Chapter 12: Inside the Test Chamber

I found myself in complete darkness. I had my eyes opened, yet it was no different from if I kept them closed.  I couldn’t even see my own hand when I raised it toward my face. 

 

The absolute silence and blindness were both comforting and petrifying. I wondered if I had died, but that didn’t make sense since all I did so far was enter the test chamber. 

 

Sure, I probably will end up dying very soon DURING the Test, but it hasn’t even begun yet. I felt certain I was still very much alive. 

 

I was finally in this chamber. 

 

This was the place I never dare to enter, yet it was also the very room I dreamt of passing through. Whatever happened here, it was going to change my life forever. 

 

It will be either the end or a new beginning for me. 

 

Suddenly, the room turned bright white. It was the exact opposite shade of the pitch black that surrounded me just a moment ago.

 

And yes, for those who want to shake their heads at me and tell me that black and white AREN’T colors… You should just zip it right now. I went to elementary school just like all of you did, so I DO know that black is the ABSENCE of light while white contains all wavelengths of visible light. 

 

But people, you should give me some slack because I may be just minutes away from dying. I could almost see the grim reaper grinning at me over there and giving me a thumbs-up.

 

Damn those kids… I 100% regretted helping them. If I could go back in time, I would totally abandon them to die without blinking an eye. I don’t know why I suddenly grew conscious at that very moment, but it was too late now.

 

I squeezed the handle of my sword and cursed those young irresponsible children who forced me in this position. If they couldn’t handle being inside the Door, they shouldn’t have entered it in the first place. Sure, they ended up facing a very unusual and unexpected situation, but still…

 

And again, yes! For those who want to shake their heads and tell me I had been doing this exact same thing… Entering the Door everyday for months when I knew I wasn’t strong enough… 

 

You just zip it again. I don’t want to hear it. 

 

Anyway, let’s get back to the room where I am about to take the test of my death. 

 

The room slowly transformed into what looked like a spot in the first floor forest. The trees, the bushes, and everything else looked very similar. But unlike on the real first floor, which provided an almost unlimited space,  I was allotted only a small area to move around here. From a first glance, it looked like the forest was stretched for miles, but I could feel an invisible barrier all around me. I suspected that it was going to take less than 50 steps for me to reach the barrier in every direction, which meant that I was essentially trapped. 

 

My main go-to strategy, which was running away like a squirrel crossing a busy street, wasn't going to be an option here.

 

It was then that suddenly, I heard a ferocious scream.

 

“Gwarrrrk!” 

 

With a thundering thud, a monstrous goblin dropped from the sky right in front of me. It was the size of a truck if it stood on its back wheels, and it shook the ground menacingly. 

 

When the dust settled, it revealed the biggest  green beast I have ever seen. Its color was dark, I would say closer to being blue, and its canines stuck out almost as if he was growing horns from his mouth. 

 

Yup, I was definitely going to die. As a matter of fact, I might have had a better chance of survival if I fought the horde that drove me here.

 

I stared at the green thing quietly. I was surprised at how calm I felt despite the dire situation. Actually when I think back now, this has always been the case whenever I was cornered before. Somehow and for some unknown reason, my brain worked quickly and my body moved on autopilot in these situations. I felt like my bodily instincts were actually quite good. The problem was that due to the lack of strength, speed, and other motor skills, my body couldn't seem to do what it knew it should. 

 

The goblin roared for the third time as it bent its knees a little. It was ready to thunder toward me, so I got into my battle stance as well. 

 

And when I say my "battle stance", which probably sounded fancy, all I meant was that I put one foot forward and one foot behind while grasping my sword tighter. 

 

I couldn't run. 

I couldn't hide. 

And I wasn't willing to just give up.

 

The goblin charged toward me.

 

***

 

I swung my sword from behind the goblin. It was no doubt the strongest monster I have ever battled, but perhaps due to its size, it was surprisingly slow. 

 

But this certainly didn't mean I had a chance.

 

Not at all. Every ticking of time made me become more and more certain of my impending doom. 

 

I was bleeding heavily from everywhere. I somehow managed to escape being punched or kicked so far, which would have broken every bone in my body. But I wasn't fast enough to dodge its claws. The goblin wielded its rusted fingernails like daggers. I was covered in gashes that stung so badly that every time I breathed, it was like I was being sandpapered. 

 

I tried to slice the beast’s ankle from behind. If I could cause enough damage so it couldn’t move as freely… This might just give me a sliver of a chance to… perhaps not survive but live a little while longer. 

 

Despite the hopelessness of the situation, I still remained clear headed. I was fighting as hard and smartly as I could. It wasn’t because I thought I had a chance of defeating it, but because it was the only choice I had. Not trying was going to mean that I'm actively killing myself, and that wasn't who I was. 

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Yes, I had accepted the fact that I was going to die here, but I sure wasn't going to have my death in my own hands. 

 

"Kwerrk!" 

 

My opponent shrieked when I managed to stick my sword into the back of its calf. I pushed further to cut through more of its flesh, and hopefully any tendons along the way, but to my despair, the handle of my sword broke off. 

 

Crack!

 

"Damn sword!" 

 

I screamed out my frustration. I knew a true Rhombic should never blame her weapon for her failure, but this was just plain ridiculous. 

 

Did the weapon maker use a glue stick to assemble this sword?!

 

The blade was still stuck inside the goblin’s leg, and instead of being slowed down, it was  clear that the monster became very angry. 

 

Well, I supposed I would get furious too if someone stuck a cheap ass sword on my leg. 

 

The goblin turned around fiercely toward me. Before I had the chance to… 

 

Chance to do what? 

 

I had nothing. No weapon, no power, no one to help me. 

 

So I stood and waited, panting so badly that I was afraid I might swallow my own tongue. Maybe that would allow me to die less painfully than what I was about to experience. 

 

It would be a lie if I wasn’t shaking in fear as the goblin charged for me. I would even admit that I peed a little as it swung its ghastly claws at me. I raised my arms by reflex, my body unaware that my flimsy limbs weren’t going to save me.

 

Slash.

 

I… I couldn’t breathe. 

 

Surprisingly, it was more from shock than from pain. My adrenaline must have kicked in, (I love you so much, adrenaline!), because I felt mostly numb rather than be in agony

 

As I heard the distant victory cry of my opponent, I looked down gingerly to see the damages. 

 

“...” 

 

What was there to say? Bright red blood, the most I have ever seen anyone lose, gushed down from my left arm. The long gruesome cut had not quite amputated my elbow, but it was close. My lower arm dangled grotesquely from the rest of my body. 

 

The shock I felt must have been much worse than I thought, because despite the grimness of this situation, I whispered.

 

“Ew.”

 

Even though I wasn’t a doctor, I knew it was going to be long before I died from bleeding out. The ground underneath was soaked crimson, and it was then that tears finally began rolling down from my now-blurry eyes. 

 

I thought my whole life would pass before my eyes now that I was dying. But no such a thing happened. 

 

Guilt and sorrow engulfed me as I thought of Sofia, who will be devastated to lose me. Will she even know what happened to me? She didn’t even know that I was a Rhombic, and I didn’t know how these things went. 

 

Will RAC contact her? But how will they even know I entered the test chamber and died? 

 

I tried to conjure up the images of my parents. I didn't remember them, but I have seen some photos of them. It always saddened me to see their pictures, not because I missed my parents but because I DIDN’T feel much of anything towards them. I was too young when I lost them, so I didn’t remember much.

 

My tears dropped down to join the puddle of my blood on the ground.

 

Tears and blood. 

Blood and tears. 

 

Feeling dizzy and kneeling in the pool of my own fluids, I prayed to whoever was listening that this would end quickly. I was tired, and no one was going to come to rescue me. 

 

I was welcoming the feeling of faintness when suddenly…

 

The bloodied ground underneath me began to shake. 

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