The Place Before the Core (Reprise)

Chapter 3: The Test

"What's ready?" I asked skeptically.

"Testing dummies, for you to practice with your sword. Dummies forged with magic. Best part is they are made of hay!" Exclaimed my wizard friend.

"He loves his magic. Before we begin, you need to change your name." Jepidity demanded.

"Why?"

"Jessica is a foreign name here. People will get suspicious. Then after some people get suspicious, the evil ones will also get suspicious and hunt you down. And probably kill you."

Galactus spoke abruptly "Sorry for her causality. She doesn't believe in a prophecy. I'll tell you it later. How about Justalyne?"

"Sure, I guess......" I trailed off as an abnormal aurora surrounds me. Yellow lights flew and danced around me. The light began to shift and form all the letters of the alphabet. Then the letters began to dance, like a masquerade. Slowing they stopped their party and one by one the letters disappeared. Then only nine letters remained, J, U, S, T, A, L, Y, N, E.

"This shall make you respond to that name, just like you would to your regular name. You still will react to you regular. And you won't forget this name also. Its like a second name, a nickname." Galactus explained walking out the room, beckoning for me to follow.

We walked down the hall into a white room. The room was made of cotton and was as if I was in limbo. The white was unrealistically bright that I had to squint. Galactus directed me to move to the center of the room. He left the room and closed the door softly behind him. Then with a sound of a latch, the door was locked.

I stared at the white fluff in the room. I stare for a couple of seconds but it felt like hours. I was about to go back and knock on the door when the room began churn with marvelous, majestic colors. They began to engulf me, bouncing rhythmically like a Chinese New Year parade. They all acted like they were playing tag. Having fun with no care in the word. It was see through with bubble like features, glossy look and reflective. I began to turn following the jumping rainbow and soon it dispersed.

As soon as the dance was over I ended up back in the tavern. It was nice and all except for the fact that I was facing five knights in rusty armor. I unsheathed my sword and prepared to battle. Yet they all stood still with their swords in dead grip of their hands. They didn't move at all, and they didn't show any signs of breathing. Just the sound of my breath echoing through out the tavern. Then in one second they all moved in unison.

As one they all struck at me with a downward slash. I quickly lifted my blade to meet the other five, followed by the aura and the metal hum. Our blades held together but they began to add weight sending me to my knee. Now my sword began to illuminate bright green while emitting emerald ashes. I then brought my other hand up to support the weight.

Soon my weapon was encased in the green aura, enough that I could not longer see the actual metal. This could mean something but what? The other soldiers' blade were not glowing, so what does it mean? Or could it be...

I pushed with all my might up onto my sword. And the blade let out an ear piercing cling and all the goons were sent flying. I scanned the area to see the soldiers scattered everywhere, some on the tables and two behind the stand. Wow, this is not like the ancient times we learned about in school. It's more like a video game. I held up my sword, glancing at the markings in graved on the handle. It was in no modern day dialect, and not even ancient dialect. At first it I thought it might be Latin but the text was different.

Before I could investigate any further, one of the swordsmen was at the brink of slashing me into two. I raised my sword in time to intercept the blade and made the guy stumble back. While he was trying to catch himself, I extended my sword arm out, crouched down, and spun around slashing through the soldier. He again, stumbled back, while holding his gut and fell backwards. I winced at the gash in his side, but there was no sight of blood. Three of the soldiers came to confront me, as I tried to study the body.

One was on my left, one was on my right, and one was splitting between the two. The one on my right went for a horizontal slash towards my neck. I quickly ducked, feeling the breeze as the blade flew overhead. I then rolled forward and slash the rights Achilles tendon, followed by the fabulous metal hum and green energy. He fell to one leg and I quickly got up and swung my sword towards the soldiers head, with my eye promptly shut, and decapitated the guy. His head fell to the ground with a surprisingly loud thud. With no time to grimace I hit the one enemy that was in center right in his gut. He doubled over and I quickly shoved my sword in his chest as he leaned down causing the sound of tearing skin to echo through the tavern.

The next guy tried for a straight jab but I casually parried the attack away. I then preformed a disengage, finishing him off. They last guy was just barely getting up from behind the bar tenders stand. I threw my sword towards his, like a Tomahawk, with precise precision towards his head. It contacted right between his eyes. He flew back, with the sword burrowed all the way through his skull, and was attached to the wall. His body jerked for one quick second but he went limp.

I stood there idle, as I marveled at the fact that I was skillful enough to succumb these guys. Yet, I was barely moved by the fact by the gruesome fact that I slashed, hack, and pierced these guys without a second thought. It just felt natural. Spontaneously the majestic rainbow bounced around and flickered like mini fireworks. It closed in on me again and soon I was in the fluffy room again.

I looked around to see four humanoid hay lying on the ground in front of me. And across the room I saw a hay figure pinned against the wall with my sword in its head. I strode over to the area, put up my foot against the wall, grabbed my sword, and heaved the weapon out. The hay person sluggishly fell to the ground.

"Excellent work, Justalyne!" My magical friend's voice rang through the room" I think we have found the One!"

"I'd hate to say it but your right," my warrior accomplice replied, "Congrats, Justalyne; you will be this world's savior."

The one? This world's savior? Confused, yet again, I went and opened the door that I came in. As soon as I walked out of the room, I was confronted by a heavy shove from a hooded figure. Who ever was in there was hurrying down the hall, as if he or she was late to an important event. That person could be the one who shoved me so I sprang like lightning after it.