Under the velvety night sky, adorned by a slender moon like a sly smile, Alexis walked with his loyal servant through a forest drowned in shadows. The towering trees swayed their frail branches as if trying to touch them, while the mist slithered between the trunks like the breath of a sleeping creature. In the heart of this silence, their footsteps echoed on the damp grass, accompanied by the hoot of an owl hidden above.
"Your Highness, are you sure about this? I see no trace of this person, and it might be a trap."
"We don't know that yet, but we will find out. The agreement was clear, and this place is what was specified," Alexis replied, his eyes glimmering.
At the edge of the forest, the scene opened to a mysterious plain scattered with remnants of ancient ruins cracked walls and faded inscriptions telling of a bygone era. The wind howled, carrying the scent of wet earth and rusty metal, as if whispering secrets long forgotten.
And suddenly, amidst this eerie silence, a sight unfolded before them one they had not anticipated…
"Your Highness… this… this is more than I expected…"
"I wasn't expecting… all of them?!"
There were too many… more than he could have imagined. Men in dark cloaks stood in a semicircle, their faces hidden in shadows. Nearby, tables held strange objects glistening under the torchlight. In their midst stood the man they had come to meet his eyes like slits of the night itself.
"I knew you would come… but the question is, are you ready for what comes next?"
Then, the place began to distort, revealing its true form it was the ancient ruins' arena. The flames atop the torches flickered, casting dancing shadows on the silent faces. The air was heavy, charged with an unspoken anticipation, as if the earth itself held its breath, waiting for what was to come. The young prince stood at the center of it all, his gleaming eyes studying everything, while his aura took shape around him… It was not just energy it was something alive, slithering through the air like unseen serpents, coiling lightly around his feet and winding upwards along his body, as though they were either guarding him or silently threatening the others.
"Tonight, your fate will be decided. There is no place for weakness here… Loyalty is not a word it is an action. And those who fail to prove themselves… will not see the dawn of tomorrow," declared the one who seemed to be the leader of this night.
Some of those present shifted uneasily, while others remained expressionless. Half of the group facing Alexis had varying expressions some confident, others fearful. As the mysterious man began to speak again, Alexis' aura lifted its head… as if it were alive, like serpents preparing to strike.
"You are here because you claim loyalty. But loyalty… is not claimed, it is proven."
In the next moment, the weight of the air around them grew heavier. The creeping aura began to coil around some of the standing figures, making them feel an invisible pressure, a strange coldness seeping into their bones. Some of them shuddered, others fell to their knees, while only a few remained standing, their breaths steady and gazes unwavering.
"Your Highness… your power is growing more than I expected…" murmured the servant, Edric, as he observed the aura radiating from Alexis.
The man smiled for the first time, but his eyes were filled with scrutiny. "Impressive… But let's see who among them will endure until the end."
The air in the arena was thick, saturated with the scent of ash and damp earth, as if carrying the echoes of souls lost in this place long ago. The torches surrounding the gathering cast shifting shadows on the crumbling stone walls, like ghosts moving among the living.
Before Alexis, the group was divided. Those being tested stood at the forefront, their eyes flickering between fear and confusion, while those who had already survived the trials stood behind them, watching the scene intently. The cloaked man with sharp eyes stood beside the prince, silently observing, analyzing every movement.
He lifted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on those before him, then spoke in a voice soft yet charged with power like the whisper of death itself.
"This is not a test of strength… but a test of loyalty. Loyalty that is not proven tonight will have no place in tomorrow."
His words were like daggers, piercing into minds, planting fear in hearts. Some swallowed hard, while others clenched their fists, trying to conceal their tension. But he was not interested in displays of false strength—he did not need to search for it… He needed to uncover the truth.
With a motion of his hand, an ancient stone door at the edge of the arena creaked open, and masked men emerged, carrying heavy wooden boxes, which they placed before the gathered figures before withdrawing in silence.
The candidates eyed the boxes warily, before Alexis raised his hand calmly… With a single gesture, the boxes sprang open all at once.
What lay inside… was a nightmare in its purest form.
Inside each box, real snakes were coiled together, writhing in anger, their fangs bared and forked tongues flickering in and out rapidly, as if sensing prey. They were black, with bulging eyes that gleamed under the torchlight, as though they were a part of this very place.
The test was simple…
"In front of each of you, there is a box. Inside each box, a snake. The task is simple… Place your hand inside the box and hold the snake. Whoever pulls their hand away before I give the command… will fail."
Breaths grew rapid, and some swallowed hard. The snakes moved slowly, yet they did not attack not yet. They were waiting for the first to approach them.
"Fear… It is the key to everything. True loyalty is not just bravery it is the ability to face fear without losing control." Alexis thought to himself, realizing how effective the trial was.
Everyone stood before their boxes, sweat beading on their foreheads, their eyes darting between the leader and the boxes in front of them. They had no choice… They had to place their hands inside.
The first to move was a tall young man with black hair and eyes filled with defiance. Slowly, he extended his hand toward the box. His face remained composed, but he could not hide the tension in his fingers.
As his fingertips brushed against the cold, scaly back of the snake, he froze for a moment. The snake remained still, but he could feel its strength beneath his skin.
Inside his mind: "Stay calm... Don't panic... Just a crawling creature..."
But the moment the snake moved and wrapped its strong body around his hand, the young man flinched slightly. The snake wasn't attacking him, but it was testing him in its own way.
However, one of the onlookers couldn't endure it...
Another young man, with short brown hair, couldn't control his fear. When he felt the snake's skin on his hand, he trembled violently and withdrew his hand all at once... But the moment he did so, one of the masked men moved at a blinding speed, and before anyone could comprehend what was happening, his sword had severed his neck.
His body fell to the ground, blood slowly seeping onto the ancient stones.
A deadly silence filled the square.
The remaining individuals stared at the fallen body before their eyes rose toward the young prince, who had not moved nor even blinked.
"He has failed."
His words were devoid of emotion, merely a statement of fact. There was no sympathy, no regret... just a definitive judgment.
Some of the onlookers shivered, but they knew that retreat was no longer an option. One by one, they inserted their hands into the boxes some suffered bites, while others managed to maintain their composure. But no one else dared to withdraw their hand.
Minutes passed heavily before the leader finally raised his hand.
"Enough."
Everyone immediately withdrew their hands some trembling, others pale-faced.
The men closed the boxes again while the prince stood before them, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.
"Those who remain have proven their loyalty. And those who fell... have met their fate."
This was only the first test... and there was still more to come.
But among all, only one snake remained... It did not return to its place but stayed with Alexis. It had felt a bond with him.
The night was darker than ever before, and the slender moon hanging in the sky barely illuminated the path leading to the abandoned temple, where the final test would take place. The giant trees twisted like ancient creatures guarding this place, and the sounds of the night whispered in the surroundings as if warning the entrants of the fate that awaited them.
In the heart of this sacred ruin stood a selected group of survivors from the first test, their faces grim and eyes filled with tension and anticipation. They had passed the snake test, but what was to come now was entirely different... This was the test that would separate ordinary followers from those worthy of being part of the elite.
At their forefront stood Alexis, his golden eyes gleaming sharply under the faint light, his aura slithering around him like snakes, as if it were a part of him. The mysterious man was silent but attentively observing everyone, while the servant Edric remained hidden, a few steps behind him, ready for any emergency.
"The final test is what will determine who is worthy of being with us... who deserves to serve a greater purpose."
"And whoever survives... will be with me." Alexis smiled as he thought to himself.
Finally, everyone proceeded to the final place.
Inside the abandoned temple, the walls were covered in ancient engravings, and the air was heavy with the scent of dampness and dust, as if time itself had forgotten this place. In the center of the main hall stood a stone altar, upon which five wooden cups were lined up in a straight row, each containing a different colored liquid.
"Before you are five cups... Four contain deadly poisons, and only one holds water. The test is simple: you must choose the correct cup. Whoever drinks the poison... will die."
"A test like this is not mere luck. There must be a logical thread to follow. The poisons are not identical, nor are they placed randomly. There must be a pattern... a flaw in the test itself." Alexis thought in the same moment, using his deep knowledge of poisons to differentiate between them.
He did not move immediately. Instead, he stepped forward, his eyes scanning the cups, then looked at the mysterious man, trying to catch any signal, any detail that might reveal the secret.
He noticed that the colors of the liquids in the four deadly cups were not entirely uniform there was a slight difference in density, in the way the light reflected off them. As for the only different cup, its water was clear... but he realized this could also be a trick.
"It's a double test... Not just an intuitive test but also a psychological one. If I choose recklessly, I'll prove that I don't think. And if I hesitate too long, I'll prove that I'm afraid." Alexis' thoughts continued to swirl in his mind.
Then he noticed something else...
The engravings on the walls depicted an ancient symbol an eye surrounded by three intertwined lines and the symbol was carved near the stone altar where the cups were placed.
"The eye... sees the truth."
He took a deep breath, then focused his aura around him, making the atmosphere still for a moment. Then he slowly extended his hand toward the third cup from the left and grasped it. Everyone watched him in silence some appeared tense, while others raised their eyebrows in surprise.
He lifted the cup and drank the liquid inside without hesitation.
A deadly silence followed...
The servant prepared for any possibility, thinking, "Was he right? What if he was wrong?"
But Alexis showed no sign of pain, did not collapse, did not scream... He simply placed the cup back in its place and looked at the mysterious man with confidence.
"I chose correctly."
The leader finally smiled, but his gaze remained enigmatic.
"You are the only one who could solve the puzzle... But the test is not over yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the torches in the temple were extinguished all at once, and darkness engulfed the place completely. Suddenly, the sounds of rapid footsteps rose, as if unknown creatures were moving in the shadows.
Then... something attacked them.
"This was not just a test... but also a trap." Alexis quickly retreated.
The attacks came from the darkness panting sounds, swift movements, and red eyes gleaming in the gloom. The attackers were not human... They were more like monstrous beings, creeping with terrifying speed.
"Sire! They are not natural!" Edric finally moved at lightning speed.
But Alexis did not panic. Instead, he focused his energy, allowing his aura to expand... and suddenly, the slithering snakes surrounding him burst into the darkness, attacking the unknown creatures, seizing them, strangling them.
The snake he had taken was not ordinary at all.
"They are merely obstacles... and they won't be the last to stand in my way."
Edric was slightly surprised by this, but he himself knew who his master was, so he disappeared once more.
When the darkness finally receded, only Alexis remained standing in the middle of the temple, his body covered in scratches, yet he stood firm.
The men who survived the test stood in silence some shocked, some astonished but there was no doubt... Alexis was not just a boy; he was something far more dangerous.
"You have proven yourself, royal-blooded one. From this moment, you are no longer merely an heir... but a true leader." From the beginning, that person had placed his hopes on Alexis, but why him? No one knew.
At last, all who remained succeeded in joining them.
The Black Moon