The Life I Gained From Dying

Chapter 33 - Ripple

"Three days." Kaden stated.

"I'm sorry?" Elder Aira replied confusingly.

"I wanna attempt the gate again in three days."

"Where is this coming from? There's no need to rush."

"Doesn't matter if there is or isn't." Kaden exclaimed. "I'm ready to try it again."

"..."

The day after being confronted by N in his dream, Kaden approached Elder Aira at the bottom of the staircase which led to the Elder's Courtyard. He had resolved himself to return to the gate of pride and retake the trial. Kaden never admitted it to anyone, but underneath his normal day to day appearance, he was scared to attempt the trial again. Even now he fears to encounter his father once again, and to be bombarded by the words he received during his first attempt.

"If this is what you have decided, then alright." Elder Aira said as she began to ascend the stairs. "However, I should tell you now Kaden. Mai will not be apart of your escort party."

"But-"

"That decision is final Kaden."

.....

After his conversation with Elder Aira, Kaden found himself wandering the outskirts of Aestus. He stood on the shoreline of the underground sea and gazed towards the artificial sun in the distance.

"Everything was always easier when I was alone." Kaden thought.

He kicked off his own shoes and folded his pants halfway up his leg, before stepping into the water which was lightly rolling onto the shore.

"Everybody seems to have their own way of bringing it out, for example those twins. So if that's the case, maybe I need to try this on my own for a bit."

Kaden closed his eyes and began his meditation while standing ankle deep in the water.

"C'mon slow down, calm down. Slow down, calm down... slow... calm... slow..."

His breathing slowed down tremendously matching the calm waves that were gently flowing over his feet. Without a doubt this was the most relaxed state Kaden was able to achieve through these sessions, with his body soon reaching perfect synchronization with nature around him. All thoughts left his mind as even the sound of the rustling leaves on the trees were drowned by the silence he was creating in his mind.

Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...

"..."

"It's your choice, Kaden." Whispered a soft female's voice.

"Huh?"

Kaden's eyes suddenly opened as a single tear rolled down the left side of his face. A chilling feeling traveled through Kaden's body, leaving him scared and confused. The voice sounded as if the female was whispering directly into his left ear. However, Kaden found himself scared to the point where he was heavily hesitating to turn around. First his eyes drifted to the left as far as they could before the remainder of his head followed. There was nobody there.

"Who... was that?" Kaden questioned.

Suddenly, the sapphire necklace gifted to Kaden by Mai which he was now wearing, began to glow. The easily noticeable glowing became brighter with every passing second. As Kaden inspected the necklace, he noticed a shadow darting by in the corner of his eye. He fully turned around to face the shoreline at that moment and immediately noticed another shadow darting through the bushes. Then another one, and another one. These shadows disappeared as quickly as they appeared and were moving at inhuman speeds. One by one dashing through the bushes until one came to a sudden stop within Kaden's visibility. From his perspective this shadow appeared to be at least eight feet tall and had a shifting smoky body. It eerily turned towards Kaden revealing its piercing dark blue eyes.