Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

The Second Trial

A monotonous cacophony of roars, cheers and chants echoed through the air as Liam followed Isabelle to his starting position. Just as he'd done before, the older woman stopped just short of the invisible wall of energy. 

Turning to him with a curious glint in her eyes, Isabelle asked, "Are you ready?"

Caught off by her sudden informal approach, Liam replied, "Ready as I'll ever be," before adding, "ma'am!"

"There's no need for such titles when we're alone," she said with a wave of her hand, "How confident are you in today's match?"

"It'll be tough," Liam said, erring on the side of caution, "My opponent is after all a student of the Mountain."

"You can drop the act," Isabelle said after studying him for a few moments. 

"What act?" Liam returned, hiding his panic, "What are you talking about?"

Giving no immediate response, she instead fixated a heavy stare on him as if trying to see into his very soul. Acting as though he was still unsure of what she meant by her earlier statement, Liam shifted his weight uncomfortably as Isabelle's gaze continuously bore into him. With a sense of mounting discomfort becoming prevalent, the woman stealthily lunged towards him, landing mere inches away from his face before he could even react. 

Leaning closer, Isabelle paused as her lips reached his ear, whispering, "Why don't you show me that dark power you're trying oh so hard to hide?"

Taken aback by her words, Liam reluctantly stepped backward, black aura flickering over his fingertips as he adopted a defensive stance. No longer staring at him as intently as before, Isabelle smiled thinly as her own light blue energy reacted to Liam's darker counterpart. 

"That's right," she said excitedly through her smile as she dispelled her own energy, "Show me what you're capable of!"

Realizing he'd been successfully baited into her trap, Lim quickly dispersed the lingering black energy with a swish of his hand. 

Regarding the Elder with uncertainty, he began, "What is it that you want from me?"

"You already know what I want,"  she replied, maintaining her stance. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, especially in front of so many people," Liam replied, recalling her earlier whisper, "so, if you're here to witness my Void Aura in action, then I'm afraid that I'll have to disappoint you."

"Void Aura you say, is that what it's called?" Isabelle asked with plain interest, "Such an odd name, though I suppose only something as outlandish as that would fit. What else can you tell me about this mysterious power of yours?"

"You'll get nothing more out of me?" Liam said firmly, wincing as he realized his mistake. 

"Oh but I will, one way or another," she responded in a singsong tone, before continuing, "How exactly do you plan on competing if you won't be using your Void Aura?"

Smiling at his immediate chance to regain control of the conversation, Liam replied simply, "You'll see!"

Raising an eyebrow, Isabelle contemplated the various meanings behind his vague words. Sensing the finality of his tone, Isabelle pursed her lips as she realized that she'd truly be unable to squeeze any further information out of him. 

"Seems like I'll have to be patient for once," the First Elder said, pouting as she relented, "Although, from the looks of things, I won't be waiting for much longer!"

"You're not wrong there," Liam agreed, releasing his defensive posture, "Are we heading in now or is there more to this test of yours?"

"Oh, this wasn't a test," she said with a wicked glint in her eyes, "That, that will come later. For now, let's get you where you need to be!"