Solar Blood Masters

Almeez Krishna's branches swayed gently as she explained the rules. "I shall pose three riddles, Raphael. Answer even one correctly, and you win. Simple, isn't it? I've made this game very easy for you."

"Three riddles? Just one correct answer and I win? Hmmm, not bad." Raphael thought there had to be a catch, but he was a bull, after all, weren't challenges and impossible odds his specialty? He would win!

"However," the tree continued with a hint of mischief in its voice, "For every riddle you answer incorrectly… I shall take something precious from you."

Raphael paused. He now understood those earlier pronouncements. This wasn't simply a game of wits, but a gamble.

"And what if I refuse to play? You can't possibly force me, can you?"

Almeez Krishna giggled, "You're a Calamity sure, almost a Nightmare-Class too. But even your might, cannot break my will. Besides, weren't you the one seeking my fruit?"

Raphael's golden hooves shuffled nervously. He really didn't appreciate being reminded of his current lower cultivation status.

He glanced at the glowing gourds, and his earlier determination to obtain that treasure by any means resurfaced. "A gamble, huh?"

"Alright, tree! I'll play your game. But don't complain later when my answers are so insightful that your ancient roots tremble with awe!" He laughed. This would be child's play. After all, weren't human minds are treasure trove of puzzles! He couldn't lose!

"Such arrogance…"

One of Almeez Krishna's golden vines extended downwards. Its tip glowed.

"Touch it to solidify our bargain. It's how we trees do contracts."

Raphael hesitated for only a second, "Fine by me." He then tapped the vine and felt a strange warmth spread through his being. An unseen bond now connected him to the tree, those rules solidified in their shared essences. It was truly a magic beyond his understanding, but for now, he didn't really care how it worked, only those sweet, juicy-looking gourds hanging before him.

The air around them crackled as anticipation hung heavy, broken only by the chirping of nocturnal insects.

"Now for the first riddle, bull…" Almeez Krishna commenced the game.

…

Riddle 1:

I have roots nobody sees, that stretch so high no one believes, yet, I consume all there is even that which does not exist. Those who taste my essence gain strength and for those fools that I reject are forever stuck in their previous forms.

What am I?

…

Raphael's mighty brow furrowed. This riddle… it was more than just a simple word puzzle. It had those undertones, hinting at a deeper, more profound truth about this world, or maybe not, it might just be that, a simple riddle, after all.

"Hmm… Is she talking about a specific tree species? Or…" His thoughts drifted back to those libraries in the Bloodthorne Empire and the countless hours he'd spent reading, hiding amongst those dusty shelves to avoid Tajmani's incessant demands:

"Fetch my comb doggy! Bring me water! Faster Slave!"

He shook his head in disgust and his eyes widened with renewed focus. This ancient knowledge was his to control, to use freely to win his game of chance. His answer wasn't a mere guess; this was what the great human scholars had written in those ancient texts he'd poured over!

"Is it… 'The Great Nether Root'?"

"Hmm… is that your true answer?" The tree's voice had a subtle disappointed echo that annoyed him.

"Yes it is! I know I'm correct! Or I'm close."

"Very well, what I want is not theories but truth from the very essence of your heart, and since it is not, I will have something as a reward for our mutual bargain."

With a golden flicker from Almeez Krishna's veins, his magnificent horns vanished from his very skull! This left him speechless, truly such magnificent power.

"I can't believe I got that wrong. I mustn't fail the others." Raphael prepared himself for the next question.

…

Riddle 2:

We rise with dawn, but truly we have always been there. We shine like a thousand golden hearts! For those that slumber we nourish with the caress of the heavens. But those who dare challenge the firmament, are met with equal parts judgement and annihilation. What are WE?

…

"We…? Hmm. Surely she's not talking about… insects, not after I slaughtered so many! Wait…"

Raphael wracked his brain and even tried calling on Zhu Jian to aid him. However, an ethereal shield manifested between his thoughts and the Sagewood Script. It had a single, menacing word engraved within.

"No!"

It was Almeez Krishna. She was truly a powerful entity. There was no cheating in this test.

"Tsk, dammit!" His hooves shifted nervously as his gaze darted upwards at the now imposing branches and leaves and the dangling Buddhist Pill Gourds which seemed to be mocking his intelligence! He hated feeling so… so pathetic, and inferior to a tree! This couldn't stand! He had to win this!

'Hmmm, those with thousand golden hearts? But what could be their weaknesses? Ah, I have it, maybe?' He'd remembered a certain chapter he'd read about ancient battles against the Sun Children who could amplify those who respected their essence but was weakened by creatures like himself.

"It's 'A Thousand Suns Children Legion'?"

A deep sigh resounded that came not from his throat, for he had none at the moment. It was from those leaves that pulsated before another dreadful punishment came as a swift, potent reminder of his inadequacies.

"Wrong again! Five million years of your Solar Essence, let's start with that as my reward for being a most honest adjudicator of this magnificent competition!"

And without any plea for mercy nor chance to bargain, Raphael's golden hide dulled as his massive form shrunk considerably and those muscles began turning into bones!

The sheer power emanating from the ancient Almeez made even his current form feel smaller than that pathetic Vampsquitoe leader. His hooves were now as sharp as his horns. And within, he felt weaker than when he still existed as that 'Washer Boy' serving his mistress, he was truly, truly drained, with all essences oozing like his memories were of Tajmani's pampered, entitled, and yet utterly sad existence!

…

Riddle 3:

I am born from the hearts of fallen stars. Once forged, I cannot be broken. I hold the echoes of a thousand voices and embody the dreams of fallen gods. I twist. Turn. Bend. Break. All that which opposes fade like whispers in a thunderous hurricane. What AM I?

…

Raphael was almost nothing now, like a skeleton wrapped in thin skin. His once-terrifying muscles he so enjoyed crushing with now resembled brittle twigs and dry grass. He felt faint and cold. This was it. His death truly had become his reality in that moment, before he remembered something.

"Wait… Is she talking about… the Primordial Solar Essence…" He racked his brain and his voice now came out like that of a newborn hatchling struggling against its eggshell. His tongue had almost vanished along with his tail! He felt utterly ashamed, like his former 'Slave' existence.

"Is it the… Chronos Solar Flare?" He almost coughed his very essence.

His answer was again greeted with amusement and ridicule.

'Wrong, AGAIN!'

'THIS… BITCH!' And just like that, those words from his lips vanished along with that empty beating within his barren chest as his heart floated before him into the outstretched, golden branch of Almeez Krishna that he could still make out in his fading consciousness. It glowed gently.

Then the game ended.

"Well, bull, it seems you've failed my game spectacularly." The tree's voice was smug. She was ready to deliver final judgement.

Raphael's death was sealed, for who had survived this long with no heart, no essence and most importantly no hope but his determination.

"Not over yet! Not… done… living! I… PLEASE! One… one last chance. Just ONE." He croaked those pleas.

"Those…riddles… they were impossible!"

His desperation amused Almeez Krishna. "Impossible? Did you not hear my words bull. I made the game easy!"

"Look… Let me… answer one more riddle. If I get it wrong… I'll… I'll…" His words trailed off as he looked up. She had him dangling on her branch.

"Very well, I shall grant you one final riddle, but be warned, should you fail…"

Almeez Krishna's voice possessed a finality that settled upon his very core, shaking even his remaining essence with terror.

He then looked upward and said, "Thank you."

She paused for few moments before she posed a final riddle:

"What… makes… a… Solar… Blood Master… blessed… by… Heaven…?"

Raphael felt a shiver.

The question was both simple and profound.

He racked his mind, desperately trying to find a solution, but there were simply too many variables. Each possibility seemed to lead to a dead end.

'Is there even a RIGHT or WRONG answer?'

He wanted to consult Zhu Jian, but a terrifying sensation of thorns pricking his soul cut that desire off.

And the tree waited and waited until her patience became a dwindling flame.

She began to count down: "Five... four... three... two..."

Raphael closed his eyes. He felt his essence leaking from every inch of his soul.

"One…"

He had to do it. This was his last.

"I DON'T KNOW!"

The moment those words came out and those vibrations reached even his own beating essence, a silence fell across those lands that extended beyond Yama Yaguai's border, even the wind held its breath in the spaces between the falling stars.

This declaration was as much a truth as it was an acceptance, for in reality, weren't they all playing a game with destiny's strings and gambling with that unknown force?

For a full minute, no answers, no judgment, no sounds of condemnation or laughter emanated, only deafening silence prevailed. This was heaven.

And then she responded!

"Hmm…" She was thinking again then in that soft gentle tone once more she said.

"…That… answer is… correct…"

"Huh…" Her response struck him with such potent power, for a moment, all sounds were muddled as his mind, his senses, were confused about this reality, this change he'd created without any intention. He didn't know what to say besides:

"Wait! But… HOW did I answer correctly? I had NO idea!"

Almeez Krishna's leaves rustled. "That, Raphael, is the very essence of my game. It is a test of truth, not knowledge. My riddles were designed to reveal the honesty within your heart."

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle upon him.

"What does that mean?"

Just then, Zhu Jian materialized. It unfurled and added, "Master, she sought the truth that resided in your being. Not conjectures or assumptions drawn from external sources, but rather those echoes of genuine uncertainty. The 'I don't know' you spoke resonated with truth, because in that moment, you truly DID NOT know."

Raphael's brow furrowed. "So, I was supposed to answer 'I don't know' to all the riddles?"

"Not necessarily, Master," Zhu Jian explained patiently. "Consider this: If she were to ask, 'Do your horns burn with the fires of a thousand suns?' Would you hesitate in declaring, 'YES'? That too would be a truth echoing from your very being, from your experience of wielding such power. This is how you won, not through intellect alone but by embracing the honesty within."

Understanding dawned on Raphael. "I see... so if I'd answered honestly, without guessing, I would have won earlier! Damn it!" He cursed, shaking his massive head. He'd been so focused on proving his intellect that he'd forgotten the simplicity of truth.

"Indeed," Almeez Krishna confirmed. "Now, take the fruit and begone. I've wasted enough time with this frivolous game.

One of her golden vines that now seem to dance from an unseen joy, extended towards him. Upon it were not only his prize but also his stolen treasures. He couldn't contain his laughter.

Raphael's form was fully restored. His horns adored his head again, his 5 million years of stolen essence had returned, and his heart was beating back inside his chest.

He bowed his head to thank that tree whose magnificence surpassed anything his former world had offered in splendor.

He then asked a question befitting his current stature:

"I am in your debt. But now tell me, great Krishna, how do I properly use this treasure I've been granted?"

Almeez Krishna didn't bother explaining and simply flicked the gourd towards his jaws before unleashing another blinding burst of golden-white that lifted him into the starry sky as if by command.

"You'll have to discover its secrets on your own. For the truth is always there!"

And with a final rush of golden light, Raphael was ejected from the grove. Almeez Krishna watched him go.

"Such a strange, yet fascinating creature, this bull." She giggled softly. "May his path be filled with truth, even if it leads to destruction. For such is the way of Yama Yaguai."