Chapter 893: The Trial of the Valley of Stones. comment

"Have the trials already begun, since I've been separated from the others?" whispered Lina, anxiously peering at the long path leading up.

"Phew... get it together, Lina," she patted her cheeks and, gathering her thoughts, began her journey all alone.

With every step she took, she felt the pressure of gravity increase, and with every movement it became more difficult to climb.

Step by step, she overcame the first meters, and the ground behind her began to recede.

As in the Maze, Lina felt that her powers were limited by the rule of the test.

Her Soul Force was sealed, and she couldn't use it to hold on in case she slipped or fell down.

What about the power of lightning? Lina felt like she could use it, but she didn't see any use for it during her ascent.

At the moment when it seemed to Lina that she could no longer take a step, gravity suddenly disappeared. Startled, she jerked violently and fell face forward, clinging tightly to the steps so as not to slide down.

The path was quite steep, and with every step it became steeper, more dangerous, and if Lina had not held on, she would have definitely rolled down.

"What the hell is this?" She exclaimed in fear, her heart pounding.

When the fear subsided a little, she gently pushed off and was surprised to find that the force of gravity had weakened rather than increased, and it became much easier for her to move.

Getting to her feet to test her senses, she braced herself, pushed off and jumped. Having covered a couple of meters ahead, she fell forward again and pressed herself against the steps.

"It was dangerous," she said, gripping the ledge of the stairs tightly as her heart raced.

Cautiously looking back, she saw that the ground was already quite far away.

She felt a little dizzy. For a former Valkyrie who could fly, it was quite strange for Lina to be afraid of heights. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

She quickly pushed away the thoughts of what would happen if she fell off and fell down.

Without checking or risking anything, she continued climbing, not getting to her feet, but moving on all fours.

Soon, gravity, which had weakened earlier, intensified again, pinning Lina to the steps. Her climbing speed, which had just increased, slowed down again.

As gravity increased, each new meter of climbing became more difficult, but Lina did not give up. As she expected, gravity soon weakened again, and she was able to catch her breath. Without wasting any time, she began to climb up at double speed, using every second.

Over time, Lina began to hear barely audible whispers. At first, she thought it was just her imagination, but as she moved forward along an increasingly steep path, the whispers grew louder and clearer.

To her horror, Lina recognized the voices. They were the voices of her loved ones: her mother, her father, and the other Valkyries. They whispered to her and demanded:

"You're not one of us!"

"You are not my daughter."

"You're just the daughter of a fake."

"Forget the sword, you are unworthy of my sword."

"You're not a Valkyrie. You're just a disgrace to our race."

One by one, the voices whispered to her, as if they were standing next to her and looking down on her.

"Shut up!" screamed Lina, unable to withstand the chorus of voices that fell on her.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she kept saying, trying to drive those voices away.

However, the voices did not subside, but grew louder and more insistent.

Lina could not continue on her way, experiencing the intense pressure of gravity and the chorus of voices. She stopped and began to listen to their conversation.

"Yes, you're right, I'm not one of you," Lina said.

"I'm not your daughter," she said.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Father," she apologized.

Gradually, Lina began to listen to the voices and respond to them.

When gravity weakened, she decided to continue on her way. But as soon as she took a step, the steps in front of her disappeared, turning into a flat wall. Unable to find her footing, Lina realized that she was losing her footing, and realized with horror that she was starting to fall.

***

Down at the foot of the mountain, Aliya was left alone. After Lina entered the Arch, the others followed her one by one, leaving her behind.

While waiting for them to return, Aliya took out firewood from her magic bag, built a fire and began to heat up the delicious dishes prepared by Sofia.

Now that she didn't have to rush anywhere, she could relax and enjoy the solitude and silence.

All she needed to be happy was warm water and a bath, but even that couldn't spoil her mood. From time to time, she glanced at the mountaintop, wondering what difficulties her companions were facing.

It had been a long time, but Aliya was not bored, feeling completely safe. And then her calm was disturbed: something flew out of the arch at great speed, which hit the ground with force and rolled until it crashed into one of the stones, raising clouds of dust and small fragments.

Slightly frightened, Aliyah got up and cautiously approached the stone.

When the dust settled, she was surprised to find her friend Lina, who looked very sad, with an empty look.

Without wasting any time, Alia used a Light element spell to heal Lina's wounds.

Aliya called out, continuing her treatment.

But Lina didn't seem to hear her voice.

Her thoughts were in complete chaos. She didn't even notice the pain of her body, immersed in her own worries.

"I failed," "I couldn't," "I didn't pass," she whispered.

Despair began to overwhelm her, and at some point she dropped her hands and gave up, her consciousness began to fade.

"Lina."

"Huh?" Lina seemed suddenly roused.

"Nemo?" she called.

It seemed to her that she heard his voice, as if he was calling her, as if asking her not to give up.

Lina's slightly hazy gaze returned to the peak of the mountain hidden behind the clouds.

Then she finally noticed Aliya, who was still undergoing treatment, and forced a smile.

"I... I can't just give up," Lina whispered. "Not today."