Temples and Trauma (Sols S rank Exam)

Sol pushed thru the forests of Tolgalen at high speeds with his body in a state of semi shadow allowing him to dodge branches with no effort. He has been alerted by cirven of a few unknown areas on the island and this one he was being sent to was a temple dedicated to dragons which made the dragon king very curious. He had accepted without question though he could only wonder why it pushed everyone out, the only reason the slayer could think was that it only accepted those of dragonic blood and even then Sol got the feeling that there was far more then that to this. Sol knew that dragons were very protective of many things but three big things were their mates and children, there treasure, and the knowledge that they held. It was the main reason why so many temples held strong guards on them as the knowledge that the race had could do great harm if in the wrong hands.” I suppose I am one such example if I am honest” he muttered to himself knowing that his start was dark and bloody and he had used his dragon slaying magic for horrible and evil means, it was the reason he tried so hard to become better and repent for his sins.

The forest was oddly silent and the sun was still sitting in the middle of the sky indicating that it was midday, the fact that no sound except his was heard put the slayer on edge since normally animals only went silent if there was a dangerous and powerful predator nearby though he supposed he counted as one so it made him become a bit more at ease as he reached the edge of the forest he was rather surprised as what he found after he went thru the tree line. As he emerged he saw the temple and it was easy to tell that it was ancient since the forest was slowly reclaiming the land but it was easy to tell that it had been built and designed by both human and dragon hands. It could only make the dragon king wonder how this could have been hidden away for so long since it was massive and he had not even managed to get thru the gates yet. “ I can only imagine the knowledge that is hidden away inside this temple.” he muttered to himself as he approached. One he crossed the entrance way Sol was then struck by a wave of memorys as he dropped to a knee and remembered his father Ballom speaking of this place to him.

“Hatchling there is a Temple that resides on an island near Fiore, if you manage to get inside the knowledge held within will be of great help to you but you must steel yourself for the temple only allows the worthy to enter it” Ballom had said before he went on.”while we will give knowledge away young one that temple was designed to keep those with wicked hearts out and any that tried would be broken utterly” he finished as Sol has listened intently. As the dragon king was brought out of his memory he suddenly gained a look of intense caution and slight worry as he saw the entrance a bit away. Sol knew his past was not clean and it was soaked in blood, with what he had done the dragon had very good reason to be scared. He could only hope that his desire to change would be enough to keep him from being broken. As the dragon king approached he noticed that there was very little to no animal presence here despite how the forest was reclaiming the temple slowly.

“ hmm bizarre I feel the presence of two being here but I see nothing so far” he muttered to himself as he arrived at the steps of the temple, he then took one step forward and gently touched the first step with extreme caution.’hmm so far no booby traps but I cannot rest easy yet after all to drop my guard is to guarantee my death’ he thought as he moved up the steps. With every step Sol could not detect any kind of trap still so he felt a bit more at ease, when he reached the top the dragon was surprised to see two figures waiting for him, they looked rather young and if Sol had to venture a guess he would say they looked about their teenage years. The boy was dressed rather simply in a simple blue kimono and obi with dark hair put up but not as much as the girl beside him., the girl was dressed more elegantly for someone from Midi dressing in a elegant kimono with multiple layers and hair pins in her hair along with light makeup on her face. They both bowed to the dragon king before they spoke.”greetings Dragon King welcome to this temple” they greeted him in sync.”so you two are the ones I sensed, but if this place kicks out all but dragons that must mean that your both dragons or have some relation to them” he said as they looked at each other and smiled at him before the spoke again.”we cannot tell you completely” they said before the girl Umi spoke.”you are here for the knowledge inside of this temple are you not, if you seek it then you must pass the trials inside to reach what you seek. Are you ready to face the trials?” she asked as Sol looked to her then to the boy Uni and he took a deep breath before he nodded.”I am ready I will not turn and run I will face what I must to gain the knowledge I seek” he said as the two smiled slightly and nodded.”very well I am Umi and he is Uni we will guild you to each trial and see it you are worthy of this knowledge” Umi explained and motioned for him to enter the temple.

As Sol entered the first room he instantly saw dragonic ruins all over the room but they then glowed as he stepped inside and the twins then spoke as the room seemed to shift as Umi spoke.”now for the first test involves your faith and Uni will test you for this round I will do the next one.” she explained before Uni stepped up and his eyes glowed a bit as he looked at the dragon before him.”you have always questioned your attendent Aguya on things involving Yuiisai but would you still argue with him if you went thru his shoes. Let us find out” he said as the room went dark. Sol blinked for a moment as he saw that it was still dark outside as he felt his body moving as he got up and went to go wash himself for the day.’wait what the heck happened this is not my body what just happened’ he questioned in his head as he headed out of the room and went down the hall while going into a room where he then saw Yuiisai asleep on the bed, Sol body turned and checked to see that the incense in the room was out and he took out some more and lit them before he moved to draw her bath. Making sure that the water was an good temperature for her before he then added some oils into the water along with flower petals.

After getting it all set up Sols body moved again and grabbed the clothing that Yuiisai would be wearing for the day and then went out of the room before he moved to grab the food for Yuiisai for breakfast.’I never relized just how much effort Aguya put it every day for Yuiisais care and comfort’ Sol thought as his body finished preparing Yuiisais food and gently took it to her room as he then gently approached her and he would gently brush a few stray hairs from her forhead before putting a few kisses on her forhead as she gently stirred and woke up.” it is time to wake up my lady did you rest well?” he asked though he heard it in Aguyas voice not his own as Yuiisai rubbed her eyes and nodded lightly as she focused on waking up. Once she was awake she then head to the table where her breakfast was and would begin eating her food in silence. Sol could only run thru a mental list somehow.’ok she has now woken up, the incense is burning and she will be taking a bath soon. Then she has to get dressed and prepare for the three people wanting her attention, I pity them since she will turn them down after round 1 no doubt’ he thought as Yuiisai finished her breakfast and headed towards her bath. As she disrobed and got into the water Sol blushed mentally as he saw more of his servent then he had ever seen before’oh god Aguya will murder me if he knows what I am seeing at the moment’ he thought as he moved forward and started to help Yuiisai wash herself and he helped her wash her hair. When she was finished he helped her towel off and then started to help her dress while making sure not to wrinkle her clothing before he started to help her brush and get her hair prepared while putting in pins to keep it put in certain places. Once she was done he bow slightly.”Alright my Lady I will return later” he said in Aguyas voice before he left the room to go about his duties that he had in the house. The remainder of the day went as it should though as the night came to an end Sol moved thru his body towards the garden outside of the house, somehow he knew he needed this specific plant to make medicine for Yuiisai but he also knew what would happen if he got caught with it.

A memory of him being caught before flash thru his head and Sol instantly felt blinding pain as he remembered being struck all over his body and he had to grit his teeth to resist crying out in pain, it felt like his bone were being broken and his tendons ripping. Sol finally gave out and though he could not physically do it he screamed out in pain as he felt like he wanted to curl up and die.however after a bit Sol felt the pain slightly ebb away as his body made the medicine for Yuiisai and he moved to her room to give her the medicine before he helped her to bed and then went to his room to turn in for the night. As he closed his eyes Sol then opened them to see Uni and Umi before him again but he also noticed that he was in extreme pain where he had been struck as he went thru Aguyas memory.”now that you have gone thru his memory and seen why he does what he does can you say you know better then him” Umi asked as Sol brought up a shaky hand to his head and wiped the sweat from his brow that he didn’t even know was there as he gathered the courage to speak.” No I do not know better then him, he has done so much for her and knows so much more about Yuiisai then I do I have no right to argue with him” he said as the twins nodded before the moved to allow him to the next room.”you pass the first test you can put your pride away and admit that someone knows better then you and you trust them with something you care about please proceed to the next trial” Uni explained .

Sol moved with shaky legs as he moved past them and they followed behind him, as he moved his face was stoic but inside he was deeply shaken as he had never experience another persons memory and even then it was someone he cared about which made it even more intense.’god and this was just the first test how much more is there to do?’ he thought as he reached another room with dragonic runes in it and this time they glowed a bright blue as the twins again took spots ahead of him.”now this test is a two part test, Uni will give the first one and then I will give the last one, if you can pass this then there is only one more test to take and then the knowledge is yours.” Umi explained as Uni stepped forward again.”my Lord this test is rather simple can you push your own desires aside and make the right choice? Can you stomach the pain that will come” he asked as the room went dark and they vanished once more before the setting turned to Terra Ignis in the blink of Sols eyes. in front of him was Yuiisai and he relized this was when he had took her away from this place along with Aguya. They had just gotten thru the doors and the owner had greeted them and instantly Sol made to speak but he suddenly fell silent as his mind waged war.’what do I do!?, if I don’t take them away from this they both will die but they are happy here. They don’t know the hardships out side of the district. If I take them away they will live longer but everything that has happened will occur again and they won’t be happy. I…I..I don’t know what I should do but I need to make a choice’ he thought as he heard the owner ask him if there was anything else that was needed and Sol was still having a mental war in his head.

‘I can’t let her die but if I take her and Aguya away from here that’s selfish, but she wants to stay and is happy here.. I think I know my answer’ he thought as he ducked his head for a moment before as he restrained tears for a moment before he then gave the man a small smile.”no there is nothing more I was just happy to give her an escort back and perhaps Ill see her again I’ll pay any price of course” he said before the room suddenly darkened again and Uni appeared but he had a small sad smile on his face.”You passed that part my lord you were able to push your own desires aside for others even though the pain was deep in your heart. Now prepare yourself for my sisters part” he said before Umi appeared.”now to test how much regret and remorse you feel its time to journey back my lord” she said before touching him on the forehead and Sol instantly started seeing flashbacks.”No..No…Stop It” he called out as he saw his foster family taken from him with his foster mother hiding him in a small closet away from others as the large demon moved thru the room.”When you get the chance Sol escape and don’t look back at this place” she told him before she was violently ripped away from the closet and her screams echoed thru the room. The memory's flashed forward to him getting out after the demon had left and seeing his foster family lieing in pieces around him and as the memory hit him Sol dropped to the ground with tears streaming down his face. It flashed forward to him on the streets of Oak town and trying to survive thru any means even by stealing and pick pocketing. But then it moved to his first murder as a teenager. The teen had seen a rich kid walking by and in an act of desperation he had grabbed the kid from an alley and had snapped his neck before taking anything of value. “I’m sorry god I was desperate but that wasen't right” he muttered at the memory however then it went to the massacre of Akane Resort.

It was after Sol had found out his lover Ahmoria had been killed and the resort folk had done it. Sol watched helplessly as the memory play out of him poisoning innocent men and women while also ripping the jaws and limbs off of anyone he got close to, It kept going as Sol saw himself spearing everyone with his razor sharp claws and teeth and sparing no one not even children. However the memory went further and started to show Sol it from the victims perspective and he saw himself thru the eyes of women and children as he slaughtered them. At this point the dragon king was on the ground curled in the fetal position and his eyes were flowing with rivers of tears.”make it stop make it stop. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so sorry Please MAKE IT STOP PLEASE IN THE NAME OF EVERY DRAGON GOD PLEASE STOP IM SORRY!!!!!!!” he screamed out in agony and desperation. Sol could not take much more of his sins coming back to him and he just cried on the floor as wave after wave struck him. “please stop I am to blame all of this is my fault I take responsibility for all of these deaths I have no excuse but please make it stop I am sorry” he begged as he started to lose touch with reality. Just as he think he could take no more the memorys faded away and Umi and Uni were revealed in front of him. "You pass my lord the tears you shed for your misdeeds are pure and true you truly wish to become better and repent. Please move on to the last test. “ Umi said as Uni moved to help him up.

The moment Uni touched Sol the dragon king latched onto his arm and looked him right in the eyes. Sols eyes were wide and terrified and he was still crying.”my lord its over you passed this set just one more and you will get what you seek” the young man said trying to sooth the shattered dragons mind. Slowly Sol stood as he moved forward with shakey legs once again. As he entered the last room the Dragon was wary as the two stayed behind him before going back to the midway point. “now the last test can you face who you were before and triumph” Uni said as in front of Sol emerged a complete copy of him when he was in Basilisk fang with black sclera and his claws and wings out.”come on you false king I am the real Sol your nothing but a phase” it roared as it rushed Sol down as Sol quickly brought his hand forwards with an aura of poison around his fist . They connected with Such force that it knocked both of them back. “I am not like that anymore I refuse to be like you!” Sol snarled as his doppleganger who smirked.”you say that but don’t kid yourself Dragon you like killing, the rush you feel when you cut someone down with your claws the feeling of sinking your teeth into fleash to spread poison you’re a monster.” it mocked him and Sol just shook his head trying to remain focused as both of them took breaths in for a godslayer Bellow. They two attacks met and canceled each other out.”I don’t want to kill anymore espically just because I can I am not like that I AM NOT LIKE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!” he screamed at the end as he then lost sight of his copy and found he was right behind him with his claws around his neck.

“don’t play boy scout with me you can lie to yourself all you want, put as much difference between yourself and the truth as you want… King… Vice President… Friend… but you know deep down what you really are.” it said as it grabbed Sols neck tightly.Sol struggled as it kept speaking.”you are a Monster a monster that craves death and destruction since it is all you know and all you can do” it finished before Sol could only struggle before he relized something important. His anger and power was doing nothing, he could not break his copys grip and his spells were canceled out by the copys own and it seemed that the mirror Sol was able to think just like he did.then to the slight surprise of the copy Sol stopped struggling.”I know… I am a monster but I don’t have to stay that way and I refuse to be the monster that Basilisk Fang made me. Ill be the monster that can protect what he holds dear. I can’t destory you since I am you and you are me. I may have such dark emotion hidden inside me but I won’t let you control my actions anymore” he said before he suddenly managed to break the copy's hold and he grabbed the mirror Sols head before touching it to his own.” I accept you and the fact that you have helped me survive this far but I cannot let you control my life so fade away now but know that I know your always there” he said as the copy got angry before it started to break away.” your so foolish but never forget that I am always one step behind you and if you weaken at all I’ll take advantage but untill that time savour this victory” it said as it crumbled away.

As the clone finished breaking apart Sol dropped to a knee as the toll of all the tests struck him . He had lost the stoic look he had when he started and it was clear to see that he was shaken and traumatized greatly.” how did I manage that? I have almost no strength left” he said as he looked at his hands for a moment before he suddenly had flashes of the blood he had spilled on them and he shut his eyes as he tried to make the images go away.”I was a fool to think I could just erase what I have done. I can never get rid of all the death I caused I have to bare that burdan on my shoulders forever.but I wont give up Ill push towards a better future and try to be better then I was before” he said softly as he managed to stand up. He then saw Umi and Uni in front of him with smiles on their faces. "Well done my lord you pass every test the knowledge inside is yours to learn. However you cannot tell anyone else about this knowledge your are sworn to silence” Umi said as Sol nodded and walked with them thru the last doorway and what was revealed was a huge room with multiple panels containing unedited history from the beginning of the age of dragons along with information on certain magics. Sol quickly pulled out a picture lacrima and started to take pictures of the panels so he could translate them later.it amazed him just how much information was here and Sol knew it would be helpful to him but he did feel a bit bad that he would have to tell Cirven that he could not tell him what he had found due to pain of death. Once he had managed to get a good chunk of pictures Sol knew he was not even half done before he glanced at both of the twins.”may I return at a later date to study these more I swear on the dragon gods I will not disclose this information to anyone.” he asked as the twins looked at each other and nodded. “very well and since you passed the tests you will not have to redo them” they said as Sol nodded as he headed for the door to return home. He needed to give his excuse to Cirven and then he needed to go home and think about what he had seen and his plans for the future. He also needed to calm down since he was still seeing flashes of his memories for time to time.

4090/3000 words

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