The Spider Queen

What is this place?

Sophie cautiously lifted her body out of the stone pod and stepped onto a hard and uneven ground.

The holographic words in the air continued to float without any change but what raised Sophie's alarm was the fact that the text written using the Federation's trade language.

This didn't make any sense.

Sophie raised up her arm and to her surprise, she found that the wrinkles that had appeared when the shadowy tendrils gripped her ankle had disappeared.

There were no mirrors but judging from the smooth feeling on her skin, it was like the events that happened earlier were nothing more than a dream.

After checking to make sure she didn't have any hidden injuries, Sophie looked around to see if she could find any clues in the surrounding area.

The place where she found herself was a large open hall enclosed on all sides by massive white walls with strange carvings depicting suns.

There were multiple pods scattered around the hall, but every stone pod was covered by a heavy sheet of translucent material that made it impossible to see what was inside.

The pod Sophie had woken up in no longer had the film, so she had to investigate other stone pods to see what the material was.

Sophie walked over to the nearest pod and pressed her finger against the translucent film. Her finger managed to penetrate two inches deep before getting stuck.

No matter how hard she tried, Sophie could not manage to get her finger to go further inside the pod.

Can I still use my qi?

Sophie closed her eye and began to meditate using the Spider Whisper Art. Her fangs lengthened subconsciously and the bladed appendages on her back unfurled with a threatening aura.

The minutes passed by uneventfully as Sophie could feel nothing. It was the same situation as before.

No matter how hard she tried, it was like her body had somehow been emptied of the qi energy that usually resided within.

Now was not the time for panic.

Sophie took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and slowly begun to sort out what she knew.

In the morning she had travelled with the Hyperion knights and found a sinkhole in the middle of desert.

That was a clear fact that Sophie could recall.

Then…then…she….

Sophie furrowed her brow as the following events after discovering the sinkhole did not seem to make sense.

She had discovered a mysterious vine attached to the knights, went looking for Captain Dawn to kill him and then had to fight a horrific abomination.

And now she had just woken up in a stone pod after having an illusion involving multiple girls and having sex with Cleo.

There was a terrifying thought that suddenly took root in Sophie's mind.

What if these memories were planted?

What was real and what was fake?

Had she really escaped the illusion? Or was this merely a deeper level?

Sophie's hands trembled slightly as the fear of the unknown was a terrifying prospect.

She glanced at the floating green text, but nothing had changed.

[Stage 1- Trial Completed]

It was hard deciding what to do next, so Sophie wandered over to the walls enclosing the room to take a closer look at the images carved on their smooth surface.

Not a single inch of the wall had remained untouched as the drawings and depictions were vividly expressed.

Each painting had the central image of a sun shining brightly but the unknown artists had clearly intended to portray different feelings.

One image showed tiny humanoid figures growing crops that flourished, another image showed the sun creating vast seas of deserts where there was once fertile land, and another gave a glimpse at a civilisation being burnt alive under the harsh rays.

The paintings may have differed in intensity and emotion but there was one common theme in all….

How insignificant mortals are when faced with the power of the celestial bodies.

Sophie's musings were cut short by a vaguely robotic voice that came from the ceiling above the room.

[X'renan! Flane'rea de hermaos rhean!]

There was a brief silence as Sophie stood still and did not make any movements.

It was not her fault as she genuinely could not understand what this mysterious voice was saying.

They were speaking in a foreign tongue that she had never even heard before.

There are usually phonetic similarities between languages in an interstellar region, but this language was unique with weird clicking noises that could be heard before every vowel sound.

Clearly whoever was behind the voice could see what was happening inside the hall as the announcement was repeated three more times in rapid succession.

"I don't understand what you're saying," Sophie yelled when she realised that the voice was not going to stop.

Suddenly the vaguely robotic voice stopped and another voice that sounded distinctly masculine came from the ceiling,

[Fo'res sxtill xreloa?]

The voice first spoke in the language that Sophie was unfamiliar with but gradually the voice became the trade language of the Federation.

[X'retjhe dereas flors… X'retjhe dereas flors …. Please… X'retjhe… please wait a moment while we connect to the light brain inside your pod….]

[Congratulations on passing the Trial of the Heart!]

[Sorry, that was an automated message designed for the first tasker who cleared the initial stage]

[We are now using our translation technology to speak to you using your native tongue]

[Can you understand us?]

"Yes, I can understand you," Sophie replied calmly but internally her thoughts were a mess.

Who were these people?

It was important not to show any signs of weakness, so Sophie kept a frozen expression on her face and didn't show any emotion.

Still there were questions that Sophie could not help but ask,

"But where am I? And what is the purpose of this place?"

[You along with your companions have chosen to enter the Temple and compete for the seedling from the sacred tree]

[This trial cannot be stopped once it has begun, and it will end with only one survivor]

[Please proceed to the next stage]

"Wait but I have more questions to ask," Sophie hurriedly spoke but received no response.

No matter how much she yelled and shouted, there was now nothing but complete silence coming from the other end.

Boom!

There was a crashing noise as an entire section in the back of the hall fell down to reveal a narrow corridor.

Blue crystals illuminated the thin passage that was only wide enough to fit one single adult sized man.

"Should I wait or go?" Sophie muttered to herself.

She was truthfully a little bit conflicted.

According to the voice, there was only going to be one survivor at the end of the trial.

Being the first to clear the stage was beneficial in creating a lead but it also would mean that she had to experience all the traps ahead without any companions to take risks.

Waiting to form a group would certainly be safer but Sophie had no idea who or rather what was inside those stone pods.

Logically it should be the knights who also ventured down the sinkhole but after the strange events that had occurred one after the other, Sophie did not know what to believe.

Was this the only room where the taskers were assigned to complete the first trial?

It could very well be that there was nothing inside those pods except more dangers.

The only thing she was thankful for was the fact that Lily had remained with the knights who had chosen to set up camp.

She could only hope that whatever strange power or organization were behind this trial only took those who climbed down the sinkhole.

Lily should be safe at least for now.

Sophie clenched her fist and decided to walk towards the narrow passageway.

Being unable to use her qi and missing multiple limbs would certainly be a massive disadvantage in this dangerous situation…

But she was half Arachnais.

Sophie's physique was far beyond that of a normal human and even without qi she had the confidence that she could escape from dangerous situations.

The hybrid girl stepped into the passageway and the blue light coming from the crystals instantly shifted into a crimson red.

This passageway was carved on the side of what appeared to be an endless cliff. Sophie picked up a nearby rock and tossed it into the gaping darkness.

The rock fell and even after the minutes had gone by, Sophie could not hear the sound of the rock hitting the ground.

She carefully gripped the nearest wall and inched her way through the treacherous path.

Step by step, Sophie made her way under the crimson light until the passageway widened and the cliff disappeared.

Time had no meaning, but Sophie did not feel any hunger nor any thirst.

It seemed that although her qi had been emptied, the resistances of a qi tide stage cultivator were still there.

Sophie eventually found a large door firmly locked shut.

The door itself was quite unremarkable as it appeared to be made from wood with a single golden chain tightly bound to its handle.

Sophie gripped the chain and used all the strength in her arm to shatter the seemingly fragile metal.

Her violent method proved to be fruitless as the door remained firmly shut.

Sophie paused for a moment and then decided to try a simpler method. There was really nothing to lose so she might as well.

Knock! Knock!

Sophie politely rapped her knuckles against the wooden and door and waited to see if anyone was listening.

"Do you need some help lass?" a kind elderly voice came from behind the door.