Ten seconds left, the final phase was about to begin. Jacob and Xenia stilled themselves and controlled their breathing so much so that it was almost in unison.

9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...1...

The time was up, the room fell silent again, the air around them thickened, it was time for a new wave of attacks that were even deadlier than the first one.

Phase Two Begins.

A low driven slash lunged towards Jacob, by this time their aura had filled the room, so every attack was foreshadowed.

He immediately repositioned his hand, placing his palm on the ground.

A slab of earth emerged from the ground, instantly splitting in half but efficient enough to parry the slash attack.

Xenia on the other hand, honed her senses, and was very prepared for the next attack.

Then it came, a vertical slash; dashing towards her from behind her head.

She instantly felt like she had developed a sixth sense. As the slash approached, she tilted her head to the right, allowing the sharp wave of air to just pass through and dissipate into nothingness.

The flurry of attacks continued this way for another thirty minutes, each one being dodged or parried by both parties.

The final slash was for Xenia; unaware as she was, after dodging an initial attack, there was a follow up one that moved in the opposite direction.

The slash approached her lower back, aimed horizontally towards her spine.

Just as the slash was about to connect, Jacob noticed it.

He quickly stretched his arm out across her back, pieces of earth from the ground forming a piece of armor around it.

The slash crashed into his unmoving arm, dismantling the earth that solidified around it.

The attack was over, as Jacob took the brunt of it.

The second phase was over.

"Good work on making it this far." The great sage spoke again for this first time since the test began.

"Prepare yourselves for the next and final phase, which will begin in the next hour." With that, the voice disappeared again, tranquility returned.

Jacob and Xenia opened their eyes and themselves, if they were going to have one hour of break, they could use thirty minutes to look around the pocket world.

They both got up, Jacob’s eyes darting around the room slowly, there was nothing but a small table behind the mats that were laid for them.

He opened the door and stepped out, looking at the vast space that stretched out beyond the four walls of the small structure.

He wondered if there was more to this place besides the pillars, more beyond the clouds, but he couldn’t fly.

Xenia quietly trailed behind him, her footsteps lighter than ever, she marveled at the sight of the golden hue in the clouds and the grand golden pillars that stood in the middle.

Before embarking on this journey with Jacob, her eyes had never beheld something so regal.

There was not much time to explore the space, as they had to return to the test soon.

"I could stay here forever..." Xenia blurted out too quickly, immediately placing both hands over her mouth as Jacob turned to look at her.

"What did you say Xenia?" He asked.

"Ohh nothing, young master Jacob, I was just saying I was amazed at how great this place looks."

’That’s odd, why did she lie? And she’s still calling me that.’ He mused, immediately dismissing the thought in his head.

"We better get back to the room, before we miss and fail our test." He said.

"Right!"

’That was close, I said something I shouldn’t have. Even though it was true, I just can’t say things like that right now.’ She thought as they walked back slowly towards the room.

_ _ _

Light came to a clearing, not too far from the place where the golden light was coming from.

He pulled out a small pouch he picked up from a dead corpse and sipped water from it, the water slowly trickled down his chin and onto his chest.

"Whew! Was I famished?" He said aloud, shaking his head violently and jumping from side to side.

"I suddenly feel so energized," he said again, pulling out his sword. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He decided to practice his sword art, it was one which he developed himself, from all the moves he had used to bring down the beasts that inhabited the forest.

He held the sword in front of him, blade whining in anticipation, a calm breeze began to swirl softly around him.

He started dancing through the air as though it followed his every command; slicing, weaving, punching, he did it all.

He had danced for about forty seconds when he heard a loud roar, one that sent waves coursing through the trees.

He turned back instantly. From beyond the trees he could see something, something he’d never seen before.

A very large pair of cold blue eyes. The creature emerged from the thick of the forest, freezing everything that stood in its path, each step was a loud thud sound that made all the leaves quiver.

RAARR!!

The beast roared, A Frost Lion, fully grown. Blue skin and a full mane of ice surrounded its large head.

It had a single scar covering it’s left eye and marks all over its body, suggesting its extensive battle experience.

The beast studied Light for a moment, moving in slow, expectant strides around him as he held the sword tightly in his grasp.

The Lion stood twelve feet tall, towering above Light’s six foot and two inches comfortably.

The ground beneath its feet froze with every step.

Judging by its solitude, Light could immediately tell that this was a King Frost Lion, the leader of the pride.

"Hey bozo! If I kill you, does that automatically make me the leader of the pride? You know, the king of the jungle?" Light joked.

In all honesty he had never faced a monster this huge or ominous, but he was prepared, he had always been prepared for the worst. From the second he stepped into the Forest.