Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

'Wait, the forest whispered…'

Alex felt his emotions calm down as he analysed the poem he heard in his sleep.

'Whispered… The Whisperer!'

He immediately made a link.

'The Whisperer, is this the effect of his abilities? Did he do this to me? Does he know where I am?'

Alex had a myriad of questions that were left unanswered, as his concern grew.

If the Whisperer found out that Alex was here to assassinate him, and even knew his location, then successfully completing this trial would be impossible.

'Wait! Maybe he wants me to find him!'

But Alex hadn't given up hope yet.

The whisperer mentioned something called a 'Temple of darkness', and he doubted he said that just to fuck with Alex.

"It has to have some meaning, maybe it's a location? Better yet, maybe it's where The Whisperer is located!"

Although this may have been a trap, Alex still felt excited that he had finally gained at least a clue, even if it would turn out to be a dead end.

He would rather spend his time doing something useful rather than waste away for the next 6 days having achieved nothing.

***

The next morning, Alex followed the 'instructions' of the poem.

Or rather, he walked aimlessly until the environment started to slightly change.

The trees thinned, and the mist slowly started to dissipate.

And there it stood — an ancient temple, its stone façade crumbling, its entrance veiled by ivy and vines.

To his surprise, the small clearing actually had some green to it, as it looked like this was the last place with vegetation that wasn't withered and dead.

'This must be it, the Temple of darkness.'

Alex felt confident in his guess — what else could this place be?

Everything in this trial had a purpose, and if there was an ancient temple surrounded by greenery in the middle of a dead, grey forest, then it was definitely important.

'I can't enter yet.'

But Alex wasn't as stupid or naïve as he used to be.

If this were him from half a year ago, he'd have run in and blindly sought out The Whisperer.

But things were different now.

He didn't have any abilities or strength to his name, so he had to be a lot more careful in his approach.

Although he wouldn't really die in this place since it was just a Virtual Reality simulation, he doubted the examiners would just give the students a second chance after they die.

It would probably just result in a low score and an early end to the trial.

Scouting out the local area, Alex found a few outstretched and sturdy trees, which he promptly climbed to get an overhead view of the temple.

The Temple was around the size of a five story mansion, looking like an Aztec pyramid that grew thinner the taller it got.

It was only when Alex reached the peak of his tree that he could get a good overview of the whole area.

'This place isn't abandoned. This could be good, or it could be bad.'

Through a few small holes in the temple, he could see some light filtering out.

Considering this place looked like it had been left to ruin for thousands of years, it was clear these lights weren't left there by its original owners.

'This confirms it, The Whisperer should be inside this place. Or it should at least lead to his location.'

Alex climbed back down the tree, not spotting anything else that looked useful.

He broke off a branch from the tree and sharpened the end against some rough rocks to turn it into a makeshift spear.

It wasn't much, but any weapon is better than no weapon.

With nothing much left to do, Alex moved towards the overgrown entrance, and cautiously looked inside.

'I can't see shit.'

There was no light in the corridor, so he could only see a few metres ahead from the light of the sun filtering in from the outside.

Since he couldn't see any further inside, where the sunlight couldn't reach, Alex gathered a few rocks and twigs from the nearby forest floor, testing their weight in his hand.

'Seems heavy enough.' He thought.

He approached the temple entrance once again, sticks and stones in hand, his heart tensed in preparation.

He threw the first rock into the darkness, holding his breath.

Clank!

It landed with a soft thud, echoing through the empty corridor.

But there was no reaction so far.

Encouraged, Alex tossed another rock, then a twig. Again, nothing. The temple seemed eerily silent, as if waiting for him to take the next step.

'No traps triggered by weight or movement so far. Good.'

Alex tightened his grip on his makeshift spear and cautiously stepped into the temple. As he stepped past the veil of light, the corridor swallowed him in darkness, the faint light from the entrance quickly fading behind him.

He moved slowly, his eyes straining to adjust to the dimness.

'Stay calm. Keep moving.'

The air inside was cool and damp, carrying a faint, musty smell.

Alex's footsteps echoed softly, the only sound in the oppressive silence.

He felt along the walls, their cold, rough surface guiding him forward.

The temple's interior was like a labyrinth, a maze designed to disorient and trap the unwary.

Alex's sight, deprived of the enhanced sight he once possessed, struggled to pierce the darkness.

As he ventured deeper, the corridor branched off into several passages.

Alex paused, listening intently for any signs of movement. The temple seemed deserted, but those torches couldn't have been lit themselves.

Speaking of…

'Finally!'

Multiple sources of light met his eyes.

He recognised these light sources from a glance, they were from the torches he saw through the gaps in the temple's roof when he scaled the trees.

'Which way?'

Alex decided to follow the strongest glimmer of light he could see, hoping it would lead him to a clue or somewhere actually useful.

He moved cautiously, his senses on high alert. The corridor he chose led to a larger chamber, its high ceiling lost in shadows, with the sunlight peeking through a few gaps here and there.

'What is that?...'

There was something in the middle of the chamber.