must be a way to beat this!' Zain thought looking around then noticed how large the room was, 'what if?'
Closing his eyes Zain focused on not using his sight but focused on his hearing, tuning out his thoughts to hear the orb that was circling fast, each hold it zoomed past making a slightly faint whistle.
'Now I get it, the room was built with solid materials allowing the sound the orb makes to travel faster to my ears, so if I wait,' Zain thought focusing till he heard the orb leave a hole at his side creating a woosh sound, 'there!'
Opening his eyes Zain fired hitting the orb that exploded releasing yellow orbs that flowed into Zain's body with the massive seal under his feet glowing yellow then lowered to the final floor.
"Whew!" Zain spoke closing his eyes and waiting till he reached the last floor.
Once the lift stopped, Zain opened his eyes to see two golden doors before him.
Approaching the doors Zain grunted pushing the doors apart till he found himself in a new massive circular room unaware it was a replica of the Chamber of Fate in Albion in its glory days.
Staring in awe Zain approached the steps to the center of the room where a new Guild Seal lay on the floor in the center of the room with a golden light shining down on it unaware at the same time Connor stepped through the broken doors of the Heroes Guild.
"Beyond these broken doors lies the Heroes Guild," Theresa's voice echoed for the two.
"Broken doors?" Zain repeated looking back to the doors he walked through seeing the room around him transform into the Chamber of Fate in Bower Lake and Logan walked past him.
The room then transformed back and Zain took notice of the ancient art of heroes that were decorated on the walls, before walking forward up the steps.
Notching a painting of the Hero of Oakvale battling a dragon Zain gasped when a memory flashed before his eyes making him stumble backwards and watch the Chamber of Fater turn into the Firey battlefield where Zane did battle with Jack of Blades.
"What's happening to me?" Zain spoke nearly falling over when the memory changed again to find himself watching the Hero Sparrow in the Spire ready to confront Lucien for the final time approaching the madman.
Looking around Zain witnessed another memory flashing before his eyes to Adam fighting the Crawler that was possessing Walter.
"Don't be afraid," Zain spoke to himself taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before seeing the final vision of Logan fighting the Empress in Samarkand flash.
With the last vision ended Zain found himself back in the Chamber of Fate looking forward to the light coming down from above, he must have been deep underground so the fact a powerful ray of light like this could reach here must be magic.
"For centuries this academy trained the supremely gifted sons and daughters of Albion, bound together by the blood that flowed through their veins, once worshiped by the people of Albion the great heroes became feared and hated, no man alive today remembers the night the guild burned and now it lies forgotten, but the heroes are not all gone, you are here and that same heroic blood flows through," Theresa voiced echoed again.
Approaching the magical light Zain stopped just before the light looking up to where it was shining down from the roof and cautiously reached a hand into the light to test to see what it would do to his hand but got no response.
"The Guild has reacted to you, step into the light and learn the true power of heroes."
Narrowing his eyes Zain bravely stepped into the light allowing its warmth to envelop his body.
Groaning in pain Zain gasped as a blue light formed in his chest unable to stop the painful transformation his body was going through as he was slowly lifted off the ground.
The blue light then entered his body creating visible Will marking on his body and turning his brown eyes to a magical light blue,
"RAAAAAAAH!" Zain roared out his voice echoing through the Chamber that began to be engulfed in the blinding light.
Slamming down on the ground Zain fell fell over and panted watching the blue Will markings on the back of his hands form and stop creating a unique pattern.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Zain groaned slowly pushing himself into a sitting position before looking at his hands to study the unique Will Markings on his hands before slowly pushing up one of his sleeves to see they were also on his arms.
Hearing a door on the other side of the room open Zain watched a sliding door lower to reveal two matching floating gauntlets floating over a pedestal.
"Are those?" Zain spoke in shock quickly getting to his feet and rushing over to see they were indeed the magical gauntlets Logan had worn so long ago.
Removing one off the pedestal Zain studied the gauntlet admiring its beauty for a moment before rolling up his sleeve to slip the first gauntlet on before placing the other on.
Feeling the gauntlets start to tighten around his arms the gauntlets became white with magical electricity that began to painfully surge through Zain's body.
"GAAAAH ARRRGGGH!" Zain cried out in pain at the burning sensation "My arms!"
"It alright," Gabriel spoke appearing in the room in a beam of light.
"What's happening?! It burns!" Zain groaned panting when the pain stopped, "I'm taking these off right now! Yil'an gloves"
"Gauntlets," Gabriel corrected watching Zain roll his eyes and make an attempt to remove the gauntlets from his hands.
Zain's eyes would then widen when he realized they were stuck, infused to his very skin, "I can't take them off!"
"These ancient artifacts were used by your ancestors before you, they are now a part of you," Gabriel explained.
"I can never take these off?!" Zain asked in disbelief.
"I didn't say that, they can be removed, in time, however, it is to be safe, and to ensure that they never fall into the wrong hands they must become part of your body," Gabriel explained.
"Ya rayyal," Zain groaned in annoyance looking at his hands before gasping when a fireball formed in his left hand, "WHOA!"
"These gauntlets are very special Zain, they have been blessed with a great power, they will allow you to use magic few others can perform," Gabriel explained watching Zain study the magical flame in amazement.
"What amazing magic," Zain spoke looking to his other hand and gasping when a ball of electricity formed.
"They can also allow you to fuse those spells," Gabriel explained.
"Wallah?! You serious?!" Zain spoke in shock.
"Why don't you test it out?" Gabriel smiled gesturing to an inactive Cullis Gate at the side of the room where a red orb floated above.
Nodding Zain approached the orb before looking at his hands where the two spells floated and slammed them together creating a fused ball of fire and electricity between his hands before throwing it at the orb.
"Inferno-Shock!" Zain yelled casting the spell that exploded when it hit the red orb activating the Cullis Gate.
"Step through the gate, and take care of the loose ends with your brother, we will talk more about your training when it's time," Gabriel spoke before vanishing in a beam of light.
Approaching the Cullis Gate Zain stepped on before being teleported out of the Chamber of Fate.
