“This is your true trial, Alhen,” Edith said.

  Alhen shook off the remaining dizziness and stared at the huge thing in front of him. It was a face fused with a huge wall of rock on the side of a mountain.

  Yellow grass grew on it as a beard, coupled with its eyebrows and eyelashes. They both barely reached the thing’s chin.

  ‘Wihts sure come in any sizes and appearances. I would have never thought that something like this exists in this world, even if it can be quite crazy most of the time.’

  The wiht was staring at them with its penetrating green eyes, but Alhen didn’t get any sense of danger out of it.

  It was staring at them without hostility, but its appearance was intimidating, to say the least.

  “Quick, follow me,” Edith said before starting to move.

  At this point, he knew that she wouldn’t mess with him as long as he was following instructions, so he followed her and arrived even closer to the huge face on the wall.

  Edith gestured for him to come closer to her, and he did. She took him by the shoulders and held him still before covering his ears.

  She began talking with the huge rocky face in the wall, and despite focusing on hearing her voice with all his strength, he couldn’t grasp a single word that she was saying.

  After a few seconds, she finished what she had to say and removed her hands from his ears.

  The huge face moved and nodded, looking somewhat strange as it appeared that the whole wall was moving.

  He got nudged from the side, and Edith told him, "Don't take your eyes away for anything in the world, keep staring at it."

  Alhen obliged and stared at his green eyes without much emotion.

  For the first few seconds, he didn’t think that anything was happening, but after that, the whole world around him started to fade away.

  He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and before he knew it, he found himself in a nice village.

  There were neat wooden houses all around him, made in a straight line, creating roads which kids used to run around with joy.

  The place was booming with people with smiles on their faces and no masks, which he soon realized was because the sun was out and shining on everyone.

  “What happened?” Alhen wondered in shock. ‘Is this another part of the world? Did I get teleported or something like that?’

  He could barely believe it; the sun on his skin felt nice, way too nice, and the heat emanating from it seemed to slowly heal all of his pains, or at least hide them until it was nighttime.

  Taking a deep breath, he regained his focus and used his brain.

  'So what should I do? This is obviously a trial, but I still don't know what the objective will be. Should I just roam around and see if I find something of interest?'

  He decided to do just that and walk around the village and through the playing children.

  The blue sky with the drifting white clouds seemed magical at that moment, and he wished that it would stay like that forever.

  Alhen walked without worries, looking at everything the village had to offer.

  There were many vendor stalls, and in the distance, he could see some people cutting down trees to make more room for the village to expand.

  In a distraction, as he walked, he bumped into one of the villagers.

  “Sorry,” he quickly apologized, but was shocked once he found that it was Catherine whom he had bumped into.

  She looked at him with a smile and told him not to worry about it.

  “Cath… What was your name again?” Alhen asked.

  “Oh, my name? It’s Catherine, pleased to meet you!” she said excitedly.

  She was wearing a white dress, just like the first time he met her.

  “Nice to see you, Catherine. Where are you headed? I’m kind of bored, can I join you in whatever you are doing?” he asked.

  Catherine smiled and answered, “I am going to collect some huckleberries; do you really want to follow me? It is going to be a lot of work; it could even take the whole day."

  Alhen dismissed her worries and told her that he would follow her; he had to figure out the objective of this trial after all.

  For now, nothing seemed to be off, but he didn’t doubt that something would happen; otherwise, it wouldn’t be called a trial.

  As he followed behind Catherine, he then realized something important.

  ‘Wait a second, wasn’t Catherine in the cabin? What is she doing here?' he wondered.

  Many theories started circulating through his brain, but he didn't have anything clear yet. He got serious and increased his caution, looking at her and everything around her.

  Even the villagers appeared suspicious in his eyes.

  They could all be wihts, even Catherine...

  Alhen always followed from behind; if something were to happen, he would have more chances from this position.

  As he followed after her, he noticed that he had his thuls on his person, and even the clothes on him were fixed from the damage of the multiple wihts that destroyed them.

  The village was left behind, and they entered the forest.

  There were lush green trees, and the nature was absolutely stunning. 'So this is how it looks,' he thought. 'I knew it existed, but seeing it in person is another thing entirely.'

  “We are here,” Catherine said.

  In a distraction, Alhen had dropped his guard. Thankfully, nothing happened, and they arrived, with the berries being right in front of him.

  She taught him how to pick them up, and in no time, they developed a rhythm and filled all the baskets on the ground.

  After a few hours of hard work, Alhen started to sweat and stood, looking at their handiwork.

  As he looked at the black huckleberries, he couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. First of all, where had the baskets come from?

  He didn’t remember Catherine carrying them, and also, when they arrived, the baskets were not there at all.

  ‘Am I becoming crazy? Or is there something truly happening? Considering that this is a trial for… for what was it?’ he wondered.

  “Alhen, what are you staring at? Do not space out now; we have to carry this to the village.” Catherine said.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  He shook his head, realizing that she was right, and helped her carry the baskets to the village.

  The way back seemed shorter than when they came, but he didn’t pay it any mind. As he looked at the village, something else seemed to be out of place.

  “Wasn’t it daytime just a second ago? Why is it nighttime?” Alhen asked out loud.

  Catherine gave him a weird look and told him that it had been nighttime since they started picking out the berries, but he didn’t believe her.

  ‘No, I can swear that it was daytime. What is happening?’ he wondered.

  “Stop thinking so much, or you will get a headache. Come, follow me; I have to give this to my mother. She loves berries.”

  ‘She has a mother?’ Alhen thought.

  He followed her to her home through the desolate streets. As he moved, he gazed at the moon, which appeared to be larger than usual and had a slight tint of blue.

  The wooden houses in the dark appeared to hold a terrifying secret, and as they walked, he heard multiple children crying and even some shouting inside the homes.

  Catherine didn’t seem to be bothered, however, as if it were a daily occurrence.

  Alhen looked at her strangely, but after a few seconds, his guard diminished considerably.

  At one point, he didn’t care about the noises anymore.

  They arrived at Catherine’s home after walking for a few more minutes. It was the biggest house in the village, at least the biggest he had seen until now.

  He looked at it in a daze and wondered about the importance of her mother’s influence in the village.

  “It is beautiful, is it not? My mother is the village leader; when you hand over her favorite berries, maybe she will even reward you for it!” Catherine exclaimed.

  Alhen could only nod his head without a word and followed behind her inside the house.

  Catherine opened the door, and they were greeted by various modern lamps on the side and a warm, orange-colored lighting that made the home feel like a cozy place.

  That wasn’t all, however. There was a fridge on the side, a kitchen, and even a TV on the kitchen counter.

  The living room was small, with two chairs, a dining table, a brown rug, and a chimney.

  “Wow!” Alhen let out, “I didn’t know that these lamps and all these appliances existed.”

  “What are you talking about, silly?” Catherine replied with a laugh. “Of course they exist; are you not looking at them right now?”

  “Come on, forget about it; my mother should be upstairs in her room.”

  Before Alhen could say anything, she began moving, and Alhen followed after her, not wanting to be left behind.

  They went up a spiral staircase with a metal railing, and when reaching the top, they found themselves in a hallway with three doors.

  There was a window at the end, and the sun was shining outside in its full glory, illuminating the inside of the hallway.

  Alhen smiled, feeling happy that there was light.

  “Knock! Knock! Knock!” Catherine went to the first door and knocked on it multiple times. From inside, they heard a voice saying, “Come in!”

  Catherine turned her head to look at Alhen with a small, playful smile before opening the door, revealing the room.

  Surprisingly enough, there were no decorations; absolutely nothing was inside except her mother, who lay on the floor with a bored expression.

  “Catherine, you have arrived. You bring good news, do you not? I even see that you brought a friend with you,” she said.

  “Yes! We brought some huckleberries for you!” she said.

  “Good, come in. I want you to introduce me to your friend as well. Who might this little gentleman be?” her mother asked.

  Alhen looked at the interaction from afar, feeling somewhat awkward.

  The woman in front of him was almost naked, being in her underwear and calling out to him as if it was no big deal.

  Catherine took hold of his arm and brought him closer to her mother. Looking closely, he could see the resemblance between the mother and daughter.

  They looked almost the same, except that the mother was fully grown up.

  “Hello, boy, nice to meet you. You can call me Ms. Edith,” she said.

  “Nice to meet you, Ms. Edith,” he responded with a wave.

  “Well,” she began, “now that we have introduced ourselves, it is time to eat the berries,” she said with a smile.

  ‘You didn’t ask for my name though,’ Alhen thought, thinking that he hadn’t introduced himself.

  He didn’t pay it any attention now, as Catherine and he got the baskets full of berries and placed them on the ground.

  Edith approached and started eating the berries without missing a beat.

  Alhen watched as mother and daughter enjoyed the berries in silence and internally thought, ‘How did I end up here?’

  ‘I am certain that there was something I had to do and figure out, but I don’t seem to remember. Well, if I forgot it, then it must not be that important in the first place.’

  He shrugged his shoulders and joined the fun, eating the berries until they were all gone.

  “Very well, kids, I am going to sleep,” Edith said before standing up and lying on the bed beside her.

  Alhen had a hard time moving around the room because it was full of water that reached his knees, but he was eventually able to leave with Catherine.

  They left behind Edith sleeping in a floating tub amidst decapitated heads, which turned the water a crimson color.

  However, not a single drop of water passed through the door and reached the hallway. Alhen looked at the window again and noticed that it was nighttime once more.

  “We certainly were in that room for quite some time; it is already this late,” she commented, while looking at the window as well.

  “Yes, I have no idea when this happened. I thought that we had been in there for an hour, but appearances sure are deceiving. What do we do now?” he asked.

  “Well, now, I will show you your room, and then tomorrow we are going out hunting!” she said, raising her fist to the air.

  Alhen smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

  Catherine showed him to his room, which was the one left of the window, and when opening it, he saw a plain white mattress lying on the floor.

  “Thanks for showing me to my room; we will talk tomorrow then,” Alhen said before lying on the mattress and covering himself with the blankets.

  He didn’t bother taking off his boots or clothes, and Catherine waved him goodbye.

  The door closed, and he was submerged in complete darkness. Under the covers, he relaxed and started thinking about everything that happened today.

  'It was a good day; I went out to pick some wild huckleberries, and I even met Catherine’s mother. Although I wonder what I did before that, somehow I can’t remember that at all.'

  'Oh well, I will figure it out later tomorrow before I go hunting with her,' he thought.

  Closing his eyes, he relaxed, and a small smile formed on his face. A couple of seconds later, the sun came out and illuminated the place from the window beside him.

  It touched his cheeks and caressed his face.

  “The sun came out quickly today; it must be something related to my eagerness to go out on a hunting trip. I am going to go and wake up Catherine,’ he thought.

  He didn’t have the chance to do so, however, as someone knocked on the door.

  Without waiting for his response, the person opened it and greeted him by saying, "Hello!" enthusiastically.

  Of course, it was just who he expected to see. “Catherine, a nice surprise that you woke up even earlier than me; I felt like I slept very little," he commented.

  “I am an early riser; do not be surprised. Are you ready to go out hunting?’ she asked.

  “Yes,” Alhen responded before taking the blanket off his body and getting up. He approached Catherine and waited for her instructions.

  “Come on, we have to leave early before it becomes night again,” she said before rushing down the hall and down the spiral staircase.

  Her speed took him by surprise, and he followed after her, only to find her stopped in the middle of the house downstairs.

  Edith stood in the kitchen, and a delicious smell emanated from it. She was cooking eggs with bacon, and the smell was enough to draw both of them in.

  “Good morning, children,” Edith said before picking their plates from the floor and placing the food there.

  She then placed them on the kitchen counter and gestured for them to take the food and eat it at the dining table.

  Catherine looked at Alhen apologetically for the delay, but he didn’t mind. It was better to leave with a full stomach than an empty one, or at least that’s what he thought.

  They took their seats in the comfortable wooden chairs and ate with vigor. They finished their plates in a flash and headed outside without saying goodbye to Edith.

  She didn’t mind and kept on cooking with a smile on her face. They walked through the once more lively village, and Alhen felt much more relaxed.

  He didn’t have his thuls on him, but he didn’t notice.

  They entered the forest, and Alhen looked at Catherine. "What are we hunting? The curiosity is killing me," he asked, but only received a mischievous look that promised a fun time for both of them.

  ‘Very well, I will trust that she has a plan in mind. What’s worrying me is that I see nothing to be used as a weapon around here, and we didn’t bring anything with us.

  After walking through the forest for a few minutes, they found themselves facing a big board from behind.

  The boar was currently occupied eating some nuts on the ground, and Catherine decided to take this opportunity to crouch and take out her bow.

  She loaded one arrow in, and Alhen watched with curious eyes. His gaze was focused, and he wondered how such a big boar could exist.

  She took a deep breath and stabilized her breathing before letting go of the string. The arrow flew to its objective and landed straight in the neck.

  The boar cried in pain, thrashing and turning and rolling on the ground until it died of blood loss after three seconds.

  “Wow, that looked effortless on your part. It’s almost like it was way too easy for some reason. How long have you been hunting for?” Alhen asked.

  Catherine first smiled triumphantly before looking at him and answering his question.

  “I have been hunting since I was five years old. My mother taught me everything about it.”

  “That’s very interesting; could you teach me?” he asked.

  “I am sorry, but it appears that it is nighttime again; if we had time, maybe I would have taught you, but it is impossible now with these conditions. Let us head back,” she suggested, and Alhen agreed.

  Looking around him, he noticed that it had indeed turned nighttime, and he had some difficulties spotting Catherine in the dark.

  “Very well, it’s a shame indeed, but there’s nothing to be done," Alhen commented out loud.

  They began walking back, but before long, Alhens's ears perked up as he heard some weird whispers that reached his ears.

  It sounded like someone was in pain and was trying to warn him of something dangerous that would happen.

  “Leave; you have to notice. Remember, nothing is what it seems. You will die!” the voice screamed at the end, and he had to cover his ears.

  “Did you hear that?” he asked Catherine.

  “Hear what?” she asked.

  “Never mind, must have been my imagination.”