A True Rhombic Comes in Time

11

I found myself in complete darkness. I had my eyes opened, yet it was no different from if I kept them closed. I couldn't even see my own hand when I raised it toward my face.

The absolute silence and blindness were both comforting and petrifying. I wondered if I had died, but that didn't make sense since all I did so far was enter the test chamber.

Sure, I probably will end up dying very soon DURING the Test, but it hasn't even begun yet. I felt certain I was still very much alive.

I was finally in this chamber.

This was the place I never dare to enter, yet it was also the very room I dreamt of passing through. Whatever happened here, it was going to change my life forever.

It will be either the end or a new beginning for me.

Suddenly, the room turned bright white. It was the exact opposite shade of the pitch black that surrounded me just a moment ago.

And yes, for those who want to shake their heads at me and tell me that black and white AREN'T colors... You should just zip it right now. I went to elementary school just like all of you did, so I DO know that black is the ABSENCE of light while white contains all wavelengths of visible light.

But people, you should give me some slack because I may be just minutes away from dying. I could almost see the grim reaper grinning at me over there and giving me a thumbs-up.

Damn those kids... I 100% regretted helping them. If I could go back in time, I would totally abandon them to die without blinking an eye. I don't know why I suddenly grew conscious at that very moment, but it was too late now.

I squeezed the handle of my sword and cursed those young irresponsible children who forced me in this position. If they couldn't handle being inside the Door, they shouldn't have entered it in the first place. Sure, they ended up facing a very unusual and unexpected situation, but still...

And again, yes! For those who want to shake their heads and tell me I had been doing this exact same thing... Entering the Door everyday for months when I knew I wasn't strong enough...

You just zip it again. I don't want to hear it.

Anyway, let's get back to the room where I am about to take the test of my death.

The room slowly transformed into what looked like a spot in the first floor forest. The trees, the bushes, and everything else looked very similar. But unlike on the real first floor, which provided an almost unlimited space, I was allotted only a small area to move around here. From a first glance, it looked like the forest was stretched for miles, but I could feel an invisible barrier all around me. I suspected that it was going to take less than 50 steps for me to reach the barrier in every direction, which meant that I was essentially trapped.

My main go-to strategy, which was running away like a squirrel crossing a busy street, wasn't going to be an option here.

It was then that suddenly, I heard a ferocious scream.

"Gwarrrrk!"

With a thundering thud, a monstrous goblin dropped from the sky right in front of me. It was the size of a truck if it stood on its back wheels, and it shook the ground menacingly.

When the dust settled, it revealed the biggest green beast I have ever seen. Its color was dark, I would say closer to being blue, and its canines stuck out almost as if he was growing horns from his mouth.

Yup, I was definitely going to die. As a matter of fact, I might have had a better chance of survival if I fought the horde that drove me here.

I stared at the green thing quietly. I was surprised at how calm I felt despite the dire situation. Actually when I think back now, this has always been the case whenever I was cornered before. Somehow and for some unknown reason, my brain worked quickly and my body moved on autopilot in these situations. I felt like my bodily instincts were actually quite good. The problem was that due to the lack of strength, speed, and other motor skills, my body couldn't seem to do what it knew it should.