Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

9 - Trials of the Persona

??? - POV;

"Heh heh heh heh," a sinister laugh echoed through the nothingness.

"It's only a matter of time before I escape this hell hole. My time is coming!"

* * * *

Xyder Zephyr - POV;

"Are you sure you are ready for this?" Storm asked me as we stood at the entrance to the cave where the Personas' Chamber lay.

"Yeah," I flashed him a 'thumbs up' sign, "Besides, even if I wasn't, I can't turn back now. This is my final frontier. If I fail here, I may as well concede to having lost the tournament as well."

"Don't worry bud, you have this in the bag!" Storm encouraged as I disappeared into the darkness.

Everything seemed normal as I walked in. The entire structure was precisely as one could expect of a typical cave in the forested areas atop low rising hills with its mossy walls and eerie atmosphere created by the ominous sounds of water dripping from a leaking roof to the cold, hard earth beneath my cautious feet.

Moments later I would come upon a large door with encrusted gold decorating the magnificent structure. It exuded an otherworldly splendour yet unseen by my stunned eyes. I stood in awe as I stared intensely at that which stood towering before me.

"Please place your hand on the pedestal for identification and comfirmation of permission," a robotic, female voice calmly stated as a podium-like object rose from the ground. A handprint shape was engraved onto the technological masterpiece.

After following the instructions and waiting, the voice spoke once more, "Hand and fingerprints scanned. Searching for match. Match found. Xyder Zephyr of the Zephyr Clan confirmed. Searching permissions. Permission granted. Thank you for bearing with us. You may now enter."

The large gates swung open revealing what could only be described as a portal. It was certainly a sight to behold in and of itself with its funnel shape and concentric circles of varying colours each seeming to represent an Element of its own. One curious detail which caught my eye was the fact that there were twelve rings although there existed only eight elements however I paid little heed to this as I was far more concerned and excited about what was lying in wait behind.

As I entered the portal, an immense feeling of euphoria and dizziness engulfed my entire being and I felt as if I had been taken right off of my feet.

When my feet touched down once more, I found myself in an expanse of darkness. I wandered aimlessly, unsure of where or how I should proceed. I would have continued like this had I not caught a glimpse of a faint, subtle light in the distance.

I moved in its direction slowly and carefully but after around five minutes I realised that not only had I not gotten closer but it was moving further and further away from me. A sudden bone-chilling howl erupted behind me. I could identify the distinct sound instantly. Never had I ever seen the creature before but I knew that this was a hell hound.

It seemed that the light, whatever it was, knew this as well since it took off running. I burst out in a mad sprint towards it with the terrifying noise of the hell hounds' feet as they closed in on me following closely behind.

The deafening barks became more and more audible but my physical training had allowed me to almost keep up with the near perfect predators speed and endurance.