CHAPTER 31: JUDGMENT (4)

"Thank you, Warren." What the hell was going on with my brain? Was it an illusion?

I stand back up and touch Warren's shoulder. He simply turns to face the dragon but I can see a smile on his face. I walk ahead as well but I can feel some eyes on me. I look to the side and see Sarah who is still looking at me. Unlike the other heroes who seems to be in a sort of trance with their eyes completely white, she is somehow able to hold on and keep her consciousness.

"A real blockhead." Even when you should just give up, you never back down, no matter what people tell you. I guess I do like that side of yours. Sadly, our feelings aren't the same.

"Sacrifice, what do you hope to accomplish? Your struggles will only end with a bitter failure. Give up."

As the dragon says that, my head hurts once again but no, this time, I won't fall for it. I haven't forgotten, I can't never forget, the promise I made to him.

"You are going to judge me and I don't even get to say anything? Isn't it unfair?"

"Do you think delaying your judgment will change the outcome?" The dragon lowers his paw and his wings wave lightly, raising some dust. This thing is really something out of a fairy tale. Also, it seems his lips are curving upwards slightly, or am I dreaming? "What do you want? You cannot ask for your judgment to be prolonged for a long period of time nor can you switch with somebody else." I wasn't going to do that but it is still good to know. "I can allow you choose which element you wish to be judged with, however."

"I need five, no, ten minutes. And I want to be judged by fire." If I use the dance of fire, there is a higher chance for me to lessen the damage I will receive.

"Granted. I shall wait for ten minutes. However, sacrifice, do not forget that fire as an element is diverse."

"Why do you keep calling me sacrifice, by the way?"

"Use your time wisely." Not to prone on answering, huh…Oh well, I will do what I can and see how it goes.

I can't use Amplify since I can't use magic but I am not sure it would have been very useful right now. I take the first stance of the dance of fire and flames envelops me.

"Do you need my help?" Warren comes to me once again but it is okay.

"No, you have already helped me too much." No matter what will happen from now on, it is clear that I won' t be to be like him, because I couldn't do it on my own. But at least, I should do this on my own.

Just like the first time he made me practice this dance, I move slowly and as precisely as I can. I am not sure if it will do anything but I want to maximize the heat of the flames.

I excecute the second stance then the third but when I am about to use the fourth one, a voice comes to my ears. The voice of the woman who was using the dance of the wind earlier.

"Your left foot is misplaced. Correct it by five degrees." She is whispering, though.

I look back at her and the flames extinguish. Shit. She is still kneeling with her hand crossed like the others. Aren't they tired?

"You have seven minutes left, sacrifice." And this guy won't leave me alone at all.

I restart everything from the beginning and when I reach the fourth stance, she almost says the same thing but I correct it before. I continue with the fifth and sixth, at the seventh, she intervenes once again.

"Right hand, to the left a bit more." And I am forced to stop and restart again.

This woman, whoever she is, is more precise than him. It's surprising but I guess it is normal since she is from this world. Slowly, I redo and correct everything single stance of the dance of fire and at the last one, she corrects me again, stopping the process.

"You have a minute left." The dragon announces it like thunder just stroke the earth but it's okay. I am ready now. My body feels hot and I have sweated a little. I can do this.

I start the dance of fire and just like it is supposed to be, I use quick and violent movements to go from a stance to another. I have received to much help to fail. Too many people have intervened in this life of mine for it to end now.

When I reach the thirteenth stance, lightning already appears around me. Even though, it is not the last. Still, when I strike, flames accompany it, at the fourteenth stance, a fire explosion occurs right before me and its sound violently breaks the silence of the place.

"W-what was that?"

"What is happe-Hyaaa!!"

"What is this?!!" Ah, it seems it woke the heroes up. Their voices come to irritate my ears as I take the last stance of the dance of fire.

"I am ready!!" I made sure to face the dragon when using the last stance. It raises its paw again and then one of its fingers. Then its claw start shining blue then grey. It finally turns white and the dragon's wings open as well.

"Let there be known, that you struggled in vain, sacrifice."

From its claw, multiples greyish white balls appear, they elegantly float in the air while coming down around me. Then, one of them flies to me with the speed of light. But it gets absorbed by the lightning twirling around my arms.

The next moment, I feel an intense burning pain from my back that almost break my balance. I do my best not to scream but then, another one strikes my head and my vision blurries.

"Argh!!" The number of hits multiply and increase to the point my body hurts all over. It's like I am receiving small lightning bolts all over my body. My vision goes completely dark. No sounds reach my ears anymore. I can't even feel pain anymore.

"I guess this is as far as I could go." It's a bit frustrating when I think about it.

"Is this truly your will?"

A voice suddenly rings in my ears, a female voice that I have never heard before. And with that, my senses are back. I can see, I can hear, I can feel and I am…in the middle of a forest. I am standing on a path to a castle that is a bit far.

"Where is this?"

***

After walking through the path in the forest, I reach the castle's entrance and the first thing which is clear is that this is not where I was a few moments ago. This castle is completely wrecked. I don't know which kind of crazy battles happened here but it was really intense.

The castle also seem really old and abandoned. The gates are already rusted and the pillars are filled with vines.

"What is this place, really?"

I walk through the gates and one of them fall, raising some dust but without making a loud noise. The doors at the entrance are the same, they look rotten and old. Who ever was taking care of this place must have left a long time ago.

Could this be the afterlife? If it is, then mine is a really shitty one. I push the doors and they completely crumble to dust. This is becoming a bit creepy, even for me.

"Who is there?"

That female voice from earlier resounds once again. Behind the doors that just crumbled, there is a big hall that is the most wrecked. A whole area of it is a crater. There are some leftover decorations which are torn up here and there. Also, at the end of the hall, there are four thrones, all of them are broken as well.

I enter the hall while checking for the woman who just spoke but I don't see anybody.

"Show yourself already." Where is she hiding? If she is an enemy, I should stay ready. Though, could there really be enemies in the afterlife? I mean, if I am really dead, then…

While I am thinking, a woman comes from another exit which is beyond the crater. The woman has big handcuffs around her wrists and ankles. Her dark skin and red fiery hair gives her an aggressive look. Her clothes are tattered and old as well. But the fabric definitively looks like it was expensive. I jump over the crater and reach her on the other side. When I land, she looks at with with disinterest and her sad face doesn't show any other emotions.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"