The Trial

The wooden sentinel hurtles toward Milo with thunderous steps, each impact causing ripples to spread across the surface of the water, disrupting its once-serene stillness. It lifts an arm and shoots it forward with surprising speed, landing a powerful blow aimed at Milo's head. Despite his attempt to block the strike with his elbow, the force of the hit catches him off guard, sending him stumbling backwards.

Milo tries to regain his balance as the sentinel charges relentlessly towards him. In a heartbeat, the sentinel swings its arm in a wide arc, aiming for Milo's head once again. But Milo's movements have gained incredible speed. He snatches the sentinel's fist out of the air with a fierce grip. He twists his body and flings the sentinel to the side, using its momentum against it. The sentinel recovers quickly, turning to face Milo.

"Ah, there it is," Esron whispered excitedly to himself. He turns to Risea, who is standing a spectator's distance away.

"Blink and you will miss it." Esron says as he turns back to face the skirmish.

The sentinel raises its fists and throws a flurry of punches towards Milo. He nimbly dodges the first three punches, each one thrown with relentless force. He moves with sudden bursts of inhuman speed, making it look effortless as he evades each strike with ease. Without warning, the fourth punch breaks the established pace, catching Milo off guard.

He didn't sidestep to dodge the sentinel's fourth punch. Instead, he crouches down and closes the distance between them in a flash. He then jumps up and lands a powerful kick on the sentinel's jaw, sending it reeling backwards with a loud thud. As the sentinel loses its balance and tumbles to the ground, Milo quickly lands on his feet, ready for the next attack.

"Let us make this more interesting," Esron said with his eyes filled with anticipation.

"What weapon are you most proficient with, Milo?" Esron asked.

"Any weapon," Milo says with a cocky smirk.

Esron finds himself grinning back in response to Milo's smirk, the childish expression consuming his face.

"Alright, if you insist" Esron said. With a few motions from his right hand, two swords formed from the branches. One sword forms in front of Milo and the other in front of the sentinel.

Milo picks up the sword and flourishes it. The motion came to him naturally. The sentinel snatches the sword from the ground and adopts an aggressive stance, gradually pressing its legs onto the ground to charge forward.

The plateau fell silent as Milo looked deeply at the sword. Although it was made of wood, it could still inflict fatal damage due to how sharp and sturdy Esron had created it.

Milo's attention is caught by a sharp snap from behind him. He whips around to face the entrance and sees a vine collapse to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the sentinel charges forward as Milo is momentarily distracted.

The sentinel charges at Milo, their swords clashing and sending splinters flying. Milo responds by kicking the sentinel's waist, causing it to stumble backwards. They both then charge at each other once again, combining their opposing forces into a stronger clash.

Milo and the sentinel continue their fierce battle as Risea approaches Esron on the sidelines.

"Isn't this too much?" Risea questions, his eyes fixed on the two fighters. "He is but a child-"

"Could a child even endure the strength of my sentinel?" Esron asks rhetorically, cutting Risea off before continuing. With a slight nod of acceptance, Risea took a step back, his eyes still watching the two combatants closely.

The sentinel launches a series of quick jabs and thrusts. Milo dodges them with ease. His movements are fast and fluid. However, the sentinel's final thrust is accompanied by a swift grab at Milo's neck, lifting him off the ground.

Milo struggles and attempts to kick the sentinel's hand in a futile effort to break free. Suddenly, a sound catches Milo's attention as he sees the vine that had fallen earlier slithering on its own to the left of him. It moves quickly across the body of water and behind the sentinel, then launches upwards and wraps itself around the sentinel's neck, anchoring itself to the ground behind him.

"Milo! Get ready!" Milo hears Lok's voice shout as he sees him materialize at the anchor, tightly holding onto the vine. With a strong tug, Lok yanks the vine, causing the sentinel to stumble and topple backwards. As the sentinel loses its grip on Milo, he quickly seizes the opportunity to deliver a swift and clean slash to its hand, severing it from its arm.

Esron applauds the move from the background.

"Brilliant! Now let the trial begin!" Esron cheers. The sentinel regenerates its severed hand as the wood twists and weaves to form it once again.

"And now..." Esron raises his hands together, and the sentinel's body begins to expand, fueled by the overwhelming Gaia energy. Its body grows as spiky branches protrude from its back.

Esron continues to fuel the sentinel's growth, causing it to grow larger and larger. Its wooden body starts to take on a more treelike appearance, with bark-like textures forming on its skin. Its arms and legs lengthen and thicken, resembling thick tree branches. The sentinel's face contorts and twists, becoming more gnarled and resembling the face of a treant, a living tree. The sentinel lets out a deep, rumbling growl as it fully transforms into a treant, towering over Milo and Lok with its immense size and power.

"Lok! Milo!" Risea unsheathes his sword and tosses it to Milo, while also throwing his daggers at Lok. He casts a glance at Esron, who is smirking at him from the corner of his eye.

"You seem to be enjoying this a bit too much," Risea comments.

Esron turns his head to face Risea and shrugs.

"It has been a while since I have had the chance to use my abilities, even if I have to contain a large portion of it," Esron explains as if excusing himself.

"Wasn't Milo's demonstration against the sentinel enough?" Risea inquires.

"It was more than sufficient. I now have a good grasp of what Milo is capable of. However, take a closer look at him and Lok. Observe their eyes," Risea followed Esron's gaze. He notices the vitality in their eyes, the eagerness, the thrill, the excitement. It is as if they live for adventure and the challenge of overcoming great odds.

This sight causes Risea to stare off into the distance, lost in thought, reminded of what he once had. Risea furrows his brow and turns to Esron, a look of concern on his face.

"You're pushing them too hard, brother," he says.

Esron's eyes widened in surprise at the familiar term.

"Brother?" he exclaimed, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a mixture of delight and disbelief.

"It has been a long time since you have called me that."

"It was my duty not to let personal relationships interfere with official matters, especially after you were made Grand Warden," Risea said.

"That is quite hypocritical of you." Esron retorts with a sly smile.

"You may be a Warden too, but deep down, you are still the same little brother I used to tease." He chuckles, clearly enjoying himself.

"And your tongue is still as sharp as it used to be." Risea attempts to be as witty but fails.

"It has been years since we had a real conversation like this," Esron muses, "Perhaps the arrival of another outsider was also a blessing in disguise."

"You are right. Doesn't he-" Risea began before being abruptly cut off.

"Yes... he does," Esron replied, anticipating exactly what Risea was about to ask. Both of them turn their sight towards Milo and Lok, sporting pleased expressions on their faces.

Lok looks at Risea and Esron, then turns to Milo with a perplexed expression.

"Do you have any idea what's happening with them?" He asks.

Milo shrugs his shoulders, mirroring Lok's confusion.

"How would I know?" he replies. They both turn back to face the bigger issue. The treant.

As the treant lets out a deafening roar, the forest shakes with the sound. Milo quickly picks up his sword and charges towards the towering creature, his movements a blur as he gains momentum with each step.

Lok trails a few steps behind, watching as Milo charges toward the treant with great speed. Despite his efforts to keep up, the distance between them only grows wider.

Milo dashes between the treant's legs with incredible speed, catching the creature off guard. He swiftly slices the wooden tendon above its heel and the treant falls to its knees, letting out a deafening roar of agony. In a panic, the treant flails its arms, attempting to strike both Milo and Lok who are closing in on it from opposite directions.

With his elven nimbleness, Lok quickly scales the treant's massive body towards its head. As he reaches the top, he closes his eyes and concentrates as a green aura forms around him. Suddenly, multiple illusions of himself appear, running and jumping around the treant's body, creating confusion and causing the treant to flail around wildly.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Lok leaps backwards and quickly throws his two daggers at the treant's eyes with deadly precision, blinding it instantly. As the treant thrashes around blindly, Milo quickly climbs up its back, dodging its flailing arms with ease. Once he reaches the creature's nape, he strikes with a swift and precise blow, cleanly beheading it. The treant's body shudders and collapses to the ground, its roar replaced with a deafening silence.

The treant's mighty form, once so threatening and fearsome, now lays limp and lifeless. Its wooden skin cracks and crumbles, its leaves turn to dust, and it withers away into nothingness, returning to the earth from which it was born.