Hatred of you love head blow knew all the worlds in the fantasy vision and when they could open their eyes once again, the river vanished.
There was a little of it left of course. But it stopped by a shore, a shore that belonged to the rest of an eerily silent world beyond them.
Gone was the relentless roar of water, the wails of the Sea Ghosts, the tremors of the Stone Sentinels. Instead, there was a profound, almost unnatural stillness. The water itself was noiseless beneath their boats.
And there was land — real, solid ground. Most of them had thought they would never see land again, but it was there.
Soon after, the river they had battled against ca to an abrupt end, spilling into a vast, breathtaking grassland. The stark contrast between the dark, rciless river and this place was almost blinding. Here, the grass was impossibly green, shimring under the light of an unseen sun. The air slled fresh, clean, untouched.
It was like stepping into a beautiful morning after a lifeti of storms.
Scattered across the field, the survivors — those who had made it through the River Trial — were climbing out of their boats.
Deremiah speechlessly got out of his as well, searching for Varion at first, but then counted nine other boats, aside from their own. That should have ant eighteen people. But with himself, Elora, and the blue-haired girl aboard their single boat, that made twenty-one.
It wasn’t very common for an odd number to make it to this part of the Trial.
To be honest, Deremiah was having a difficult ti rembering so things from this part of the story. It had been more than three years since he wrote it, so it was understandable.
But what he knew was that the look of relief on these participants’ faces were very ill placed. The Fifth Trial definitely wasn’t over.
He moved his eyes past two participants who were chuckling about sothing, and he caught Varion and Sarah moving to a farther corner to be alone — like they usually were.
Everyone’s favorite siblings — at least in real life. They way they were always stuck together even when it was out of control gave them a united power that had caught the heart of Deremiah’s readers.
Mind fluttering away to tis past, Deremiah suddenly paused. His eyes moved down and he noticed a curious rock formation beneath his foot.
He moved backwards, studying it for a second. Instantly, his eyes widened. His heart began to pound, and a terrible certainty settled into his bones. Because this beautiful grassland they were standing on was no grassland at all. But the back of a Goliath Mammoth!
☆ ☆ ☆
A deep, slow vibration rolled through the ground beneath them. Now that he knew, it was like he could now feel it, sleeping. Snoring.
Deremiah exhaled sharply.
He turned away from the field and strode toward Elora. She was talking to the blue haired girl in a way that showed familiarity.
This wasn’t surprising to Deremiah because he knew the blue haired girl was: Cestrel of House Stark.
A wealthy noble from a family in Imperial. A family of influence. It made sense that Elora, being from the Dawn Clan, would know her — or at least be aware of her.
Deremiah acted as if this was news to him.
"We need to get out of the land," he said, coming up beside Elora. His voice was urgent but low. "Now."
Elora glanced at him, frowning. "What?"
"The land. We have to leave it. We have to return to the water."
Elora’s frown deepened. "We have just spent all that ti trying to get out of the water, and now you want us to return?"
Deremiah clenched his jaw. He couldn’t just tell her what he knew. Couldn’t reveal that he had written this story, that he was the reason they were standing here. But he also couldn’t allow her to die.
He gritted his teeth. "This isn’t land," he said. "I don’t think the Trial is over, either. Trust . The water is safer."
Elora glanced at Cestrel and then stared at Deremiah for a long mont.
In that ti, her gaze searched his face, as if seeing him for the first ti. Truly, where was all of this coming from? How did he beco so competent?
The brutal efficiency he had shown in the river. The certainty in his voice. The way he had murdered those two boys without hesitation, ending lives to protect his own.
Had he always been this way? Had he simply been hiding this part of himself?
Frankly, this was an experience for Elora of Dawn. She had never t anyone like Deremiah Morcant her entire life. No one had made her so curious, so intrigued and yet so uncomfortable.
It was like watching a snake shed its skin before her.
And yet—
Ever since he told her the truth about him on the boat, he’d been right. There was no reason why he wouldn’t be right now.
Elora’s lips parted slightly, her fingers curling as she considered his words.
Then, at last, she nodded. "If this is the case then we must tell the others."
Deremiah’s stomach twisted.
"What—? Elora, wait!"
She had already stepped past him, walking toward the scattered survivors.
"Everyone! Listen up! We must return to the water imdiately!" Her voice rang across the bright field. "Return to the water!"
Deremiah groaned in frustration, running a hand down his face. ’Ugh, she is so annoying. Ugh. This is exactly the problem with morally righteous characters.’
He stord after her. "Forget them! Let’s just go!"
Elora didn’t even slow. "Then go without ," she said. "But I can not hold back what I know if it could save others"
Deremiah pressed a hand to his forehead. ’In the na of fuck.’
Cestrel walked slowly and stood beside him, watching with an anxious expression as Elora called out to the others. Then, as if deciding she’d help rather than watch others die, she joined in.
"Everyone! To the water! It’s not safe here! Get back in your boats!"
Deremiah groaned. "Oh, for the love of — both of you?"
The other participants turned, looking at them in confusion.
"Huh? What the hell is she talking about?"
"Didn’t the river just try to kill us?"
"Eh, don’t mind her. She’s trying to trick us so it’ll be easier for her to win. We’re not falling for it, you noble bitch!"
"You moron! That’s our beautiful da of righteousness. You can’t speak to her that way."
Deremiah’s patience snapped. "You see? They don’t want your help. They don’t even deserve it. Let’s go."
Elora refused to stop. "Please, you must listen to ! This land is not safe!"
anwhile, so distance away, Varion Casparian cleaned his arrow, then slid it back into his quiver once he was done. His younger sister, Sarah, was also tending to her bow beside him.
"So... what do you think?" he asked her with a nonchalant tone.
Sarah looked over at where the Dawn descendant was yelling, her expression simple. "Elora of Dawn isn’t one to be deceitful," she said at last. "And I don’t think she needs to be, given the strength she has. I think this is real."
Varion sighed. "Alright, then. Back in the river we go."
—
Elora’s heart leapt when she saw the two of them quietly returning to the water, not caring to look or speak to anyone.
"Yes! Yes!" she called. "Please! Everyone, there’s no ti to waste! This land is—"
GRRKK!! RUMBLE.
The earth instantly began to shake. Everyone stood frozen, eyes widened. It started as a deep, almost imperceptible tremor.
Then it grew.
Louder. Heavier.
Beneath the soles of all their boots, the ground beneath them shuddered.
And then it stopped.
Deremiah swore under his breath. "Why didn’t I just kill you when I had the chance?" he muttered in frustration.
Everyone glanced at each other, silent panic already spread across the field as they all painfully realized that Elora had been right. There was certainly sothing wrong with this land.
Hearts pounded. Eyes darted around. Everyone was afraid.
Unable to handle the tension anymore, soone scread, "GET BACK ON THE WATER!!!"
Cries of terror filled the air. Feet stomped on the land as they hurried back to the water after the shore.
"Co on, let’s go!" Deremiah gestured to the two girls to follow him.
But then—
KRAAAA BOOM!
The land exploded.
A circular fissure split the earth, sending soil and grass into the air. The earth began to rumble now with more intensity. Deremiah fell to all fours imdiately then pulled Elora and Cestrel down to their fours as well.
Others who were standing straight fell and started to roll down the moving land, yelling for help.
Then, the entire field, the grassland rose.
A large endless chasm appeared below, causing so water from the river to cascade from the , spilling into the abyss below
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