The Grand Weave

I stood next to Igas and Eodyne as we waited for Elder Aimon to take the stage. After the last two days of enjoying the festival, it was time for the main event. Every single adventurer here had been waiting for this moment. More than a few fights had broken out due to a party taunting another.

Thankfully, despite the crowded mess, Arturous towered over everyone, growling at anyone who got too close. Even hardened adventurers weren't willing to fuck with the bear.

Finally, right as the system clock struck six, a loud series of bells rang through the village. The sound silenced the crowd, and everyone stared at the stone platform next to the temple.

Slowly, Elder Aimon walked up the stairs and stopped at the platform's edge, looking down at the crowd with an expressionless face. However, his presence wasn't what drew most people's eyes. Slithering behind and around him was a giant serpent. Its blue scales gleamed as they flexed. Elder Aimon did not flinch as the snake wrapped its enormous body around his and continued staring, holding on to his walking stick.

Suddenly, he slammed the stick into the ground, causing a wave of sound to smash into the crowd. The serpent's body exploded with a wave of water that streamed down the platform. Suddenly, the water started to reverse and flow up the snake's body until it collected into a giant bubble above its head.

Elder Aimon slammed his staff again, and the ball of water about the size of a small house began to rise into the air. It floated above the temple and expanded. The bubble flattened in a plane of water that started to glow brighter. Once the water shone with brilliant blue light, Elder Aimon slammed his staff down for the third time, creating another shockwave.

"For three days, we have celebrated our Goddess Ysana and her companion, Zolnja, sacrifice for our village. The Great Lady Protector herself waged war with the dark god Melzauthuum. And it is because of her and her soulbond that we are able to thrive peacefully." Elder Aimon's words boomed through the area, as loud as a shout, as clear as air.

Nobody dared speak as the great serpent let out a hiss to back up Aimon's words. I looked around, and all I saw was excitement, joy, and not an ounce of fear. When even Teddy and the others were smiling, I relaxed my shoulders and joined them.

"Now the time for celebrations is over. For before her fall, Ysana used the power of the slain god to create two things to aid us in the future. One was the dungeon, a perpetually growing resource to train our people. And the second, was something more.

She created a rift, one that would resemble the challenges of the past. Every twenty years, the rift opens on the third night of the third day. When it does, those who wish to enter and experience the hardship of those who suffered during the battle will be able to do so. What you see floating above us now, will be a portal to that challenge.

Those who think themselves brave, hardy, and strong enough to shoulder the weight of such a fight will find themselves tested inside the rift. And if you can last till the end, to emerge victorious from the challenge, you will be blessed with great rewards.

What do you say, challengers? Do you have what it takes? Will you take on Ysana's challenge?"

There was silence for all but a moment. Then, like a bomb had gone off, the crowd of over fifty adventurers roared like thunder and issued their battle cries. It was hard not to get caught up in the frenzy of it all. The way Elder Aimon spoke had lit a spark inside everyone, and when he asked us of our readiness, that spark had blazed into a roaring flame.

Some of the adventurers looked like they were frothing at the thought of entering the rift. It was strange, but I supposed I didn't have much context needed to feel the same way. After all, my first rift was within a month of arriving in Inoria.

Another loud thump, followed by a deep, reverberating hiss silenced the crowd once more. "Then let us not delay any longer. Everyone, keep your eyes on the portal. Once it forms, you may all enter. I ask that you keep it orderly, but I can see your enthusiasm is blazing bright inside your chests. The only rule is not to harm another before you enter the rift. If you do so, Ziliassa here will disqualify you from entry."

"Do not disrespect the sacrifice of my ancestor. If you fail to follow the rules, I will feast on your bones!" came a deep mental voice that appeared in my head.

The unexpected telepathy left many around us disturbed, to say the least. A few looked angry at the mental intrusion, but another loud hiss from the serpent crushed any thoughts of outrage or protest.

So the crowd waited silently, watching as the plane of glowing water began to spin. As it turned, little motes of light began to appear as if drawn in by the whirlpool. Slowly, the light brightened till the water was like a beacon in the sky.

And during the setting sun's final rays, a beam of light hit the portal. The glowing plane of water exploded all at once. The water bubbled and frothed until all that was left was luminous, shimmering energy. The portal began to drift downward, losing height. Once the base of the portal touched the wet earth, a pulse of mana bigger than I've ever seen flared, and I felt it enter the ground.

That must be the dungeon interacting with the rift. Maybe the dungeon core has finally woken up.

"The rift is open! And so the final part of the festival has begun! Everyone you may en-" Aimon's words were cut off when an earthquake grew beneath our feet.

People screamed and called out, and I felt Igas' hand grab the back of my shirt as he steadied me. I sent over a thank with my eyes, and he nodded before reaching out to Eodyne to steady her. Together, we hunkered down as the earthquake grew stronger. If it continued to grow, the whole island was going to sink into the lake!

Then, all at once, the earthquake stopped. I blinked my eyes a few times as I frantically looked around. Everyone else was just as confused as I was, so I stood up. That's when I saw it. I wasn't even given time to process what I saw before someone shouted and pointed to the portal.

Once more people finally noticed the change to the rift portal, the crowd began to get louder. More shouts, a few screams, and angry yelling began to sound out. Ziliassa tried to hiss, but people ignored him as panic settled in. I didn't blame them. What was once a shimmery blue portal was now a plane of turbulent pink energy.

The rift portal had switched to one that meant maximum danger. And that meant your chances of dying were increased severalfold.

"People, please! Remain calm. I will try to commune with the gods. Just give me a moment!" Aimon called out.

When people continued arguing, yelling, and discussing, he slammed his staff into the stone floor and created another silencing shockwave. Like a chastised child, the crowd stared at him with wide eyes.

Elder Aimon ignored their looks and pushed his hands together in prayer. Ziliassa tightened the coils around him as he stared into the rift filled with glowing pink light.

When Aimon opened his eyes, he held out his arms and opened his mouth, but another unforeseen event stopped him from speaking. A whirlwind of emerald feathers dropped from the sky before condensing into a singular being. The person who emerged from the feathers looked like a winged elf with bird talons for feet and two massive wings more expansive than the temple.

Her eyes were dazzling shades of emerald and grass whose very look brought the sense of a wild storm waiting to happen. The longer I stared, the more I felt it.

She was a hidden storm, barely containing its rage. And the power behind it would flood cities under a deluge of wind and rain.

The presence that blanketed everyone felt similar for a moment, but an uncontrolled flux of mana diffused through my veins, and I felt the pressure disappear. I didn't have time to question what was happening because the being I suspected was a goddess's avatar, flapped her wings, sending forth a tornado of emerald feathers.

"There has been a change to Ysana's rift. The rift has evolved, and so too, has its scenario changed. Proceed with your own caution, mortals. You have been warned." The feathered goddess shouted.

And as quick as she came, she was gone. There was no dramatic exit but a simple vanishing of her avatar as if she never existed. Everyone, myself included, was too stunned to speak. Aimon and Ziliassa looked ready to run away, their bodies shaking.

It was a strange reaction. I was shocked at the goddess' appearance but not scared of it. Cal visited me all the time. However, one glance in Eodyne's direction revealed just how strange it was to see the goddess.

Aimon quickly regained his composure and assessed the adventurers before him. He looked to Ziliassa, and the two seemed to engage in a silent conversation that only they could hear. It was only ten seconds, but those ten seconds felt like an hour with the anxious energy in the air.

When they turned around, Aimon set his mouth in a deep frown. He kept glancing between the crowd and the rift portal. When he eventually spoke, you could hear a tightness in his voice. "It seems a great change has occurred. I do not know the reason for this change, but the choice remains the same. You heard the goddess. You have been warned, and if you choose to enter the rift, you will accept that you may not return. For those brave enough to take up Ysana's challenge, form a line. And for the others who have decided to back out, do not feel shame. Your life is a precious thing, and the challenge before you is immense. Only the foolish and the brave should precede onward."

I turned to face Teddy and saw that both he and Celanae were already looking at me. Their glances were not angry, but I could see worry lines begin to crease on their faces.

I shook my head and pointed to the rift. "I don't care. I'm still going."

"Cyrus... you don't have to. You have just begun. There is plenty of time for you to seek safer opportunities. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" Celanae asked carefully.

The others looked between the two of us questioningly. Eodyne narrowed her eyes, and she frowned. "You two know something. Teddy as well."

It wasn't a question, merely a statement. There was no anger in her voice, just a cold calm that cut through the tension and dived straight to the heart of the matter.

Igas looked less concerned but serious. He split his attention between us and the forming line of people entering the rift. It was easy to see that a good number of people have decided to back out of the challenge. Even if it meant the rest of their party was still going in. Many arguments and harsh whispering could be heard over the crowd's movement.

Isaac, for his part, had his mask on, but his fingers twitched around his waist, where he kept his daggers sheathed. He looked over and glared at me, but before I could call him out, he looked away and surveyed the crowd. Already, shadows were beginning to pool underneath his feet.

Teddy noticed all this and more, and he stepped forward while keeping his hand on Arturous' neck. "That's something that can be explained later. Right now, we need to decide if we are entering the rift or not?"

It wasn't a hard question for everyone. Even the bear turned and glared his way. He held up his hands in a placating gesture and nodded his head. "Alright then, let's do this. We'll try to enter at the same time. Cyrus, I know I said we would separate once we entered the rift, but that is no longer certain. It's better not to risk needless danger if we don't have to. Everybody hop on Arturous."

We followed his orders and resumed the sitting order we had followed during the festival's first day. People were forced to move out of the way as Arturous unapologetically shoulders past anyone who stood in his way. A stream of curses and a few shouts were tossed our way, but they seemed half-hearted at best. It seemed that the rift had taken the wind out of a lot of people's sails.

When we were the next to enter, Elder Aimon flared his mana, and I turned to face him. He scowled at me but remained silent. On the other hand, his serpent companion raised to his full height and towered over the temple.

"If you survive my ancestor's challenge, we will talk, marked one. Do not fail," Ziliassa hissed inside my head.

I felt the connection begin to fade, so I grabbed hold with my will and forced one last sentence to send through before he cut the telepathy.

"I will not fail a challenge from the Weave, child of Zolnja."