Souls Online: Mythic Ascension
Chapter 190: Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 190: Trials and Tribulations

After the chaos of finding out Atra now had a body subsided, the group found themselves inside of a tavern waiting for Crystal to return. With nothing better to do, they began to gossip about how things went for them.

"So.... besides Leo now potentially needing to be on a watch list, how did things turn out for you guys~!"

Rachel raised her hand and cheerfully remarked while her eyes gleamed with interest, her curiosity was showing and it was insatiable.

Lily was the first to reply.

"I met a Nature Goddess. She was super warm and pretty...and she gave me a really awesome and delicious fruit...And this Gun!"

She rambled a bit before she held up an ornately carved wooden stick that she seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Only upon closer inspection did the group realize that it was in fact a rifle that she had been given.

"What kind of ’Nature’ Goddess gives people a gun?"

Aria remarked with a quizzical expression.

Luna was too busy fussing over Astra who had plopped herself on the rabbit girls lap and was nibbling on a pastry like an adorable little golden hamster.

It was Adam and Rachel who frowned upon hearing Lily’s statement.

"Hold up. What did you have to do to earn this ’fruit’ and ’gun’?"

Lily blinked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Uhh. I walked there? Like a really scenic nature hike!"

Both Adam and Rachel placed their heads into their hands in almost perfect unison. After a few seconds, Adam raised his head, an eye twitching as he did his best to control his emotions.

"Okay, let me clarify this. Are you telling me you got a ’fruit’--"

"Yeah it was sooo good. Like dreams that had sugar for blood and rolled in chocolate! It also gave me a skill and boosted some of my stats!"

Adam was going to patiently wait for Lily to finish her interjection before he spoke again but Lily’s claim made him freeze. His entire body began to twitch as he forced his voice to come out calm but the others could feel the strain in his voice.

"You’re telling me you got all that for going on a ’hike?! Are you saying that your trial was a stroll through the woods?!"

"How did you know it was in the woods?"

Lily asked with a look of amazement which caused Adam to bang his head against the table in frustration.

"Arachne you evil bitch!"

He hissed with rage, his hands clenched into tight fists as he stood up

"You killed me over 6000 fucking times and give me 3 skills but Lily’s instructor has her take a walk through the fucking woods and rewards her for that! How the hell is that fair?!"

Luna looked up to glare at Adam who swore in front of Astra

"Watch your language Adam! Not in front of Astra!"

Adam threw his hands up in the air out of sheer frustration but still complied and sat down in defeat.

Rachel on the other hand had been silent as she too was frustrated and felt how Lily was treated was unfair.

"What about you Rach, What did your instructor teach you?"

Rachel sighed and leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest.

"He taught me how to see desire."

There was a pause as the others glanced at one another.

"Like... dreams or stuff people want?" Lily asked, curious.

"No. Not dreams. Not goals. Just want. The raw kind. The stuff people bury or deny or lie about," Rachel said as her gaze drifted to the ceiling. "He taught me how to read it. To feel it. To tell what someone wants just by looking."

Leo made a face.

"That sounds incredibly invasive."

"Oh it definitely is. If I focus hard enough, I am pretty sure I can touch it too...maybe even change it"

That statement made the whole table go quiet.

Even Astra paused mid-chew.

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Change desire? Like... make someone want something else?"

Rachel gave a small shrug.

"I don’t know. Maybe. It’s not like he gave me a manual. He made me observe people until I got it. I don’t know how much time passed while I was doing it. The weird thing though was the place that I was studying in disappeared after."

"What do you mean by it ’disappeared’

"The place was gone as if it never existed in the first place! Like it was a bar, I close my eyes after he tells me about my potential paths and poof, I am on the street and the bar is nothing but ruins. It was really trippy..."

Lily frowned. "That sounds awful. You should’ve gotten a fruit too."

Rachel snorted. "Yeah, If it was there, I wouldn’t trust anything entering my body"

Adam let out a long sigh.

"So just to recap. Lily had a spa day in a forest. Rachel went on a psychological trip. I got murdered over and over. Anyone else want to chime in before I lose my mind again?"

Aria raised her hand.

"Mine wasn’t that bad. It was interesting"

"Oh?"

Lily leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued.

"I went to a garden in the sky. Apparently it was the Ancestral Grounds of all Avian Races.When I arrived, I got a skill to manipulate the size of my wings"

"I honestly thought they were a bit smaller. I just thought I was going crazy."

Adam glared at Lily who made that remark but didn’t say anything

Rachel’s expression softened slightly as she listened. "That actually sounds kind of nice. A sky garden and ancient memories. Beats getting shoved into the subconscious sewer of human want."

Adam grumbled. "Still better than getting stabbed in the neck over and over. What about you, Luna? What did your mentor make you do?"

Luna looked up from Astra, who was now curled up and softly dozing in her lap.

"I was made to do a set of exercises and then drink a protein drink...Then I fought myself."

Rachel blinked. "Wait. Like, emotionally? Metaphorically?"

"No. Like me. A perfect clone. Same weapons, same strength, same everything."

Lily tilted her head. "Was it evil?"

"No. Just... cocky. Smarter. She knew everything I was thinking and taunted me the whole fight like she’d already won."

Luna frowned, her ears twitching slightly.

"She made me realize I can’t always rely on my instincts to fight. I have to use my head too..."

Leo gave Luna a small nod, understanding in his eyes. "Sounds like you earned whatever came after."

Luna nodded back, but didn’t elaborate. Instead, she stroked Astra’s ears gently, letting the silence settle in again.

"What is taking Crystal so long? Did she get lost?"

Leo asked, glancing at the system time and starting to get concerned that something had happened to her.

A chime of the door opening sounded.

Everyone’s heads turned toward the entrance.

Crystal stepped inside, one of her sleeves were torn while a makeshift blindfold covered her eyes.

Leo instantly stood up, his tail bristling as he shouted

"Crystal! What happened to you?!"

She responded by smiling and saying

"My eyes are adjusting to the changes. I will be fine soon. I think. "

"What sort of changes?"

Adam asked with a furrowed brow as he somehow sensed something coming from Crystal’s body.

"The changes associated with becoming a Dragon."