Chapter 185: No Rest, To The Next Trial

Clap! Clap!

"Congratulations, Queen Morgana, on completing the second trial."

Looking to my right, I saw the three faceless judges. They were the same—with no faces, no hair, and no color—clapping their long, thin hands.

"Thank you."

"It must be said that you did well, especially in the torture part," the faceless judge who was on the left spoke. His voice was the same monotone sound, yet it had a hint of satisfaction in it.

"Yeah, but it was a bit rough," I said, smirking at the faceless judge before dropping onto the cold floor of this dark space on my back, resting.

"Hm?" Turning left, I saw a second glass tube similar to the first one, but instead of containing a body, it was filled to the brim with blood—so much that the level of blood was reaching the edge.

"Is that the blood I collected?" I asked, raising my head and pointing at the glass tube.

"Yes."

"So what are we doing now?"

"Now, the next trial, the final trial of the heart."

"Before that, tell me one thing," I said, sitting and turning my gaze to the faceless judge. "The world where the trial of the body took place…. was it a real one?"

I knew the answer, but I wanted confirmation. Unlike the trial of the mind, where the entire world was the palace and the people inside—some were fake, others were past challengers who failed to ascend—the trial of the body was in a real place, with real people, real lives, real history, and a real world. Yet I didn't care about that; all I wanted was to confirm that my children there were real, not fake.

"..." The faceless judges turned their heads, staring at each other, not answering.

"So, what about my children? Are they real?" I repeated, this time with a cold tone, my eyes filled with murderous intent.

"..."

"Answer me. Now," a deep growl came from my throat as I saw their silence.

"Yes, the trial teleported you to another world, and everything that happened was real," the one in the middle answered, earning him a strange faceless stare from the other two. But the judge ignored them and continued, "Your demon children are real and are alive."

"Good," a smile formed on my face. The anger was gone, replaced by a feeling of joy and relief. The worry was still there, but knowing that my children were real, alive, and well was enough.

"Now, can we begin the final trial?" the faceless judge on the left asked. His voice was still emotionless, but I could sense the tension.

"Not yet. I need some rest," I said, turning my head, closing my eyes, and laying back on the hard floor. "How much time has passed outside?"

Unlike the last trial, where a thousand years passed like a week, the ten years I spent inside the trial of the body were slow, and I felt every second, every minute, and every hour. The pain, the hunger, and the thirst were unbearable. But I survived and won.

"A week," the one in the middle replied.

"Oh... so little?" I opened my eyes and raised my brows. That wasn't what I expected.

"Time flows differently, and inside our domain, time is frozen, so you can rest as much as you want, Queen Morgana."

"Hmm, okay," I closed my eyes, relaxing and clearing my head. "So, the heart?"

"The heart is simple, but also the most difficult part," the one on the right began. "The final trial is a test of your past life and how well you live and treat the ones that you love."

"Really?" I rose to a sitting position, my eyes locked on the faceless judge. The look on his face—no wait, the lack of one—made me sure he wasn't joking. I mean, they told me about it before, but it's still hard to believe.

"So you mean I'll relive a part of my past, or a part of my past will be the setting for the trial?"

"Both. We wouldn't know until the trial begins. All we know is it will be related to your past in some way."

"Huh... that's interesting," I said, tilting my head. A part of me was excited, and a part was worried. After all, my past self was happy that I lost my memories and my old personality. And if the trial was going to be set in my past, then things would be complicated if I got my memory back.

"Any advice?"

"No, just live your life," the faceless judge in the center replied, shaking his head. "Just do what you always do."

"Okay," I said, standing up and cracking my neck. "Let's start."

"Are you sure, Queen Morgana? You can have a little rest before you start."

"Nah, I'm fine," I shook my head, a slight smirk forming on my lips. The worry, the doubt, and the fear were gone. The past ten years gave me some perspective and a different view, and I'm not a coward who runs from her past, no matter how bad or good it was.

"Very well," the faceless judges nodded, turning around and raising their hands. A second later, the last black door of the trial appeared. "Good luck, Queen Morgana."

"Thanks." Without saying another word, I stepped forward and opened the door. Like the last two trials, darkness was all I saw, yet I knew it was only the beginning—and my last step in my ascension.

"Here we go again," I sighed and walked through the door.

.....

"Psss... wake up," a soft, low voice entered my ear. Yet instead of waking me up, the gentle voice only made me more comfortable.

"Five more minutes," I mumbled, turning around, and burying my face in the soft, warm, and fluffy pillow.

"Sigh... I should have used my special morning move," the low voice muttered, sighing. A hint of disappointment was evident. However, in the next second, I felt the person stepping back before rushing back at me.

"YAAAH!... WAKE UP!"

"HMPH!"

"!!!" A gasp left my lips as something heavy landed on my stomach. A sharp pain exploded, yet it quickly died.

"What the fuck was that?" Opening my eyes, a blurry figure of a person came into focus. The sun was blinking behind their head, and their face was hidden in the shadow.

"Sorry," a gentle voice came from the figure. A hint of shame and embarrassment was evident, yet the voice was soft and kind, and it was a voice I could never get angry at.

"Wake up, sis. Mom is calling."

The moment the figure's face came into focus, my mind went blank, and the shock was too big. Short black hair and ocean-blue eyes. A face that, although young, was identical to the woman in the portrait inside the Nightmare Tower.

The little girl ten or twelve years old had the same face as me.

"Hmm... who are you?"

"Huh?" The girl tilted her head, staring at me. Her blue eyes were wide, and her lips were pouting. "It's me, your sister, Victoria."

"Victoria?" I whispered the name.

"Are you okay, sis?" The little girl, or Victoria, asked, reaching out and touching my forehead. "Are you playing sick to avoid work?"

"Huh?"

"Sis? Are you sick? Your face is pale."

"Uh... no, no, I'm fine." Shaking my head, I quickly regained my composure. This was the third trial, and the faceless judges had said that the setting would be related to the past—my past—with a massive revelation.

I had a sister.

"Are you sure?" Victoria asked, narrowing her eyes. A look of concern and doubt was evident.

"Yes," I nodded, smiling at her. "Don't worry."

"Good." Victoria nodded, returning my smile—a warm, cute smile. She leaned closer and kissed me on the forehead. "Breakfast is ready. Don't take long."

"Okay," I replied, and the girl quickly jumped from the bed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hmmm," a soft hum left my lips as I sat on the edge of the bed. The room was small, made from wood with a dark brown color, yet it was old. The wooden boards had cracks, and the paint was fading. However, the room had a warm and comfortable feel to it.

There was a window in the room. Its white curtain was slightly moved by the wind, and a small breeze entered the room, brushing against my face.

I got up and walked towards the window, but instead of staring at the view outside, my focus was quickly stolen by the reflection. The image of a young girl stared back at me.

She had fair skin, long raven-black hair, and a pair of ocean-blue eyes.

I looked almost like the girl... no, my sister.

"Are we twins?" I wondered, looking down at my body and realizing that I was just a young ten-year-old girl, not an adult.

GROWL!

"I should get something to eat first. I can't think on an empty stomach."

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