Free Web NovelChapter 39: The Truths we Fear
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[Welcome to the 50th floor]
[Objective: Find the One truth. Only one path leads upwards. Three wrong choices = failure]
[Time limit: One hour]
Before them was a massive room— much larger than all the other floors they had stepped into.
Five long paths stretched towards the end of the room, each path being separated by an abyss of darkness below. At the end of each of those paths stood five platforms and on those platforms were large mirrors the sizes of doors.
"Welp— this looks quite serene for the final floor." Lucius smiled.
"The trial said we were supposed to find the truth— meaning one of those paths lead out of here," Damon adjusted his glasses. "The only problem is—"
"Which one—" Reed finished his words.
"What if we just went through each path one by one? The trial did say we had three choices before we would fail." Lucius said.
"And what if all the three choices we pick are wrong?" Damon asked and Lucius replied with silence.
"That’s right! We fail!"
"Then let each of us go through each path." Reed suggested. "There are five of us, right? Then each of us will take one path."
"That’s fine!" Damon agreed with a nod.
"What!?" Amy suddenly exclaimed. "And leave Theon alone! There is no way I’m doing that!"
She clenched Theon’s arm tightly.
"I’ll be fine, Amy," Theon sighed softly and patted her head. "It’s not like there are any beasts here anyway."
"Hmmmm!" Her face showed a slight hint of red feeling Theon’s hand on her head. "You sure?"
Theon nodded his head calmly.
"Fine."
"I guess that’s it then, each of us will take different paths." Damon said calmly.
They all nodded in reply and walked over to the entrance of each path, then simultaneously they all walked towards the large mirrors.
The moment Theon reached the front of the large mirror, his reflection flashed back at him. His golden hair, and bright golden eyes stared back at him from the mirror.
Then suddenly, the reflection changed.
It twisted and bent till a young man with short dark hair and dark hollow eyes stared at him.
He wore a basic sweat shirt and a baggie sweat pants.
His expression looked hollow, tired— bored.
It was his past self.
Suddenly, his vision went dark.
It felt like he was falling for eternity. Or perhaps floating. He didn’t even know.
But he could remember the feeling clearly.
’The Realm of Succession? What the hell is even happening?’ Theon thought calmly.
"I’ll tell you what’s happening," his voice suddenly resounded in the dark realm, except it sounded more darker and sinister.
"You’re weak!" The voice resounded once more, then his vision suddenly shifted.
Adrian stood before him, a dark and sinister grin spread across his face. Below him lay Theon’s dead body. Twisted limbs and dissected body parts spread across the ground with bits of his body having burnt marks.
"Take that system away and what are you— nothing!" The voice said darkly.
His vision shifted once more. This time it showed his life back on earth. No system. No power. Just a basic and boring life. He had the talents but did nothing with them. In a way, he lived a useless life.
His accomplishments. Nothing except beating games. And even that had earned him nothing. Why?
Because he didn’t want the fame or riches.
He just wanted a life where people would love him for who he truly was.
"Do you think you deserve to be keeping relationships with people you are lying too?" The voice asked coldly.
It was a very valid question. In a way, it felt like he was just taking advantage of the love all the people who cared about the original Theon.
But did it really matter? After all, he was Theon now, right?
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Amy stood in front of the mirror with a calm expression, then suddenly her vision instantly went dark. freewebnσvel.cѳm
"Theon!" She called out, but got no answer.
Her essence erupted, flooding out of her body as though a dam had been broken within her.
"Do you believe you have the strength to protect everyone?" A voice suddenly sounded within the darkness.
Amy’s eyes shifted, looking for where the voice was coming from.
Her vision suddenly shifted and before her, she saw Theon— laying lifelessly on the ground.
His neck slit open, his eyes hollow and his blood still seeping from his open neck.
Beside him, was— herself.
She knelt down, tears pouring down her face like a flood gate had been open.
"Theon—" she said weakly, but got no reply.
The next moment, she let out a high pitch scream— pouring out all her grief.
Amy fell to her knees, tears already streaming down her eyes as they stayed stuck on Theon’s dead body.
"No— this can’t be real. It has to be a lie." She said weakly, barely even a whisper.
"Oh, but it is!" The voice sounded again— her voice. "You see— you are still far to weak to protect what you love."
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"Hey guys! I don’t understand what is going on, but I want you all to know that I don’t like it at all."
Lucius eyes darted around the darkness that surrounded him.
"Do you think this comedic character of yours will save you from the truth?" A grim voice echoed.
Lucius eyes widened, beads of sweat pouring down his face. His body began to shake slightly as his eyes darted around, except more erratically now.
"Father?" Lucius said weakly.
"How long will you run from the truth?" The voice echoed once more, this time more colder.
"W-What are you doing here? How did you find me!?" Lucius demanded.
"Did you think you could run forever?" The voice said coldly as the silhouette of a man the looked to be in his late forties appeared. He had short grey hair that was cut sharply and a grey beard looking as sharp as his hair.
His grey eyes glowed coldly as he stared at Lucius.
"Do you think they would still care about you if they found out the truth? If they found out how you’ve been lying to them from the very beginning?"
His vision shifted, showing Theon, Damon and Reed leaving Lucius standing alone under a huge downpour of rain.
His expression was pale and lonely.
Just the way it had been before he came to the academy.
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"So they are finally within—" the director muttered under his breath. "The last floor of the Tower of Trials. A Trial made specifically to test the will of anyone who entered. A trial that shows one their deepest and darkest secrets. The truths they are afraid to face."
His eyes narrowed as he watched the five students on the screen, each of them with pale faces and sweat dropping down their faces.
Both Amy and Lucius had already fallen to their knees.
Damon and Reed gritted their teeth hardly, as if resisting the urge to fall down to their knees as well.
As for Theon, he just stood still, as though the trial had no effect on him. His face was still a little bit pale though.
"How are you going to pass through this trial, Theon Grey?" The director whispered. "A trial even I had failed to pass back then!"
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