Secret World of Occultists-Chapter 16: First Trial of Ascension

Luke felt like he had been pulled out of his own body. It was a surreal experience, to say the least.

When he opened his eyes, a crimson sky entered his view. There were barely any clouds, all of them had seemingly fled.

For a moment, Luke found himself extremely disoriented, "Where... am I?"

"You've finally awoken?"

Luke turned his head to the side and saw a middle-aged man with brown hair and beard looking at him with a faint smile. He wore a simple hemp robe and appeared very down to earth.

Before the youth could ask who he was, the man spoke while looking into the distant horizon, "The day has come. We must continue our pilgrimage."

Luke sat up, utterly confused about what was going on. He looked around and noticed that he was at a small campsite.

There were about a dozen people, men and women, who all wore simple hemp robes. They were all packing up their things, preparing to move somewhere.

Who are these people? Where the hell am I?

Luke lowered his head and saw that he was wearing clothes similar to those of all these people.

And then it dawned on him.

The Spirit Crucible! That's right! This is the First Trial of Ascension!

He shot up to his feet, looking around in apprehension and even amazement. The land was barren, the sky was crimson, and a white sun was rising from the horizon.

Behind him was a towering mountain, its peak piercing through the sky.

"Whoa..." Luke was stunned. This was the tallest mountain he'd ever seen.

But something seemed to be strange about it. He noticed that as the sun gradually rose, the mountainous terrain wasn't just bathed in its light, it was slowly beginning to ignite!

At once, Luke recalled the visions of fire that he'd been seeing since the past several days. He instinctively knew that he had to climb the mountain!

As if confirming his thoughts, the bearded man from earlier got to his feet and stood beside him. He pointed at the summit of the mountain and said, "That is where we must go, friend."

"What's up there?" Luke couldn't help but ask.

"The temple of the moon," said the man, his eyes flashing with hope.

Luke carefully observed this man, his emotions, his actions. "Why must we go there?" He asked.

Based on the visions he'd seen in the past few days, of him burning in the flames, he naturally didn't want to go there. But he knew that he had to make the journey.

The bearded man looked at him with confusion, "Are you not aware? Of the calamity plaguing our land?"

Luke stared at him with a curious gaze, while neither confirming nor denying.

The man continued, "The sun burns with fury. The land is parched, the rivers have run dry. Famine tightens its grip. The people are dying of thirst, of hunger. We must appease the moon!"

Seeing such zealous emotions, Luke found himself momentarily speechless. He then asked, "And how do we do that?"

If this was a trial, Luke knew that there had to be an objective. And based on what John Kensington had told him before he arrived here, he would have to survive while completing the objective.

Thus, he had to get as much information out of this man standing before him.

The man pointed toward the center of their campsite. There lay a small wooden chest nestled inside a hand-woven bamboo basket, guarded by a handful of pilgrims.

"That chest contains a treasure that is said to be very precious to the moon," said the man. "If we carry that chest to that summit and offer the treasure to the moon, our prayers will be answered!"

Luke glanced at the unassuming wooden chest, then at the summit of the flaming mountain.

I see, so that is the objective - to deliver the package to its destination, he thought.

But when his gaze landed on the mountainous terrain that was set aflame, he couldn't help but nervously gulp.

"How... How are we supposed to walk through that?" He asked, his tone laced with apprehension. "Can we fly or something?"

"Fly?" The bearded man chuckled. "No, friend. We walk."

Luke felt like hitting this guy in front of him. He controlled his frustration and stated, "How are we going to walk through those flames? Our feet—no, we—will be burned to cinders!"

The man smiled gently, "Do not fret. The moon will protect us. For she knows that we are making this pilgrimage to her temple, carrying with us something she values. Trust in her, friend."

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With that said, he walked towards the rest of the pilgrims, ready to set off for the journey to the top of the mountain.

What the fuck? Are these guys serious? Luke was dumbfounded by how nonchalant they seemed about walking across a blazing land.

No wait, Henry did say that I won't be burning by literal flames, his eyes suddenly lit up.

What if... the fire doesn't physically burn me?

"Ugh!" He ruffled his dark blond hair in annoyance.

Only if I had more time to learn about the Spirit Crucible, I wouldn't have been so aimless right now, he complained inwardly.

But there was nothing he could do about it. The past seven days were either spent sleeping or struggling to cling to his sanity.

He saw that all the pilgrims were now ready to set off towards the summit.

"Come, friend." The bearded man from earlier beckoned at him. "We must leave now."

Luke nodded and walked toward the group. Suddenly, his brows creased together when his gaze landed on a little girl in chains. She was being led by a stern-looking woman.

"Excuse me?" He approached the woman, irritation visible in his eyes. "Why are you treating her like that? She's just a child!"

The middle-aged woman snapped at him. "Do not pity this girl! She must be sacrificed to the moon! Only then shall everything return to normal."

"...What? Sacrificed?" Luke was shocked.

This girl seemed no older than ten. Her silver hair was messy, her skin dirty, and her clothes tattered. From a single glance, he could tell just how much torment the little girl had been put through.

How can someone treat a child like that?! Unforgivable! He was truly enraged.

Right at that moment, the bearded man from earlier arrived by his side. "Friend, a sacrifice needs to be made. We must appease the moon! Do not show pity to this miscreant. She is cursed! Cursed, I tell you."

Luke looked at the man with a deep frown, thinking to himself, Is this also part of the trial?

How despicable!

But in the end, he reluctantly nodded.

Meanwhile, the little girl who was looking at Luke with slightly hopeful eyes, feeling that someone was finally standing up for her, suddenly found all her hopes shattered.

Luke approached her and muttered softly, "Forgive me, but I must pass this trial..."

With that said, he started walking toward the foot of the mountain along with the rest of the pilgrims.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive there. The oldest of the group, an old man with curly white hair, turned to look at them and proclaimed, "Do not be afraid of the flames! If your faith is deep and your intentions true, the moon will protect you!"

With that said, he stepped onto the fiery mountainous terrain, eliciting loud gasps from the rest of the people. But much to everyone's shock, they learned that flames had no effect on the old man's feet at all!

"You see that? My brothers, my sisters!" The brown-haired man spoke emotionally. "The moon will protect us! Onwards to the summit!"

As the pilgrims stepped on the fiery terrain one by one, Luke couldn't help but start to feel intensely nervous.

Although he could see that nothing was happening to them, it caused his heart to be gripped by panic.

He even saw the woman from earlier drag the little girl behind her. Nothing happened to them as well.

Luke took a few deep breaths and steeled himself. He was now the only one who hadn't entered the flaming terrain yet.

"Here goes nothing!" He gritted his teeth and finally took a step forward.

However, just as he entered the flaming territory, he heard a desperate and agonizing shriek from one of the pilgrims up ahead.

The next thing Luke saw was the pilgrim burning in flames!